When a new villain rises will two heroes be enough to foil his evil plans?
Daring Do has spent most of her career solo, and for the most part has been successful. The same can be said of Isabella, the newest human in Equestria who spent a good portion of her life traveling and exploring. Will their combined experience be enough to stop the evil plans of a villain?
Long ago a sect of unicorns tried to master the whether without the aid of the pegasi. Their pride and vanity cost them dearly and the magic that was unleashed consumed them.
“An entire tribe of unicorns, wiped out. That doesn’t bode well.” Daring Do said as she re-read the historical account of a tragedy that transpired ages ago from the comfort of a library. While a secret book writer herself, she had a preference for antiquated reading material.
“The instrument of their demise was crafted from the horn of a great sea serpent and fitted with powerful augmented gems…it looks like it gave them what they wanted.“ Daring said scanning the pages until she saw a somewhat crudely drawn depiction of the item, though given the times in which the book was written this type of drawing was to be expected.
“Indeed and it has the ability to give so much more.” said a voice from behind her that she didn’t recognize. The sound of hooves clacking against the stone floor put Daring Do on edge.
Turning around Daring confirmed that it was a pony that had spoken to her. The stallion had the appearance of a librarian yet something was off. A barely noticeable, but still fresh, blood stain was near the collar of the shirt he wore. The earth pony had a sinister looking grin that made it evident this stallion was less than friendly. It now made sense to her why he had shown a lack of enthusiasm that other librarians had when she decided to visit them for information.
“You’re not a librarian, are you?” Daring Do asked getting up from her seat. No sooner had she asked her question two more earth pony stallions emerged from the shadows, the two newcomers lacking any subtlety with their appearance, their intent perfectly clear.
“I’m afraid not Miss Do. I’m surprised you didn’t come here under your alias, not that it would have made any difference.” the earth pony said with a smug grin.
“So who is paying you to try and corner me this time? Has Ahuizotl lost what little originality he had?” Daring Do asked as her eyes darted to different parts of the room, formulating a plan of escape.
“Ahuizotl? Hardly a contender compared to our employer, his goals are far greater than a simple treasure and temporary wealth, but I won’t bother boring you with the details since you won’t be around long enough to worry over what’s to come.” the stallion replied with a laugh.
“If we’re going to do this at least let me grab my hat first, I expected more of you though.” Daring Do said ignoring the earth pony’s taunts. She started to pick her hat up off the table and grinned as she stretched it out slightly with her teeth across her hoof before releasing it.
The hat sailed towards the first earth pony, hitting him right between the eyes. As the stallion closed his eyes in pain Daring Do dashed towards him and brought him to the ground as she landed a hoof into the side of his head.
The other two earth ponies charged after the pegasus, hoping to overpower her with brute force. The heavy fall of their hooves reminded Daring Do of their presence and the adventurer quickly flew to the next table from her.
Daring Do swiftly knocked the table on its side before flying around and kicking it with her hind legs with all of her might. The force of the impact sent the furniture flying towards the two stallions and collided with them, a crack forming down the middle.
A groan came from the earth pony in disguise as he struggled to crawl away. Daring Do walked over slowly and picked up her hat, dusting it off a bit, before placing it on her head. She looked down at the pain stricken stallion and smiled confidently.
"I'll never talk..." the stallion wheezed as his vision shifted from a single Daring Do to three of them looming over him.
“Suit yourself, just tell your employer to give up his silly goals. By the time he finds the temple the Storm Serpent Scepter will be in much safer hooves.” Daring Do said before picking up the book she had been reading and sliding it into her saddle bag.
As if nothing unusual had just happened, Daring Do proceeded to the register and looked over the counter. Much to her delight the real librarian was tied up behind the large circular desk. The pegasus released the stallion from his bonds and put the book she had been reading on the counter.
With her book checked out, and the ruffians who had attacked her subdued, Daring Do departed from the library followed quickly by the librarian who immediately started calling for the guards. Unknown to Daring Do she was being watched from afar by hateful orange eyes.
"Useless buffoons, no matter soon Daring Do will regret trying to interfere with my goal. Wealth from plundering temples has had its day, I seek something more permanent. All of Equestria will know of Falsemane." Falsemane said coldly.
---
"Uggh I'm bored!" Isabella exclaimed slamming a book shut. Her brother was forcing her to study today since she continued to put it off. A more active individual, the idea of sitting in one place for a long period of time was torturous to her.
"Cry more Izzy," Daniel said nonchalantly. "Your tears sustain me." Her brother sat in front of the T.V on his off day playing Ocarina of Time and for the most part ignored her complaints until now.
"It's not fair, this is like having to go through kindergarten again. How in the hell did you cram all of this into your head in time?" Isabella asked still slightly frustrated at her predicament.
"I didn't have it easy either. You're smart Isabella, just look at it like a memory game-oh crap!" Daniel shouted as a shrill cry came from the T.V.'s speakers. Isabella smiled knowing there was only one being from any game series that truly horrified her brother to the point it gave him nightmares.
"One two ReDead's coming for you~" Isabella sung as she turned her head towards the screen to watch as the zombie approached a frozen Link while Daniel frantically tried to move the character.
"No no no no no..." Daniel chanted as the creature drained Link of life. Were it not for his tear comment earlier Isabella might have felt sorry for him. Little was more humiliating than death from a ReDead due to their method of attack.
"Humped to death in this world just as easily as ours huh?" Isabella asked walking over and nudging him in the shoulder. She found it hilarious how Daniel was still terrified of the monsters, though now that they were in a land where unicorns were real perhaps this fear was a bit more justifiable.
"Meh it's time for a break from this anyways, you want to come grab some fresh air?" Daniel asked dismissing her question. His suggestion was an answered pray as far as Isabella was concerned, it was a chance to clear her mind and walk around a bit.
"Sure, I might as well try and read a few signs and learn how to navigate the town." Isabella replied following her brother out the door. The sun was concealed by a series of clouds and the snow on the ground was a clear indicator that winter was still in effect.
Isabella vaguely remembered Daniel mentioning something about wrapping winter and how Twilight was helping plan the event. As long as it involved getting rid of the snow she didn't care what it was called.
The young woman's eyes lit up when she saw Sugarcube Corner come into view. Like a kid in a toy store she tugged on Daniel's sleeve to get his attention, and to slowly achieve her goal of driving him insane. Sighing in defeat Daniel handed Isabella a few bits for her to use at the store.
"One more thing before you go." Daniel said stopping her long enough to shove a book into her hands. Isabella rolled her eyes at the title, a Daring Do book. She preferred actual documented accounts of exploration instead of stories for little kids, or as far as this world was concerned foals.
"You keep trying to push this on me like it's the bible around here or something. Why in the world would I want to read about some pegasus going on made up adventures when I've gone on some of my own?" Isabella asked with a laugh.
"You can get adventure from a book, besides it's a good entry level for you right now...just trust me on this one. Think of this as your first step towards stepping out in this world and look at Sugarcube Corner as a Starbucks or something." Daniel replied.
"Whatever I'll read it, what I can anyways." Isabella said departing from her brother. She knew he meant well, but sometimes her sibling came off as over concerned.
Pushing open the door to the pastry shop Isabella was greeted by the sweet aroma of the assortment of baked goods in the store, along with a few stares from some of the ponies occupying the tables.
"Izzy!" a pink mare shouted from behind the counter. Isabella recognized her from her first night in Equestria as Pinkie Pie. She had become better acquainted with Pinkie over the past few days as she tried to adjust to being surrounded by colorful ponies.
"Hey Pinkie, how's life?" Isabella asked approaching the counter. Those uncertain of the woman's presence relaxed a bit upon seeing the friendliest pony in Ponyville carry on a conversation with her so casually. They were far more tolerant of her than when Daniel had appeared, most likely because the initial shock of seeing a human was gone.
"It's been a pretty laid back day today. So the usual?" Pinkie Pie asked raising her eyebrows twice comically at the end of her question.
"Yep, a strawberry muffin with a chocolate chip on top." Isabella replied with a smile.
"Okie dokie lokie, be right back!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed vanishing in a pink blur.
Recalling that her brother had associated the pasty shop to a Starbucks Isabella decided to sit down at a table and start to read the Daring Do book at a snail's pace. She looked up briefly to notice she wasn't the only one reading at the table she had selected.
Isabella was halfway through the second page and already Daring Do had uncovered an evil scheme by a creature called Ahuizotl. She was stunned by the name since it was similar to a mythical creature from Earth the Aztec civilization believed in.
"Fitting name for a foe, if they liked drowning." Isabella mumbled, unintentionally breaking the silence at the table after speaking her mind aloud.
"How's the book treating you?" asked a mare's voice from behind a large book that seemed a bit old and blocked her face from view.
"It's okay, adventure novels aren't really my thing since I've actually been to places where there is danger like tigers and snakes. I guess when you've actually done something that someo-pony else wouldn't normally do they just loose their excitement." Isabella replied.
"Really? You fancy yourself an explorer?" the mare asked skeptically.
"Archeologist actually, I prefer a hands on approach when it comes to learning about the past, or I did anyways. Now that I'm in this world I don't know what to do. I suppose I'll try to return to the one thing I know best." Isabella said with a sigh.
The sound of a thick book suddenly closing made Isabella look up at her fellow occupant. She stared in disbelief for a few seconds before looking down at the cover of the Daring Do book and back up to the mare in front of her.
"It's nice to meet somepony else who appreciates the past and what we can learn from it." Daring Do said with a small smile on her face.
Daring Do and Isabella sat in silence, staring at each other. The human still appeared stunned that the explorer she had dismissed as fiction was real. Ever one to question things however, she reasoned that it was probably someon-pony pretending to be Daring Do.
"One strawberry muffin with a chocolate chip on top!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily before Isabella could try to prove, or disprove, if this was in fact the mare on the cover of the book. The pink pony disappeared before Isabella could even say thank you leaving the two alone once more.
"I have to admit, you almost had me there." Isabella said with a chuckle. She decided to let her skepticism take the reins for now and waited to see if she could trip the mare up.
"Had you? Oh right, I suppose it is odd seeing me out in public like this, in all honesty it serves to my benefit really. Most ponies think I'm some sort of dressed up die hard fan, with a few exceptions." Daring Do said letting her friendly smile slip into a smug expression.
"Why would a celebrity such as yourself venture out into the public like this?" Isabella asked taking her body language as a sign that the mare in question was willing to play her game.
"I've never really been one to trust others, I've been trying to rid myself of what most consider an undesirable trait. The problem is almost everypony still thinks Daring Do is just a fictional character. I wouldn't consider myself a celebrity either." Daring Do replied.
"Pretty good gig you have going if secrecy is your goal. Still doesn't explain what an archeologist is doing here in Ponyville. Shouldn't you have funds or something? A team backing you up with dig permits?" Isabella asked.
"I work alone for the most part, there's always certain risk involved in my line of work that I wouldn't want anypony else to run into." Daring Do replied with a shrug. The fact that a pony could shrug at all fascinated Isabella.
"This one time I crossed paths with a nasty little cobra. Two of my guys jumped back scared to death, thing is they never really attack people unprovoked and just give off warnings. I had to stop one of my idiot colleagues from pulling a gun on the snake." Isabella said rolling her eyes as she recalled the incident.
"Sounds a bit tame, nopony's ever tried to stop your expeditions?" Daring Do asked chuckling at the outcome of her story.
"I've had my fair share of conflicts over the years, nothing outrageous like in these stories though. I'm afraid most of the things in this world are nothing but myth and part of what I uncovered in my world." Isabella replied taking a bite of her muffin for the first time since their conversation started.
"You might find this of interest then, from one archeologist to another." Daring Do said opening the book to the page she had been reading at the library. The page in question contained the picture of the Storm Serpent Scepter.
"The power to control the whether? That sounds like it could be abused in the wrong hands...hooves rather. Sorry still trying to get used to using the same lingo you guys do." Isabella said correcting herself.
"It's fine, though I have to admit I've never seen anything like you before. I've ran into some strange characters on my travels, but you're the first umm..." Daring Do said tapping a hoof against her chin in thought.
"Human, and I'm one of two here actually." Isabella said before finishing off her muffin. She found that the muffins in this world tasted slightly sweeter than the ones from Earth which was what made her a regular customer at Sugarcube Corner.
"Well it's been fun chatting, but I believe my train is due to leave soon." Daring Do said looking up at the clock on the wall. Slipping the book into her saddle bag and placing her hat on her head the pegasus hopped out of her seat.
"I was heading that way to try and find my brother now that I'm finished here. His friends work at the station so I thought I'd go there first, care for a bit of company?" Isabella asked standing from her seat before pushing it in.
"Why not?" Daring Do replied before leaving the pastry shop with Isabella.
---
The train station was void of postal workers much to Isabella's disappointment. She had hoped she could find Daniel here due to his predictability, but it seemed this was the one day he chose to detour from his normal routine.
Daring Do was scanning the station as well, but for a completely different reason. She was vulnerable right now, in transit between destinations. Of course she could fly, but even a pegasus has limits and she couldn't rely on her wings to get her to her destination in time. The train ride to Las Pegasus was only half the journey.
The mare spotted something out of place, or somepony to be more specific. A diamond dog leaning against the side of the ticket booth. He was clearly watching the two of them which made Daring instantly regret ever agreeing to let Isabella walk with her to the station.
"Well I'm afraid this is where we part ways, perhaps we can see each other again sometime." Daring Do said keeping her voice level as she approached the train car door. Leaving the side of her traveling companion Daring Do felt certain she was going to leave a town without being involved in a confrontation of some kind for once.
"It's a shame you plan on leaving so soon Daring Do, especially when you have something that belongs to us." said a familiar voice. An earth pony stepped out from the shadows to block the door, a bruise marking his eye as a testament to his last encounter with the pegasus.
"Wait...you mean she's really Daring Do?" Isabella asked in disbelief. She had remained skeptical throughout their time together, but as four more menacing looking ponies appeared out of several concealed locations it became clear the mare hadn't been blowing smoke.
"Indeed she is, and I'm afraid those in association with Miss Do here are our enemy as well...I'm terribly sorry you were drug into this." the earth pony said before swiftly jerking his head to the side. Watching for the cue the other ponies attacked, two pegasi and two unicorns.
Daring Do scanned the area for anything that might aid in her escape. She cringed at the telltale sound of a unicorn's magic aura coming to life. The noise was quickly silenced and replaced by two yelps which made the mare turn her head out of curiosity.
The unicorns' heads were capped by snow, courtesy of Isabella who had started to rush towards them. She was not as hesitant when it came to confrontations as her brother was. The two unicorns learned this upon being tossed like rag dolls, due to their size and light weight, against the side of the train.
The two pegasi henchponies took a few steps backwards as they observed how easily their comrades had been disposed of. Their state of shock was exactly what Daring Do needed. The mare flew towards one of the pegasi and slammed into his chest with her head, knocking the wind out of him.
His partner was quick to react, grabbing Daring Do by her left hind leg in order to pull her off him. It was also an effort to search Daring Do's saddle bag for the book they required. Daring Do delivered a swift kick to his jaw with her remaining free hind leg which knocked the other pegasi out cold, unfortunately it also sent the book sliding across the station's wooden platform.
"Drake, anytime you feel like helping would be great." the earth pony said stepping out of the train car. Isabella was about to try her hand at the earth pony until she felt something wrap around her arm. She looked over her shoulder to see the hulking figure of a dog like creature that tossed her in the opposite direction.
"Earth pony bossy...Falsemane is employer, I help when necessary." the diamond dog said as he approached the book. A sudden stinging sensation on the back of his head made him stop and rub the spot where Isabella had managed to kick him. This particular diamond dog was much larger than his average cave dwelling brethren and enabled him to shrug the blow off easily.
Daring Do had just finished off the other pegasus when she felt a pair of forelegs wrap tightly around her neck. The mare quickly started to tug at the limbs that were now cutting off her oxygen supply before it was too late.
"I'm afraid this is the end of the line Daring Do. I wonder who will continue your riveting book series once you're gone?" the earth pony asked as he easily kept his forelegs locked around Daring Do's neck with his strength.
Isabella noticed Daring Do's predicament and quickly side stepped Drake in an attempt to get to her in time. Even though she had just met this pony, she knew Daring Do was worth far more than some old book and abandoned her fight over it with the diamond dog.
Isabella quickly punched the earth pony in his barrel causing him to release Daring Do. Far from satisfied that the earth pony was still standing, she landed another punch to the back of his skull, knocking the poor stallion out cold.
"You okay?" Isabella asked looking down at Daring Do as she got to her hooves, taking in deep breaths of air. Her question went unanswered as they were both tossed towards the train, falling backwards into the train car as the whistle blew signaling its departure soon.
Daring Do looked up to see Drake grabbing the book and flew towards the diamond dog in an attempt to recover it. Drake's grip was much stronger than she had anticipated and he held fast, managing to grab on end of the book while Daring Do held the other with her teeth.
Isabella joined the tug of war just as the second train whistle sounded and the girl's combined effort managed to drag Drake all the way to the train car door. The diamond dog dug his claws into the wood of the station platform and gripped the other end of the book with his teeth as well to ensure he could no longer be pulled by their combined strength.
The third whistle sounded and the train lurched forward. As the train slowly moved forward the sound of something ripping and tearing could just barely be heard above the train's movement.
Finally the old book could take no more punishment from either side and split in two causing Daring Do and Isabella to tumble backwards into a seat with the back half of the book. Drake was livid as the pair escaped with the other half of the book his employer needed.
"Daniel is going to kill me." Isabella said as the train pulled out of the station, leaving Ponyville behind. While she hadn't exactly been opposed to getting out of Ponyville, she had wanted it to be on her terms.
"I'm sure this Daniel pony will get over it, just get on the train ride back to Ponyville and you're good." Daring Do said sliding the torn book into her saddle bag. The mare sighed as she tried to recall everything she could about the other pages she now found herself without.
"That dog thing mentioned something about a Falsemane, is he from one of your stories too?" Isabella asked rubbing her arm where she had landed on it. She was certain incapacitating ponies wasn't going to do her any favors, but she wasn't going to let a bunch of colorful miniature horses be her undoing either.
"From what little I've heard he's suspected to have been behind several political crimes and scandals. It makes me wonder why he would be after an ancient artifact like this?" Daring Do asked as the train picked up speed.
"Well I guess we're going to have to find out then, or do whatever it is you do under these circumstances." Isabella said reclining in her seat. She closed her eyes to try and enjoy the train ride to where ever fate decided to take her.
"We? I'm sorry but like I said I work alone, besides I don't want you getting involved in something like this." Daring Do said taking off her hat and placing it beside her. She would have preferred to be racing against somepony more predictable, her nemesis Ahuizotl would have been a blessing in disguise. This Falsemane she knew next to nothing about save for a few rumors.
"Look you heard the spazy earth pony I'm on their list just like you now, besides we make a pretty good team. If I went back now I think they'd just try to find me again to find out where you went." Isabella said turning to face Daring Do.
The two stared each other down, seconds passing by in relative silence as one waited for the other to speak first. It was clear that egos were now coming between them on the matter. While both had different views their goal was the same.
"Fine...I suppose I owe you for saving my flank back there anyways." Daring Do said taking off her saddle bags. The mare hadn't worked with anypony else since the incident involving a rather over enthusiastic fan of hers, but the human had a point. Falsemane might return for her and inflict harm upon her for information, that was an outcome Daring Do wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she was unable to prevent it.
"Don't worry I'll be on my best behavior, scouts honor." Isabella said smiling while giving Daring Do a small salute with two fingers against her forehead. While she was never a scout, Isabella did intend to try and behave herself, especially when she was still unfamiliar with some of the customs of this world.
"I never asked you your name..." Daring Do said. She had assumed once she was on the train that would be the end of their interaction, but now that they would be traveling together she would have to call her something other than human.
"Isabella, but a few ponies just call me Izzy for short. Sorry I didn't believe you earlier, it's nice to meet the real Daring Do." Isabella said.
Drake held what he had managed to seize from Daring Do and her companion. The odd creature that had kicked him was more annoying to deal with than the earth pony that thought he could boss him around. Scanning the last page, Drake could make out what looked like a map of some kind.
“I can’t believe you let them get away…all of that effort for what? Not even a whole book!” exclaimed the earth pony. The stallion didn’t quite feel like himself after taking a hit to the back of the head from the monster Daring Do was with. It had tossed two unicorns with ease and freed their target.
“It was not Drake’s job to kill Daring Do, you failed, pony.” Drake replied, the hulking figure of the diamond dog remained seated still staring at half of the book. His attention was drawn away from the ruined piece of literature by the sound of a heavy wooden door opening. His eyes managed to catch a faint orange light around the handle before it vanished as a cloaked figure walked into the room.
“F-Falsemane, I didn’t expect you to be here this soon!” the earth pony stammered nervously. His four underlings visibly trembled at the sight of the crime lord. Two orange eyes glared out from beneath the hood that covered Falsemane’s head putting them on edge.
“Tell me of the mission, Drake.” Falsemane said, his voice somewhat muffled. The diamond dog held out his huge paw, the torn book resting delicately in the center. An orange light surrounded the book as it levitated towards the mysterious stallion. The pages started to turn under the influence of the orange hued magic as Falsemane walked away from Drake.
“Daring Do wasn’t alone, another creature was with her. Ponies couldn’t stop them, they tore the book.” Drake said hanging his head as Falsemane paced while continuing to gaze at the recovered half of the book. The stallion continued his pacing long after Drake had finished, ignoring the others present in the room with him.
“That is most unfortunate,” Falsemane said at last. “I had anticipated Daring Do to give you some trouble which is why I hired two unicorns, but according to your account this creature helped our friend Miss Do escape? How peculiar…how peculiar indeed.” The stallion walked over to a small table and let the book fall onto it.
“Falsemane please let me explain.” the earth pony said fearful of the deceptively calm demeanor of the cloaked stallion. The plea was cause enough for Falsemane to turn his attention towards his shaking henchpony.
“Yes, please explain how you managed to be over whelmed with magic at your disposal? The only thing you have done for me is bring shame to my name. I gave you a chance at redemption, and you failed…and you know the price of failure.” Falsemane said as he approached the earth pony.
Before he could try to explain the circumstances an orange light surrounded the stallion. His hooves went up to his throat and flailed uselessly as the life was slowly choked out of him.
“You remind me of myself, a younger, naive version of myself,” Falsemane said pacing as he continued to choke the earth pony with his magic. “You see I was desperate too, disgusted with how the upper classes do their best to hide the crime that crawls just beneath their hooves.” The unicorn continued his rant.
“Then I had a revelation, an eye opening experience that made me ask myself, if I could never best crime why not control it? The rest is quite literally history…and soon that history will reach to borders untouched by my competitors. Which is why I desperately need your help, can I count on all of you to give it your best?” Falsemane asked turning to face the choking stallion who’s flailing fore hooves accidentally removed the hood that covered the crime lord’s head.
Beneath the hood was what appeared to be a bronze mask that had cloth extensions where the neck would meet the head, trailing all the way down to the shoulders. A hole in the top of the mask allowed for a unicorn’s horn to penetrate unhindered. A fake mane adorned the mask, colored gold and silver in the spirit of vanity and greed.
The other four ponies averted their gaze as the two orange eyes staring out at the earth pony intensified. No pony was supposed to see his face, especially those that failed him. A crack echoed through the room and the earth pony stopped struggling as life left his body.
“Now what did we learn today?” Falsemane asked, still holding the other stallion in his orange aura. The other henchponies slowly turned and observed their friend’s fate.
“Don’t screw up!” Falsemane exclaimed answering his own question in a mock voice as he magically moved the mouth of the dead stallion like a puppet. The hood that had been removed was levitated back over the mask Falsemane wore, shrouding his artificial face in darkness once more.
“Now, does anypony have some good news to contribute to this little meeting?” Falsemane asked letting the deceased earth pony fall to the floor. The unsettling sight nearly caused one of the unicorns to lose their lunch.
“T-t-they’re headed to Las Pegasus…” one of the pegasi said as his eyes remained locked on Falsemane’s cloaked form.
“Las Pegasus you say? Well, I guess you know where to go then, don’t you? If you’ll excuse me, I have to fill a position that has recently been vacated by an employee.” Falsemane said leaving the room of trembling ponies, completely ignoring the corpse of the earth pony as he left.
---
“You never did say where this scepter thingy is.” Isabella said looking over at Daring Do who was carefully turning the pages of the torn book. Such a waste of history had bugged her a bit but there was little that could be done about the book’s condition right now.
“Saddle Arabia, or a part of it anyways. The air ships in Las Pegasus are our ticket to the region, that’s the easy part. The hard part will be getting to the temple and back in one piece.” Daring Do said as she tapped her hoof against her chin while examining a section of the book.
“Saddle Arabia? That’s really a thing? Let me guess, you guys have Hoofington as a city or whatever as well right?” Isabella asked barely able to contain a giggle at the name of the country they were now headed to.
“Yes why?” Daring Do asked looking up from the book puzzled by the human’s odd reaction to the name upon hearing it. There was nothing funny about it to the pegasus, Saddle Arabia was a noble nation that had close ties to Equestria.
“No reason, just kind of similar to a location in my world is all.” Isabella replied with a smile. The sun was starting to set, or as Daniel had explained it, being lowered. Most of their trip had been spent in an awkward silence with only the occasional question between the two of them.
“What is your world like, if you don’t mind me asking?” Daring Do asked putting the book away. Even she needed a break from staring at pages for hours, trying to look for any hidden meaning or cryptic messages that others before her might have missed.
“Well its round and mostly composed of water. Most of the places I’ve been to have been pretty humid, but there are some cold spots in my world. There were a lot of fights between my kind before I left. It’s refreshing being in a place where conflict is hard to find.” Isabella replied.
“There’s conflict in Equestria, it’s just not as pronounced as it might be in your world. I’ve had to deal with criminals at almost every turn in my career.” Daring Do said looking out the window as the sun steadily fell below the horizon while the moon slowly rose in the opposite direction to take its place.
“I guess so, I wasn’t expecting this place to be all sunshine and rainbows Do, but it’s pretty close.” Isabella said stretching out in her seat as if it were a bed. She sighed as she threw her legs up in an air waving them back and forth in a childish manner.
“So where did you learn to move like that back in Ponyville?” Daring Do asked watching the human’s legs kick back and forth in the air.
“My dad enrolled me and my brother in a martial arts course. It was mostly because of my brother at first, since he wanted him to join the army, but I thought it was fun and it’s come in handy a time or two. That dog thingy didn’t seem fazed at all when I landed that kick to his head; it was like he was made out of rocks or something.” Isabella said her face twisting into an adorable pout.
“You mean the diamond dog? They’re thick skinned by nature, but that particular one seemed a bit larger than normal. At least they aren’t the brightest creatures in the world.” Daring Do said stretching her wings out before jumping out of her seat and slinging the saddle bag over her back.
“Did I bug you too much?” Isabell asked sitting up in her seat, slinging her legs onto the floor in one fluid motion to stand up in the train car. She wasn’t absurdly tall like her brother; the train car was just high enough to hold her without her head hitting the ceiling.
“No I was just going to find a bunk car is all. You might want to consider going to bed soon too, I plan to keep moving once we get to Saddle Arabia. The airship flight will be the last part of our little trip where we have to move at somepony else’s pace.” Daring Do replied with a grin.
"Good point. Not much we can really do right now I guess." Isabella said following Daring Do. The train car across from them had a few ponies in it that stared awkwardly at Isabella as she walked by. She did her best to ignore them but sighed when they started whispering, she managed to bite her lip before her mouth got the better of her.
"Sorry about that." Daring said as she opened the door to the bunk car. Inside were rows six eights rows of what could only be described as bed shelves. While originally built to accommodate smaller statured beings the pegasus was confident they could hold a human.
“Sorry for what? The stares and whispers? It’s to be expected, me being the new thing on the block…world…whatever. Truth be told I find you guys a bit weird sometimes, I call bottom by the way.” Isabella said sliding into a bed shelf.
Daring Do chuckled as she flew up to the top bunk above Isabella. The pegasus removed her hat a slid off her top. They did little for her in terms of style, but they were associated to her profession and she had developed a certain fondness for them. Her hat in particular had gotten her out of sticky situations before.
Daring Do slipped under the covers and sighed at the feeling of the soft bed against her back. The ambiance of the train was oddly calming and soon the pegasus was drifting off to sleep, until she heard Isabella stir beneath her.
“Hey Daring…you awake?” Isabella whispered.
“Yeah why?” Daring Do asked in an equally hushed tone.
“Do you think there will be traps in the temple? I’ve never ran into traps before…well there was an odd case once. Still, think there will be any?” Isabella asked.
“Probably…” Daring Do replied sleepily.
“Hey Daring…” Isabella said staring up at the bunk above her.
“Yeah?” Daring asked with half lidded sleepy eyes that gazed out the window as she rolled over.
“Are the ponies in Saddle Arabia nice?” Isabella asked closing her eyes.
“Mmhmm.” Daring Do replied as she shifted in an attempt to get as warm and cozy as possible.
There was a long period of silence in the car much to the relief of the pegasus. As she started to drift to sleep images from the book and theories slowly left her mind and gave way to a peace that could only be found in-
“Something troubling you?” Daring Do asked, looking up at her human companion as they walked through the streets of Las Pegasus. The human had been acting odd ever since they disembarked from the train; she had warned her about getting enough rest.
“I just hate being stared at.” Isabella sighed. She could feel their eyes on her, no matter how hard she tried to ignore the hushed questions or remarks about her appearance.
“We’re almost to the airship port; you do have citizen’s id right?” Daring Do asked, picking up her pace a bit, which in turn gave Isabella a reason to move faster as well.
“Um…not exactly.” Isabella replied sheepishly, causing Daring Do to come to a sudden halt. This caused her partner to nearly trip over the smaller pegasus.
“Just so I’m perfectly clear on our current predicament, you have no citizen’s id with which to board the airship to reach our destination?” Daring Do asked, cocking an eye brow at Isabella. The explorer knew this was a mistake.
“I was studying to take the test, it’s not like I was expecting to get involved in something this big. It’s too late now for me to get out, who knows what they’d do.” Isabella said, drawing even more unwanted attention to herself.
“Well, what do you propose we do? Security won’t hesitate to stop you; this city is notorious for prejudice towards other species.” Daring Do said, stomping her hoof on the ground.
“We’ll just have to sit down, put our heads together, and think of a way to get in.” Isabella said trying to remain calm in the face of rather unfavorable odds.
---
“I like this idea, we should put our heads together more often.” Daring Do said resting a hoof on a rather large crate by pony standards. It was a classic trick, one might even label it cartoonish, but it was the only one that ‘held water’ as the saying went.
“I’m glad you’re amused…” Isabella mumbled from within the cramped container. She had just enough room to stretch her legs out slightly, but any more than that and she would press against the sides. Stealth came before comfort right now.
Daring Do had disguised herself in what her human companion called granny clothes. While they were admittedly the attire of a well-aged pony, the pegasus knew the appearance of A.K. Yearling with a crate of books, or some other purchase she could make up on the fly, wouldn’t be as out of place as Daring Do.
“It smells like ass in here.” Isabella said, silently cursing as Daring Do hit a bump with the luggage dolly provided by the airship port.
“Shush, crates don’t talk, you’re going to have to stay still…no matter what.” Daring Do said quietly as they approached the check point. The guards did little to ease the pegasus’ mind, for the time being they were just another adversary she had to outwit to continue.
“Miss Yearling, it’s been a while since you’ve visited our ports.” an older guard said as two earth ponies hefted the crate onto a scale. This would be the variable that would make or break them.
“Yes, well, the last time I brought luggage with me, it mysteriously vanished for a week. Forgive my hesitance in utilizing this particular airship’s services.” Daring Do said.
“One hundred and sixty seven pounds, move it on.” one of the earth ponies said. Daring Do had to stop herself from sighing in relief when the crate fell just under the weight limit inspection. A few pounds heavier and they would have opened it up.
“So, Saddle Arabia…any particular reason?” the guard asked.
“I’m thinking about using the area as the setting for my next book. I would be spending quite some time there, hence the crate.” Daring Do replied, hoping the guard would buy her perfectly reasonable excuse.
“Well, guess I’ll have something to look forward to.” the guard said, granting her access to the airship.
---
Isabella’s trip through the sorting area was less than pleasant. The crate she was in was treated quite roughly, though there was a bright side to the treatment, it meant that she hadn’t been discovered yet. The scale had bugged her immensely, however; there was no possible way she weighed one sixty seven, it had to be the crate’s weight added in.
She could hardly believe this trick was actually working. There were times she had been forced to cover her mouth with her hands, or bite back a cry of pain after hitting her head or some other part of her body, but it had still worked.
Eventually the crate came to a stop, only for other crates and boxes to be stacked on top of Isabella’s. Panic started to set in, as a box slid beside her, cutting off another exit, leaving only two available to her now. That number was reduced once more as another box to the right was packed against her crate tightly.
I have to control my breathing, stay calm…stay calm… Isabella thought to herself. She had something to occupy her thoughts, namely how she was going to cover this up upon breaking out, if she could break out. She kept her mind centered around the finer details of the plan while she waited.
Eventually the area around her grew quiet, save for the steady hum of what she assumed was the engine. It was now or never, if there was a pony on the other side then this entire trip was about to get much more interesting.
Isabella drew her leg back as far as she could in such a tight space before thrusting her foot against the wood. There was no sign that any damage had been done to her wooden prison. She delivered two kicks back to back, smiling as a satisfying crack was heard from within the crate.
Isabella drew back once more and slammed her foot against the wooden container. Shards of what had once been her ticket into the airship now lay strewn about the cargo hold floor. She kicked a few more times, clearing out the rest of the barrier trapping her within the box.
It took Isabella a few seconds to wiggle free of the now ruined crate. She had taken care to kick away all of the jagged remnants of the side she had destroyed. Kicking ones way out of a crate was not as easy as it was made out to be in the movies, there was always the chance of getting cut on the way out if done incorrectly, not to mention the damage it did to your foot if unprepared for the task.
Isabella was an athletic woman, and was more than durable enough to follow through with the act of freeing herself. She attributed it to her former vocation, and travel born muscles. She had always made jokes about Laura Croft and how she could get herself out of tight situations just as easily, if required to do so.
“Oh come on…shit.” Isabella mumbled, observing the mess she had made. She couldn’t help but grimace at how obvious it appeared that she had broken out.
This was something she hadn’t accounted for. She needed a plan to take care of this, but with hardly any resources at her disposal there was little she could do. A worker would no doubt come in to check on the cargo and find that there was a stowaway.
Isabella’s problem solved itself when the top of the crate she had been inside caved in. She shrieked from being startled by the sudden crash, embarrassed by her reaction seconds later. She was thankful that no one else, pony or otherwise, had been around to hear her surprised shriek.
The noise that the crash produced was much louder this time, making Isabella cringe. She realized the full extent of her blunder when the sound of hooves falling against a metal surface started to grow closer from the other side of a heavy looking door, similar in appearance to what one would expect to see on an actual, seafaring ship, which made sense given the name of the craft she now found herself in did in fact have the word “ship” in it.
Isabella ducked behind a cluster of large nearby boxes just as the door opened. She could hear two sets of hooves, a heavier set accompanied by a much lighter set. She mentally cursed her misfortune, now presented with the difficulty of maneuvering her way around the two ponies.
“I told those workers they shouldn’t have stacked them so close together, now look what happened.” one of the ponies said, followed by a hoof slamming sharply against the cold metal floor.
“Was there anything inside?” the other pony asked.
Isabella didn’t plan on hanging around long enough for them to try and find out if she had been inside the crate, she needed to flee. If there had been only one pony then it would have been a matter of getting them to investigate some sort of noise. With two in the same room at once it would be difficult to distract them both.
“Check to see if any of the others are broken. Those two morons back at the port are going to get it.” the sterner of the two voices said.
A room wide sweep was the last thing Isabella needed; she had to think of something fast if she wanted to avoid being caught. The sound of hooves rounding either side of her cover left her with only one risky option, which if timed wrong would bring an end to this little adventure.
Isabella listened closely to the fall of the hooves against the metal floor, waiting for the right opportunity. She started a mental countdown, scaling one of the boxes in preparation for her plan. She couldn’t move too fast, otherwise the ponies would see her.
In one fluid motion, Isabella propelled herself over the crate she was behind. Thankfully the ponies were still on the move, their loud hoof steps masking the noise her shoes made upon hitting the wooden box on the other side.
There was no time to cherish this small triumph, however. Isabella was still faced with another obstacle, opening the metal door which was sure to draw their attention back to her. The clacking of hooves echoed around the room, gave her an idea.
Isabella crept towards the door, noting that it might take a bit of force to get open. The clacking noise the ponies’ hooves produced came to a stop, making her look over her shoulder nervously. Thankfully, there was not a pony behind her.
Eventually the ponies started to move again, giving Isabella the opportunity to pull the lever in order to open the door. An experimental tug confirmed her previous suspicions about the door, it would take a bit more effort than a casual pull to open. With that in mind she decided to give a single, forceful tug, before moving quickly behind the door.
One…two…three! Isabella thought to herself.
---
Daring Do was enjoying the view from one of the large lobby windows. Airships had always captivated her; their structure alone was impressive enough before even bringing the inner workings of the construct into consideration.
The sea below the aircraft stretched for miles on end, any ordinary pony would have more than likely become bored with the view after the pilots had cleared any land formations. For Daring Do however, it gave her time to collect her thoughts.
“Did you miss me?” a voice from behind her asked. The writer nearly jumped through the window, having been so engrossed in her own thoughts to notice Isabella approaching her.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that! I can’t tell you how many times that ended poorly for other ponies!” Daring Do scolded, still wearing her A.K. Yearling attire.
“I’m fine, thanks for asking. I’ve probably cost a pony or two their job.” Isabella said.
“Of course you’re fine, you’re here aren’t you? Follow me, we can’t have you just standing around willy nilly, somepony might start to ask too many questions…although I am curious, how did you get out in the first place?” Daring Do asked, ushering the human along.
“So, how far out are these ruins?” Isabella asked.
“We only have half of the information, but from what I can remember it it’s towards the city Brow Ba'and.” Daring Do replied.
“So it is like I thought,” Isabella laughed. “Almost every city does have some type of equine related name.”
“Because MANhattan is much more appealing, right?” Daring Do jabbed.
“I was just having a little fun with you, you need to lighten up some,” Isabella said looking around the large city, until she spied something familiar to her. “Follow me.”
Against her better judgement, Daring Do followed her human comrade. Though Falsemane’s henchponies were still at least a day and a half behind them, she still didn’t want to take the chance of them getting ahead of her. She couldn’t leave Isabella alone now either though.
“Okay, you have me in the bar, now what is this swell plan of yours?” Daring Do asked.
"You need to relax, you're super serious about everything." Isabella replied
"If your plan is to get me tipsy-" Daring Do started.
"Not tipsy, just loose." Isabella said.
"Loose..." Daring Do deadpanned.
"Yes, loose, now drink." Isabella ordered.
Daring Do stared at the drink her companion had ordered. She briefly wondered how Isabella had even paid for it, but some questions were probably better left un answered. Ignorance is bliss after all.
"Fine, one drink, then we're catching the boat to Brow Ba'and." Daring Do huffed.
One drink suddenly turned into five, and she was surprised at how...good she felt. Isabella might have been on the right track when she suggested this. The mare would give the human this one, for the time being. There was one thing she had to know though, something that had been bugging her.
"I've been meaning to ask, what made you get into history and traveling?" Daring Do asked. "I mean, really get into it."
"To be honest? I ran away from home." Isabella replied, the drinks clearly affecting her now.
"Wait...then, how did you study? How were you funded?" Daring Do was now left with more questions than answers.
"I was poor for a while. I lied to my family, even my brother, about having things sorted out..." Isabella sighed as she absent mindedly stirred he drink with a finger. "I went from job to job, making what I could...all because I wanted to be free, and be my own person."
Daring Do was quiet as she came forward with this information. She had clearly kept these things to herself for a while now, and needed somepony to tell them to. Plus, this was also a small glimpse of life from her world, which seemed to be quite similar to Equestria, having its own problems and short comings.
"Then I was given a second chance as an assistant for a crazy old man. Things kind of took off from there; learning what I could from him, studying when I had time, and eventually going to college. I got my life straightened out again...except for my family, I left them behind." Isabella confessed.
"Sometimes we hurt those closest to us when we chase our dreams." Daring Do said.
"That old man...he always said I reminded him of his daughter, and he made me the strangest pastry. It made absolutely no sense, but I still request them to keep his memory alive. I don't want to forget what I was given...even if it cost me almost everything." Isabella sighed.
"You're a rare case," Daring Do chuckled. "You actually learned your lesson, instead of repeating your mistake."
"How does that make me a rare case?" Isabella asked.
"I've dealt with ponies who are so self-centered that they'll risk the lives of others, as well as their own, in a never ending pursuit of greed. It was greed that brought about an end to the tribe that made the scepter we're after...history repeats itself only because nopony was listening the first time." Daring Do explained.
"What about you?" Isabella asked.
"I don't want others in my way, especially those I care about." Daring Do replied.
"Maybe it's time you stopped the solo act for good." Isabella blushed.
"W-What are you saying" Daring Do stammered.
"I'm saying, you don't have to be alone anymore...you have me." Isabella replied, as she pulled Daring Do into a sensual-
"Stop!" Daring Do groaned. "You and I both know that would never happen."
"Pfft, lighten up, it was just an idea for your book." Isabella retorted.
"How would a brief lesbian scene benefit the readers at all?" Daring Do asked. "A better question, how would it progress the story? It's like you took progress from our trip to the boat dock and threw in a bar segment."
"Think about it, a little romance in there would get some extra attention," Isabella grinned. "Especially if our world shares a few unmentionable similarities."
"I would prefer to keep my material away from chronic masturbators as much as possible." Daring Do huffed.
"What about fanfiction writers?" Isabella asked, casting a quick glance outside the boat window.
"Again, as much as possible." Daring Do repeated with a defeated sigh.
“Spoiled sport.” Isabella mumbled.
Silence filled the room as the two explorer’s conversation died down. While Daring Do had found it mildly entertaining, she wasn’t about to admit that openly. Isabella’s idea had sparked a bit of curiosity though, aside from the implied lesbian action between the two of them.
“Was it all true?” Daring Do asked.
“Say what now?” Isabella asked in return.
“The part of your little…um…addition, was it true?” the mare repeated.
“Oh, that,” Isabella said dismissively. “Mostly, yeah. I mean, there’s more to the story than that. I went through a lot of things I would never want published, but I came out all right in the end…mostly right, anyways.”
“Oh, I see.” Daring Do said, sitting on her bed.
“Hey, come here for a second.” Isabella motioned with her hand.
“Are you serious?” Daring Do asked skeptically, her mind running wild with assumptions.
“Chill, I don’t swing that way well, maybe once out of rebellion, but I wasn’t a fan, just trust me.” Isabella laughed.
“Try anything, and I’ll give you a black eyeeooh…” no sooner had Daring Do landed on the bed, Isabella swiftly started rubbing and scratching behind her ears.
The mare stood defiantly on quaking legs, resisting the desire to simply relax for a bit. It was a battle she was quickly losing, as her human companion continued to administer her mysterious, addicting touch to her sensitive ears, which weakened her resolve with each passing second.
“Just chill for a bit, you’ve been a bundle of nerves this entire journey.” Isabella said.
Maybe the human was right, perhaps she had been a bit uppity; ready and willing to fight her own shadow if it came down to it. She slowly lowered herself onto Isabella’s bed, resting her head on her leg as the human continued to massage her ears, and scalp, causing her tail to swish happily.
“Better?” Isabella asked.
“I don’t like you…” Daring Do mumbled with a goofy expression on her muzzle.
“Uh huh.” Isabella giggled.
It didn’t take long for Daring Do to peacefully drift off into an ear scratch induced nap. The pegasus quietly curled up against the woman, still resting her head on her leg for support. To Isabella, the pony reminded her of a large house cat more so than a miniature equine with wings and the ability to talk and reason.
The sun was already starting to set as the boat continued to travel down the lazy river towards their destination. Isabella continued to idly pet and massage Daring Do's ears and head as she looked out the window.
Once she was sure Daring Do was fast asleep, she gently removed the mare's head from her leg and placed a pillow underneath it. The pegasus fussed a bit from the lack of warmth, but settled down shortly after.
"Sleep tight hero." Isabella whispered, leaving the room as quietly as she could.
She hadn't been on the deck of a boat in a long time, especially while being on an expedition. This didn't really qualify as one to her, per say given the fact that her life was legitimately in danger, but it was still an adventure.
Upon exiting the stairwell that led to the deck, she was greeted by a wave of heat, a striking contrast to the cool air kept within the boat. Smoke was belched from a large pipe jutting out from the middle of the ship, accompanied by a steady thrumming noise from what Isabella assumed was the engines.
She approached the railing, not sure what she was expecting to see, but curious all the same. Isabella was pleasantly surprised to see a few fish swimming alongside the ship, though a closer look revealed they were far from the docile looking fish of her home world.
These fish had long teeth, that broke the surface of the water, much like a shark’s dorsal fin. IT was an unsettling sight, yet she found herself unable to look away from the aquatic life forms, who’s colors seemed to shift with each flick of their tails.
“Rainbow Fish,” said a muffled voice from behind her. beautiful to look at, but deadly, I’m afraid.”
Isabella turned around to see what she assumed was a unicorn wearing a mask. It had a horn like one, the mask threw for a loop, but she assumed the stallion was some kind of desert dweller, or a sheik of some nature. She dismissed his strange appearance, thankful that for once she wasn’t being asked or judged because of hers.
“With teeth like that they would probably give anyone a bad day,” Isabella laughed lightly. “So what’s with the get up?”
“Get up?” the figure asked.
“Yeah, you sound like Bane,” Isabella rolled her eyes when the unicorn remained unresponsive to her crack at his voice. “He’s a character from my world.”
“So, you are the interloper then?” the stallion asked rhetorically.
Something in his voice put Isabella on red alert now; it was a malice that had been absent before. Her eyes were always drawn to the mask, as if it had some sort of control over her. It commanded her attention, which finally made her realize who she had been talking to.
“Falsemane…” Isabella whispered to herself.
“I see you’ve heard of me, perhaps from Miss Do? Or is it A.K. Yearling at the moment?” Falsemane asked, as a hulking diamond dog appeared from the shadows.
“Uh…yes.” Isabella replied, putting her arms up, looking for something, anything that could break a unicorn’s concentration.
“Adorable.” Falsemane said with a quick nod of his head.
Drake charged the woman, his claws leaving behind splinters as he rushed towards her. He was clearly out for blood, perhaps more than a little miffed at being bested the first time by the human. He was convinced he was stronger than her, and was hell-bent on proving it to her.
“Not this again!” Isabella exclaimed, dashing away from the railing of the boat, as the few crew members who had been on the deck quickly scattered in fear.
Drake’s clawed paw caught the back of Isabella’s shirt, leaving a long tear in it, drawing a bit of blood. She retaliated with a hard kick to the muzzle, sending the diamond dog staggering backwards. Drake whimpered a bit before his lips curled back into a horrid snarl, revealing his teeth.
“Heh…good boy?” Isabella smiled nervously, as the sinking realization hit her that this creature was much sturdier than a human.
“Drake, don’t kill her,” Falsemane spoke up. “Do break her legs though, it will make her easier to manage.”
The diamond dog chuckled and lumbered towards Isabella, dragging his nails across the deck. Isabella wasn’t about to let this unicorn’s pet take her down and started making quick observations of her surroundings as she backed away.
“Nowhere to run now, weird thing.” Drake said with a brutish tone.
Isabella knew she couldn’t outrun the strange bipedal creature forever, and being trapped on a boat made her options less than favorable, especially with a river filled with dangerous fish. As the thought of the river crossed her mind, a plan began to form in her head as her eyes bounced quickly around the ship, looking for what she would need to carry out her best change of dealing with the diamond dog.
“Who’s running, dick head?” Isabella taunted.
Drake snarled and ceased his slow, drawn out approach in favor of an all-out sprint for the woman. Isabella turned and ran towards the opposite end of the boat, snatching a utility pole of sorts that had been propped up against the side of one of the deck’s structures.
Drake swung wildly at Isabella’s head and missed, which only added to his frustration. He continued to run the fleeing girl down, slowly gaining on her. He watched the human leap into a life boat and ready the pole she had picked up as she fled him.
The diamond dog wasted little time in jumping in after Isabella, grinning to himself as he pictured his claws running through her skin. Falsemane had said not to kill her, but a little maiming was never out of the question, given the unicorn’s taste.
Before he could enjoy any sort of victory, Isabella pole-vaulted out of the small life vessel, landing back onto the deck of the ship. The dumbfounded diamond dog spun around clumsily, his bulk causing the vessel to swing in the air, knocking him off balance.
“Have a nice dip!” Isabella shouted, hitting the drop lever as hard as she could with the pole.
The life vessel fell from the side of the ship at an alarming rate of speed. The force of the impact against the water was enough to launch Drake from the boat and into the warm water of the river. The river’s occupants wasted little time in rushing towards the diamond dog, pleasantly surprised their patience had paid off.
Isabella didn’t look over the rail for long, not wanting to see the end result of her actions. She still had to deal with the diamond dog’s boss, after all. She didn’t have to wait long to confront him either, as Falsemane had already tracked her down.
“Fascinating,” Falsemane said as his magical aura encased Isabella’s neck, lifting her up off the deck. “Such a delicate looking creature, besting a diamond dog…I must commend you for your efforts.”
Isabella clutched helplessly at her throat, trying to remove the invisible assailant. Her vision was already starting to blur as Falsemane spoke, only able to produce gasp and coughs as she tried to take in air.
“Sadly, you’re in my way. Perhaps if you had given up Daring Do this could have been avoided…I’m sorry my dear.” Falsemane’s voice was almost genuinely sympathetic as he spoke.
Isabella was losing focus now, her struggles becoming weaker. Her ears were filled with an odd buzzing sound as her vision started to go dark, her eyes rolling in her head as Falsemane achieved his goal.
Just as Isabella was about to give up, she felt the vice around her throat vanish, dropping her to the deck, hard. Instinctively, she took in several large gulps of air, as her mind swam back from the verge of unconsciousness.
---
“Blast!” Falsemane roared, rubbing his horn in pain.
“So you’re the reason my ears were burning,” Daring Do said, placing her hat back on top of her head. “All of this for little old me?”
“Daring Do, your timing is impeccable as always.” Falsemane grumbled.
“I’ll take the complement, even if it is from a thug like you.” Daring Do said sternly.
“And now we’re doing this it seems.” Falsemane sighed, as a whip of orange energy sprang forth from his horn towards the mare.
Daring Do easily dodged the attack, but didn’t expect the whip to bounce back to life and wrap around her hind leg as she tried to become airborne. The mare was slammed into the deck with merciless force, only to be drug across it and flung into the side railing.
“You’ve caused trouble one too many times Daring Do, now it’s going to cost you.” Falsemane hissed through his mask.
Before Falsemane could bring his whip back, Daring Do used the railing to give herself a boost of speed as she kicked off from it; much like a swimmer against the side of a pool. She hit the unicorn dead center in the chest, knocking the wind out of him, giving her time to deliver a sharp blow to his horn.
This caused Falsemane to fall to the deck in agony, giving Daring Do time to escape. She spotted Isabella and quickly flew over to the woman, urging her to get up.
The explorer heard Falsemane let out a terrible roar, as a large blast of energy was fire directly into the deck of the ship out of frustration. The boat shuddered from the sudden impact, a unicorn in pain was never a good thing, especially one who’s horn had been damaged or injured.
“Isabella, come on, we have to move, now!” Daring Do exclaimed, as panicked passengers poured out from the boat’s depths.
A massive fire had broken out, and it had all the workers preoccupied at the moment. The screams and growing heat of the fire seemed to be enough to get Isabella back on her feet, albeit a bit wobbly.
“Can you swim?” Daring Do asked.
“You’re crazy, I know what’s in there.” Isabella replied.
“I’m not going to let you die Isabella, just trust me!” Daring Do exclaimed.
Isabella leaned against the railing, her body not truly prepared for what they were about to do, but their options were quite limited, and none of them looked good. She took in a deep breath and flung herself over the edge
Daring Do supported Isabella as the two stumbled onto the bank of the river. The ship was a fireball now, and Daring Do felt confident that this was the last they had seen of Falsemane. The unicorn had a history of eluding death, however.
“Thanks…I thought those fish would eat me alive.” Isabella said.
“Don’t thank me yet, we’re half a day away from our destination.” Daring Do sighed.
“Well, it’ll be safer to travel in a group, right? I mean there are others that made it off the ship.” Isabella noted.
Daring Do remained silent. She was still trying to process what had happened on that ship from the time she had fallen asleep, up to their current predicament. Isabella was luckily still alive save for a few cuts.
“I know things look down, but trust me-“
“Oh, trust you?” Daring Do snapped. “The evidence of what happens from trusting you is sinking into the water, why in Equestria would you expect me to trust you again?”
“Cool your tits, all I did was try to help!” Isabella exclaimed.
“Well, if getting into fights and giving our cover away is what you deem as helpful then you need to go look the definitions up anew.” Daring Do spat.
Isabella wanted to be mad, she well and truly did, but what Daring Do was saying had some truth to it. Things worked much differently in this world than her own, and once again she felt the sensation of alienation creep over her, alongside an overbearing doubt of her own abilities.
“I’m sorry, I’m not like everyone else.” Isabella said, leaving pony out of the phrase.
The human sighed as she walked towards the group gathering on the bank, leaving Daring Do. As much as the mare didn’t want to travel in the same direction as the human, logic prevailed over her temper. She didn’t exactly hate Isabella, she just couldn’t fly, use magic, and lacked unnatural strength. How humans survived in their world was a mystery to the explorer.
Thankfully the group of ponies that had swam, or flown, to shore had already organized themselves for the most part and were headed for the same town as them. Traveling in numbers would cut down on the assault attempts at least, or so Daring Do hoped if Falsemane had in fact somehow survived the fire.
---
Drake surfaced from the murky water with a rainbow fish caught in his maw. The fish struggled furiously, the tables having been turned on it and its kin. With a simple flex of his jaw, the fish fell limp, the thrashing grinding to a unsettlingly quick halt as life drained from the creature’s eyes and rainbow colored scales.
Falsemane turned to face the diamond dog as he spat the fish out into the river, its carcass quickly devoured by its own kind in a flash of large teeth and shifting scales. The pungent smell of dead fish filled the air rather quickly as a result of the feeding frenzy.
“Well it seems you’re still alive,” Falsemane said in a detached tone. “Good, then we can try to beat our explorer friends to their location with numbers on our side this time.”
“No.” Drake spoke up.
“No?” Falsemane asked rather dumbfounded that his most trusted lackey had spoken against his plan of action.
“I want the two legged thing. I want her dead.” Drake fumed.
“Oh, I see now,” Falsemane mused. “You can have your toy so long as you do your part to finish off Daring Do. I need you to keep things in order.”
Drake snorted his compliance to the unicorn’s request. Sitting as Falsemane gathered his strength to teleport them. The rumors of his ability to cheat death, and be in more than one place weren’t as crazy as they sounded if one was aware that the crime lord had knowledge of such spells.
In the blink of an eye, the two vanished, reappearing in the city their boat had been bound for. Falsemane swayed from side to side before being caught by Drake. This was the downside to such a powerful teleportation spell, the strain it put on the body.
Two ponies with their muzzles concealed by cloth rushed to Falsemane’s side. The crime lord’s touch extended far beyond what most ponies considered the limit. Fear was what kept his underlings in line across such long distances, as one never knew where he would show up next.
He had his choice selection of hide outs, but he kept those in his pocket on their hooves with surprise visits as any good leader should. He was sure to make examples of any who tried to stir up enough support for a mutiny, letting Drake have his way with them for a while before finally putting them out of their misery.
“Have everypony ready to go at day break.” Falsemane ordered once they were safe inside one of the many clay buildings.
“At day? What of Daring Do?” One of the ponies questioned. “Shouldn’t we finish her before they get here?”
“Hardly, they’re going to lead us right to the site,” Falsemane explained. “Now, go get the others. It’s time Daring Do’s adventures come to an end.”
---
Night had finally arrived, the moon taking the sun’s place in providing light. Luna’s moon was bright enough for the job, hanging high above the pollution free sky of this strange world Isabella found herself in. One she had followed her brother willingly into, but was now starting to regret her decision.
She had a good mind to confront Twilight about sending her back. Being with her brother was all well and good, but if the rest of the world was against her, what was the point of staying here? It was like they were drawn to him, but shunned her.
Isabella rolled over to see the mare she had been traveling with, curled up with a frown on her muzzle. Was Daring Do really just slowed down by her? It certainly felt like that after her outburst, which had been a bit harsh to endure without lashing back at the mare.
Isabella sighed through her nose and closed her eyes, hoping to address the issue tomorrow with a fresh mind. The possibility of Daring Do shutting her out completely had forced its way into her mind, which she didn’t want. She felt she had finally found someone she could relate with, when in reality they didn’t have much in common other than their respect and love of things from the past.
“Just one pony, is that too much to ask for?” Isabella asked herself.
“Yes, yes it is.” Daring Do replied.
“Wait, what?” Isabella shot up from her sleeping position, stupefied by the mare’s response.
“All you’ve done is slow me down and put ponies at risk. Do you not realize the gravity of the situation we’re in?” Daring Do asked.
“Yeah but-“ Isabella tried to reply.
“But nothing, I can handle Falsemane on my own. You need to stay behind in the town where it’s safe.” Daring Do snorted.
“I’m not some helpless girl!” Isabella exclaimed.
“You have n wings, you have no strength, and you have no magic. What good are you to me, or anypony else without one of those traits?” Daring Do’s voice turned unsettlingly cold.
Isabella didn’t respond to the mare’s question. She was a tough girl, but she wasn’t beyond tears, and the harsh comments brought her to the brink of shedding them, until the image of Daring Do began to fade. Isabella was now torn between feeling defeated, and confused about what she was witnessing.
“It seems nightmares are running rampant tonight.” said a soothing voice that seemed to echo around her.
“Who’s there?” Isabella called out.
No sooner had Isabella spoken, a dark blue mare appeared in before her. She had beautiful wings, and a mane that was vastly different from the ones she was used to seeing in this world. It seemed to flow with a magical aura, and looked as if it were made up of stars and galaxies. To top of the mysterious mare, was a horn. Much longer and defined than a normal unicorns was.
“Whoa…” Isabella mumbled, as the entire landscape around her shifted to that of her old home.
“From the looks of things, you’re a long ways from home, Isabella,” The mare came to sit in front of the woman, resting a bit as she spoke. “Fret not how I know your name, for I am a close friend of your brother.”
“That figures, how’d you find me?” Isabella asked. “And what is all of….this?”
“Surely this is not your first dream?” the mare tilted her head in confusion.
“Wait, this is a dream?” this left Isabella even more confused. “Then are you some kind of fairy godmother or something?”
“A fairy what? Certainly not, I am the Princess of the Night,” the mare proudly declared. “I have sensed your distress, and thus came to give you peace.”
“Oh…well, thanks. There’s a bigger problem though, a crook by-“ Isabella started to explain.
“I know, that is the other reason we came to you. To let you know that you are important to stopping Falsemane, even if Daring Do doesn’t realize it yet.” the mare said.
“If you know what he’s doing, why don’t you stop him?” Isabella asked.
“Because we are the ones that tipped Daring Do off. My sister and I cannot be everywhere at once, trying to do so would exhaust us and leave the kingdom in disarray.” The princess explained.
“What can I do? If you can read my thoughts, and know what all is happening, why would you let me continue without telling your guards?” Isabella crossed her arms, anxious to hear this explanation.
“I’ve already told you, Daring Do needs you, and by the time we sent an army after Falsemane, he would already have what he wants. Where the sword fails, a dagger pierces.” the mare said.
“We’re the dagger?” Isabella asked.
“Precisely, a tad dysfunctional perhaps, but a dagger all the same.” the mare smiled.
“Daring Do hates me though, I’ve got no magic, or wings. I’m just a human, tall and clumsy.” Isabella sulked.
“There was an attack on Equestria recently, where our magic was drained from us. Never before have my sister and I felt so helpless in the face of danger as we did that day. You wouldn’t have cared though, if what you say is true, and that is what makes you special,” the princess said. “You don’t depend on magic, and you’ve done so much without it. Daring Do is wrong in her assumption, and just frustrated.”
A blue aura encased a plaque Isabella had been given after returning home. It had her name engraved on it, and the association that had awarded her for her finds and contributions. Indeed, she had done much in her life, but she still couldn’t chase away the inadequacy she felt when she was around Daniel and how he received positive attention so easily.
“None of that matters here. I’m just a joke to these ponies.” Isabella said, placing the award on a nearby desk. “I just don’t have anyone, or pony, to relate to. Do you know what it’s like to go from being a common name to the one all the others avoid?”
“Yes I do, I felt that way so strongly that my emotions consumed my heart,” The princess confessed. “I still feel that way to this day sometimes, but you have to let those feelings go. Your valued, Isabella, so stop selling yourself short.”
“You know…for not being a fairy godmother, you have the whole pep-talk thing down pretty good.” Isabella commented.
“I learned from my sister. Sometimes ponies just need a gentle nudge in the right direction.” the mare laughed, as she faded away into the morning light.
Isabella wiped the sleep from her eyes, sitting up just as the moon was peeking over the horizon. She looked over to where Daring Do had been to see the mare up and active. The woman had the sinking feeling that this would be a long day for both of them as they trekked towards the city on both hoof and foot.
Daring Do walked silently beside Isabella, their target destination within sight now. After a head count of their group revealed that all the passengers had indeed survived, it made the mare feel a little better about the situation at hoof. Thankfully, the ship didn’t have many traveling the previous day, or the outcome might have been much worse.
She and Isabella had talked only briefly since they started moving. Their conversation consisting of brief good mornings, and what needed to be done. This awkward feeling between the two of them wasn’t helping things, and after what Daring Do had said, it reminded her about how she used to be, before Rainbow Dash.
Thinking back to the cyan pegasus caused the mare to laugh. She was a hyperactive mare that didn’t seem to have a stop button of any sort.
“What’s got you in a good mood all of the sudden?” Isabella asked skeptically.
“Thinking back to a friend of mine.” Daring Do confessed.
“Oh…” Isabella replied, falling silent once more.
Daring Do took in a deep breath before letting it pass through her muzzle. She knew she had been a bit harsh with her words, and it was time to put an end to this quiet.
“Isabella,” Daring Do started. “You’re not a burden.”
“Okaaay…where’s this coming from?” Isabella asked.
“I just wanted to let you know that I don’t think you’re a burden, or useless. I was mad because our change of solving whatever traps might be in store for us in the ruins are now at the bottom of a river. You didn’t start that fire on the boat though.” Daring Do replied.
“Um…thanks…I think.” Isabella said quietly.
“That’s it?” Daring Do asked.
“I didn’t have some grand response ready to go for something like that, if that’s what you were expecting.” Isabella shrugged.
“I…but…” Daring Do stammered.
“I know I’m the reason progress has been slow. I just wanted you to relax a bit. I at least took out that stupid dog thing before Falsemane started choking me.” Isabella said.
“You’re saying you disposed of Drake? The diamond dog Drake?” Daring Do asked, hovering just in front of Isabella’s face now.
“Yeah, he’s fish food right about now.” Isabella replied with a laugh, walking around the confounded mare.
Daring Do was only trying to be nice before, she had no idea that Isabella had actually taken out Falsemane’s strongest lackey. Drake was notorious for his cruelty, even amongst his own kind. That combined with the leadership of Falsemane made for an even deadlier combination. Isabella had no idea what kind of threat he truly was.
“I’m curious now, how did you manage to beat Drake?” Daring Do asked.
---
The sun was setting once more by the time their small group had arrived at (town name). Both Isabella and Daring Do were exhausted from having walked the rest of the way. Thankfully, their adventure was coming to an end.
Isabella had enjoyed being away from her brother when they first set out, but now she was anxious to see him again. She could only imagine what he would have to say about her venturing off with some strange pony and putting herself in risky situations. That part she could do without.
“I feel like my feet are going to fall off.” Isabella moaned.
“Not used to walking everywhere?” Daring Do asked.
“That’s not the problem. I didn’t exactly come prepared for half a day’s walk to town. That’s something cars and hoooor-rible taxes were made for.” Isabella corrected herself before saying horses, unsure if the mare would be offended by using horse.
“Humans sound like they were spoilt at times.” Daring Do mumbled.
“Kind of, not all of us were though. It was just convenient, y’know?” Isabella replied.
“I suppose it would be similar to having wings. I stand by my opinion though.” Daring Do said.
Isabella ignored the explorer for a moment to observe the city, which looked more like a small, primitive town. The houses were ones you would see out of an Indiana Jones movie, and had developed cracks in different places in the clay structures over the course of their long use as homes for the ponies.
The civilians seemed to regard Isabella much more briefly than the citizens of Ponyville, before going on with their routine. Perhaps seeing other beings wasn’t as strange to them as it was to the other ponies she had been around. Maybe she could finally have a conversation with a pony that didn’t involve a life or death situation.
“Isabella,” Daring Do nudged the woman’s leg to get her attention. “I don’t want to trek through the jungle at night. Find us a place to stay while I try to round up what we might need.”
Isabella nodded and parted ways with the mare. Finding some place to crash shouldn’t be too hard to do, especially if one were to throw the name Daring Do into the mix. Like humans, ponies had their idols, and would more often than not fall head over hoof for them.
Satisfied that Isabella had things under control as far as bedding went, Daring Do ventured deeper into the small town, trying to find a shop that was still open, and had what they needed. As she walked through the streets, she couldn’t help but get the sinking feeling she was being watched, and not in a good way.
She was fairly used to the stares of fans, but these stares were cold and calculating. Daring Do was no idiot, and remained calm despite the obvious danger she found herself in.
Okay, so far I count four suspects…I wonder i- Daring Do’s thoughts were cut short as an orange aura wrapped around her legs and wings.
“One word, and I’ll bleed you dry.” Falsemane hissed through his mask.
Daring Do felt something sharp slide against her neck, barely scraping the surface of her skin. She knew he meant business, this was the line drawn between Ahuizotl and her current foe. The feline left her fate more often than not to chance. Falsemane would see to her end, personally.
“Good girl,” Falsemane said as the sharp object was pulled away. “Now you’ll be a good dear and help us find the ruins, yes? I’d hate to stain your cloths such a tasteless red.”
“You have no idea what you’re after. Of what it can do.” Daring Do tried to reason with the crime lord.
“I know exactly what the scepter is capable of. All I’m asking for is your co-operation in the matter.” Falsemane laughed as Drake stepped out from the shadows, grasping Daring Do in place of the unicorn’s magic.
“You’re still alive!?” Daring Do gasped, as she took in the diamond dog’s mutilated features.
“You didn’t think a few rainbow fish could finish Drake off so easily, did you?” Falsemane asked. “By the way, where is your delightful little friend, we have some unfinished business to attend to.”
Daring Do squirmed in Drake’s grasp, knowing it was a futile attempt at freedom, but feeling compelled to try nonetheless. It was during this struggle that she noticed a head and….hand alongside one of the buildings. The mare knew she would probably be killed if they found her and struggled once more, this time shaking her head no, violently, so as to not give away her friend, or the message.
Thankfully, Isabella understood and backed away into the shadows, undetected by Falsemane and his minions. It was best if they thought she was out of their manes for good, rather than keeping an eye out for her. Daring Do knew she would come back eventually, now wasn’t the time for said heroics, however.
“She died,” Daring Do said. “She’s not like your diamond dog friend here.”
“Well, isn’t that a shame,” Falsemane shrugged. “No funny business Miss Do, I’ll play nice as long as you do.”
“You’re just going to kill me once you get what you want!” Daring Do snapped.
“Now now my dear Daring Do,” Falsemane cooed, stroking the explorer’s mane. “Why would I waste such a fine mare?”
Falsemane’s henchponies laughed cynically as Daring Do’s eyes widened with terror at the reveal of the unicorn’s plans for her after this was over. She would much rather take death than to be sentenced to such a horrible fate. She now realized that her future was in the ho-no, hands of another explorer, one she hoped would be up to the task.
---
Isabella clenched her fist as she silently observed Daring Do being taken towards the jungle in the claws of the not-so-dead-but-should-be-dead-diamond dog, Drake. He had somehow survived his encounter with the carnivorous fish of the river, and was probably a bit frustrated after being gnawed on.
“Shit….shit!” Isabella mumbled to herself as she silently stalked them, not quite sure what to do with herself.
She had never been in a situation like this before. She knew she couldn’t let them out of her sight though, if Falsemane was serious about his plans for Daring Do after he had that stupid scepter. Isabella wasn’t about to let that happen, especially not to a…friend.
She briefly pondered on this sudden realization. All this time she had wanted just one pony to relate to, and she had gotten her wish. It was in a way she had never dreamed of, but she felt she had made a friend. Why else would she be considering risking her own life for a pony that, as far as Equestria was concerned, was just a fictional character? Isabella wondered if Daring Do thought the same of her.
“Hang tight…I’ll think of something.” Isabella whispered as she silently stalked the group through the jungle.
She didn’t have to worry about staying on the path and risk being seen. Their torches stood out like a sore thumb amidst the darkness of night, and the foliage of the jungle. The only real concerne were vines that seemed to have a mind of their own.
Occasionally, they would spring to life, only to settle back down once they got a good look, or smell, of Isabella. Humans weren’t exactly on their menu, thankfully. Ponies on the other hand were small enough to fall victim to their mouths, which seemed to leak some type of foul smelling gas.
It made Isabella sneeze once, but other than smelling like day old piss it was relatively harmless. She assumed it was to immobilize prey long enough to consume them, since the plants didn’t seem that stable or strong.
A few other strange creatures made themselves known, but always retreated at the sight of the human. Unsure as to what was dangerous and what was harmless, Isabella was thankful that everything was avoiding her for once.
When the torches and chatter finally came to a halt Isabella had to stop herself from letting out a loud sigh of relief. She crouched down in the foliage, unable to truly observe what was transpiring in front of the vine covered ruins. She knew that staying still now was more important than moving, since any sudden or mysterious noises might give her away.
---
Daring Do briefly forgot about her circumstances as she gazed upon the ruins. Though time had been cruel to the once magnificent building, covering most of its former glory in tangels of foliage and eroded stone, it was still an impressive sight to look at. The shadows of the past were chased away by the light of torches, as their light danced across the stone statues outside the ruins.
“Well, here we are Miss Do…it’s time to do what you do best.” Falsemane said.
“I could, if your brute would let me go.” Daring Do commented.
“Do you take me for a fool?” Falsemane asked.
“Do you want an honest answer?” Daring Do asked in return, raising an eyebrow.
“Adorable,” Falsemane deadpanned. “Your ability to solve mysteries and traps is unmatched. That’s why you’re not in chains.”
“You’re afraid of a door?” Daring Do smirked.
The mare’s victory was short lived as Falsemane struck her muzzle with his hoof. Blood trickled from her nostrils as a result of the cowardly blow. Though Daring Do had to admit, for a unicorn Falsemane knew how to throw a decent punch.
“Any more smart remarks and I’ll have Drake rip one of your wings off.” Falsemane threatened.
Daring Do sighed, knowing that she would have to play along, and hope that Isabella hadn’t left her for dead. “Bring me closer to the symbols.”
Drake complied, his grasp on the explorer hadn’t waivered since they left for the ruins. A few of the henchponies drew closer as Daring Do examined the markings on the sealed entrance. At least she had guinea pigs in case something went wrong.
“It’s an ancient unicorn greeting-“ Daring Do started to explain.
“That’s vague, there’s several types.” a henchponie spoke up, which surprised the mare since he was technically correct.
“This one is incomplete; time has worn away the writing.” Daring Do finished.
“Well, then I suppose it’s a good thing we still have the book then. Our half of it anyways.” Falsemane said, as a torn half of an old book levitated in front of her.
Falsemane skimmed through the book half which appeared to have been marked with several book marks. The unicorn had not been idle while searching for the two explorers it seemed, and had been busy familiarizing himself with the book’s contents.
After speaking the unicorn greeting, one which involved magic, the door slowly slid open. A blast of ancient air left the yawning maw of the ruins, as a dark void now welcomed those brave enough to enter.
“Let me be very clear Miss Do, if you try anything funny, anything at all, your fate will be far worse than I promised.” Falsemane warned.
Daring Do remained as a few of the henchponies began their decent into the inky darkness. Falsemane turned to two ponies that had brought up the rear and nodded to them, a gesture that they returned before proceeding to guard the door.
“If anypony comes out without me, kill them.” Falsemane ordered.
“And for those coming in?” a guard braved to ask.
“I’m sure you’ll think of something…just make it slow whatever it is.” Falsemane replied dismissively before disappearing into the ruins.
Isabella waited for a majority of them to disappear into the ruins. The two outside were earth ponies, and from the looks of things didn’t seem that tough. Looks could be deceiving though, in those tiny bodies was a near limitless supply of strength that could out match a human. She would just have to be creative when dispatching them.
As Isabella crept closer she picked up a rock. She took aim at the stallion on the left side of the door, before throwing it as hard as she could. The stone connected, spilling a bit of blood from the earth pony’s scalp.
“Does somepony have a death wish!?” the injured stallion shouted.
Isabella roared in reply, cupping her hands to her mouth to manipulate her cries. She watched from the shadows as both earth ponies started to shiver now. Their movements became so sporadic that it caused one of their torches to go out. This made the two mumble nervously to one another.
Isabella moved closer to the ruins and let out another terrifying roar. While not scary or intimidating to another human, ponies could be quite skittish, and Isabella knew this better than most. She had the intention of abusing this trait flaw as much as she could.
“Screw this, I don’t get paid enough to fight manticors!” the stallion with the bloodied scalp said before retreating into the jungle. Since he was the one with the torch only lit torch between the two, his companion quickly followed him.
Isabella snickered as the two retreated from their post. If this was somehow her last adventure, at least she had a little fun with the villains.
Putting her small victory to the side, Isabella set to work quickly trying to relight the torch. Thankfully, there was flint on the ground and she was able to relight the torch. She had been in ancient constructs before, but never in a magical world where unicorns were. She would have to be diligent while looking for Daring Do.
Letting out a large, held breath, Isabella walked into the darkness of the ruins. She was greeted by ancient drawings, and what she could only assume were words and symbols. While primitive to some, to her they were some of the most beautiful works of art she had ever seen.
Isabella was so engrossed in the designs that she almost tripped over something soft, but relatively firm. Her eyes went wide when she saw a cooling corpse on the floor of the ruins. Lodged in the pony’s chest were three arrows, which made her take another look at the walls.
Sure enough, there were barely visible slits every few inches along the wall. Isabella traced them with her eyes until she noticed a lever that had been pulled down on the other side of the hall. Daring Do must have already taken care of things, or so she hoped.
Now aware of the danger she was in, Isabella took a few careful steps forward. Each one resulted in no odd clicks or stray arrow fire. Satisfied that the trap had been disarmed, she continued on, hoping to catch up to Falsemane before it was too late.
---
Daring Do felt the need to vomit each time she aided Falsemane’s henchponies in disarming a trap. While she did get an odd satisfaction from watching the results of them doubt her, which had caused three of them to become unaccounted for before Falsemane threatened his own minions to listen to her, she still felt sick knowing she was helping him.
She knew they were getting close to the chamber that contained the scepter. It should be her and Isabella that unearthed the odd relic, not this criminal. Daring Do was tempted to botch the next task, were it not for the occasional squeezes from Drake there to remind her that she was at his mercy.
“Well, here we are Daring Do, just one more door,” Falsemane gestured at the stone door. “Would you be so kind as to solve one more riddle?”
“Falsemane, if you know anything about the symbols on this door, and you’ve genuinely read that book, you know nothing good lies beyond this door.” Daring Do tried once more to reason with him.
“Ugh, again with this?” Falsemane groaned. “For once you’re beaten, you’ve no way to escape, why do you still struggle?”
“Because, the last room has a ward in it. If it’s opened incorrectly, it will ruin everything you’ve worked for.” Daring Do replied.
“A ward you say?” Falsemane asked, walking up to the stone door, pressing his horn against it. “Huh….fancy that. What kind of ward is it?”
“Do I look like a unicorn?” Daring Do huffed.
Falsemane ignored her comment and proceeded to try and extend his aura beyond the door. His orange hued energy mingling with the ward within the dark room that held the powerful scepter.
Daring Do hung her head, knowing that Falsemane was more than likely accomplished enough to undo the protective spell surrounding the treasure. The sound of a Pegasus falling to the stone floor however; quickly lifted her spirits.
“If that’s who I think it is, somepony had better dispose of her, now!” Falsemane growled, unable to move while he worked.
“Hey there ugly,” Isabella chirped, grinning at Drake. “Ready for round three?”
Drake was unsure of what to do. He had been instructed to hold onto Daring Do, but Isabella was charging towards him. He wanted to fight her, but if he let go of the pegasus, she would cause trouble for the other henchponies, which were still a bit stunned to see something almost as tall as Drake move so fast.
Isabella’s fist connected with Drake’s muzzle, making the diamond dog whimper. The brute relinquished his hold on Daring Do, allowing the mare to slip free and slam into a unicorn that was seconds away from attacking Isabella from behind.
Drake snarled as he squared off once more with the human. He had learned his lesson last time, that he shouldn’t judge her by her size. Isabella on the other hand, was already coming up with ways to dispose of the giant dog, once and for all.
“Skinny thing die now!” Drake roared, charging across the room.
“I am not a thing!” Isabella shouted back, rolling out of the way.
Isabella kicked Drake’s right hind leg, causing it to shift into an unnatural shape. The diamond dog howled in pain, falling to the floor now that he was unable to move without causing further harm to himself. He stared up at the human in fear, now that he was the helpless one for once, his bravery and brutality had fled.
“N-no, no more!” Drake pleaded, shielding his face with his paws.
“…don’t make me have to come back to you.” Isabella warned before moving on from the diamond dog, now that he was out of commission.
Daring Do had already dispatched one earth pony and was now working on her second. She popped her neck as she walked calmly towards the henchpony, letting him know to her he was simply another notch in her metaphorical belt.
The earth pony let out a battle cry, rushing blindly towards the explorer, only to be met with nothing as Daring Do took to the air, before letting herself fall back down on the pony. While her weight wasn’t crushing, her four hooves landing directly into the stallions back was enough to take him out of the fight.
“You missed a spot.” Isabella said as Daring Do walked off the stallion.
She was right, there was only a lone pegasus left, his eyes darting between Daring Do and Isabella quickly as the two closed in on him. The mare raised a questioning eye brow at the stallion, while her companion popped her knuckles, making a rather unpleasant sound to the pony.
“I’m paid a bit above minimum wage, you guys can have this shit.” the pegasus said, holding up his hooves in surrender.
“Good boy.” Daring Do mocked as the stallion flew past them.
“Now all that’s left is-“ Isabella started, just as the sound of stone sliding against stone filled the large room. “Shit!”
Isabella and Daring Do rushed towards the opening that had appeared, thanks to Falsemane’s meddling. While they had been busy dispatching his goons, he had been free to finish removing the ward that protected the room with the Storm Serpent Scepter inside.
As the two explorers entered the room, they found themselves in a shallow pool of water. At the far end of the room stood Falsemane, standing in front of a chest. There was little doubt what was held within, given his maniacal laughter.
Without a second thought, Daring Do took off her hat and fired it like a giant, make shift rubber band at the crime lord, just as he opened the chest. Her hat scored a hit, knocking the unicorn’s mask, and the unicorn himself, to the cold floor.
Falsemane started to wheeze, as he slowly turned to face the Daring Do and Isabella. His muzzle, and most of his neck, seemed to be badly burned, and horribly scarred. Both explorers were unable to say anything in response to the reveal, as they gawked at the unicorn’s scars.
“Now you know…now you’ve seen the real me,” Falsemane panted. “That won’t matter soon.”
The unicorn levitated a shiny object before him. Looking closer, it almost appeared to be made of bone. Several jewels seemed to be embedded in the object, giving it a regal aura about it. It was carved in the ominous shape of a serpent.
“Falsemane, stop! You don’t know what you’re doing!” Daring Do exclaimed.
“Enough of your pitiful cries. It’s time for the kingdoms to know just how powerful I truly a-ackgh!” Falsemane cried out in pain before he could finish.
“What’s happening? Is this like the lost ark?” Isabella asked nervously.
“The what?” Daring Do asked in return, just as the room temperature began to drop.
Falsemane’s cries of pain interrupted their conversation before Isabella could explain. The unicorn, doubled over, before falling to the ground once he was unable to support himself. The cries of pain, were soon replaced by slow laughs that seemed to drip with malice.
Falsemane stood up once more, his eyes glowing a hideous yellow. The scepter’s carved mouth suddenly opened and hovered just above the unicorn’s horn, before swallowing it whole, latching itself to the pony’s head.
A hideous transformation took place in the span of seconds. Falsemane’s muzzle extended, and filled out with razor sharp teeth. His body elongated, fur being consumed by scales, and limbs replaced with large, webbed appendages.
“…fuck.” Isabella mumbled.
“Well…this…um.” Daring Do tried to say something, but was unable to muster up a coherent thought that differed from Isabella’s.
“So this is the power they locked away…the power to become as a god!” Falsemane roared.
The pony turned serpent opened his fanged mouth wide in the direction of the two explorers. In the blink of an eye, a large burst of water was expelled towards the two.
Both adventurers dodged the attack. Isabella slipped in to the now rising water in the room, while Daring Do flew above Falsemane, making a dive for the scepter that was now a proxy for his horn.
“Ah ah ah,” Falsemane scolded, swatting Daring Do aside with his tail. “Can’t let you do that.”
Isabella looked around for something, anything, to try and fight this monstrosity with. She was determined not to die in a cave, to an over grown water snake.
Quickly scanning the room, she noticed a statue. While Falsemane loomed over Daring Do, Isabella quickly rushed towards the crumbling construct and propped herself against the wall, pushing against it with her feet.
Just as planned, the statue crumbled and gave way, crushing Falsemane’s new tail. The serpent let out a roar of pain, snapping around to face his attacker. He was quick to respond by coiling the rest of his body around the human, which gave her horrible flash backs of the movie Anaconda.
“Do you not realize how futile your efforts are now?” Falsemane asked as he coiled tighter around Isabella, making her cry out in pain. “After I finish you two, Equestria will be mine, and there’s not a thing you can do about it! I’ve won!”
Isabella felt the pressure around her body suddenly disappear, followed by a roar from Falsemane. Daring Do had delivered a kick to the pseudo horn atop his head, sending the giant creature reeling into the stone wall.
“Curse you Daring Do!” Falsemane roared, flailing in an attempt to hit the mare.
“You’re not leaving these ruins Falsemane!” Daring Do snorted.
“Die!” Falsemane snapped, unleashing another torrent of water.
Daring Do was less fortunate this time, and was hit by the full force of the blast. The torrent of water sent her to the floor. Before she could get up, she was hit by another blast which sent the mare rolling into the wall.
AS the mare tried to get back on her hooves, she was hit by a third, blast. This time, the spray of water was continuous, affectively pinning her. This came with the added danger of drowning, with Flasemane refusing to let up from his assault.
Isabella began scaling the serpent, climbing towards his horn. Daring Do had managed to nearly cripple the human with a few kicks, this was her only chance to save the mare before it was too late. She was tired, and her body was on the verge of giving in, but she knew she had to see her plan through.
Thankfully, Falsemane was too preoccupied to notice Isabella, until it was too late. Drawing on all the strength she had left, she kicked the serpent’s horn near its base. This caused Falsemane’s attack to come to a grinding halt, as stars filled his vision.
Isabella drew back and kicked the horn again and again, crippling the giant creature. Her strength alone wasn’t enough to crack it however, and Falsemane was beginning to adapt to the pain. Her kicks became more frantic and less focused as Falsemane rose up towards the ceiling, intent on crushing Isabella.
Before he could, a blur slammed into the horn causing him to freeze in place. Daring Do had rammed the horn with all she had left in her, giving Isabella a few more precious seconds. Her attack had caused a few cracks to appear, those few were just enough to encourage Isabella’s next course of action.
Using the last of her strength, Isabella lunged towards the horn, putting her full weight against the horn. It snagged for only a second, before snapping under her weight, and the abuse it had taken, unable to endure any more punishment from the pair.
Isabella felt a horrible shock travel through her body, before her world went black as she fell limp into the pool of water below. The last thing to echo through her mind was the death roar of Falsemane, as his body began to cave in on itself.
The once might serpent had lost the object that provided the magic to sustain his form. With it gone, he could no long exist in the world, and his magic was rapidly leaving his body until nothing was left but a pale mist.
---
Isabella opened her eyes slowly, feeling surprisingly well rested. She observed her surroundings before jolting upright with a start, as memories of what had transpired came flooding back to her.
“Rest easy,” Daring Do said placing a hoof gently against her chest. “He’s gone now.”
“We won?” Isabella asked, her heart still hammering in her chest.
Daring Do nodded in confirmation. “How do you feel?”
“I feel…good, actually.” Isabella replied, giving her arms a flex before standing up.
“You are the strangest individual I’ve ever met, but I’m glad to have met you none the less.” Daring Do laughed.
“Same, so what happened to the scepter?” Isabella asked.
“I honestly don’t know,” Daring Do shrugged. “After I pulled you out of the water, I couldn’t find it. I assume it vanished along with Falsemane.”
“That sucks…sorry you didn’t get the goods, so to speak.” Isabella said.
“Goods like that are better off left undisturbed, perhaps it’s for the best,” Daring Do said, dusting off her hat before placing it back on her head. “Shall we?”
“So…any ideas for an excuse I can feed my brother?” Isabella asked as she followed Daring Do out of the ruins. “I know he’ll want an explanation.”
“I’m sure we can think of something. We have a long return trip to come up with one.” Daring Do laughed.
Isabella wasn’t sure if she would be willing to come clean with her brother, for quite some time. Not that she didn’t trust him, or that he wouldn’t understand, but sometimes ignorance was bliss. She would tell him the truth eventually, but not before she was sure he wouldn’t forbid her from going outside again.
