Camaraderie is Sorcery

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 4:4 - The Scribe and the Heroine

Chapter 4:4 – The Scribe and the Heroine

Rainbow Dash flew over the Saddle Arabian camp as she searched for Twilight Sparkle. The sorceress had been spending a lot of time here lately across the river, helping the Saddle Arabians get settled in a landscape wholly alien to them and prepare for long-term habitation. Failing to spot either the sorceress or Spike among the refugees, Rainbow swooped back over to Ponieville.

“Is Twilight here?” Rainbow Dash asked Baldavin, who was taking stock of a cart, as she landed in front of Golden Oak’s laboratory.

“Yes, she’s inside with the rest of you,” Baldavin replied before going back to sorting through crates and jars.

By “the rest of you,” Baldavin was referring to the other Brave Companions, as Rainbow Dash discovered once she entered the laboratory. Spike was carrying over a stack of ledgers to Twilight Sparkle, who already had an assortment of books opened atop each other on the pedestal before her. Her friends were arranged around the sorceress and her scribe; some standing, some seated, Rarity sipping a cup of tea.

“Some extra hooves could always help out on th’ farm, but we always run th’ risk o’ Mayor Mare choosin’ t’ interpret that as th’ Apples not bein’ able t’ care for th’ land ourselves—an’ usin’ that as an excuse t’ take it from us,” Applejack was saying as Rainbow Dash entered.

“Let me deal with Mayor Mare,” Twilight replied. “The Saddle Arabians need work, and they need to learn how to plant and tend crops in a land that is not all sand.”

“Twilight, do you have a moment?” Rainbow asked excitedly.

“Yes, I suppose I can take a break,” the sorceress decided after consulting a checklist and making some marks. Spike set down his ledgers and gave a sigh of relief.

“What’s the news?” Pinkamena asked as Rainbow Dash undid the straps on her saddlebags.

“I just saved a traveling merchant from an eikeibokuro, and he was so grateful that he gave me all three of the Daring Do volumes!” Rainbow Dash said enthusiastically as she pulled a trio of books from her saddlebags and set them down on the pedestal with Twilight’s other books. “So, I can return your copies now that I have my own!”

“Good for you,” Twilight said as she set her copies of The Tales of Daring Do, More Tales of Daring Do, and Further Tales of Daring Do to the side. “It was an incredible stroke of luck to secure all three at once.”

“Wasn’t it?” Rainbow Dash said, unable to cease grinning. “Now all I have to do is wait until another one is written.”

“You may be waiting for a long time,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I have heard from Countess Sundown that there will be no more books from A.K. Yearling.”

“What?” Rainbow asked, her smile falling away. “Why?”

“Well, the rumor is that A.K. Yearling has died,” Twilight said as she extracted herself from her piles of books and parchment and, looking at it with fresh eyes, realized for the first time what a mess she’d made around herself.

“But that’s just a rumor, right?” Rainbow asked desperately. “It’s possible there’s some other reason, or that the whole thing was a mistake?”

“It isn’t the end of the world, Dash,” Fluttershy said compassionately, seeing how worked up her friend was getting.

“I know that,” Rainbow Dash said, blushing in embarrassment. “But there were so many more adventures for Daring Do to go on, so many things left unfinished.”

“Somepony else will likely pick up the quill to continue writing tales about her, but no, they will not be the same as A.K. Yearling’s prose,” Twilight Sparkle said as she helped herself to some tea.

“Twilight, we could go to Countess Sundown, find out what’s really going on,” Rainbow Dash proposed as the idea came to her. “With your portals, we can travel anywhere—even to Stygra to speak to A.K. Yearling, if she’s alive!”

“We could,” Twilight admitted as she looked at the stacks of work still waiting for her, “But—”

“But you want to know what happened to A.K. Yearling as badly as I do, don’t you?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Come on, Twilight.”

“Well … okay,” Twilight caved. “I do want to know why the tales have ceased, and I suppose I have arranged things as well as I can so that the Saddle Arabians will be able to get by in my absence. We can leave for Adage first thing tomorrow.”

“Ooh, I want to come too!” Pinkamena exclaimed as she bounced up.

“Me too,” Fluttershy said, surprising everyone.

“I could take the time to come along,” Rarity offered.

“Well, if you’re all goin’, then there’s no reason for me not t’ come along as well,” Applejack said. “I’m not goin’ t’ miss out on another adventure wi’ th’ six o’ us.”

“Very well,” Twilight said. “I guess we will all leave first thing tomorrow.”

“Great! See you then!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed before shooting out of the laboratory and nearly knocking Baldavin flat in the process, eager to start preparing for the journey.

***

“It’s an honor to have you at my court, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Brave Companions,” Countess Sundown of Adage addressed them as they stood before her.

Via Spike, Twilight had sent ahead a message letting the countess know to expect them. Accordingly, she had assembled her court to impress upon them that she was important enough to have the crown princess of the kingdom and her legendary companions seek a personal audience with her. As countess of Adage, one of the three White Tail Wood ports along the Gulf of Sirens—along with Sonnet and Aria—she didn’t have an incredibly impressive court, nor did her county possess vast territory or influence. However, it had now hosted Brave Companions on two recent occasions; besides this visit, Applejack and Pinkamena had also stayed here the previous year. That had to count for something.

“Thank you for having us, your ladyship,” Twilight replied. “Might we have a private audience?”

“Of course,” Sundown said with a contented smile.

She descended from her throne and motioned for the Brave Companions to follow her to a private audience chamber. Her court would drive themselves into a frenzy wondering what she was talking about with them, which was precisely her intention. With any luck, word of her private audience would even reach her liege, Margrave Tristan, and increase her influence at his court. Of course, it could also backfire on her; Tristan was still suspected of purposefully leaving his fief open to attack from the Los Pegasans three years ago. Things could go south quickly if he suspected that Sundown was plotting to replace him. Even so, it was a risk she was willing to take.

“So, how can I be of help to you?” Sundown asked as she led them into a chamber with plenty of seating for all of them.

“We want to know the truth about A.K. Yearling,” Twilight Sparkle said, and the countess’s eyes opened wide in surprise at being asked something so trivial.

“She isn’t really dead, is she?” Rainbow Dash blurted out.

“Dead? I … I don’t know for sure,” the countess replied. “She stopped sending me letters and replying to my own messages. Any responses I got back from her court were tight-lipped about why she was unable to write back herself. I fear she is either dead or has been imprisoned for some crime against her regent.”

“But you don’t know for sure?” Rainbow pleaded.

“I believe that’s what I said,” Sundown replied tersely. “I’ve seen no corpse, but the facts I do know lend themselves toward that conclusion.”

“You were communicating with her. That means you know where she lives,” Rainbow Dash said, piecing things together.

“Of course. She is—or was—a scribe at the court of King Brama’an of Teoxecala. I’ve never been there, of course; we just correspond,” Sundown said.

“We could go there and find out what’s happening,” Rainbow Dash said to Twilight.

“To Stygra? I do not know, Rainbow,” Twilight replied. “Things are quite different there than in Equestria, both in how they do things and in language. We would have to find a translator who speaks something I understand, unless … well, there is a spell I have been looking for an opportunity to use. What language to they speak in Teoxecala?”

“Bruandish. Why?” Countess Sundown answered.

“Your ladyship, I have a favor to ask of you,” Twilight said.

***

Fortunately, Countess Sundown had been amenable to Twilight’s request, so they would have no difficulty communicating with the locals in the Kingdom of Teoxecala. The countess no longer understood Bruandish; instead, her knowledge of the language had been transferred by Twilight spell to the Brave Companions and Spike. It was a difficult spell for Twilight to maintain and it wouldn’t last forever, since the knowledge would eventually return to its source. However, it would make things easier than showing up unannounced in the heart of Stygra and trying to find a translator there.

The Kingdom of Teoxecala was located far from Equestria, in the jungles of the southern hemisphere. Twilight opened a portal among the trees outside the main city in order to allow them time to acclimate to the oppressive heat and humidity, but it didn’t do much to help. Many ponies they saw were wearing the bare minimum of clothing in order to cope, but Equestrian modesty wouldn’t allow such a thing, so they sweltered in silence. Only Spike seemed to be completely unaffected, weathering the heat as if it were a mild spring day.

It was cooler within the pyramidal palace of King Brama’an, and they were able to meet the pegasus king comfortably. The Brave Companions were recognized by name, if not by appearance, and Twilight’s wings were enough to distinguish them as the real deal. King Brama’an was happy to welcome them, though visibly surprised at their presence.

“I never expected to see such legendary figures in my own court,” Brama’an said in Bruandish, but the Brave Companions all heard his words in Low Equestrian. “Perhaps you can tell me why the sun stood overhead during the solstice?”

Applejack had noted how the trees didn’t look very healthy, the leaves on their fringes wilted or crisp. While the sun had hung on the horizon in Equestria, it had stood at noontime strength here while the Brave Companions had searched for the Tree of Harmony. If the temperature had been uncomfortable in Equestria, it must have gotten unbearably hot here.

“Celestia and Luna were absent temporarily, but rest assured, they are seated in Cant’r Laht once again,” Twilight replied, her words leaving her mouth in Bruandish.

“Well, I hope it doesn’t happen again. These past years, the sun and moon seem uncertain in their courses,” Brama’an said. “So, what brings you to the great Kingdom of Teoxecala?”

“We want to know what happened to A.K. Yearling,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Doesn’t everypony?” the king replied, his expression darkening. “That blasted scribe disappeared months ago without a word or note to explain herself. I’ve no idea where she is, and that Equestrian countess she corresponds with won’t leave me alone.”

“We can take care of Countess Sundown,” Twilight Sparkle replied.

“Where was A.K. Yearling last?” Rainbow asked with concern.

“Her home, probably,” Brama’an replied. “I had my soldiers search it when she first disappeared, but they didn’t find any clue to where or why she’d gone.”

“Could we search it?” Rainbow asked.

“You’re welcome to, but I doubt you’ll turn anything up,” Brama’an said. “A.K. Yearling is a very private pony.”

***

The king’s assertion was reinforced by the location he gave them. While there was plenty of space in the city and within the king’s palace for a scribe of his court, A.K. Yearling had elected to live outside the walls in the jungle, isolated from everypony else. Rainbow Dash was the first to spot the home, since she was leading the way, and was already flying all over it by the time the rest of the Brave Companions caught up to her.

“Oh my, what happened here?” Fluttershy asked as she caught sight of the home.

The adobe house had been thoroughly ransacked, its door torn off and possessions thrown out onto the lawn in front of the house. The thatching of the roof had been pulled out in places and strewn haphazardly among the possessions in front of the home. Scrolls and books were scattered across the ground, many of them irreparably damaged by the humidity.

“It looks like the king’s guards were … thorough in their search,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“This wasn’t them,” Rainbow said authoritatively. “King Brama’an said they searched her home after she first disappeared, but this was done recently, and it smells like sorcery.”

Twilight Sparkle reached out with her magic. Like the Hunter said, it did seem that sorcery had been used here recently.

“No monsters did this,” Rainbow Dash surmised as she landed at last. “This was the work of ponies.”

“What have you done to my home!?” a mare’s voice demanded from behind the Brave Companions.

They turned to face a wide-eyed mare with a golden coat staring in horror at the scene of destruction. Her black and gray mane was piled up into bun on the back of her head, and most of her body was covered in a lavender chamanto. A set of saddlebags bulging with books and scrolls was draped over her back.

“A.K. Yearling?” Rainbow Dash asked hesitantly.

“Yes, and who are you?” A.K. Yearling asked as she began to back up the path away from her house.

“We’re the Brave Companions, and I’m Rainbow Dash,” the Hunter nearly gushed as she flew to A.K. Yearling.

“Would you mind telling me why you destroyed my home, Rainbow Dash?” A.K. asked suspiciously.

“We didn’t do it!” Rainbow asserted a bit too quickly, only making the group look more suspicious.

“Your home was like this when we arrived,” Twilight said as she took over the explanations. “We came looking for you because we were worried something might have happened to you.”

“Me?” A.K. Yearling asked, though her focus didn’t seem to be on the conversation anymore as she hurried past the Brave Companions into her home without waiting for an answer.

“We’re big fans of your work,” Rainbow Dash said as she followed the scribe inside. “I’ve read your stories about Daring Do over and over since I discovered them!”

“Right, that,” A.K. Yearling said distractedly as she rooted through the overturned piles of tomes scattered around the interior of her cottage, searching for something.

The author rummaged through the detritus with single-minded focus until she found a particularly broad tome beneath a table. She lifted it up onto the table’s surface before running a hoof over the cover in a complex pattern; Twilight Sparkle (who’d followed Rainbow in by this point) sensed a surge of magic. The pages had clearly parted when A.K. had picked up the tome a few moments before, but when she opened it now, they were all hollowed out. Neat rows of inky letters had been replaced by a portal to a tiny pocket dimension, and within the space, nearly filling it, was a golden ring.

“Good, it’s safe,” A.K. Yearling breathed a sigh of relief.

A.K. Yearling tucked the ring into her saddlebags before ignoring Twilight and Rainbow Dash and getting to work straightening up her home.

“I have so many questions for you,” Rainbow Dash said excitedly.

“I’m afraid I haven’t the time to answer any of them,” A.K. Yearling said as she continued undisturbed.

“Do you have any more tales of Daring Do?” Rainbow Dash asked, and A.K. Yearling looked annoyed but didn’t cease her tidying.

“Rainbow Dash, come on,” Twilight said.

“But, I …” the Hunter protested before complying and following the sorceress out of the cottage.

“We accomplished what we came here to do. We should return home,” Twilight told her once they were outside. “We came to see if A.K. Yearling was safe, and she is.”

“But she isn’t,” Rainbow Dash disagreed. “Look at her house. Whoever did this may return, and A.K. Yearling can’t defend herself. She’s just a scribe.”

“Nevertheless, she has not asked for our help, and she clearly does not want it,” Twilight said.

“You don’t know that,” Rainbow Dash objected. “We should offer to protect her, or find who did this.”

Twilight sensed sorceresses teleport into A.K. Yearling’s house and, judging by her reaction, so did Rainbow Dash.

“She’s under attack!” Rainbow cried and rushed back toward the home.

“You are jumping to conclusions!” Twilight tried to forestall her from drawing her sword and rushing in. “There are no sounds of fighting. She may be expecting them.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t completely believe her, but she did stop and fly to a window instead of through the door. Within, facing A.K. Yearling with their backs to the window, were three well-muscled stallions in light armor in a style that was Stygran, but not native to the Kingdom of Teoxecala. Their weapons remained sheathed, but they stood ready to block the scribe if she tried to flee for the door. One opened his mouth to say something, but before he could speak, A.K. jumped into action, flinging her saddlebags at one and her chamanto at another. After her outer garment was removed, it revealed a set of light leather armor—dyed green to match the region’s flora—and a pair of wings, which she used to propel herself toward the third stallion. Her hoof connected, and he staggered back as A.K. Yearling’s mane came undone from its bun and tumbled down.

“Th—tha—that’s—” Rainbow Dash said disbelievingly.

“Yes, A.K. Yearling is Daring Do!” an astonished Twilight vocalized what her friend could not.

“Daring Do is real,” Rainbow Dash said. “I can’t believe it.”

Within the cottage, the temporarily stunned thugs had recovered and attempted an attack from behind. Daring Do bucked them away before doing a flip and retrieving her saddlebags. The nearest thug, whose hood had fallen back to reveal a messily tousled mane, lunged out and grabbed hold of the saddlebags in his teeth. As he and Daring Do tugged it back and forth, another of the thugs drew a falchion and slashed down at the pegasus’ neck. Daring Do yanked her head out of the way, and the blade cut through the saddlebags instead. The blade became buried in the scrolls and tomes within but still cut a slash through the bags, and the contents tumbled out, including the golden ring.

The stallion who’d been punched earlier darted in to grab the ring, but Daring Do stomped down on his nose, breaking it even more than she already had. With a hoof, she shuffled the ring under herself to protect it. As the other two thugs advanced, she flipped it up on a wing and backed away. She drew a mace from her side and batted away the falchion swing that came at her but also exposed herself to a tackle from the other thug. He forced her back toward the wall, but she flapped up and kicked him away with her hindlegs. The thug with the falchion came at her again, swinging high, but she carefully dodged the attack in the limited space between him and the ceiling and flew toward the door.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash sensed another flash of magic, and Daring Do suddenly froze midflight and fell to the ground, her body completely rigid. The ring fell from her wing and rolled across the floor to come to a stop at the hooves of a new stallion who had just teleported in. He wore an elaborately embroidered set of robes with long, tapered edges that hung suspended in the air and fluttered at the slightest movement. His face had spindly (mostly unsuccessful) attempts at a beard, a combed-back black mane shot with gray, and bushy eyebrows—one of which he cocked as he grinned at Daring Do on the ground.

“Many thanks, Daring Do,” he said as he levitated the ring into his own saddlebags, “Once again, you have discovered what I could not, but in the end, it is I that shall benefit from your labors. It makes me wonder why I ought to expend any energy at all, rather than simply follow your trail.”

The berobed stallion cast another spell and Daring Do’s paralysis lessened enough that she could speak.

“Return the ring, Caballeron!” Daring Do demanded, “You don’t understand the kind of damage it could cause!”

“Caballeron!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “From The Razor of Dreams!”

“I know,” Twilight Sparkle added. “The self-proclaimed sorcerer supreme who Daring Do refused to join.”

“Um, shouldn’t we maybe do something to help?” Fluttershy suggested quietly.

“Oh, I understand far more than you think,” Caballeron said smugly.

“Ahuizotl put you up to this, then,” Daring Do replied. “Don’t give him the ring! He’ll use it to control the Fortress of Talacon and subject the valley to eight centuries of unrelenting heat!”

“Of course he will, but I don’t care about that,” Caballeron replied. “He can do whatever he wants with the ring, so long as I receive a substantial reward for my part in his scheme. If he wants to be overlord of Teoxecala, so be it. I’ll be far from here by the time the heat comes, and who knows? The way things have been the past few years, none may even suspect that Talacon has anything do with this.”

“I will, and I’ll come for Ahuizotl!” Daring Do exclaimed.

“Of course, my dear,” Caballeron said condescendingly. “But even if you truly had a chance to defeat a Great One, you won’t be given the opportunity. Your story ends here.”

“No, it won’t!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed, finally propelled into action, and she crashed through the window, making the presence of the Brave Companions known to those inside the cottage.

Caballeron looked over at Rainbow Dash, but his eyes went wide as he spotted a stunned alicorn behind her. The sorcerer supreme teleported away, taking his baffled thugs with him a few moments later. Rainbow Dash hurried over to Daring Do, who was still paralyzed on the floor.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash called for someone with more sorcerous expertise.

Twilight Sparkle teleported into the cottage and dispelled the spell of paralysis over Daring Do. Rainbow offered a hoof to help Daring Do up as the other Brave Companions entered the cottage, but the pegasus batted it away.

“Let me be,” Daring Do said through gritted teeth as she struggled to her hooves by herself.

“Um, she was just trying to help,” Fluttershy interjected.

“Did I ask for help?” Daring Do asked with a pointed glare. “I don’t want or need your help. Leave. Me. Be.”

Daring Do stalked out past the surprised Brave Companions and back down the path she’d come up recently as A.K. Yearling. The Brave Companions filed back outside to watch her go, standing among the scattered contents of the scribe and adventurer’s home.

“We have to help her!” Rainbow Dash insisted.

“She does not want our help, Rainbow,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “She was quite transparent on that point.”

“We can’t stand by and let Teoxecala fall to eight centuries of heat!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Maybe not, but it is none of our business,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Calamities happen all across Equus all the time, and we cannot be the ones to stop every one of them.”

“But we’re here now,” Rainbow Dash emphasized. “We can’t just return home without doing anything!”

“Forgive me if I misunderstood, but didn’t that Caballeron fella say that Ahuizotl’s a Great One, like Discord?” Applejack said.

“Exactly!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, though the farmer hadn’t meant to back the Hunter up. “We’re the only ones who have defeated a Great One, and we can do it again.”

“We defeated Discord with the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight pointed out. “And we are not the only ones to defeat Great Ones. Yliiena the First defeated many of them and imprisoned them in Tartarus.”

“Yes, and Yliiena was an alicorn, just like you. We can do this, Twilight!” Rainbow said.

“Perhaps,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “If we can locate the Fortress of Talacon, then perhaps we can remove or destroy the Rings of Scorchero—assuming everything in A.K. Yearling’s books are accurate—and in doing so, destroy the fortress. Fighting Ahuizotl directly should be a last resort; even Daring Do doesn’t battle him head-on, according to the books. It will have to be a well-planned strategy, but perhaps we can pull it off. The one thing we cannot afford to do is rush in without a plan and—”

“Um, Twilight, darling,” Rarity interrupted Twilight from her spiel of reasoning. “Rainbow Dash has already flown off after Daring Do.”

***

Daring Do had been able to vanish quickly, something Rainbow Dash would normally be impressed by, if it weren’t now impeding her ability to help her heroine. Luckily for her, though, she had a Hunter’s senses, which meant she could spot a camouflaged pegasus flying through the trees that would’ve been invisible to anyone else. She was nervous about what to say to her idol as she descended, but it couldn’t be put it off forever.

“Daring Do!” she called as she got closer—and was rewarded by a mace swung at her head that splintered the tree behind her as she dropped out of the way.

“Oh, it’s you,” Daring Do said in annoyance and put the mace away. “I thought I told you to stay away.”

“That’s not Rainbow Dash’s style,” the Hunter said as she flew alongside Daring Do. “I couldn’t let Ahuizotl take over the valley.”

“I’m the one who is responsible for foiling Ahuizotl,” Daring Do said saltily. “You should find some other monster to hunt.”

“My friends and I, we’re the Brave Companions, and we’ve done far more than hunt monsters,” Rainbow assured her. “Maybe you’ve heard of us?”

“Can’t say that I have,” Daring Do said grouchily.

“Just give me a chance, and I’ll show you I can help.”

“I. Work. Alone,” Daring Do said as she pushed Rainbow away.

“But, why?” Rainbow asked.

“Partnerships never work out for me,” Daring Do said, then sighed. “Listen, you’ve read my stories, right?”

“Yes, several times,” Rainbow Dash said ardently.

“Ever read a story where I was working with somepony else?” Daring Do asked with skeptical eyes.

“Well … no,” Rainbow said.

“That’s because they all ended badly, so I didn’t include them,” Daring said as she flew on.

“That doesn’t mean things will end badly this time,” Rainbow protested.

“I’d rather not take a chance on a pony I’ve just met.”

“Well, I can tell you all about myself if you tell me about yourself,” Rainbow Dash suggested hopefully.

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Daring Do said with finality.

“At least let me come along,” Rainbow Dash pleaded.

“Since it seems I don’t have much choice in the matter,” Daring Do said angrily, looking pointedly at Rainbow Dash and accepting the situation, “Fine, but stay out of my way.”

Rainbow Dash nodded with excitement and gave herself a moment to enjoy the fact that she was accompanying the Daring Do on an adventure.

“So, did everything in your stories really happen?” Rainbow Dash asked the first of her long list of questions for Daring Do. The adventurer groaned, regretting her capitulation already.

***

It was dark by the time Rainbow Dash and Daring Do caught up to Caballeron and his goons. They had pitched camp in the jungle and were sitting around a fire, conversing in low voices, while the two pegasi watched and waited in the foliage. Rainbow Dash had either run out of questions at last or sensed the necessity of quiet. Daring Do looked over at her, the Hunter’s eyes glowing slightly in the dark, and wondered if she would truly stand back and let her do her work. The adventurer would be taking a risk by trusting this pony, but it was a necessary one to save her home.

Rainbow Dash noticed Daring Do staring at her, but before she could open her mouth to ask a question, Daring Do slithered off through the underbrush toward Caballeron’s camp. The group hadn’t thought to post any sentries, but Daring Do knew that Caballeron wasn’t quite enough of a fool to leave his camp undefended. Prizing a stone out of the ground, she tossed it to interrupt the magical field Caballeron was projecting around the camp; while he sent a thug to investigate, she slipped in from another direction. She ran a knife carefully down the back of the nicest tent and slipped inside to search for the missing ring.

Rainbow Dash waited impatiently for Daring Do to reappear. There was no disturbance in the camp, but she’d been inside for what Rainbow Dash thought was a long time. Perhaps she should attempt to sneak in as well and search another tent. She’d promised Daring Do she’d stay out of her way, but … surely that didn’t apply if Daring Do was in trouble, did it? The sound of toppling trees pulled Rainbow’s attention away from the camp, and she turned to see the towering figure of Ahuizotl step into the firelight.

“Caballeron!” the Great One bellowed, and Caballeron’s henchponies cowered upon coming face-to-face with Ahuizotl. “Where is my ring?”

“Oh, great Ahuizotl,” Caballeron said calmly, “I, of course, have your ring, but I believe we agreed upon payment.”

Ahuizotl grumbled and snapped the fingers on his tail. A sizeable pouch of coin materialized in front of Caballeron, dropping to the ground in front of the sorceror.

“Much appreciated,” said Caballeron. “The ring is within my tent.”

As Caballeron made to trot over and retrieve the ring from the tent Daring Do had vanished into, Ahuizotl reached down and tore the tent open, exposing Daring Do with the ring in her mouth.

“Daring Do!” Ahuizotl bellowed, as Caballeron and his thugs made themselves scarce.

The Great One slammed his massive fists down around Daring Do, but she deftly dodged his strikes. With a snap of his tail hand, Ahuizotl summoned into being a pack of wildcats made from jade. Together, they penned Daring Do in and kept her from flying away.

“Daring Do, that ring belongs to me!” Ahuizotl howled.

“Fat chance, Ahuizotl,” Daring Do retorted. “Your scheme will fail, just like all the ones before it.”

“You impudent little pony!” Ahuizotl yelled as he struck out toward her and his wildcats attacked.

Daring Do jumped and dodged and ran, narrowly avoiding attacks. She struck out at the jade wildcats whenever she could, cracking their exteriors; and as she jumped over one to strike at its already cracked head with her mace, she shattered it into dust. Ahuizotl grumbled and snapped his tail again, creating another wildcat to replace the destroyed one. Rainbow Dash thought she saw an opportunity to help, with Ahuizotl’s back to her and his focus on Daring Do. If she could slice off his tail hand, then he would be severely hampered. The Hunter emerged from the undergrowth and surged toward Ahuizotl with sword drawn, but the Great One spotted her and swiped her out of the air with a forehand. Rainbow Dash tumbled across the ground and would have recovered had Ahuizotl’s hand not pinned her forcefully down, sinking her into the dirt and causing the sword to fly from her mouth.

“No!” Daring Do called as Ahuizotl pushed Rainbow into the ground, accidentally allowing one of the jade wildcats to pounce on her.

“Surrender, Daring Do!” Ahuizotl demanded as he continued to force Rainbow Dash down, dirt cresting now over her.

“Fine, but leave her alone!” Daring Do demanded.

“Don’t do it,” Rainbow Dash tried to say, but she was having difficulty breathing.

Ahuizotl released his grip on Rainbow Dash, and when the Hunter saw him next, he was stalking away—Daring Do encased in jade held in one massive hand, the golden ring spinning on his tail finger.

***

Rainbow Dash remained encased in the ground for a while. If she struggled, she could probably work herself free, but she had no will to do so. Ahuizotl was going to win, and it was all her fault. Eventually, as sun started to filter through the leaves high above, the soil moved away from her and she was propelled back up to the surface.

“Oh, thank heavens you’re all right!” Rarity said.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked as she helped Rainbow Dash to her hooves.

All the Brave Companions were assembled around the Hunter, looking at her worriedly.

“No, I’m not okay,” Rainbow Dash said dejectedly, “You were right, Twilight. We should have left Daring Do and gone home. Because of me, she was captured by Ahuizotl and the valley is doomed. We should leave.”

“Leave? Now? It sounds like Darin’ Do needs our help more’n ever,” Applejack said.

“That’s what I thought, but my ‘help’ only led to more trouble. We should let Daring Do be the hero she is.”

“No, Rainbow,” Twilight said kindly. “You were not wrong about everything. We have become heroes as well, and to stand aside when we know there is a wrong to be righted would not be proper. I never thought I would see the day when Rainbow Dash did not recognize how heroic she herself is, but it seems idolizing Daring Do has done it.”

“But what can we do?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I saw Ahuizotl, and he is a fierce foe.”

“We will defeat him the way Daring Do has in the past—not by facing him head-on, but by outsmarting him.”

“But Daring Do doesn’t want our help,” Rainbow Dash objected.

“Maybe not, but it does sound like she needs it,” Twilight said. “The Fortress of Talacon is nearby. I, for one, intend to finish this journey. Are you with us, Rainbow Dash?”

“I am,” Rainbow replied after some thought.

“Then let’s get going before this place gets any hotter,” Pinkamena said as she bounded off through the jungle.

***

The Fortress of Talacon was a large overgrown ruin, but like many ancient ruins in Stygra, it was packed with still-functional traps and elaborate execution devices. Daring Do was entrapped in one such device, which, if it worked properly, would gradually submerge her in piranha-infested waters so that she would be slowly devoured before drowning. Ahuizotl had left her here in order to commence his ceremony to take control of the fortress, but she had no intention of waiting around. The braces holding her to the wall were sturdy, but the mortar holding them in place had become less so over time. Daring Do was slowly working her way free and had managed to get her hindlegs loose, but it was becoming apparent that the waters were rising too rapidly for her to escape before she was submerged. Piranhas were jumping from the water in anticipation of their forthcoming meal, when Rainbow Dash suddenly flew in through the chamber’s broken ceiling. Drawing her sword, she began loosening the rest of the restraints holding Daring Do.

“What are you doing here?” Daring Do asked as Rainbow broke her free.

“Saving you,” Rainbow replied, sheathing her sword as they flew up to an exit door.

“Daring Do doesn’t need saving,” the mare insisted.

“So you told me,” Rainbow Dash said skeptically. “But I don’t listen very well.”

“Apparently not,” Daring Do retorted before softening. “Come on, we have to stop Ahuizotl before he completes the ring-placing ceremony.”

Much to Daring Do’s appreciation, Rainbow Dash chose not to dwell on the “we” in that sentence and followed her without question through the twisting, sometimes collapsed, passages of the Fortress of Talacon. Their journey brought them to a vast chamber that had once been a feast hall. Ahuizotl lounged on a throne that had been stripped of its gold long ago, looking out over an army of spear-wielding followers tapping the butts of their weapons in time as two of their number carried the ring to the top of a pillar in front of the throne. The pillar had many rings already around it, decreasing in size the further up they went.

“If they place that ring, Ahuizotl will seize the fortress’s power, but if we can remove the bottom ring, the fortress will collapse in on itself,” Daring Do whispered. “If only we could get through this army.”

“I don’t think that will be much of a problem,” Rainbow Dash whispered back, and Daring Do looked at her quizzically.

Rainbow Dash signaled to her friends, strategically concealed across the feast hall, and chaos broke out. Twilight Sparkle revealed herself and a path of fire streaked out from her, consuming some of Ahuizotl’s followers. The others cried out in panic and rushed to attack the alicorn. Applejack and Rarity jumped out from the sides to attack them with plundered spears, adding to the confusion.

“Quickly, you fools! Place the ring!” Ahuizotl commanded, and the pegasi holding it hurried to lift it the rest of the way.

Pinkamena bounded out of nowhere and knocked one of them aside, and the other quickly flew up and dropped it toward the pillar. Fluttershy swooped down from above and grabbed it before it could fall down the pillar, spiriting it away with an “eek!” as she saw Ahuizotl’s enraged stare directed her way. She tossed the ring away into the crowd of fighting ponies as Ahuizotl pursued her, leaving the pillar open.

While magic and blows were exchanged throughout the feast-hall and the ring was knocked back and forth, Rainbow Dash and Daring Do hurried to the pillar and began removing rings. Fortunately, in the chaos, nopony noticed the golden rings falling to the ground and rolling away. They were soon at the bottom, but the final ring had been fused to the base of the pillar. Rainbow Dash rustled through her saddlebags and managed to find a vial of garkain blood that, after pouring it around the ring, broke the fuse and allowed them to lift it.

“I may not have asked for it, but I must admit I am grateful you came to save me,” Daring Do said as the pegasi together strained to lift the extraordinarily heavy ring. “If it wasn’t for your help, I might have had to return later with another plan to destroy the fortress.”

Rainbow Dash tried to contain her glee as she helped Daring Do lift the ring the rest of the way. As it neared the top, the fortress began to shudder in anticipation, ready to collapse into the ground the moment the ring was fully removed. Alarmed, Ahuizotl turned from his sorcerous battle with Twilight to spy what was going on behind him.

“Stop them!” he shouted, and he was struck in the side of the face by crystals, which he grasped with a hairy fist and threw back at Twilight’s magical shield.

Ahuizotl’s acolytes tried to stop Rainbow Dash and Daring Do, prodding at them with their spears, but it was too late. With one last heave, they tipped the last ring away from the pillar. As it thudded to the ground, the floor gave way beneath it. Walls collapsed and pillars gave way as the fortress, no longer sustained by the magic of the rings, gave in to its age, weight, and the vast open space its creators had foolishly carved out beneath it.

“This isn’t the end, Daring Do!” Ahuizotl shouted as he clambered through the rubble as it dragged him down.

As he reached out for the storied heroine, his hands closed on nothing. Twilight Sparkle managed to teleport all of them out of the crumbling fortress to the remains of Caballeron’s camp. In the distance, a pillar of dust obscured the sun, heralding the death throes of Talacon as it settled into the ground.

“Do you think that’s the end of Ahuizotl?” Rarity asked as she brushed stone dust from her clothes and was shocked to find a spearhead caught in her dress.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Daring Do said as she stared at the pillar. “Thank you, all of you, for your help. I need to make myself scarce for a bit, to lead Ahuizotl away from my home. Will you let King Brama’an know A.K. Yearling is fine, just on an … extended leave of absence? He’ll understand.”

“Of course,” Rainbow Dash replied.

“Thanks,” Daring Do said as she took off and flew away, vanishing among the trees.

Comments

[TasermonsPartner]

When I first saw the chapter title, I thought it might have to with Spike (scribe) and Twilight or one of the other girls (heroine). It didn't dawn on me that Daring Do would be next episode to be converted. Still, it was good as a whole.

“Let me deal with Mayor Mare,” Twilight replied. “The Saddle Arabians need work, and they need to learn how to plant and tend crops in a land that is not all sand.”

Heh, Twilight is starting to throw around her weight. Though, since most of the escaped Saddle Arabians were of the nobility and the like, one wonders how accustomed they will be to any sort of real hard labor. Maybe some farmers escaped with them?

Fortunately, Countess Sundown had been amenable to Twilight’s request, so they would have no difficulty communicating with the locals in the Kingdom of Teoxecala. The countess no longer understood Bruandish; instead, her knowledge of the language had been transferred by Twilight spell to the Brave Companions and Spike. It was a difficult spell for Twilight to maintain and it wouldn’t last forever, since the knowledge would eventually return to its source. However, it would make things easier than showing up unannounced in the heart of Stygra and trying to find a translator there.

Heh, using portals to go find favorite authors now? Well, they have used portals for personal requests several times now, so I guess abit of avarice isn't too bad so long as they don't take it to far.

(Though, Twilight could have used a portal to find Dash quicker when she flew off with Daring, so I wonder why that didn't count?)

Applejack had noted how the trees didn’t look very healthy, the leaves on their fringes wilted or crisp. While the sun had hung on the horizon in Equestria, it had stood at noontime strength here while the Brave Companions had searched for the Tree of Harmony. If the temperature had been uncomfortable in Equestria, it must have gotten unbearably hot here.

I don't think it has occurred to them yet that the other side of the world began to freeze over.

“Ahuizotl put you up to this, then,” Daring Do replied. “Don’t give him the ring! He’ll use it to control the Fortress of Talacon and subject the valley to eight centuries of unrelenting heat!”

This will be interesting to rectify in later chapters if it continues with the show's premise of Ahuizotl really being the protector and Caballeron stealing from him (and Daring doing so unawares of his role). Here, it's much more implied that they are working with each other (or Caballeron being employed by Ahuizotl). Then again, Caballeron could be seen as more of an independent contractor, who sometimes works for him, but other times also steals from him.

Also, towards the end, Daring implies that King Brama’an knows of her true identity, but earlier in the story, he seems quite annoyed at his scribe's disappearance, rather than worried, or encouraging the Brave Companions to help.

[Xanderfox]

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The King knowing AK is Dareing Doo doesn't me he'd approve of his Scribe going off on risky heroic adventures, he would be quite frustrated she's off fighting villians instead of doing her day job.