A Modern Galatea

The Two Sides of Daring Do
Chapter 1
A Modern Galatea

Manehatten Mall was a bustling hive of activity, as it always was. AK Yearling's feelings about this kind of thing were decidedly mixed. She lived in an isolated area of Equestria because she didn't like crowds. She liked solitude. She had...trust issues (Rainbow Dash and her friends were the first ones she had let in a long time, the only one who knew her secret was her publisher, and Twilight Velvet hadn't even told her daughter). But on the other hoof...she admitted she liked seeing how ponies reacted to reading about her adventures. Even if they weren't 100 percent correct. The reactions. The feeling of knowing they were appreciating her risking her neck to keep some villain from taking over the world, all the while hiding in the shadows. And you couldn't do that just sitting in your cabin in the woods.

She put her signature on a copy of the latest book (“Daring Do and the Chisel of Pygmalion”) for a young purple filly with a pink mane named Ember. “There you go...”

“Thank you! I love Daring Do so much! She's my hero!” the filly announced gleefully, hugging the book to her chest like it was a precious teddy bear.

Yearling gave a small nod, keeping her expressions subdued out of habit. It paid to keep your true emotions close to your chest when you were sometimes attacked. “I'm glad you like it.”

The energetic filly gave a wistful sigh. “I wish I could be like her! A big cool adventurer! Not a boring little filly!”

“Maybe some day you can grow up to be like her, dear. You still have the world ahead of you,” her babysitter said, a white pegasus with a rose colored mane, heart cutie mark.

“...But I want to be like her now, Heart Throb...”

Yearling watched as little Ember trotted off with the older mare. Truthfully, part of the reason Yearling wrote her books was because she liked being able to write the things she wished she could have done. Even if she was the real Daring Do, she was only a pony. In the middle of a battle trying to think on her hooves, she didn't always have time to do the things she thought of later or come out as witty and awesome as her novel self.

The mare then cracked her neck, writing with a quill in your mouth wasn't the easiest thing in the world. She stole a look over to a nearby display case where the REAL Chisel of Pygmalion sat comfortably on a red velvet cushion. Legend had it the Chisel could bring any artist's work to living breathing life, and its namesake used it on one of his statues he fell in love with and desired to be real. Of course, not all legends were true and this was an example of one that wasn't. The Chisel was exactly what it looked like; a fancy chisel. When old Ahuizotl had tried to use it to bring a statue of Nightmare Moon to life as his servant it'd done nothing but chip off some stone and made him one unhappy monster.

A gray colored stallion wearing a black suit and red tie stepped up to the stand, glasses over his eyes and a black painter's cap on his head. “Great book, almost makes up for 'Ring of Destiny' forcing the bearers of the Elements of Harmony into the plot.”

Yearling gave a flat look. “Was it as bad as the Con Mane crossover radio drama?”

“...No, that was horrible...”

“Was this book better?”

“Yes.”

“Then stop complaining. And there are ponies who like 'Ring of Destiny.'”

Even Yearling admitted that atrocity of radio drama was a mistake to ever get involved in. Part of it was she decidedly didn't get along with the actual super-spy she'd ended up saddled with for that, so writing him was one heck of a choir. And then the Con-Mane writers had sent Velvet a letter wanting to turn it into a crossover radio drama by making it their creation instead of a 'generic spy.' Even that crazy adventure fighting Neo Hooviets for the Crystal Skulls wasn't as irritating.

“There you go, Critic,” she said, hoofing it back to the stallion. That wasn't a wise crack, he was literally named Critic.

“I wish Daring Do was real!” announced one of two identical light purple fillies with pink manes and bells for Cutie Marks.

“So do I, Jing-A-Ling!” her twin chimed in.

Yearling gave a subdued smile, not noticing the Chisel beginning to pulse with a blue light. She could tell by some chuckles and nods from the line more than one pony agreed. The author secretly wondered just how they would react to discovering not only was Daring Do real, but sitting right in front of them.

The signing continued as scheduled, culminating with Yearling being brought over to the chisel display with a copy of the book in her hooves for some pictures. Typical way it went whenever the actual artifact she had recovered was able to be displayed. What wasn't typical was the artifact pulsing with blue more and more rapidly as Yearling got closer to it, glowing when she was within a foot of it.

As the photographer prepared, Yearling noticed the book sitting in her hooves beginning to glow with a bright blue light.

“What the...” she muttered, looking back as the chisel floated into the air in a blue light. The book suddenly forced itself open, flipping through the pages rapidly before a massive fountain of magic erupted out. “That cannot be good...”

The magic twisted and turned into a new shape. First it formed into an orb of light, before assuming the shadowy, translucent outline of a blank yellow pegasus. It solidified, then a black, gray, and light gray mane and tail manifested over her from lines of blue energy, as if they were being sketched into existence. A compass formed on her flank as if an artist's brush was painting it in. A familiar green adventurer's shirt and pith helmet were the last to form in the same fashion.

Red eyes opened as the picture perfect copy of Daring Do landed next to Yearling, who's natural reaction was to stare wide eyed and slack jawed. Nothing this odd had happened to her since she'd gotten turned into a filly.

The photographer, likewise staring in wide eyed shock, numbly took the picture.

Daring Do blinked, looking around her, almost like she was coming out of a daze. “Um...hello...”

Little Ember trotted up to the clone, cocking her head. “Daring Do?”

The newly created pony seemed to get her bearings and gave a cocky grin, tipping her pith helmet. “Yeah, the one and only.”

“You're real!” the little filly yelled, looking

“Wow! The real Daring Do!” announced Jing-A-Ling.

“Awesome!” her twin called, the crowd circling around her.

“Is this for real?” another fan asked.

“Eh, probably a publicity stunt,” answered another.

“No way, did you see that flash?! It was magic!”

“Uh, unicorns are a thing, remember?”

“Yeah but I've never seen something like that before!”

An actual unicorn in the crowd was staring in blind shock at the sight.

“Eh, special effects looked kinda fake...” complained the Critic.

“It's the real Daring Do!” exclaimed a young stallion wearing an 'I Heart Daring Do' shirt.

Yearling took a step back as her new clone was praised as the real Daring Do.

Suddenly, an alarm rang out. The crowd turned to see a robber in a ski mask running out of a jewel store with large sack of jewels over his shoulder, evidently deciding to use the signing as a distraction for a robbery.

“Stop! Thief!” yelled the store owner.

“Don't worry, I've got this!” yelled Daring Do, pulling out her whip and using it to grab a hold of a chandelier. She leapt up and swung over the crowd. Letting go, the adventurer did a flying kick to the thief's back, knocking him to the ground. The pilfered jewels flew into the air from the back, but Daring caught them with ease in her hat before putting them back in the bag and giving a cocky smirk. “Looks like crime doesn't pay, huh?”

Yearling stared in surprise as the crowd broke out in cheering. Daring Do had reacted so quickly that the author hadn't even been able to blink. She didn't hesitate at all.

“Good thing the real Daring Do was here, huh?” one of the ponies asked Yearling.

Yearling's ears drooped a little. “Yeah...I guess it was...”

“Ow! Watch it!” Daring Do yelled as Yearling looked her over back at Yearling's cabin.

It had not been easy to get her here after what had just happened at the mall. In fact, Yearling was pretty sure the mall security beginning to question the clone was the only reason she'd agreed to go with her.

The author put a hoof to her doppelganger's foreleg. She had a pulse. Yearling gave a sigh. “...I guess you aren't just a mana construct...”

Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Why did she expect it to be?

“Of course I'm not,” Daring Do pulled her hoof away from Yearling. “Who are you anyway?”

The author sighed, taking off her disguise to reveal the adventurer she hid from the public.

The adventurer raised an eyebrow. “Are you some kind of fan?”

“You and I both know that you don't have legions of fans. You're known, yes...much better than I am, but not famous in THAT sense. You're a famous archaeologist, not a rock star.”

Daring Do rubbed her chin in a thoughtful manner. She then checked Yearling's pulse. “You're alive...So...alternate universe? Like that time I found that magic gate in the cat kingdom? Somehow I ended up in your world?” she stated confidently. “And maybe since we're alternate versions of the same pony, we have the same adventures? Except I don't disguise myself as an old granny most of the time?”

“...Good enough guess...But I don't look like a granny!” Yearling admitted, not entirely certain how the clone came to be herself. She was a bit annoyed by just how fast the clone managed to figure that out. She took some notes out of a book and laid them out, showing the Chisel. “The Chisel of Pygmalion somehow brought you here from one of my books...I don't know how, it failed when Ahuizotl tried it...”

Daring Do rubbed her chin thoughtfully, looking at the books. “The legend says it was used by Pygmalion to bring one of his creations to life after he fell in love with it and wanted to be real...So maybe,” the double said, giving a smirk. “Well you 'write' these books, so that makes you the creator, and those ponies at the mall seemed to love me pretty well. Did they seem to want me to be 'real'?”

Yearling put a hoof to her chin. “...Yeah, they did...of course they didn't know the real Daring do was right in front of them...”

“Then there you go, old three arms only had the last one,” the adventurer explained, leaning on the wall and crossing her forelegs confidently. “Maybe since we're the same pony, you were channeling my world, so that means that the only way it could 'bring me to life' is by bringing me here. Right?”

Yearling found herself growling. While she was still getting out the books to do research, Daring had already formed a plausible theory. The other world stuff was conjecture...but...when Ahuizotl tried to use the Chisel, he was neither the creator nor did he love the statue he wanted to bring to life. An entire room full of Daring Do fans loving her and wanting to bring her to life with the creator in the same room was a completely different story. “That makes sense. I guess I should be happy that nopony had their slash fiction there, especially that one with me and Ahuizotl...I'll have to call the museum and tell them to keep it in the 'dangerous artifacts' vault...”

Dangerous artifacts...

Yearling looked to the clock.

“Horseapples!”

“What?”

The author quickly grabbed some airship tickets off a table. “I have an airship to catch.”

Daring Do stood between Yearling and the closet where her supplies were kept. “Why?” she asked, suddenly seeming eager to get out of the small room as soon as possible.

Yearling considered just fighting her way past Daring...but of course Daring Do was herself, so that would be unwise and far more trouble than it's worth. “I discovered the most likely location of the Belt of Atlas.”

“Uh...” Daring Do raised an eyebrow. “I think our timelines are a bit off, I haven't heard of that.”

Yearling sighed. “...The Belt was said belong to an ancient pony named Atlas whose great strength moved the sun and moon until the Princesses came to power, liberating him from his burden. It is said whoever possesses the Belt will have unrivaled strength. Looking through ancient myths and maps, I discovered it's located deep underground in Roam. The problem is Dr. Caballeron was sighted in Roam yesterday. I'm afraid he might have located it to. I was supposed to get ready and head to the airport as soon as the signing was over, but thanks to you showing up, I'm going to be lucky to make the first flight.”

“Alright, let's go then, that sell out is probably going to give it to Ahuizotl...Is it weird he was the one who was willing to sell out Ahuizotl for bits and not the other way around? Guess his pockets are deeper than his loyalties.”

“Hey, Daring Do works alone!...Most of the time...” Yearling replied, giving a distrusting look at her doppelganger. She didn't know WHAT this clone really was, if she was actually herself from another dimension or what. That didn't give her much reason to trust it blindly .

“I thought we got over that after we met Rainbow Dash,” the adventure quipped, rolling her eyes. “...If you really ARE another me, what do you think will happen if you just leave me here?” the adventurer asked, giving a smirk that reminded Yearling of the ones she gave Ahuizotl when she turned the tables on him.

The author opened herself to speak, then gave a defeated sigh. “...You'd just follow me anyway, because we both make a living escaping death traps, so a locked door isn't going to do any good...We're both going to need disguis-”

“Way ahead of you,” Daring answered, already switching into a costume of a tourist.

Once they were on the airship at port, Yearling began putting what luggage was too important to be in the hull in the space above their heads (which was a lot more than most ponies would think). She liked to include this part in her novels when something exciting had happened on an airship during that particular adventure (otherwise a boring flight simply wasn't worth the reader's time). In part because it made for a good suspenseful 'hero is being watched by the bad guys going to ambush them' scene. Even if she rarely knew how long her enemies had been spying on her in real life. Sometimes she wondered what her enemies thought about how she portrayed them.

“Need a hoof?”

Yearling looked over her shoulder to see Daring Do with her normal cocky swagger (Yearling couldn't complain, she had the same attitude when on an adventure), her own bags (thankfully Yearling had stockpiles ready in case she needed to go at moment's notice) already put away fully before the author had managed to finish with half of hers “...No thanks, just sit down while I finish...”

Yearling read through archeology books, their airship moving swiftly along towards its destination. Just because she knew a good bit about the Belt of Atlas didn't mean she didn't want to make absolute sure she knew everything there was to know.

Meanwhile, Daring Do fidgeted in her seat next to her, looking around. Not quite paranoid, but almost like a foal looking for something to do.

Nothing happened. Just two mares sitting on an airship.

“...Isn't it about now that ninjas or something attack us?” the adventurer whispered.

“Sometimes. Not always...”

“Not always? Seems to happen to me every time I'm on an airship...”

The two Daring Do's trotted through the mountains of Roam late at night, now no longer disguised and fully geared. Yearling had noticed that Daring Do had emerged from the book fully equipped thankfully, so she hadn't had to waste time digging up more spare equipment. So there was that.

“Ugh...I don't remember airship rides being that long...” Daring Do complained, cracking a kink in her neck. “I think I normally just sleep through them or something.”

Yearling shrugged. “Didn't notice.”

She noticed that Daring Do seemed to be holding back so as not to overtake Yearling and leave her in the dust.

The author had noticed that a lot. Everything Yearling had done, it seemed her clone had done in half the time. Switching into disguises, packing bags, finding a ride from the air port. It seemed Daring Do was just...everything Yearling was times two.

“Alright, we're getting close, we'd best keep an-”

“Shush!”

Yearling blinked as Daring Do shushed her and trotted forwards, looking at the ground. “Look here, hoof prints.”

Yearling trotted over and looked down at several sets of upside down u-shaped steps on the ground. “You're right...”

“Looks like Dr. Caballeron's fancy high class horseshoes. Guy loves to show off.”

The author blinked, looking closer, having not noticed that. The horseshoes weren't the typical ones one would wear while hiking. They looked more at home at a high class party than in the middle of the mountains, lacking the proper support. “...Yeah...you're right...He's about the only egomaniac who'd wear status symbol horseshoes in the middle of nowhere.”

She honestly wondered why Dr. Caballeron still went searching for money, given he'd wanted to retire in the lap of luxury. He'd gotten off with the money she'd given him for the last of the Rings of Scorcherro without any real consequences. Then again, maybe he just wanted to prove himself her better, something he'd yet to ever accomplish. 'Ugh, save the internal monologs for the book...'

Daring Do looked over prints. “There are three other separate sets of hoofprints, so that can only mean we're dealing with Caballeron and four of his mooks.”

Yearling looked closer. “...Sounds about right...”

“Come on, these prints are fresh, we can't be far behind the gold digger,” the adventurer announced, spreading her wings and flying forwards.

“Wait for me!” Yearling called, feeling like she was being left in the dust.

And she was. Daring Do was so much faster than she was. She could barely keep up...

By the time she'd caught up, Daring Do had already left one of Caballeron's mooks out cold on the ground. It looked like they had made camp for the night. If Yearling had seen this she'd simply have planned an ambush or worked her way around them. Not just ambushed the whole camp...that was what she did in the books when the real way she did it would've been too boring...

“Well well, Daring Do, long time no see...” Dr. Caballeron replied with his typical ego. “Here to try to take the Belt of Atlas for yourself?”

“Here to sell out to Ahuizotl like you always do, Cabby?” the adventurer replied, giving a glare. “You don't deserve to call yourself an archeologist.”

The fame seeking scientist just shrugged. “But Ahuizotl pays so handsomely. And it's not like you will be in any position to stop me. There's still four of us and only one of you after all. Get her henchponies!”

One of the stallions charged Daring Do, but she ducked under his punch and gave him a good uppercut before giving him a spin kick to the head that knocked him out.

Another jumped on her from behind, but she retaliated with a buck, catching him between the hind legs while he was in midair and leaving him curled up on the ground in a ball.

The last one made an attempt to grab her in a sleeper hold from behind, but she slammed her head back, smacking him in the nose with her pith helmet to stun him before grabbing him by the head and throwing him over her shoulder into the second mook.

“Huh...I thought you guys were a lot harder last time. Guess they don't make good henchponies like they used to.”

Yearling AND Caballeron's jaws dropped. '...Of course...I always make things more epic in the books...I made both me and Caballeron's mooks much tougher than we were in real life...She's still as tough in the book but Caballeron's henchponies aren't...'

Caballeron took a few steps back. “Well...um...I think I have a deal to go make, bye!”

The stallion ran away as fast as his legs could carry him...but didn't get too far before a rope landed around his barrel and pulled him back hard into being tied up with ease by the adventurer. “Guess pay day is canceled, huh, doc?”

Yearling walked numbly into the clearing, looking around at the defeated minions and one of her archenemies. Who'd been taken out in short order. The same ones that had left her with a limp and walked out with their artifact in hoof when she'd fought them before. They hadn't even left a scratch on her clone.

'...What am even I doing here?' she found herself asking in her head. 'I haven't done anything but put us on this adventure...she's doing everything before I can even breathe...'

“Hey, other me!” called Daring Do, snapping Yearling back to reality as all of the bad doctor's mooks were tied up. “Come on, we need to move out! You heard Caballeron! Ahuizotl is after the Belt too!”

“Y-Yeah...C-Coming...” Yearling stuttered, shaking off her daze and continuing on their path...but not entirely sure if she was even needed...

To be Continued...

Fact and Fantasy

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The Two Sides of Daring Do
Chapter 2
Fact and Fantasy

The two physically identical ponies continued on their path. Yearling tried to focus... but her mind kept going back to one thing: how little she was doing in all this. Her clone had found out exactly how she'd came to be. She had found the bad doctor's hoofprints easily. She had defeated one of her archenemies and his minions with ease. Yearling's Special Talent WAS adventure, and yet her duplicate was outdoing her at every turn. The author just felt...useless. Like the parts of her adventures she cut out of the books for not being interesting enough. She could write herself out of this and it'd be the exact same story...

She shook her head to clear it. 'No...I'm not just going to fade into the background.'

She was snapped out of those thoughts when they finally arrived at what looked like a cave hidden by vines. Daring Do tried to reach for the vines, but Yearling rushed in and frantically tore them down.

“Uh...you okay?”

“I'm fine...”

The author took a moment to check if the vines had been poisonous. Something she should've done first.

“This place in part of an ancient mine built here a long time ago. They were an important part of the economy back then and the legends said that the Belt was used to dig several of them...”

Daring Do looked at the ancient writing around the edge of the 'cave.' “Yeah, they normally wouldn't make an elaborate design around the opening for just any old mine.”

Yearling gave a snarl. “...That's right...Let's move on.” She gave another snarl when it turned out her clone had already created a torch and lit it before she could even try getting supplies out. She remembered to check to make sure none of the strange symbols she'd found on that one 'tomb' that had turned out to be some sort of container for an ancient poison called 'ray-dye-ation' that Celestia had had to save her and the workers from were present. She didn't want to spend another six months recovering in bed.

The author made an effort to keep her stride ahead of her clone, but Daring Do just increased her own pace to keep up without problems. Yearling tried to distract herself by looking around the mine. Naturally, having been made during ancient times, it looked nothing like one would expect a modern mine to look, being a carefully carved tunnel into the earth with pillars of stone rather than wood.

But she also noticed that the rock had been cut far more carefully and more effort had been put into the pillars. Like this place was made for more than just digging precious substances out of the ground. Like it'd been intentionally spruced up for something more.

The mare noticed as they went deeper it seemed more effort was put into making the tunnel look more like a temple, such as more eloquent designs to the stone pillars and in some places water pouring down into indents that sent it deeper into the structure.

“There must be a lake above us,” Daring Do surmised. “Either that or some underground reservoir, where else would all this water come from? Bet when we grab the Belt the entire place floods.”

Yearling gave a growl. “Of course...I'd hate to fight Ahuizotl down here,” she remarked, eyes falling on the water in particular.

“Yeah. Not much space to move in and he and his cats could cover an escape attempt pretty easily.”

They kept trotting along, finally reaching a much more temple-like area, with stone pillars lining the rooms and a flat stone roof and floor, much more polished and intricate. It seemed made to resemble a Roaman temple. Likely one dedicated to Atlas himself.

Daring stopped Yearling. “This is normally where the first trap is, isn't it?”

Yearling grumbled. “Or where they start, yes.”

She'd originally thought it was strange that nearly every temple, whether the artifact was evil or not, had layers of traps. Or why they just didn't bury it in a pit deep under ground if they didn't want anypony to find it so badly. When she'd questioned Celestia about it (why wouldn't she know Celestia?), the answer had been simple 'why bury or destroy something utterly that might someday be useful if you can hide it so only one truly determined or chosen may find it?' It was as good of logic as any other. Of course for an adventure audience, they didn't need an explanation. Escaping traps was cool.

The author looked around and saw a small string hanging over the path, positioned such that the lighting made it hard to locate unless you were actually searching for it. She also noted that there were circular marks across the floor. She picked up a rock and threw it onto the string, resulting in a series of spikes erupting from the floor through those circular marks.

Yearling smirked. “Got it.”

“Actually, you missed one,” her clone said, throwing another stone into the air and hitting a SECOND hidden string Yearling had been yet to notice. The result was a series of spears bursting out of holes in the walls and would have impaled any unfortunate Pegasus that had been flying there. “One out of two isn't bad.”

Yearling snarled to herself before the duo continued forwards now that the death traps had been triggered.

As they went through a series of narrow passages, several swinging swords were activated by specific plates on the floor, aiming at the head. Yearling pointed to the statues of Alicorns lining the hallways. “Respect the Gods.”

As Yearling moved forwards with her head bowed to avoid the blade, she stepped on another plate and was pulled back by Daring before a second blade could slice off her legs, hat tumbling off her head. She then pointed to several hidden pressure plates. “The plates are at exact increments. Looks like the blade alternate between aiming for the head and the legs. Two pronged. Watch yourself.”

The clone handed the author back her pith helmet back. Yearling gave a glare of anger, but took her signature cap back, put it on her now somewhat disheveled mane, and followed the pattern to safety.

“Wow, this is a big temple...” Daring Do muttered, looking anxious as they went through the normal, non-trapped passage ways.

“No bigger than a normal one,” Yearling said absentmindedly as she kept her eyes open for anything her clone was missing.

“Huh, that's weird. I just remember a lot of traps and the occasional hieroglyphs...Look out!”

“Look out!” Yearling yelled a couple seconds later...right AS her clone pushed her out of a way of a sword swinging from the series before she could do the same. “I saw it you know!”

As they entered a new chamber, Yearling instantly scanned it for traps but saw nothing hinting at one. Just a statue of a large creature looking like a mix of a lion and a fish.

She then gave a completely annoyed sighed as she felt her clone once more grab her tail in her mouth before she could step out. “...Let me guess, I missed a trap?”

Daring Do stomped on the floor, causing it to crumble away to reveal a water filled pit. Filled with hungry looking sharks. “That's a statue of King Leo, why would an ocean deity be in a temple to a pony holding up the sun and moon unless to indicate a trap?”

As her clone flew up far enough that the sharks couldn't jump up to bite her, Yearling stared after her. She knew who King Leo was, she even knew his Roaman name was King Poseidon. She'd dealt with several artifacts relating to him (including a trident). Depending on how you interpreted different myths, he was a candidate for Ahuizotl's father (Yearling honestly didn't know, she knew Ahuizotl was ancient, that he'd been accidentally released into modern day on her first adventure by an expedition, but not his actual, concrete origin). But how had she failed to notice that? Why was her clone one step ahead of her at every moment? Why was that copy of her able to realize something she SHOULD have before she could?

Yearling gave a scream of rage and punched the wall hard enough to crack it. “WHY ARE YOU EVEN STILL ALIVE DOWN THERE?!” she yelled at the sharks, punching one in the nose as it leapt at her and knocking it back into the pit, panting, mane frazzled. She then took off as fast as she could after her doppelganger.

Finally, they reached a center chamber of the temple, deep down beneath the ground. Towering above them was a gigantic chiseled statue of a muscular Earth Pony, holding up the sun and moon in his hooves. Stairs circled it all the way up to the head, where the object they sought certainly set. The pedestal of the statue was surrounded by a massive pool of water fed by the various trenches seen throughout the mine. The pedestal itself was modeled to resemble rocky earth and mountains. About halfway up the stairs, there were a series of stone statues with swords in their mouths.

If they'd had an unicorn with them, said unicorn would have sensed magic enchantments on the two giant spheres the statue held aloft.

“This is normally where the biggest, baddest death trap is,” Daring remarked, looking around intently.

“Yes, of course, way ahead of you,” Yearling replied, as she looked around the room, scanning every last detail of the chamber with an almost paranoid expression. As if missing one little detail was an unforgivable crime.

“Uh...are you okay? You look a little wound up...”

“Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be okay?! Everything's great, now I have an artifact to retrieve!”

“Uh, don't you mean we?” the clone asked.

“Nope, already figured it out!” the author bragged, grabbing a rock, putting it in her pocket, and flying into action with a cocky grin.

Yearling flew to the stairs, avoiding the obvious arrow trap that'd be triggered if she tried to fly straight for the belt itself. She flew just high enough to avoid several strings pulled over the stairs to catch somepony off guard, then diving down to evade more to catch Pegasi. She narrowly danced through the cables and avoided touching the various pressure plates on the stairs themselves.

As she got to the stone statues, she used her whip to trigger a string, causing them all to swing their weapons into the ground in a wave. She flew after, going in the split second it'd take for them to pull their swords back up, finally making it through.

Yearling reached the statue's head, painting and sweating heavily. She checked the platform for strings or obvious traps and smirked. The mare trotted cockily to the case and looked at the Belt before her. While it had a silver buckle with an emblem of the world, it was generally a simple design, being made of leather. She produced the rock she'd grabbed before flying off and tied a piece of fabric around it, then quickly swap the two. She looked around. No booby trap going off. No problem.

As her clone finally made it up, the REAL Daring Do finally stepped over, swinging the Belt of Atlas around her hoof like some trinket. “There, told you I figured it out.”

“Nice job,” the copy said with an impressed look. “What's your plan for dealing with the pressure plate you're on?”

The belt slowly stopped spinning around her hoof and hang limply.

“What?”

The author slowly looked down, noticing the ENTIRE platform she was standing on had sunk a few inches. “No...I...I figured everything out...how could...”

Yearling felt like Atlas had just dropped the sun and moon. She'd done everything right. Everything, and yet somehow...she missed an obvious trap she didn't even HAVE to risk setting off while her clone spotted it as soon as she got there.

“Here, let me help you with that...”

Daring Do, using a whip to snag one of the huge swords from the statues and pulling it loose. She used the leverage she could get to pull the weapon onto the platform, holding it down enough for Yearling to carefully trot off of.

But Yearling didn't. She just stood there numbly. Mentally running through every possible thing she could think of. Every last possible way she could have missed the obvious trap that her clone had managed to catch easily.

Even as she started following her copy to safety, she kept trying to figure it out. Had she just been reckless? That was what she wanted to think...but her mind kept coming back to the idea that the clone was just...better than her...

'No...no she's not! It's not!'

Yearling snapped out of it and galloped ahead of her duplicate, determined to get out of this rotten place before her clone. That's it! All that mattered was who got out of the tomb first with the artifact! She'd grabbed it! She'd made it past most of the booby traps leading to it! All that mattered was she got out before her knock off! Then there'd be no doubt who the real deal was!

It couldn't take her life from her! She wouldn't let it!

“Hey! Stop! You're gonna get in trouble!”

Yearling snarled and snapped around, glaring daggers at her other self. The two had managed to dash all the way to near the shark trap, though the sharks themselves seemed too afraid of the mad author to make an attempt at her. “Don't tell me who's getting in trouble! I've never had trouble until you came into my life!”

Daring Do took a step back in surprise. “What? I was just trying to do my thing. I thought we made a good team.”

“Ha! Team?! You were doing everything and left me with nothing! You're not me! I'm me! You're just some kind of clone or doppelganger! Trying to steal MY life! Well I'm not letting you!”

“Okay...Uh, Miss Yearling, was it? It's confusing when we're the same pony...I think we need to get you home and you need to lie down. You're not well...”

“No! Not 'Miss Yearling!' I'm Daring Do! Not you! Me!” Yearling screamed, disheveled mane hanging around her head despite her pith helmet's best efforts. Tears started down her face. “I'm not letting you take my life from me! I've worked too hard to lose everything because some fictional character I created decided to crash into it! Just let me be me!”

The clone looked...rattled by that. Like it was something a part of her didn't want to hear. “Look, you need to-”

Before the conversation could continue, the two heard a roar and had to jump out of the way of a large tiger and leopard. A black panther snarled as it leapt over the pit and landed behind them, a bobcat by its side. Finally, a tiny little house cat hissed as she jumped up on the panther's back.

“We've got company!” Daring Do said, taking a battle stance.

Yearling growled and pushed her double down before leaping up and kicking the tiger in the skull as it leapt at her. She ducked down and double bucked it so hard in the chest it BROKE a pillar behind it.

The panther charged her. The mare ducked its bite and uppercut it, making it bite its tongue. She flew up and charged it, driving it into the wall with her momentum and beginning to choke it. “See! I'm Daring Do! I fight bad guys all the time! This is no sweat at all!”

Daring Do stared at Yearling in disbelief before having to duck the bobcat and did a jump kick to send it flying. She jumped over the little cat and used her whip to grab it and hurl it into its cohort, knocking both down. “Yearling! Stop it! You're going too far!”

“Don't tell me how to live MY life!”

Daring Do grabbed Yearling in a sleeper hold and pulled her back, letting the panther crumble to the ground. “STOP IT! THAT'S ENOUGH!”

“You don't tell me what to do you figment of my imagination!” Yearling screamed, elbowing Daring Do in the ribs and punching her to the ground.

The author panted, looking down at her clone like a madmare. “I made you! You aren't me!”

She growled, turning away as she heard some foot steps.

She'd expected it. A huge quadruped blue creature in Aztec jewelry. A long snout with front facing eyes. His tail ending in a fifth hand. He leapt over the shark pit with no effort. When the sharks tried to leap at him, he turned with a feral roar, sending the sharks whimpering back into the water. He chuckled and turned back to his enemies. “Well Daring Do, long time no see. Thank you so much for conquering the temple and delivering the Belt of Atlas to me!”

Ahuizotl then blinked, looking over the sight before him. “Two Daring Dos? What-”

“SHE'S NOT DARING DO!”

Yearling normally would've dropped some banter to get him to monologue about his evil plot for the Belt...but instead, she pounced at her nemesis in an utter blind rage.

She pounded Ahuizotl into the ground...

Or that was what 'should' have happened.

What actually happened was her finding Ahuizotl's fifth hand clamped squarely around her throat, dangling her in the air like a fish on a line.

He looked over her for a moment with curiosity, then laughed in her face and looked to her impostor. “My my, Daring Do, did you like having one of your fans with you so much you chose an impersonator to accompany you this time?”

Yearling found herself hurled across the room and barely caught herself with her wings. “Imperson...impersonator?!” she asked in disbelief.

“Of course, the real Daring Do would never make such a foal-like mistake against her greatest enemy!” Ahuizotl mocked, seeming INSULTED she dared think she was worth his time. “Now please stand aside, I have matters to attend to with the real Daring Do!”

The author saw red. Rage. Fury. Her mind was suddenly a fog of hate.

“I AM THE REAL DARING DO!”

What happened next was a blur.

Charging her archenemy. Caught by the neck and Ahuizotl roaring in her face, a feral gleam in his eye. A hard punch in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. Being thrown like a rag doll. Being reminded that her archenemy was strong enough to hurl trees with little effort.

Slamming into the wall without her pith helmet on. Seeing stars.

“But...he always hides behind his cats...” she heard her clone mutter in surprise.

Yearling's eyes fluttered open for a second to see her clone try to reach her, only to be ambushed by all of her enemies' cats all at once.

Ahuizotl coming over and taking the Belt of Atlas from her prone body.

Then everything went black.

To Be Continued...

Broken Fantasy

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The Two Sides of Daring Do
Chapter 3
Broken Fantasy

“Ugh...”

Yearling's eyes opened and she forced herself to her hooves, holding a hoof to her sore head. She cringed at both that headache and a pain in her ribs. She knew what bruised ribs felt like well.

She looked around her. Just a dark passage way. No one there. Not Ahuizotl, not her clone. No one. Her ears pinned.

“They...forgot about me...they just left me here...” she said, looking both ways. Not even one of Ahuizotl's cats... “The...the story kept right on going without me...”

Yearling looked at her discarded pith helmet, laying abandoned on the ground. She fell on her flank, tears welling up in her eyes. “This...this is my life, right? Then...then...”

She lowered her head. “Why is she better than me at being me?”

The opinions of friends meant a lot...but so did the opinions of enemies, especially archenemies. After all, she had been fighting Ahuizotl since the day he had been awakened. And yet...Ahuizotl had just left Yearling laying on the ground like trash.

“...Because I made her that way...Because she's the me I wish I was...how can I hope to compete with that?”

Yearling pulled some bandages out of her pocket and took off her jacket, numbly wrapping her bruised ribs. “...I do all this to protect ponies...to stop Ahuizotl and my other enemies...what's the point of me if there's somepony that does it better than I do?”

The author didn't notice, but her Cutie Mark began to flicker.

She reached into a pocket and produced her glasses. One lense cracked from the beating she suffered. “...Maybe I am just boring old Awkward Kindness Yearling now...”

The mare slowly put the glasses on. “...I guess I can have her tell me the details when she gets back...She doesn't need me...She can save the world all by herself...”

With her head held low, Yearling slowly started back towards the entrance to the tomb. Pith helmet and jacket left laying on the floor.

“She's probably already out of the death trap and getting ready to kick Ahuizotl's tail by now...in half the time it'd have taken me...just like she's done everything else...”

“You'll never get away with this, Ahuizotl!” Daring Do yelled, currently chained to a large block of stone that'd been hoisted over a reservoir elsewhere in the mine (all Daring Do knew was he had punched open a sealed passage way and led her through, she didn't question it). Upside down.

And Ahuizotl throwing the sharks from the other trap into the pool. They seemed more afraid of him than angry.

“And seriously, isn't one death trap at a time ever enough? Do you just stay up all night thinking of ways to kill me and can't decide which way to go with?”

The mythological monster laughed, pulling a giant rock back on a rope, lining it up to strike Daring right as the rock would be hitting the water and the sharks would start eating her if all went according to plan. “Oh Daring Do, I am going to miss your constant witty banter. But alas, I must be going! Soon the Princesses will be lowering the sun and raising moon, and it is at that moment I shall strike!”

“What's your plan, Ahuizotl?!”

“Well, since you are about to die, I suppose I can explain,” Ahuizotl remarked. “After you destroyed the Fortress of Talicon, my plans to bring the valley to its knees were foiled! So now, I shall use the Belt of Atlas at the moment the Princesses are moving their celestial bodies to wrench control of them for my own!”

“You can't do that! The Belt can't have that kind of power on own!”

“Ah, but you forget, according to legend, Atlas was capable of moving the sun and moon, do you not wonder how Daring Do? This place was how the people of Roam commanded the sun and moon before the Princesses arrival! It amplifies the power of the Belt and its range to grasp the celestial bodies and move them! True, on its own that enchantment cannot override the Princesses' control over the sun and moon, nor steal their power...but assume if that spell is corrupted and amplified...perhaps by this?!”

Daring's eyes widened as Ahuizotl produced a large golden ring. “The Rings of Scorchero?! But I destroyed one of them! They're useless now!”

Ahuizotl did a tisk tisk gesture with his tail hand. “Ah, but you forget, Daring Do, you left the rest behind when the Fortress collapsed and I was able to retrieve them! While it is true the rings are now useless for corrupting the Radiant Shield of Razedon, they still contain their dark enchantments! And this temple's connection to the Belt of Atlas is similar enough to their own connection to the Fortress of Talicon that with a little tinkering the Belt of Atlas can act as replacement, perverting and twisting its magic and that of the temple to my will!”

Daring was left stunned for a moment. She'd broken an evil artifact, rendered it useless...and the villain had managed to effectively use it again?! That...that had never happened before! She broke the evil artifact of evil, the bad guy screamed 'Curse you Daring Do! I will have my revenge!' and it was never seen or heard from again! That's how it'd always worked before!

“Even if that is true, no mortal can handle the power of an Alicorn let alone two! You'd only destroy yourself!”

“Ah, but I am not a mere mortal,” Ahuizotl remarked proudly. “Have you not heard of the legends of my name Daring Do?! I am the child and messenger of Tlaloc, the Lord of Water!”

“Never heard of him...”

“Really? I assumed you studied me more thoroughly...He also goes by King Leo, that ring a bell?”

“Ah! Him I've heard of!...So your dad is a lion headed fish?...Yeah, I can see the family resemblance.”

“Only I may insult my father!”

“I meant you being part cat, but yeah, I can see how being compared to you would be insulting.”

Ahuizotl gave a snarl. “Joke all you like! It shall not stop me from claiming dominion over the Sun and Moon for my own! And then not just the Tenochtitlan Basin but the entire world will be plunged into unrelenting heat!”

“You do know you're completely insane, right?”

The ancient demi-god gave a chuckle. “You know, that's what father told me before he banished me from his domain.”

“Why do you want to do this?”

Daring realized one thing that she couldn't explain. She'd never asked him that question before. She'd never questioned how Ahuizotl had gotten sealed away in that temple or what his motives where. She never even thought he had parents of any kind. As far as she knew, he'd just been some kind of evil monster that wanted to destroy things...just because.

Come to think about it, she couldn't understand what made her ask. Instinct? Curiosity? It wasn't like she had had no control over her ability to ask before, right? So why hadn't she until now?

The several times attempted tyrant gave a sadistic smirk. “I had a dream one night. I saw an endless desert world, with myself as the only creature on an empty surface world...while father watches his precious subjects boil alive as the oceans bubble! So I thought to myself, 'I'm bored, so why not make it happen?!'”

Daring found herself a bit unnerved by a look in his eyes she couldn't remember seeing on Ahuizotl. A distinct lack of anything resembling hesitation or remorse. Combined with the beat down he'd given Yearling, it made a foreign feeling begin to stir in her heart. A coldness she couldn't quite understand.

“...You have serious daddy issues,” she managed.

Ahuizotl shrugged. “Farewell, Miss Do! Give my regards to the afterlife!”

As soon as the creature left the room, the chains began to be slowly lowered towards the hungry sharks below her.

“Okay, come on Daring Do, let's get out of this...” she said, looking around. She carefully tested her bonds. The chains were pretty strong. She wiggled around in them, finding little give.

Her eyes searched the room as she continued to go down, snapping jaws of the sharks below coming ever closer.

She finally gave a smirk as her eyes fell upon the tether holding the rock in place. She threw her head forward, tossing her pith helmet into the air where she caught it in her teeth. “Gotta time this just right...”

She waited until she the last possible second and threw her helmet, striking the tether and triggering it early.

The rock swung forwards and smashed into her prison about an inch above her head. The rock she was bound to shattered. Now with no rock to hold them taut, there was enough slack in the chains for her to be free and fly out, grabbing her pith helmet as she landed. “Sorry Ahuizotl, looks like you'll be staying up for a few more restless nights coming up with more death traps.”

With that quip, Daring Do took off after her archenemy.

Yearling continued her slow walk. The mine was utterly silent except for the sound of running water and her own somewhat labored breathing.

She didn't notice, but her Cutie Mark continued to flicker. To fade.

“...Water...So much of it...Daring Do looked around the cave and assumed there must be some water source above it. She silently began formulating ways to avoid fighting Ahuizotl near it. She knew better from the myths...Doesn't sound too bad...I guess I can write for somepony else as well as me...” the author muttered in a disheartened fashion.

As she continued running through the story in her head...she stopped.

“...Except Daring Do would never consider that...because Daring Do never fears for anything...so she never feared fighting Ahuizotl anywhere enough to make a conscious effort never to fight him in a specific place...and it never came up in a story because I did make that effort, so there was no reason to mention it period and admit Daring was actually afraid of something...”

Yearlings eyes went wide. An image of the water pool surrounding Atlas' statue flashed in her mind. “Oh no...”

The author turned, looking back. If she was right...her twin was about to be in a lot of trouble...but still... “...She can handle it...she's better than me...better at me at adventuring, better than me at life...she won't have any trouble...”

Ahuizotl climbed around the statue of Atlas like an ape and found a hidden lever. “Here we are...” he said, pulling it with his tail hand and causing the sun and moon in Atlas' hooves to begin turning, projecting a magical image of the planet being circled by the sun and moon, stars dotting the map. He leapt down, standing on the platform underneath Atlas. His cats were busy setting the Rings on a new pedestal a top the statue's head, leaving one off.

A spark of dark magic went between the rings and the map, sending ripples through it and causing the magic to turn to a blood red.

“Only thirty more minutes and I will steal the powers of the Alicorns themselves. Then the world will suffer under unrelenting heat!” Ahuizotl announced in his traditional over the top fashion.

Right before a whip sprang into action and snatched the Belt of Atlas from his grasp.

“Really? Huh, I thought the Pegasi announced a pretty cold winter. You gonna heat the world up with hot air? You've got plenty of that.”

Ahuizotl looked across the water to find Daring Do staring back at him with a cocky grin, twirling the Belt around her hoof. “Daring Do! I should have expected you would continue to be a thorn in my side!...Though I admit, you are much earlier than I expected. I was expecting to have ten minutes left max when you showed up.”

“I prefer to think of myself as a bramble, Ahuizotl, stuck to you and not letting go.”

The monster gave a snarl...then looked down at the water and grinned. He held up his tail hand and told his cats to continue their work. “...Well, Miss Do. I suggest you gloat while you can, because you are about to meet your doom!”

“Oh really? And why is that?”

Ahuizotl did a running leap, diving into the water...and Daring's eyes widened as a wake traveled across the length of the pool in seconds.

Water erupted and she found her nemesis' tail hand clenched tightly around her throat. “Because you made the mistake of challenging the great Ahuizotl in his element my old friend!”

The adventurer sucked in a breath of air as she was pulled into the water and Ahuizotl dove straight down. He let go and swam upwards at the last second, sending Daring crashing roughly into the bottom of the pool. The pegasus managed to hold her breath and tried to swim back to the surface, but the aquatic creature rammed her from one side in a fast pass, then from another, battering her around.

Finally, Ahuizotl grabbed her by the back of the neck and held her. “You disappoint me Miss Do! All this time I assumed you were intentionally keeping me from my element when we fought! I suppose now it was only dumb luck!” her archenemy mocked, a sadistic smirk on his face. He seemed to be having no problems breathing. Or speaking underwater for that matter. “Though it did make things far more fun to have a handicap!”

Daring Do struggled in his grip, trying to escape. Her lungs burned and her vision began to blur. She swung her front leg back and elbowed him in the ribs several times to get him to release his grip. She powered her way to the surface and took a deep breath, gasping for air...before she had to take another quick one as he pulled her back under.

Ahuizotl swam into the side of the pool, slamming his nemesis hard into wall. He pinned her forelegs to it and Daring attempted to defend herself with a headbutt, but the water slowed her movements down too much. Ahuizotl effortlessly dodged and retaliated by punching her in the stomach with his tail, trying to knock the wind out of her.

The adventurer retaliated by bucking him in the chest with both hind legs and knocking him off. She struggled to get back to the surface, but his fifth limb grabbed her by the hind leg and he swung her around, sending her crashing into the floor of the pool. He followed by swimming straight at her and flipping forwards, slamming his hind leg right into her stomach. The air was forced out of her lungs.

Daring's hooves went to her throat as water was all that she could try to replace the bubbles drifting to the surface with. Her eyes went wide as she struggled in his grasp. The edges of her vision blurred...

Ahuizotl jumped off her and snatched her by the throat with his fifth hand. He swam to the surface, leaping up and throwing her hard into the ground. Daring Do coughed and hacked, water pouring from her mouth.

“H-How...he...he isn't supposed to be able to fight like this...He...his cats...his minions...he...he doesn't...” she stuttered, eyes wide as she looked up at her nemesis.

“You know, my old friend, I assumed you knew me better after our many years of playing this game of ours!” the ancient beast stated, grabbing her by the neck and holding her in the air with his tail. “Have you been reading so many of those books you commission that you mistake me with your own mockery?”

“M-mockery? Book?” Daring asked, her lungs burning and unable to catch her breath very well.

“I do admit, I love being infamous! The tiger lurking in the dark to rip out your throat, but you seem to forget mention the best part about me,” the devil asked, narrowing his eyes and giving a predatory grin. He slammed her against the wall and pinned her there. “I don't put you in those deathtraps because I'm 'stupid,' I do it because I enjoy the idea of a slow, painful finale to your life! Of you futilely struggling as your end comes! Dying alone in the depths of a long forgotten temple with none to hear you scream! And knowing I was the one who arranged it all! And most importantly?! I don't hide behind my pets! I just like them to soften up my prey before I go for the throat!”

Daring felt that cold feeling grip her heart like a vice as she stared into sadistic, remorseless, predatory eyes. She trembled. 'What is this? What am I feeling? I've never felt this before...'

“Though I do admit, the reviews saying I was 'small time' compared to Discord, Lord Tirek, and the like is what motivated me to set my sights on bigger things than just a valley!”

Ahuizotl spun around rapidly, slamming Daring into the walls and ground before hurling her across the room where she rolled across the ground.

“What happened to the agile, cunning fighter that has given me a run for my money all these years?!” he mocked, seeming disappointed. “Put up a good fight already! I'd so despise for our game to end on such a disappointing note!”

Daring threw several punches, beaten up as she was, but Ahuizotl caught both her hooves and swiftly overpowered her, lifting her up and slamming her into the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of her.

“Still, at least I get to let you leave this life the way I'd always wanted,” said her enemy, kicking her hard in the ribs and sending her onto her back, coughing for breath. “Suffering at my hands!”

“B-But...” the battered pony stuttered. She had beaten him dozens of times. Ahuizotl was a schemer, not a fighter. An over the top showman, not some juggernaut of a warrior. This made no sense!

“Oh, and I don't stay up all night thinking of ideas to finish our struggle! I DREAM of them! Then again, by now, I imagine you dream of destroying me as well, don't you Miss Do?”

“D-Dream?” Daring Do's mind drew a blank. No, not a blank. A puzzle missing about half the pieces. 'I know what dreams are...but why don't...why don't I remember having more than one or two?' she thought, then her mind came to another realization. 'Why...why don't I remember falling asleep most of the time? Or getting up either? I know I should, so why...why can't I remember...'

Ahuizotl chuckled. “No. You're probably too busy planning your next 'grand adventure' as soon as your previous one ends, aren't you? I don't know how you have time to write down anything between your adventures! Hehe...we are very similar, Miss Do! We both can't wait for our next chance to play!”

“Between...my...adventures?”

Daring Do flew away with the Chisel in Hoof. Another day, another dungeon. Another adventure, another victory. The world was safe again, thanks to Daring Do!

With the Rings and his Fortress useless, Daring Do knew Ahuizotl would never threaten the Basin again. Thanks to Daring Do...and friends.

And so with Ahuizotl defeated, and the Sapphire Statue secure, the world was safe and sound once again, thanks to Daring Do.

...thanks to Daring Do.

...thanks to Daring Do...

The adventurer's eyes widened. 'I...I...I can't...I can't remember...that's...that's where it ends...where my memories always end...every single time...Why...why can't I remember?'

“You're real!”

“Wow! The real Daring Do!”

“The Chisel of Pygmalion somehow brought you here from one of my books...”

“You don't tell me what to do you figment of my imagination! I made you! You aren't me!”

“Have you been writing those books for so long you mistake me with your own mockery?”

Her eyes shrank to pinpricks as she remembered the books sitting on that desk. The story of how she 'got here.'

“N-No...i-it can't b-be...Could...could I...”

Ahuizotl picked the Belt of Atlas up off the ground where it'd fallen. “I suppose I can have a bit of fun with this until the time comes...”

The ancient monster put the belt around his waist and glowed with a golden energy. His muscles bulged. His bulk increased. His already muscular frame grew larger by about a foot. He loomed over his mortal foe.

He wasn't what Daring would call bulky, but Ahuizotl's new body was considerably larger, and, while still lean, his body clearly gained had a large deal more muscle mass.

Ahuizotl punched the ground in front of her, the mere impact launching her through the air without even touching her. He walked over and picked her up with barely any effort before he lightly flickered her, sending her flying hard into a wall with considerable force, leaving her dazed and disorientated.

Ahuizotl walked over. “Hmm...” he tapped his chin. “I'm at an impasse here, Daring Do! On one hand, I'd love allowing you to bear witness to my plans coming to pass before I end our struggle! On the other...I've still got about twenty-five minutes left before then...I wonder if I can break all your bones one by one before then?”

He picked her up and stared to her eyes. “My, is that fear I see in your eyes? I never thought I'd see the day!”

'Fear? I'm afraid? But...I've never been...' Daring thought...her mind beginning to put things together. And the 'fear' began to grow worse and worse. 'I...I can't remember ever being afraid...'

Ahuizotl gave a bone chilling laugh. “Even better! This is so much more fun when they're afraid!”

He pulled back a fist...when suddenly, a flying form kicked him in the face, surprising him and knocking him back, letting Daring fall to the ground.

Yearling landed between him and her clone, glasses still on her face and missing her pith helmet and jacket. Her Cutie Mark was now more solid, but not all the way such. “...”

“You again?” Ahuizotl asked with a chuckle, dusting himself off as if he'd hardly felt the blow. He looked closer at her. “Ah! You're that public body double's of Daring Do's, aren't you?! Wanting to get an up close look at the great Ahuizotl I suppose?! Would you like an autograph?”

Yearling didn't bat an eye. A chunk of her rogue's gallery believed Yearling wasn't Daring Do for one reason: Yearling's 'disguise' of a 'shy, timid little author that lives in the middle of nowhere' didn't go well with the 'badflank, fearless adventurer' they fought. Why would somepony as great as Daring Do hide as such a normal, boring pony? Their egos wouldn't let them put two and two together, and Ahuizotl was as egotistical as they came. Of course he'd believe they two were different ponies and Yearling was either a body double that she used as the public face of her books or an autobiographer. If the two of them somehow won, at least they'd reinforced that belief to the point she wouldn't need to worry about Ahuizotl breaking down her cottage door looking for one of the artifacts Daring Do had snatched (though most that were dangerous enough for him to want were sent to the Princess for safe keeping).

The author looked behind her at her battered clone who seemed too stunned to move at the moment. 'She lost, what chance do I have?...I guess my heart isn't as smart as my head...'

Yearling charged, but did a backflip when Ahuizotl tried to crush her, evading the attack. She still found herself almost losing her footing from the shockwaves that resulted, leaving her barely able to duck under a tail whip aimed at her head. She leapt up and tried a double back kick to his chest...She might as well have just kicked off a brick wall.

She coughed, her bruised ribs rearing their ugly head again. She barely evaded another smash of Ahuizotl's enhanced arms. This time, the shockwave knocked her off her feet and Ahuizotl was on her in a minute. She tried punching and kicking him, but he didn't even flinch in his enhanced state.

Instead, he grabbed her leg and 'lightly' tossed her. Which with his enhanced strength sent her flying almost across the entire room.

She barely caught herself with her wings. 'Not good...there's no hurting him like that...'

The author noted how much more weight he had on him now. 'Maybe he's not used to that yet...'

Yearling jumped down and slid under his legs, but was grabbed by his fifth arm. However, he seemed not know his new strength quite as well and she gave a yelp as he pulled too hard and ended up with a tuff of the hair composing her tail rather than grabbing her.

She dashed back and tried to fly, but the pain in her ribs made that difficult, the position of her body while in flight putting more pressure on them. She remained on the ground.

Her eyes fell on the water nearby as she narrowly evaded another strike. She then looked at Ahuizotl's bulkier, larger form.

“...Not like it could make this situation any worse if I'm wrong...” she muttered to herself.

Yearling did a painful backflip to dodge and landed near the water's edge. “Come on Ahuizotl! All the strength in the world and you can't squash little old me?!” she taunted, doing her best cocky smirk.

“I see Daring Do isn't the only one with some wit about her, but it won't save you!” Ahuizotl charged her...and she dodged his slam by leapfrogging over him, resulting in him accidentally shattering the ground under him.

As Ahuizotl fell into the water, Yearling paused a moment to notice him sinking from the extra bulk, and quickly dashed over to Daring. She noticed the copy seemed deep in thought for some reason.

What she didn't notice was that Daring's Cutie Mark had began to smudge, like an ink drawing somepony had rubbed while it was still drying. “Come on! We need to get out of here!”

Yearling felt her heart skip a beat at the fearful look Daring's head came up baring. She shook her head. “Come on!”

The two made a run for it without another word said.

Meanwhile, Ahuizotl struggled, finding himself continued to sink. Despite his strength and affinity for the water, he wasn't used to the added bulk and had trouble moving properly through it. He simply removed the Belt and swam back to the surface. “I'll get you next time Daring Do! And your little author too!”

He turned and looked up at the projection, giving a cunning smirk. “An easy task when in twenty minutes the world is mine!”

To Be Continued...

Towards the Climax

View Online

The Two Sides of Daring Do
Chapter 4
Towards The Climax

“Ow...” Yearling muttered, leaning against a wall once they'd gotten away. “As if I didn't have enough bruises...I think this might be a new record...”

“...W-Why did you save me?”

The author blinked, looking to her clone. She just looked so...lost. Yearling had no idea what to make of her. She looked less like the fearless, brave adventurer...and more like a lost and scared child who'd stepped into a situation they didn't understand.

“...Why wouldn't I?”

“Because...before A-Ahuizotl attacked us...”

The author gave a sigh, trying to have some semblance of composure. She had her pride. “...I said...I can't say I didn't mean what I said...but...have you ever abandoned a innocent person to the bad guys when you thought they needed you?”

“I...I don't remember ever doing it...”

The author raised an eyebrow at the way she said that. “...I'm like that...I don't do this just so I can say 'I found the Sapphire Statue'...though being able to say that is awesome...I just can't stand the thought of a maniac like Ahuizotl hurting ponies if I don't help stop him...”

'Here I've been, worrying so much about who was better...not about the ponies that might get hurt if Ahuizotl got his claws on the Belt...' the author admitted to herself. Yes, she liked the fame. She liked the recognition...but stopping monsters from getting their way was more important than that. She thought about how she'd acted. How impulsive she'd been trying to prove herself better. That wasn't like her.

Yearling didn't notice, but her Cutie Mark had continued to become less faded and the flickering slowed even more.

“I...I get it...I don't remember Ahuizotl being that strong...he's supposed to be an over the top baddie that hides behind his cats...He told me I was mistaking him for the one in the books...”

“...The publishers...when a character is fictional, them saying 'I'm going to hurt ponies because I can' is hard to take seriously...and after Discord, they told me playing him seriously was 'too soon'...”

“...Who's Discord?”

“...A very bad monster...well...he used to be...he's supposedly reformed now...supposedly.”

“...I don't remember him...”

“I...never put him in the books because he wasn't a villain in my story...and no pony wanted to read 'Daring Do ends up trapped in a death trap by Discord that keeps changing just when she thinks she's escaped it, for hours on end, and ends up needing psychiatric help.' Especially when a lot of them had their own scars to heal from...”

“I see...Let me guess, stealing the Sapphire Statue wasn't as easy as swinging over Ahuizotl's head and grabbing it from out of his grubby hands?”

“No...I had to fight a small army of cats and barely escape by the skin of my teeth...” Yearling replied with admittedly a small bit of pride in her tone.

“...Why didn't you put that in your book?”

“Because the book was running too long for my publisher's liking. I had to cut things short and they said 'the death trap was enough of a climax.' In their defense that was one of Ahuizotl's better ones...”

“...I see...but one thing?”

“Yeah?”

“I never read your books...so how do I know you didn't put that in them?”

Yearling felt like she had just answered a question without being asked.

“...I'm not real, am I?”

Yearling's eyes went wide. “...I...Why do you ask?”

Daring began to tremble. “When Ahuizotl said that...I remembered what you said...that you made me. And then I realized...I don't remember doing things I know I should. I only remember nightmares, never dreams, but I know what dreams are. I don't remember going to bed, just that it's the next day, sometimes a nightmare, but I know what sleep is. I don't remember getting up most of the time...I...I don't remember my foalhood outside of a couple things here and there...my memories are like a puzzle somepony forgot to finish!...And I don't remember anything about Ahuizotl except 'he's my enemy and came out of a temple that got opened.' Tartarus, I don't remember anything between adventures at all...None of my memories make any sense with what I know is supposed to be...I just didn't want to admit it until...”

Yearling was speechless. Daring Do had become more and more desperate as she spoke. Yearling imagined she was experiencing the other side of having a quick mind that can analyze everything around her. When she realized something, she didn't have much trouble piecing together all the clues.

Daring put a hoof to her eyes and lowered it to show tears. “...I've never cried before...not once in my entire life...I remember that my mother is dead, but I don't remember crying when it happened.”

“...I...Look...I...” Yearling tried to process what to say. She hadn't gotten off on the right hoof with the clone...that would be the understatement of the century. But how do you tell somepony 'You're a fictional character?' Not only that...well, she was inspired for that part of her backstory from somewhere. “The...the Chisel activated and you were there...so...”

“So I'm a bucking fictional character!” the mare snapped, terror in her eyes. “...If I was from another universe, I wouldn't have holes in my memory the size of an airship. I wouldn't have gotten my flank handed to me by Ahuizotl because I'd know how dangerous my mortal enemy is...I'm not some genius with a huge encyclopedia in my head, everything I know is what you put there...Everything I thought I was...everything I am...it's all a lie...I'm a lie...I don't exist...”

Yearling gasped as she noticed something. Daring Do's Cutie Mark. It'd began to run. Like wet ink. It made her blood run cold.

“...I'm not Daring Do...I'm just a character based on her...that's why I couldn't beat Ahuizotl...because I had to deal with some cheap knock off of him my entire 'life' if you can call it that...”

The Cutie Mark kept melting. The author had been out of Equestria when Lord Tirek was on the war path, but even then the stories of his drain making Cutie Marks disappear had frightened her. Why wouldn't it? A Cutie Mark was an expression of your soul.

“Y-Your Cutie Mark...”

“No...yours...you're the real Daring Do...I'm just a copy...I never earned my Cutie Mark, this is my first adventure...I...I don't love adventure because it's what I love...I love it because I'm written to love it!”

Daring Do's Cutie Mark ran off completely. Like it had just been erased.

Yearling took a step back in utter horror. Eyes frozen on the blank patch of brown fur. It made her want to hug herself and check her own Cutie Mark to make sure it was still there.

The broken pony's head drooped, ears pinned. “...I'm not real...I'm just a fake...the character you made turned into a walking mass of mana...A figment of your imagination.”

The author stood for a few moments. A part of her had WANTED the 'fake' to admit she was just that...and now she got it. And it left her staring at what had once been a cocky, over the top adventurer...now looking more like a broken foal who didn't know what to do. A blank flank...foal...A child. A filly...A newborn.

Yearling once more felt like the sky had fallen...

Daring continued looking down, not moving, tears streaming down her face...and then Yearling took her hoof and put it on the author's front ankle joint. “What do you feel?”

“...A pulse...”

Yearling moved the hoof to Daring's wrist. “And now?”

“...A pulse...”

The author trotted in front of the clone and set down. “You're afraid, aren't you?”

“...Yeah...”

“Guess what? I've never written you to be afraid.”

“So?”

“If I never wrote you that way, why are you afraid? How can you be afraid?”

Daring's eyes widened for a moment. “I...I don't know...”

“Were you worried when old three hands beat the Tartarus out of me?”

“...Y-Yeah...”

“I may have written you being concerned before...but you wouldn't have felt it if you were just a mana clone. You wouldn't have cared about me, so much as known you should...because caring for someone else comes from the soul...ugh...that sounded so cheesy, can you tell heart to heart stuff isn't my strong point?...If you weren't alive, if you didn't have a soul...you wouldn't be able to care...and you wouldn't care if you existed or not...because I never programmed you to be able to do that.”

Daring Do looked confused. “But...but...the Chisel...”

“...Gives life to a work of art...Galatea was flesh and blood. She married Pygmalion. They had a child. They loved. It didn't just make a mana clone of Galatea, it made her real...you came from my books...but you're not just some puppet acting out what I programmed into you...you're alive...”

She ran Daring Do's earlier sentence through her mind again. Realization dawned on her face. “The character...I made...” she whispered to herself... “That...I made...”

“...I made you...my quill gave you life...what does that mean?”

“...I...I don't know...”

Yearling looked uncertain herself. “...Look...I was worried you were taking my place...that I was being replaced. That you were better than me...but I never thought of you as a life I that I'm responsible for...I barely thought of you as alive at all...I'm sorry...”

Daring was shell shocked. “I...I was the one tha-”

“No...you didn't ask for a magical artifact to make you...I knew from the moment I checked your pulse you were real and I treated you like some interloper trying to steal my life instead of another pony...that's not the pony way.”

Yearling stopped herself. Letting her emotions out didn't come easy. It'd taken Rainbow Dash coming to save her and actually competently sending her friends to distract Ahuizotl for her to let her in. Daring did pick up the feeling there was more she was tempted to say.

“...So what do I do?” Daring asked, looking at Yearling with desperate eyes.

“...If you want to be real...do what you want to do...I'm not your author anymore, just your creator...everypony is the author of her own story.”

“...I...I guess I can try it...”

“...And look...if we make it through this mess, you can stay at my cottage, we'll work something out...and if we don't, maybe my sister wouldn't mind letting you stay with her or something. I'm not going to just kick you out with nowhere to go...I'd be a bad creator if I did that...” Yearling didn't look directly at her clone. Her posture was more one of awkwardness than hesitance, however.

“Uh...t-thanks...wait, sister?”

“Yeah, derpy mailmare, but a sweet one and almost as determined as me...I need to visit her more...she sure was there for me when I ended up getting 'ray-dye-ation' poisoning.”

“That never happened to me...”

“Be glad it didn't...I really need to talk to her more, her and her...her kids...Look...just...stop acting like you're not alive, okay? That...doesn't end well...”

“...O-Okay...Thanks...I...I needed that.”

“...Welcome.”

Yearling backed up and looked at Daring's still blank flank. Instinctively she looked back at her own completely solid one to make sure it was still there. Even with that confirmation she shuddered a bit.

Daring followed her gaze and frowned. “...It's still gone...”

The author put a hoof on her shoulder. “It's okay...If this stuff is your real talent...maybe you need to discover that for yourself...Remember what I said about you being your own author now?”

“T-Thanks...Once this adventure is done...oh no!”

Yearling blinked. “What?”

“Ahuizotl! He's about to use the Rings of Scorchero to corrupt the Belt and this whole place to hijack the Princesses' power!” Daring checked a watch. “We've got ten minutes before Ahuizotl makes the planet a desert!”

Yearling's eyes went wide. “That's not good...Well, somepony needs to stop him, don't they?”

“...But he just kicked both our flanks...”

“...Individually, yes...but...there's two of us...Maybe in this case two Daring Do's is a good thing...” the author said, gears turning. “You said he's using the Rings?”

“Yeah, something about them being similar to the Belt or something.”

Yearling put a hoof to her chin. “I see...So we have ten minutes to defeat a superpowered Ahuizotl, disrupt a dark ritual to steal the powers of two Alicorns, and save the world?”

Daring looked hesitant...but slowly became more serious. How many ponies would be hurt if they didn't do anything?...Too many. “...I don't know if it's me...but I don't want to let old three arms win.”

Yearling adjusted her glasses. “You wouldn't care about that if it wasn't you. Now come on, we've got a world to save.”

Fantasy and Realism

View Online

The Two Sides of Daring Do
Chapter 5
Fantasy and Realism
By Kendell2

Ahuizotl stood at the top of the statue, the final ring in his claws, the Belt of Atlas around his waist. His cats stood around him, seemingly in anticipation for the ritual to complete. “Soon the time will come when the world will crumble before the might of Ahuizotl! HAHAHA!”

“...Are you sure about this?” Daring asked, trembling a little bit at the sight of Ahuizotl in the flesh. The two of them stood in the hall way to the room, both now wearing their jackets. “Last time he kicked my flank...bad...and I'm still figuring out how the 'real world' works...”

“I know...but remember, I'm from the real world, and it's my plan,” Yearling replied, putting on her pith helmet. Had it been one of her stories, she would have found it laying next to them when they had their epiphany...instead it had been laying in the same hall way she'd left it at and she'd had to pick it and her jacket up. She hoofed her glasses to Daring who removed her helmet and put them on.

Daring actually looked...envious. “...I normally just run in and think as I go...is that bad?”

“That works sometimes...but it won't this one...stick to the plan, unless everything goes to Tartarus, and you should be fine...I'd switch our positions, but my ribs are bruised right now. I can't fly as well as I'd need to.”

“Alright...are you sure you'll be okay?”

“Yeah...You beat his cats, I think I can handle it.”

“Just a few more minutes...” Ahuizotl said with a smirk...right before Daring flew from cover and snatched the final Ring from his grasp.

She then flew back down and landing next to Yearling. “What's wrong, Ahuizotl? Forgot to have your ring fitted?” both asked at the exact same time.

Ahuizotl snarled. “This is why I prepare my elaborate ceremonies well in advance! Get them!” he ordered.

His cats leapt down...the house cat and bobcat carefully making sure to stay on their larger counterparts' backs as they swam across the water.

“Bring it!” both yelled at the same time. Daring flew up, once more dodging the trap triggers expertly and heading right for Ahuizotl. She ducked under his swipe and kicked him in the stomach. It didn't do much, but it got his attention. She dodged his counter strike, though had noticeably less grace with it than Yearling.

Yearling, meanwhile, ducked under the Panther's pounce and gave it a buck in the stomach. She then evaded a slash from the tiger, giving it an uppercut in return. The author chuckled despite her sour ribs. “...Good thing for me you're not the toughest henchcreatures I have to deal with...” she muttered, leapfrogging the bobcat and using a whip to snatch its leg and pull it back, letting it collide with the house cat's head on as it leapt at her.

Daring took a light tail whip, knocking her across the statue's head and leaving her in a good bit of pain. “Ow...Okay...having a plan doesn't mean he doesn't hit like a train...” she muttered, grateful he didn't seem interested in an anti-climatic end to their struggle. She looked back over her shoulder to see the water far below.

She flew up and gave a flying kick to his face, dodging his attack. Superpowered or not, he wasn't completely invulnerable and staggered back from her momentum.

“What's wrong, Ahuizotl? Getting slow in your old age?” she asked, doing it loud enough so Yearling could hear and mimic her exact dialog as she bucked the tiger in the jaw. 'Thank Celestia we had time to brainstorm quips on the way over here to get that trick right...I'm still getting used to this whole 'preparation' thing.'

Ahuizotl chuckled. “Old age? I am actually quite young for my species!”

“What species?! You're the only one!”

Ahuizotl's smirk in response to that made Daring wonder if she WANTED to know.

He charged her and swiped several times, a hit to the ground sending her flying from the force and nearly knocked her off the statue's head, which by now was cracked quite a bit.

The ancient devil charged her, then used his own tail to lift himself up and started swiping with all four limbs.

Daring was surprised and had to avoid the swipes, barely evading the feline claws on his hind legs, but getting batted aside by his right arm, knocking her clear across the platform with what seemed to be a light move of his arm.

Yearling meanwhile ducked under the bobcat and the house cat, resulting in them slamming headlong into one another.

“You're doing well Ahuizotl, but is your memory really that bad?!” she called (Daring joining in as soon as possible), spinning the ring on her on her hoof before using it to smack the panther right in the face with it. 'Just as I thought, with the others in position, this one's enchantment is supercharged... good, just like when the other rings were all plugged into the Fortress.'

“You seem to forget which mare you should be fighting!”

Ahuizotl snarled, turning to face Yearling. “Get me that ring!”

“Maybe it's your eyesight that's failing you,” the two adventurers called in stereo, Daring taking advantage and giving Ahuizotl a massive flying buck to the back, knocking him off the edge.

“Cause you took your eyes off the ball!”

“Ow...” Daring muttered, rubbing her leg. “Still like kicking a brick wall...”

As the monster fell, he triggered several of the pegasi traps. While the resulting arrows and darts didn't hurt him, they distracted him enough he forgot to take the Belt off before he hit the water and began to sink.

Daring flew down and bucked the tiger in the jaw at the same time Yearling did a jumping kick to the panther, both landing on their two smaller comrades.

“Now!”

The two threw Yearling's glasses and Daring's pith helmet to each other and put them on, quickly galloping up the stairs. Yearling slipped the Ring into her jacket.

When Ahuizotl rose from the water without wearing the Belt, both whistled. “Hey big boy!” they called, with a slight suggestive air. “Come and get me!”

The feline terror snarled, getting back to the ground and putting the Belt back on but getting a rock thrown in his face.

He hastily tied it back on and charged after the twin adventurers.

Yearling skidded to a stop while Daring kept flying forwards.

The author did a backflip, dodging his swings. She ducked and allowed his fist, causing it to slam into the wall, burying in it and sending cracks through the entire wall. He then swatted her aside with a light gesture, knocking her farther up the stairs. She had to roll aside to evade a smash that crumbled a good section of the staircase to dust. Yearling did a few backflips to get distance before using her whip to strike Ahuizotl in the head, earning a snarl.

The monster pounced at her and gave her a flick of his hand, sending her flying back to the ground and bloodying (perhaps breaking, she wasn't sure) her nose.

“Give me the ring!”

Yearling smirked despite the blood running down her face. Her eyes fell on the Belt of Atlas around his waist, still hanging loose from his hasty attempt to tie it after falling in the water earlier. “Wrong mare!” she called at the same time Daring, who was farther up the staircase. “Time's running out!”

Ahuizotl looked at Yearling's glasses and snarled before dashing head long at the pith helmet wearing Daring.

The sword trap triggered but Ahuizotl just ripped straight through them in his pursuit, smashing stone to bits during his charge.

Daring stopped on the platform, allowing Ahuizotl to leap at her and crack off a piece of rock from Atlas' already severely cracked head, but not expecting a second pretty bad blow that knocked her across it and left her rib cage burning. “The ring Daring Do!”

The adventure groaned, holding her ribs...then giving a smirk. “Sorry, I/she doesn't have it!”

Ahuizotl looked behind him to find Yearling standing and twirling the ring around her hoof.

“You tricked me!” Ahuizotl snarled, leaping at her just as she flipped backwards, groaning from the pain in her ribs.

“No, that wasn't the trick...” Yearling said independently.

“This is!” announced Daring Do, snaring the stone sword she'd put to weigh down the platform earlier with her whip, tying the handle end to the piece of rock Ahuizotl had dislodged. She bucked the rock, causing it to fall and take the sword with it.

Ahuizotl looked down, noticing he was directly off the now rising platform. He looked up in time to see the sun and moon in Atlas' hooves fall directly at where he was now standing.

He simply caught them both with ease in his super strong hands, giving a laugh. “Did you really think a few tons of rock would be enough to stop me?!”

“No...” Yearling said, flying forwards and making a grab for the belt. “But this will!”

She found his fifth hand around her neck. “Forget something?” her archenemy asked with a smirk.

Yearling returned one. “Did you?”

Daring zoomed by, snatching the loose belt from his waist.

“NOOOOOOO!” the attempted tyrant yelled, his body shrinking down and having to release Yearling so he could fall on his back and use all five limbs to just barely hold up the massive stone orbs with every ounce of might he had.

“Hurry! The Rings!” Yearling yelled, both adventurers dashing to the makeshift Tower of Darkness, ignoring the pain they were in as best they could. “Remove them and this whole place is coming crashing down on his head!”

“How does that work exactly?” Daring asked as they removed the first ring quickly, both groaning quite a bit from the pain in their bodies. “This isn't even their temple!”

“No, but the reason the Fortress collapsed was because...” Next ring removed. “The spell was interrupted and all that magic had nowhere to go but into the temple itself! If Ahuizotl exploited the similarities between the two temples to do this, the same exact thing should happen here!”

Daring groaned as they removed the next ring, starting to feel the beating she'd took from Ahuizotl more and more. While he hadn't hit her much, he still had the strength of Atlas at the time. “And that is why you're smarter than me, I'd never have thought of that!”

Yearling blinked as another ring fell to the statue below them. “...You think I'm smarter?”

“Yeah...it's just...I had no idea who the Tartarus Atlas was...you were the one who figured out how to get here. Heck, I didn't even know where Ahuizotl came from but somehow you knew he was stronger in water...”

“I studied...a lot...just a lot of that doesn't make it into the book.”

“Yeah, and I get twitchy walking through a tomb between traps. I wouldn't have the patience for that stuff. Let alone enough to figure out why the Fortress collapsed. All I knew was 'remove artifact, bad guy's place goes boom.'”

They lifted the last ring, together. “...I...guess I had forgotten how important the study work is in what I do...” Yearling admitted, giving a small smile. “...Thank you...”

“Welcome...”

Both smiled as they lifted the last ring off. Like clockwork, the temple began to rumble.

Yearling stomped down on one of the rings, shattering it. “And with all that magic discharged, the rings are vulnerable! Don't leave one left!”

Daring assisted and in a few second all the Rings were nothing but pieces of broken golden metal.

“Now come on! Let's get out of here!”

The two ran as Ahuizotl gave a roar of fury from his trapped position. “Curse you Daring Do...s! I shall have my revenge!”

The cats wisely ran for it when they recovered from their beat down, the twin adventurers doing the same as the entire temple chamber came crumbling down on Ahuizotl's head, burying him alive.

Daring looked back as the tunnel was collapsing behind them. “So the 'temple collapses behind us instead of all at once' thing actually happens?!”

“It's a magical shockwave! It ripples out through the entire structure causing it to collapse outward when the spell's backfiring goes off!”

“Good to know at least one thing from my world is real!”

The two leapt out of the entrance to the cave, Ahuizotl's cats continuing past them and into the wilderness as the entire mountain the mine was built into imploded into a crater, followed by a nearby lake beginning to drain into it.

The two panted, watching the dust settle.

“So...is Ahuizotl...”

“No,” Yearling replied with a sigh. “He's immortal, that can't kill him. Remember when he got shot directly with a cannon?”

“Oh yeah...I thought that'd killed him for awhile...well, as much as 'awhile' applied to me...”

“So did I and the audience! They gave me so much hate mail for that...”

“So the whole 'Ahuizotl never dies no matter what happens to him' is actually true?...Great...”

“Tell me about it...”

The two gave a laugh...then groaned and fell on their backs, panting...and in a lot of pain. Yearling checked her nose. Yep, definitely broken.

“Ow...On the bright side, at least it should take a long time for him to dig himself out of that...”

“Good...because I think he broke a few of my ribs with that last hit...” Daring muttered, clumsily trying to tape her ribs until Yearling stopped her and helped do it correctly. “...I think...I remember breaking my wing once and my ribs feel like that...”

“Yeah, that sometimes happens...adrenaline rush makes it harder to feel pain...and then we end up very sore...You won't believe how I have to justify a lot of this to ponies when I go back to being AK Yearling...”

Daring managed to nod. “Yeah...I think this will take getting used to...so...I guess this didn't end with me cleanly dying off, huh?”

Yearling shook her head. “No...I think I'm happier it didn't...”

“Huh?”

“Look...I...uh...” Yearling tried to speak as she tended to her clone's ribs with a concern that almost seemed motherly. “...We really need to get to the hospital. We're really beat up...”

“Yeah...hehe...but yah know something?”

“Yeah?”

Daring gave a tired smile, feeling herself as if to make sure she were awake. “...I just helped save the real world...I guess you could say I feel alive now!”

Both laughed at that...then groaned at their injured ribs and other injuries.

“Yeah, we definitely need the hospital...”

Yearling finally set home at her desk. Her nose was bandaged up and she still had her ribs taped up, on top of a lot more minor injuries.

She sighed looking at a newspaper reading 'Daring Do Saves the Day?' She hoped she could just pass it off as a publicity stunt.

Yearling also looked at a manuscript laying nearby called 'Daring Do and the Belt of Atlas' that she hoped would do that job for her. Naturally said book had a metric ton of alterations to it from the reality, since she couldn't have the author being part of her own story, but the story made no sense with only one Daring Do. Also on the desk were a few letters from Rainbow Dash, the two still keeping in touch.

The Chisel was thankfully now safely in the high security wing with other such artifacts, behind a multitude of magic wards to prevent theft. And a strict 'no creators with a large fan base within 50 feet of this' rule.

The author's eyes fell on another, more official looking piece of paper work on the table. The royal seal plain as day.

“Okay, so...changing clothes just to change clothes is weird...” Daring Do said, limping into the room wearing a simple t-shirt and looking at it strangely. She was also likewise bandaged up rather heavily, particularly her ribs. “...and so was finding out how to actually use the bathroom without time skips.”

Yearling cringed at that memory. “Agreed...hey, look...I finally got that letter back from Celestia about you.”

“Yeah?” Daring asked, looking frightened for a moment, an emotion she was still decidedly getting used to.

“She said she can have birth records and everything written up for you quickly, even if you want to be seen as a magical clone. Apparently she had to do something similar with this Doctor guy I've teamed with a couple times. He insisted he be kept out of the books.”

The clone gave a sigh of relief. “Good...”

“...But there is one thing...” Yearling explained, looking uncertain. “...Daring...or whatever name you CHOOSE...You get to choose WHAT those birth certificates say...what your name is...and what your relationships to others are. Within reason of course.”

Daring blinked. “What?”

“...You can say you're officially a magically created pony, or legally a Homunculus (which means the exact same thing, it just sounds fancier), Celestia says that's your choice. There's laws pertaining to artificial life and you're considered an Equestrian citizen with full rights because I was able to more or less prove you are genuinely alive. Apparently Celestia made the into law recently after some incident involving a mirror pool that may or may not have been simple mana clones, but she didn't want to take any risks in the future...Anyway, the point is...you also get to choose aspects of your 'back story' otherwise...who your 'family' is, if you have one...”

Daring raised an eyebrow. “Family?”

Yearling gave a sigh, looking down at the document. “Yeah...Look...it's your choice but...I realized something back in the temple...you were born from something I created. I'm your creator...Ugh! Look, I'm not good at this kind of thing...basically...for all intents and purposes...I'm your mother...”

Daring Do's eyes went wide as she processed what she was told. She couldn't question the logic of it. “...I...I guess so...”

“And...you've still got a lot to learn about the real world...you need somepony to help you fill in the pieces how I created you couldn't...I made you a good adventurer but that's only part of it. And...isn't teaching you all that what a creator...what a mother should do?”

The magic born pony stared in shock. “I...I guess that makes sense...I...I never had a mother...my memories of having mine die were...”

“...It's your choice...I...I just feel like you're my responsibility and I need to do what a good mother should. My sister's an excellent mother, so I hope I could be too...”

Daring looked thoughtfully down at her hooves. If she hadn't gotten a reality check like she did, she probably would've been insulted by the idea she needed someone to teach her anything...but the fact of the matter was...she did. Besides what made sense in her context, she was a newborn, plain and simple. And...in a way, it made perfect sense. There was no denying Yearling had been her creator...

“...I...I don't mind...”

The two didn't spontaneously hug and act like mother and daughter, both knew that'd take time...but they both did smile to each other.

“Thanks...”

“You're welcome...mom. Thanks for having me...so...what now?” Daring Do asked.

“Well...Celestia took a lot of stuff into consideration about you...including the fact you were born with an adult body and never had a chance to have one...” Yearling produced a potion that'd came with the letters. “She tested some of the fur I sent with it.”

Daring Do looked at a small area were her fur had been trimmed. “I was wondering why you insisted on that...”

“...She said due to you only being a few days old, you still have a full life force. You're basically a newborn as far as life energy is concerned...in most ponies a youth reversal spell will simply change their body, not affect age, an old pony won't gain a year to their life, and it's difficult to even get a unicorn that strong to perform the spell...but of course, she's an Alicorn...if you want. She provided me with this potion she created. It will make you a filly, about the same age as my youngest niece. About five.”

Daring Do looked at the bottle. “...I can have a foalhood?”

“You can have a...relatively normal foalhood. And while I DO adventure a lot, you can defend yourself well even if you were a filly, and my other niece loves to foalsit, so it'd work for me too. I can homeschool you, I've got degrees. You can do everything a normal filly could do, earn your Cutie Mark, play in the park, the works...or you can be an adventurer like me and help me out on my quests, which would be helpful. Only real difference is you still have all your fighting skills and proportional physical fitness level so any of my rogues gallery that tries to get to me through you is in a nasty surprise...it's entirely your choice. I won't say which I prefer. Just that both are possibilities.”

The homunculus looked at the potion intently. “...If it doesn't work out?”

“She sent an antidote in case someone mistook it for tea...don't ask.”

“...” Daring trotted over and took it. She looked to her blank flank, then back to Yearling. “...You're sure you'd be okay with this?”

“...I wouldn't have told you if I wasn't. Just know adults don't takes kids seriously.”

“Eh, my social skills aren't the best anyway.”

“And you'll need to go through puberty.”

“I don't know what that is.”

“It's...when your body starts changing. Not fun.”

“Does everypony go through it?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I want to. Even if it sucks.”

“Alright...you'll have to deal with heat sooner or later anyway...”

“What's heat?”

“...I'll tell you when we get there. But also not fun and you'd have to deal with it regardless...”

“I thought you were neutral.”

“I am, I just want to make sure you know what you're doing here...I'd be a bad mother if I didn't.”

“...You're lying.”

Yearling sighed giving a sad chuckle. “...I guess I'm not that good at hiding how I feel...I...I just feel like letting you do this...it's like I'm just writing you out of my story in another way...like us going from me hating you for existing to working like a well oiled machine might as well have never happened...that if this happens we could've just grabbed the Belt of Atlas and never had that fight with Ahuizotl...I guess I feel like it's the 'easy way out.'”

Daring looked at the potion as her mother spoke. The homunculus looked deep in thought. “...You're right...it does feel like the easy way out, huh?” The mare reluctantly put the potion back down. “...And I don't want to take the easy way out.”

“You're sure that's what you want?”

“...Daring Do in my memory is pragmatic, she's not afraid to fight dirty. She'd be willing to use the potion if it'd resolve the situation quicker. So it isn't her...”

Yearling blushed a little. “To be fair, I really am like that when it comes to a lot of fights. I'm not afraid to throw sand in somepony's eyes.”

“I'm surprised that makes it into the books...”

“Fans actually rather enjoy Daring Do being that kind of heroine...that and apparently stallions getting nailed in the stallionhood is funny...You know, you could take 'vacations' in Ponyville as a filly with my sister.”

“...Tempting...but we both know that's not how fillyhood works...I think I'll stay this way. Besides, I can't trash talk bad guys as a filly! And I LOVE doing that!”

Yearling gave a chuckle. “So do I. We'll drive them nuts...Oh! One more thing...” The author took another of the papers. “...If you want...you can pick a new name. Your choice.”

Daring do looked down at the paper. “Yeah, might be a good idea, since I'm trying to be my own gal...I need to think about this...should it be something like other ponies have? Or different? AK Yearling doesn't sound much like a pony name...no offense.”

“Actually...it's short for...Awkward Kindness Yearling.”

Daring couldn't help but chuckle. “Awkward Kindness? No wonder you go by Daring Do.”

“Actually they're both my names...family tradition. My sister and her eldest daughter are the same way...”

“Do I need two names?”

“Pick one for now, get another when you earn your real Cutie Mark. That's how I did it.”

Daring nodded. “Okay...Ugh...This is harder than I thought...I can't just be Daring Do II can I?”

“Well you can, but technically it'd be Baby Daring Do. Griffins use Jr. but ponies use Baby. Tradition started in the First Age or something.”

“No thanks!...Let's see...What's your sister's name?... Names?”

“Ditzy Do is her birth name, her youngest daughter's name is Dinky Do.”

Daring Do looked thoughtful. After all, this was important. She couldn't just rush into it without thinking. “...Hmm...How does Daydream Yearling sound?”

Yearling raised an eyebrow. “Daydream?”

“Well I am something imaginary that came to life, and Daring Do, Ditzy Do, Dinky Do? All initials DD,” the homunculus replied, giving a cocky smirk. “And is really any cheesier than Awkward Kindness? DD Yearling doesn't sound too bad either.”

“Haha...Still, Daydream has a nice ring to it...”

The newly christened Daydream Yearling wrote down her name. “There we go. Got a name of my own...feels nice...like I'm me.”

“I bet...So...since you're staying an adult, and you've got a name...that only leaves one question...What do you want to do?” Yearling asked.

Daydream looked back at her Cutie Mark. Or lack of one. Still blank brown fur. “...I'd like to try and find my Cutie Mark...but I'd also like to help you too...if that's possible...saving the world is good...I actually do kinda like doing that.”

“I'd like that...”

Yearling took out a stack of books and maps. “I was about to begin research myself.”

“Uh...that's not my thing...” Daydream admitted, feeling anxious just looking at the books. “I don't have the patience for that stuff...I'm more of an action type.”

The author chuckled. “I think that'll work just fine, because I love it...I'm also good at planning...”

The homunculus gave a smirk. “And I'm good at improvising.”

“...I think this is going to work out just fine.”

“Same here...mom.”

Yearling chuckled. “...Same here Daydream...I'm looking forward to it...”

The End.

Fantasy and Realism Alternate Ending

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Daring raised an eyebrow. “Family?”

Daring Do's eyes went wide as she processed what she was told. She couldn't question the logic of it. “...I...I guess so...”

The magic born pony stared in shock. “I...I guess that makes sense...I...I never had a mother...my memories of having mine die were...”

“...It's your choice...I...I just feel like you're my responsibility and I need to do what a good mother should. My sister's an excellent mother, so I hope I could be too...”

“...I...I don't mind...”

The two didn't spontaneously hug and act like mother and daughter, both knew that'd take time...but they both did smile to one another.

“Thanks...”

“You're welcome...mom. Thanks for having me...so...what now?” Daring Do asked.

“Well...Celestia took a lot of stuff into consideration about you...including the fact you were born with an adult body and never had a chance to have a foalhood...” Yearling produced a potion that'd came with the letters. “She tested some of the fur I sent with it.”

Daring Do looked at a small area were her fur had been trimmed. “I was wondering why you insisted on that...”

Daring Do looked at the bottle. “...I can have a foalhood?”

The homunculus looked at the potion intently. “...If it doesn't work out?”

“She sent an antidote in case someone mistook it for tea...don't ask.”

“...” Daring trotted over and took it. She looked to her blank flank, then back to Yearling. “...You're sure you'd be okay with this?”

“...I wouldn't have told you if I wasn't. Just know adults don't takes kids seriously.”

“Eh, my social skills aren't the best anyway.”

“And you'll need to go through puberty.”

“I don't know what that is.”

“It's...when your body starts changing. Not fun.”

“Does everypony go through it?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I want to. Even if it sucks.”

“Alright...you'll have to deal with heat sooner or later anyway...”

“What's heat?”

“...I'll tell you when we get there. But also not fun and you'd have to deal with it regardless...”

“I thought you were neutral.”

“I am, I just want to make sure you know what you're doing here...I'd be a bad mother if I didn't.”

“...You're lying.”

Daring looked at the potion as her mother spoke. The homunculus looked deep in thought. “...You're right...it does feel like the easy way out, huh?”

“I suppose...” Yearling replied.

“...And now you're sad again, what's the deal?”

“...It's...hard to explain...”

“I'm pretty good at following some things,” Daring replied, listening.

“...I don't think you'd understand it, I never wrote it into your stories, but...ugh...I hate how cheesy this sounds...I don't really have many opportunities to meet a stallion, nor was I really looking, and even if I did I don't have time to...well...”

Daring cocked her head. “To what?”

“...Let's just say I'd be in traction for a few months before a baby is born...I just don't have many options to HAVE a kid...so...I guess while you never had a foalhood, I might never have a chance to raise a foal...”

“Ah...so if I stay a grown up, you'll miss out on that part of being a mom?”

“Yeah, pretty much...then again I guess I don't have to worry about all the stress of being a parent. Worrying about my kid when she's sick. Having to buy food. Having to find a good doctor if she needs it. Not to mention some fans wouldn't like Daring Do becoming a single parent so there's that headache...”

“Uh...sounds like me being a kid isn't as much of an 'easy way out' is it?” the magically created pony asked. "For you OR me?"

Yearling gave a small chuckle. “...I guess not...forgot how hard being a parent can be...but like I said, it's your choice...do what YOU want, not what I want. Neither way is a perfect answer...and I guess neither is the easy answer either...”

"Yeah, kinda guessed that from how conflicted you are over it..." Daring looked at the potion closely, thoughtfully. “...Well...on one hoof, it might be cheating a little bit...oh who am I kidding! I want to have a whole life, not just an adult one!”

“Are you sure?”

“I don't have any memories of a foalhood period...I know it might not seem one hundred percent logical but...I feel like if I'm going to be truly alive I need to do have one...Plus, Daring Do from the book would never want to be a little filly! Too 'cutesy wootsy,' so I'm still being myself, right?”

“Alright...then I support you. Plus I wouldn't do it either, so you know it didn't come from me...go for it.”

The mare drank the potion. “...Wow...tastes like cake...I think...”

She blinked, shrinking down quickly, ending up in a shirt far too large for herself.

Yearling looked down, finding a little head poking out of clothing several times too big for her. It was somewhat surreal looking at a miniature version of herself. “How do you feel?”

Daring looked herself over and chuckled. “Tiny!” she joked, flying up and landing on her desk, though cringed a little. “Ugh...turning into a kid didn't heal me completely...guess that'd be cheating..."

Both chuckled a little bit at the little voice. Yearling hadn't heard it since she was a foal.

"Do you think your niece would want to play with me once I'm healed all the way?”

“...Yeah, I think she would, just be gentle, okay?”

Daring rubbed her head sheepishly at that thought. “...Maybe I need some lessons first...mom...”

Yearling gave a small smile. “...And I'll be glad to give them, I was a big sister myself once...Oh! One more thing...” Yearling took another of the papers. “...If you want...you can pick a new name. Your choice.”

Daring do looked down at the paper in front of her now tiny hooves, thinking about it. “...“Yeah, might be a good idea, since I'm starting from scratch...I need to think about this...should it be something like other ponies have? Or different? AK Yearling doesn't sound much like a pony name...no offense.”

“Actually...it's short for...Awkward Kindness Yearling.”

Daring couldn't help but chuckle. “Awkward Kindness? No wonder you go by Daring Do.”

“Actually they're both my names...family tradition. My sister and her eldest daughter are the same way...”

“Do I need two names?”

“Pick one for now, get another when you earn your real Cutie Mark. That's how I did it.”

Daring nodded. “Okay...Ugh...This is harder than I thought...I can't just be Daring Do II can I?”

“Well you can, but technically it'd be Baby Daring Do. Griffins use Jr. but ponies use Baby. Tradition started in the First Age or something.”

“No thanks!”

“Well you ARE a foal,” Yearling teased a little bit.

“Ugh...Let's see...What's your sister's name?... Names?”

“Ditzy Do is her birth name, her youngest daughter's name is Dinky Do.”

Daring Do looked thoughtful. After all, this was important. She couldn't just rush into it without thinking. “...Hmm...How does Daydream Yearling sound?”

Yearling raised an eyebrow. “Daydream?”

“Well I am something imaginary that came to life, and Daring Do, Ditzy Do, Dinky Do? All initials DD,” the tiny homunculus replied, giving a cocky smirk. “And is it really any cheesier than Awkward Kindness? DD Yearling doesn't sound too bad either.”

“Haha...Still, Daydream has a nice ring to it...”

The newly christened Daydream Yearling wrote down her name. “There we go. Got a name of my own...feels nice...like I'm me.”

Yearling chuckled, looking at the small foal on her desk. Even she had to admit having a small foal looking genuinely happy in front of her was adorable. Adventurer or not, she was still a pony.

Daring then blinked. “...So...what now?”

The author chuckled. “That's the beauty of it...you're a foal, you don't NEED to worry about what you're going to do, because you've got a long time to figure it out.”

Daydream looked back at her Cutie Mark. Or lack of one. Still blank brown fur. “...Can I still try to find out my Cutie Mark?”

“That's also part of being a foal...in fact I think my sister mentioned some foals in Ponyville who have some sort of club for finding theirs...”

“Maybe I'll talk with them about that when I visit my...aunt?” Daring asked.

“I don't see why not,” Yearling replied, then for some reason having a feeling she should be more worried about that than she was.

“Cool!...What else do kids do?”

“Well...I have a radio, maybe we can listen to some serials? I always liked Bit Tracy.”

“That sounds good...ugh...but no Con Mane, I hate that guy.”

“Hehe...Funny story about that...”

Yearling took out some books, deciding to multitask a bit while they listened. She still had a job. That would be something she needed to get used to, balancing things between being a parent and saving the world.

As they trotted towards her living room, Yearling thought about where this would go. Daydream was a child in body, and in mind when it came to everything that was not 'pre-programmed', but she had experiences and talents of somepony far older. In fact she had some skills Yearling had been jealous of due to how she's been born. She was for all intents and purposes a prodigy. By the time she was fully grown, Yearling had little doubt Daydream would exceed her.

The author chuckled to herself. Wasn't wanting your daughter to exceed you what any parent dreamed of? She admitted there was an irony in that.

“So, do I still get to help kick flank?” Daydream asked.

“...Well, you're still good at fighting and can fend for yourself...And if nothing else, you can help me research.”

The foal gave an exaggerated look of disgust. “No thanks!”

“Hehe...you're going to milk being a kid for all it's worth, aren't you?”

“Oh and like you aren't going to love being a mom as much as you can?”

Both gave a small chuckle. “...Yeah...I think I will...this is going to work out just fine...”

“Same here...mom.”

Yearling chuckled. “...I'm looking forward to it...”

The End.