Daring Do and the Sacred Stones

Chapters

Chapter 1 - The Lost Temple of Tenochtitlan Basin
Chapter 2 - The Bringer of Life and Wielder of Death
Chapter 3 - A Royal Commission
Chapter 4 - The Legend of the Sacred Stones
Chapter 5 - The Snowy Peak Above the Fields
Chapter 6 - The Mile-High Temple

Chapter 1 - The Lost Temple of Tenochtitlan Basin

“Are the preparations complete?”

“Yes, sir. The ritual is mere minutes away. After a... simple sacrifice, we shall be ready.”

“Have you picked one out?”

“He is ready and willing, sir. To bring our lord to life... it is an honor.”

The two ponies walked into the shadows at the edges of a large stone chamber. Ponies dressed in feathers and faces painted in elaborate designs were all assembled around a pedestal with a blue statue of a strange beast with the head of a lizard, the ears of a jackal, the front arms of a monkey, the body and legs of a large cat, and a tail that contained another monkey-like hand coming out of it. Torches all around the chamber cast a flickering light that seemed mostly to illuminate the statue in the center and left the edges covered in shadow.

One of the ponies stepped out of the shadow, boasting a red and blue coat with stripes and spirals painted in black on his face and a headdress of fine eagle feathers. He surveyed the room, then called out in a loud voice that echoed through the whole room.

“Where is the one for the sacrifice!?” His eyes slowly scanned the room. “Have you gotten cold hooves? Are you no longer true to our high deity!?”

Another pony wearing a simpler headdress and only stripes painted on his face came forward. “For our lord and king, I will do my duty.” His voice was low and solemn.

The first stallion nodded slowly. “Bring forth the hammer and chisel.”

Two ponies came forward, one carrying each item. The pony with the giant headdress turned to the pony still in the shadows. “Are you going to stick around?”

“I’m afraid I have other business to do. You see, the one you summon will not be the deity you planned him to be unless I complete one more task. He will still be powerful, but mortal.”

The pony chieftain nodded. “Very well. Go, and do what you have said. We will continue as expected.”

The second pony nodded and retreated into the blackness. The pony chieftain took the hammer and chisel from the ponies who brought it to him and walked forward towards the pedestal with the beast-statue. The pony with the smaller headdress followed the chieftain up the steps towards the pedestal.

“Today, we gather to bring our lord into mortal form.” The chieftain’s voice rang out over the crowds assembled, hanging on to his every word. “Through the statue representing his image, the chant to bring him to life, and the spirit of one who is in the prime of his life, we shall resurrect his form and return him as the true deity of Equestria!”

“Yaaa!” came the shout from the ponies around the pedestal.

“In just a short while, those fool pony princesses will see they are worthless compared to the might of our lord. For tonight, he will return to his kingdom once again for the first time in a thousand years! Tonight, he will reign as the true king!”

“Yaaa!” came the shout again, louder and more vengeful than before.

Taking the hammer and chisel in his hooves, the chieftain motioned towards the other feathered-pony towards the pedestal. The pony came up and rested his head on the pedestal and stayed completely still, even when the chieftain set the chisel on the top of his head and brought the hammer up behind it.

The chieftain raised and lowered the hammer twice, tapping the chisel both times. The move served two purposes; first to make sure he would hit the chisel completely dead on when he finally struck, and second to see if the pony flinched. It would not do; he had to face this proudly.

The pony didn’t budge an inch. He maintained a rather focused gaze on the statue; his eyes never left it and he never offered a word of protest to the cheiftain’s actions.

The chieftain nodded in approval and spoke again. “Your decision is honorable. You will be remembered for this.”

The hammer came up, then swung down with great force.

Daring Do dashed through the Tenochtitlan jungle undergrowth, searching for the next open gap through the trees. The jungles here weren’t so thick that she couldn’t gallop through the underbrush, but she longed to fly for a better view, and to look for a stone spire that marked her next destination.

Around here would be the sacred temple of Ahuizotl, the massive mixed-beast deity noted of in southern Equestrian legend. More specifically, the ancient god of Destruction and Desolation, who used to live near water and prey on the flesh of ponies. According to her old friend A. B. Ravenhoof, therein would be the statue of Ahuizotl, believed to be able to summon the beast himself. In addition to keeping it out of the hooves of those who would be able to summon such a thing, it would be a massive archeological find.

And so Daring Do had not hesitated in taking up the task when her old friend and mentor mentioned such a valuable object. Ravenhoof had given her a map and the necessary tools for the job and sent her on her way, and the pegasus had followed the signs on the map. First through various towns and villages where only one pony knew where the next town was, then to a delta with wild pink birds, then came the river she’d followed that held giant multicolored snakes, then finally the wooden archway that marked the pathway to the stone spire that marked the path to the Temple of Tenochtitlan Basin.

It had been a grueling five days of travel and many perils. Ponies were defensive about the routes to the next town on the path to the next city, and one even attacked her with a crude knife. The wild birds were vicious about their nesting place being disturbed and had pecked at her wings to keep her from leaving until she threw at them a gem that reflected the light and made them greedy for the prize. The multicolored snakes were masters of magic in themselves and had nearly caught her in their transfixing spell if she hadn’t worn a special amulet looking like a silver snake eating its own tail on her hoof. And now she had merely to escape the jungle and find the stone spire.

Up ahead she found an opening and jumped up to begin her flight, but it suddenly closed up before she could even spread her wings. So this was the final challenge! The trees would block her way out to prevent her from reaching the temple! Daring smiled and knew exactly what she needed.

Still running, she reached into her bag and pulled out a vile of blue liquid. Taking the cap off, she clamped onto the top of the bottle with her mouth and threw her head back, swallowing the contents in one go. Slowly the wind picked up on either side and the trees turned to brown and green blurs as she picked up speed. Seeing an opening ahead, Daring spread her wings and jumped.

Quick as a lightning bolt, Daring Do shot out of the trees and soon found herself soaring over a cliff and into the clouds, staring down at the Tenochtitlan Basin. It was freeing being out of the jungle after enduring the darkness and closeness for two days and feeling the wind in her wings again. She smelled the fresh humid air and sighed happily, flipping around and twirling in the partly cloudy sky.

Now in the air, Daring was able to get a good look at her surroundings. The basin was filled with more of the jungle and was quite large, covering an area of land larger than Manehattan and Baltimare put together. And towards the far end of it was the Stone Spire of Ahuizotl, the legendary shrine that Ravenhoof told her would house the statue she now sought.

Quick as a whip, Daring tucked her wings in and dropped down towards the base of the Spire. Taking another item from her back, a long wood pole reinforced with strong leather, Daring clamped the pole between her teeth and charged for a large open portal leading into a shadowy entry hall. As soon as she touched down, Daring took off at a gallop into the shrine and started swinging her pole.

Ravenhoof’s advice yet again came through; rocks being launched at her from numerous tiny slots were swiped and batted away at by the firm wood pole. The rocks shattered and crumbled upon contact with the wall, creating a loud commotion and echo around the chamber. But Daring stood in the middle of the chamber unscathed. Keeping her trusty wood pole at the ready, Daring charged forward into the next chamber.

What looked like twenty ponies were arranged in a circle, chanting and staring at a central pedestal with the statue of Ahuizotl sitting on it. A large pony that looked like a chieftain with a large feather headdress stood at the pedestal, a chisel stained red in his hand. Blocked by the pedestal, a pony lay slumped over and unresponsive. The Chieftain raised his head up and looked at Daring.

“Well, if it isn’t the famous archaeologist.” The Chieftain smiled venomously at the pegasus while the ponies around kept chanting. “Daring Do. I should say I’m surprised you’re here, but honestly I’m not.”

“Chief Darkhooves,” Daring Do responded. “Aligning yourself with the wrong crowd now? I thought that Princess Celestia making a truce with your lands would have calmed you down.”

“Alas, that’s not true. You see, Celestia thinks she has power over this land. But in reality that is wrong. She never owned these lands. Never will, not in a thousand years!”

“She never claimed to own them. She merely wanted a truce. She wanted the fighting to stop. She believed you were better... than this!”

“Ah, but she was wrong, then. Tonight, our true lord and king, Ahuizotl, will rise to power once again!”

“You can’t do this! I’ll give you this one last chance; make them stop and I promise your sentence will be lighter.”

“I’m sorry, but they are compelled to do my bidding. I’ve taken some of the venom from the multicolored snakes you passed by earlier and imbued it into a special amulet. They will listen to me and me alone, and I serve the whims of our Ahuizotl.”

The ponies around the statue stopped chanting. The chieftain took a bronze staff covered with the jackal head of their deity and pointed it at Daring Do.

“Get her,” he said. “Bring her to me alive.”

The twenty ponies charged at Daring, but were sent flying by a swing of her staff. The pegasus took off and flew around the room, throwing ponies around the room with her staff. Some of the cultists started picking up slings and throwing stones, but Daring batted them back and hit their owners.

After a while, the staff raised again and the ponies suddenly stood still. Daring, flapping in the air, looked at Chief Darkhooves and taunted him. “What? Are your powerful earth pony cultists still not enough for a single pegasus archaeologist?”

“Well, it is surprising you are not immediately bending to my will. The blood and venom of the magical snakes is normally more than enough to make one obey my whim.”

Daring Do raised a hoof containing the amulet Ravenhoof had given her. “Preparedness in every situation,” she said. “In order to pass, I had to be properly equipped. I guess I’m even protected against your special little amulet too, eh?”

Chief Darkhooves gave an amused smirk. “So you’re as intelligent as the stories say you are. But, I’m afraid you’re too late. While we were talking earlier, the chanting of the ritual is completed. With the statue here, the chanting finished, and the honorable sacrifice performed, there is but one thing left to do.”

Chief Darkhooves took the red-stained chisel and held it over the statue. Daring now realized that the stain on the chisel was that of blood, and the pony slumped on the floor had been the sacrifice.

“Rise, Ahuizotl! Rise and rule your people once again!”

Three drops was all it took before the statue went from blue to fiery red and a blue smoke began filtering the room.

“You’re finished, Daring Do! You and all of Equestria shall know the might of the Tenochtitlan deities!”

“Not if I can help it! You still need the statue here, don’t you? Well, then I’ve got one thing left in my arsenal.”

Rearranging the staff and holding it like a lance, Daring Do swept down and charged at Chief Darkhooves. The pony made to take the statue, but he was too late. Daring’s staff caught his side and he flew across the room, a large red scratch showing down his side. Arcing back around, Daring quickly scooped up the statue and flew up high.

“See you later!” Daring said. “I’m afraid your all-powerful Ahuizotl isn’t coming back!”

A deep, dark laughing came from behind Daring, who nearly dropped the statue out of surprise. “I’m outta here.” Quick as a lightning bolt, Daring launched through and into the entry portal and out into the sunshine of the Tenochtitlan Basin and away from the Stone Spire.

In her hooves was the greatest prize: the statue of Ahuizotl. The statue faded back from the violent red to a glistening blue, and Daring Do smirked with satisfaction as she soared over the jungle. No longer would she have to deal with magic snakes, encroaching jungle, or wild birds.

Daring Do, satisfied with her efforts, caught an updraft and sailed on back home.

Chief Darkhooves dazedly opened his eyes. There seemed fewer ponies in the room than there had been before.

A few ponies rushed to his side. Quickly they picked him up and righted him, and he stood looking around the room.

“Are... are we all here?” he asked.

One shook his head. “Three are missing. Not including the one used for the sacrifice, but his body is gone, too.”

A shadow enveloped Chief Darkhooves, and he suddenly felt a shiver down his back. He turned around and stared into a pair of piercing yellow eyes looking at him from a lizard head and nearly shouted in horror.

“You are the one who raised me?” came a deep, growling voice. “I will remember this kindness. As I scorch the land beneath my feet, you shall remain untouched. Now, to restore my power, and to take revenge on those who imprisoned me...”

Chapter 2 - The Bringer of Life and Wielder of Death

Five days later, Daring Do arrived by train once more in Canterlot. It was a pleasure to be back in the same old familiar city and a place where strange cultists or wild birds or wild creatures couldn’t immediately pose a threat to her. And she could take a rest from the last few days of exploring as her old friend Ravenhoof searched out another artifact for her to go and collect.

It was Ravenhoof who taught Daring Do everything she knew about adventuring. It was he who knew what to search for, who knew what was considered valuable or historically important, which items were lost and needed someone like Daring Do to recover. Ravenhoof considered his duty not one of wealth, but of historical importance; Daring’s latest find would be cleaned, polished, and carefully sent either to the Canterlot Archives or any number of Museums of Natural History by the end of the week with a few items that were of interest to Ravenhoof alone.

Without delay, Daring Do got off the train as soon as it stopped at Canterlot station and flew through the crowded city streets. The cold mountain air nipped at her wings and felt good after the heat and humidity of the Mesoequestrian jungles and deltas. She sniffed in the air and sighed happily, doing a few loop-de-loops in the clear skies.

But soon she spotted the house she was looking for and glided easily down. The house was a small cottage-like building with a bright red roof and an antique wood door. Daring Do stepped up to the bronze horseshoe knocker and knocked on the door three times.

“Anypony home?” Daring called. “I’m back!”

Daring Do needed only to wait a moment before the door opened and an orange unicorn stallion with twinkling green eyes and a grey mane and mustache opened the door. He smiled proudly and opened the door further. “Ah, Daring Do, how are you? You’ve returned! Come in, come in. I’ll put some tea on and you can tell me all about it.”

Daring Do followed A. B. Ravenhoof into a small, relatively clean lobby and into a larger living room that functioned much like a large museum collection room. Strange objects littered the tables scattered around, some with special boxes and frames bearing legends and folders of information. Some merely sat or stood where they were, with faces that peered out at her or weird designs that disoriented her.

One of the items that caught her interest was a strange statue seemingly made of emerald and looking like a giant snake. But instead of the snake head it had the head and wings of a majestic-looking hawk creature. In contrast to the Ahuizotl statue that Daring had brought, it looked rather regal instead of beastly in spite of being a strange mix of creatures and a noble gaze seemed to show from the delicately-carved eyes.

“That is Quetzaloatl,” A. B. Ravenhoof said. “He’s another of the Mesoequestrian gods, but I’ll explain that later.”

Daring Do turned to see the unicorn levitating a steaming teapot, two cups, and a plate of apple biscuits. He cleared a space on his desk with his hoof and took a stack of papers off the extra chair and motioned for Daring Do to sit; the pegasus was relieved to be able to sit down properly, and graciously took the cup levitated to her and sipped it. She let out a happy sigh as she tasted the sweet dandelion tea and leaned back in the chair.

“So, where is the statue?”

Daring Do took the blue statue of Ahuizotl and gave it to Ravenhoof, who carefully took it in his hooves and examined it carefully as though a jeweler looking at a fine necklace. He examined it and tapped it a few times, before smiling contentedly and setting it on the desk.

“Perfect. I’m surprised it was still there, honestly. Thought tomb raiders or the like would have made off with it by now.”

“Well, it wasn’t easy. Everything you gave me worked perfectly.”

“The small, bright crystal?”

“Worked well against the wild pink birds of the Baja Los Pegasus delta.”

“The Ring of Mesmer from Bangladesh?”

“Protected against the snakes that inhabit the delta. I have it right here.”

Daring Do made to give Ravenhoof the silvery amulet, but Ravenhoof put up a hoof to stop her. “Don’t worry about it. Keep it. It is one of those items that may be useful in your travels. But let us continue; what about the potion of speed made from the Quick Root?”

“Flew out of the encroaching forests that surrounded the basin itself.”

“Excellent! I trust it wasn’t so hard getting into the temple?”

Daring Do put a hoof to her head and rubbed it. “Well... there was a small mishap.”

“Well, what happened? Don’t stop there; tell me, tell me!”

“I came in and saw a group of ponies chanting. Their leader was Chief Darkhooves, and he said something about sacrificing them; indeed, one looked like he had a large gash on top of his head I’m quite certain was dead. He said something about a ritual to bring Ahuizotl back to life.”

Ravenhoof nodded sagely. He waited until he was sure Daring Do was done before speaking. “What did he say was involved in the ritual?”

“The statue, a very specific chant, and the blood of an honorable sacrifice. He had dripped the blood from a chisel, presumably bashed into the dead pony’s head, to finish it.”

Ravenhoof nodded. “With any luck, with the statue gone and out of the Tenochtitlan Basin, Ahuizotl will remain imprisoned. It is difficult to say what Chief Darkhooves hopes to gain by resurrecting him.”

“He said something about Princess Celestia not being the true ruler or deity of Equestria.”

Ravenhoof nodded. “The words of a madpony,” he said. “Not because one can’t have complaints against our Princess, no, but because he’s willing to go to these lengths to do it. Now, I feel like I have to explain the legend, and why it was so important to retrieve the statue.”

Ravenhoof brought over the statue of Ahuizotl and Quetzalcoatl, and arranged them on either side of his desk, along with a folder of papers. He shuffled through the papers until he found the right one, then brought a pair of reading glasses to his face.

“Ah, here it is. The Mesoequestrians have two major deities: Quetzalcoatl and Ahuizotl. Quetzalcoatl, otherwise known as the Winged Serpent, is the Creator and Bringer of Light and Life. Ahuizotl, who strangely has no other name, is the Destructor and Wielder of Darkness and Death. The two were neither good nor bad, but merely two halves of the whole. Quetzalcoatl is the yin, Ahuizotl is the yang, and so on.”

Ravenhoof shuffled through more papers. “Now, the Mesoequestrians believed this: Quetzalcoatl created the world and all of its inhabitants and ruled the world from afar. Ahuizotl commanded the legions of the dead and was responsible for keeping the world from becoming too full of itself and too overpopulated by the dead. But one day Ahuizotl will come back to life and usurp Quetzalcoatl as the true ruler, causing untold destruction. Quetzalcoatl, too weak to rule on his own, will fall, but there will come warriors who will fight for him, and help him regain his true place. Ahuizotl will be forced back to his former place, and Quetzalcoatl will reign supreme till the end of time itself.”

Ravenhoof closed his folders and leaned back. “And that’s the story. At least, what almost any book on Mesoequestria in the library will tell you. That’s why we needed it back; with these two in the same place, the world is in balance again.”

“Neat. Any other relics from that time?”

“There is this pendant.” Ravenhoof levitated a gold pendant in the shape of an eagle with a snake tail and an emerald green eye and an emerald jewel surrounded by coils. “This was worn by Mesoequestrian leaders as a sign of long life and wise ruling of their people. There are various statues and pottery and the like, but most of those are at various institutions across Equestria. I was given the pendant in exchange for my services; soon the statue of Ahuizotl will be cleaned and on display at the Canterlot Natural History museum, and I will have yet again earned my keep.”

Daring nodded. “Cool. So, you got anything else for me at the moment?”

“Nope. Nothing yet. I’d take my book on Mesoequestrian history and read over it. The story of Quetzalcoatl’s influence throughout the ages and battle with Ahuizotl is astounding. Moreover, it even extends into the Equestria that Princess Celestia rules over today.”

Daring Do nodded. “I think I will. Do you still have a room for me?”

“A room is always here if you need it. Go ahead and make yourself at home; I will be making dinner shortly and we will talk more about your experiences before the events at the Stone Spire.”

Three days later, a cool nighttime breeze blew through the open window of the guest bedroom at A. B. Ravenhoof’s. Daring Do lay on a rather comfortable full-sized bed, enjoying the moment of luxury in-between the journeys that fill the life of an adventurer. She slept light as was her nature but relaxed, allowing herself to enjoy the bed without ever getting too used to it; trips like the one to the Tenochtitlan Basin often had her sleep either on more uncomfortable beds or even on hard ground.

A. B. Ravenhoof always let her stay at his house between trips. She did plan to buy a house eventually, but for now saved her money and stayed in Ravenhoof’s guest suite. It was cheaper, and all Daring needed to do was fulfill whatever task or collect whatever item he wanted. Simple enough, and her eventual pay was good; Ravenhoof gave her a thirty percent cut of whatever he got paid from the various museums for bringing the items.

So Daring stayed comfortably at Ravenhoof’s house. She was allowed full use of the guest room, bathroom, upstairs office room, and library, and Ravenhoof always cooked double when she came by for meals. It was Ravenhoof’s insistence that she stayed at his place, encouraging her to make use of his library and to just relax a little while and let him take care of her between adventures, and Daring didn’t mind a few days off between long treks.

It was three days after Daring Do had returned the statue of Ahuizotl to Ravenhoof in Canterlot and Daring was in her light sleep. It was late and she’d already been asleep for a few hours; Ravenhoof had gone to bed not long prior. The statue of Ahuizotl was down below with its twin the Quetzalcoatl statue, locked away in a glass case.

Suddenly, Daring Do was aware of the soft pitter-patter of hooves and her consciousness woke but kept her eyes shut. At first it sounded as though somepony was walking across stone and assumed it was merely a late-night guard. But soon it shifted to sounding as though walking on tile. But the only tile around was the tile of the rooftops, so Daring stayed awake and stayed alert.

The hoofsteps across the tile came closer and closer. It wasn’t much longer before they stopped and Daring focused her ears towards the window. There came the subtle sound of a bow being drawn, and the gentle thunk! of it being released and something hitting the side of the house. Not much later came the sound of more muffled hoofsteps coming up the side of the house.

Daring opened one eye slightly; to the untrained eye, she would still look asleep. Through the open window came the glow of the full moon overhead. For a long while, all she saw was the moon and all she heard was the slightly muffled steps coming closer and closer. But not long after came a head peeking in through the window, an eagle feather tucked in behind each ear and red markings on his face.

Daring immediately recognized the markings as similar to those on the ponies in the Tenochtitlan Basin. So they had followed her all the way here... they probably wanted the statue back! Daring Do laid as still as she possibly could, keeping her eye slightly open, letting her mouth hang open just a little bit as though sleeping.

The pony hopped into the room and looked around. Seeing Daring Do looking asleep on the bed, he quietly walked over to her and smiled, pulling out a vial of a liquid that seemed to shine different colors in the moonlight. He quietly uncorked the bottle.

“With this, you will tell me the location of the statue,” the pony whispered, barely intelligible even to Daring. “You who sought to prevent our lord from coming back... shall now help restore him to power.”

The pony carefully positioned the vial over Daring’s mouth. But he barely had any chance; as soon as he got into position, Daring kicked out her back hoofs and smacked him square in the chest. The pony flew back and hit the wall, collapsing into a heap, the multi-colored liquid spilled all over the floor and the vial lying shattered around the room.

Daring Do got up out of the bed and rushed for the lights, confirming it indeed was one of the ponies from the Stone Spire. Daring picked up the heavy quilt from her bed and charged the pony on the floor when he started to stir, tackling him and pinning him to the ground before quickly wrapping him up in the quilt. He shuffled around and fought his confines, but Daring already had closed up the quilt around him and tied the ends of it in a knot.

Picking up her spear and the silvery Ring of Mesmer, Daring pointed the spear at the pony and waited for him to come to his senses again. “Tell me. Why are you here? What do you want?”

“Ugh... I was told it would be a simple job...” The pony groaned and squirmed around in his quilt-lined prison. “To poison you with the venom of the Tenochtitlan snakes, and use you to get the statue of Ahuizotl back.”

“Why do you need the statue? How do you know if the ritual even worked?”

“Chief Darkhooves is Ahuizotl’s ambassador. He is his right hoof, his emissary, his envoy among this world. Our lord is weak, but we need it to regain his pow- Ugk!”

The pony blanched as Daring pointed her spear to his throat and said no more. “What are you even talking about?” Daring asked. “Answer me! What do you mean about ‘regaining power’?”

It was at this time that Ravenhoof opened the door of the guest bedroom and found Daring with her spear pointed at the pony wrapped in quilts. He dashed off upon seeing the commotion, but quickly returned with a whip. “And what are you doing in my house?” he yelled, pointing at the intruder. “I’ll have you for breaking and entering!”

“Ahuizotl... Ahuizotl lives...” The pony coughed and Daring backed her wooden pole away from his throat. “Quetzalcoatl is no more, the Bringer of Destruction has been freed from his prison.”

A knock came at the door. Daring Do looked over to Ravenhoof.

“I’ll get it,” Ravenhoof said. “You keep him there; see if you can’t get any more information from him.”

Daring nodded and Ravenhoof left the room.

Daring Do focused her attention back on the cultist pony. “You say Ahuizotl lives, but he needs to regain power. What will the statue do?”

“By taking the statue, you prevented the ritual from completing. Ahuizotl lives, but is weakened. With the statue, he will be strong. There is one more piece, but we can’t go on without the statue in our possession.”

Daring Do nodded. “Well, you can tell all this information to the royal guard. Ravenhoof will get them as soon as he answers the door.”

The pony smiled viciously. “Good. Because your ‘princess’ will want to hear it... to hear the coming of her destruction.”

Ravenhoof re-entered the guest room... and with him was a royal unicorn guard with a long length of strong cord. The pony was quickly transferred from the quilt to the cord and was lifted in the air with magic. The guard left and Daring Do panted and sighed in relief.

“What did you find out?”

Daring Do let her nerves calm a little before speaking. “I didn’t stop the ritual. Ahuizotl lives, but without the statue he’s weak.”

Ravenhoof nodded. “There is a way to contain him, but I don’t know what that is. Give me a few days for research and I might send you off on another quest.”

Daring Do nodded back. “By the way, who was at the door?”

“As a matter of fact, it was the guard who took that cultist away. Turns out he had a letter for you.”

Ravenhoof brought in his magic a letter with the golden seal of Princess Celestia, the white seal of Prince Blueblood, and the blue seal of Captain of the Guard Shining Armor. It was addressed to Daring Do. Daring took the letter and swiftly opened up the top, breaking the wax seals and pulling out the letter from within.

Ms. Daring Do:

We have received word that you are an adventure archaeologist working for Professor A. B. Ravenhoof. As all our other sources are busy, we have need of your services in retrieving something for us. Please come to the specified address at ten o’clock tomorrow morning to signal your compliance with this royal order.

Chapter 3 - A Royal Commission

Daring Do had to read the note over a few times just to make sure she read it right. She was confused by multiple parts of the letter and looked at A. B. Ravenhoof expectantly, but Ravenhoof merely returned the look.

“Well? What does it say?”

“Well, it says they... they need me for something,” Daring said. “But... I don’t get it. It mentions they know that I go on trips for you looking for items, and they’ve sent me a royal order to meet someone at a specified address tomorrow morning.”

Ravenhoof looked worried. “Is there a specific signature?”

“No. Just three royal insignias. They seem to be of Princess Celestia, Prince Blueblood, and Captain Shining Armor.”

Ravenhoof took the envelope and looked it over, carefully examining the wax seals. “So they are. Princess Celestia’s been used for over a thousand years without a change, but Prince Blueblood’s and Captain Armor’s are on the spot. No doubt this is from royalty. And if a guard brought it here and took the cultist without question, it may have something to do with this letter.”

“Do you think they know? About the events in Tenochtitlan Basin? I mean, I only got back three days ago.”

“I wouldn’t dare question why they wouldn’t know about it. Princess Celestia is very powerful and wise, and I’m sure she has a rather large network of informants.”

“Sounds... rather ominous.”

“Yes, but I’d wager they’re meant for specific instances such as this; imbalances in power among Equestria and it’s neighboring nations.”

Daring Do looked at the letter again, taking note of the address labeled on it. “I just wished we knew what they wanted to tell us— tell me about. If they could have given us one hint about what’s going on, it’d be easier to say whether or not to go for it.”

“I’m sure they have their reasons. If they know of the existence of Ahuizotl, they probably know his cultists are around and wouldn’t want it falling into the wrong hooves, such as the pony who intruded tonight. But I’m afraid you’re stuck answering it; it is impolite to refuse such an order, and answering it is the only way to answer any questions you might have.”

Daring looked at Ravenhoof. “Do you trust this letter?”

“I trust that the seals are the actual seals, and the letter comes from a source that requires utmost confidentiality. You should get back to bed; I will wake you tomorrow and make sure you have breakfast. When you go: leave early, take a roundabout route, and tell no one.”

Daring Do nodded and headed back towards the bed. “Alright. So breakfast at eight o’clock tomorrow?”

“I will be up by seven-thirty if you need anything. And keep that Ring of Mesmer on! We can’t have another intruder coming in here to poison you with Tenochtitlan snake venom...”

Daring Do woke up at seven forty-five on the nose. Without waiting for second thoughts, Daring went into the bathroom and jumped in the shower. When she was done, she selected a rather plain blue dress that covered her cutie mark and hat for Canterlot society and carefully stored her adventuring vest and pith helmet in a reasonably selected hiding place in the guest bedroom and went downstairs as soon as she smelled Ravenhoof’s cooking.

Ravenhoof had cooked up a hearty meal; scrambled egg whites, fried potatoes, and bell peppers fried together in a skillet, a side of fresh fruit, warm toast with butter and jam. He was setting the plates down at the table and filling up glasses of orange juice and milk when Daring entered.

“You look like a common Canterlot lady,” he said with an appreciative smile. “The blue looks nice on you.”

“I prefer the jacket,” Daring Do replied. “But I figured go somewhat incognito if those cultists are out here already.”

Ravenhoof motioned Daring down to eat. “Probably safer, I’d guess. And make sure you take the letter with you.”

“I will.” Daring took a seat and examined the food. “This has a pocket I can use in case I need to carry anything.”

“I’ve got a handbag that would look good with that if you so like.”

Daring stopped putting a bite of egg and pepper to her mouth. She gave a noticeable look of disgust to Ravenhoof, shook her head, and resumed eating without a word.

Ravenhoof gave a noise of amusement, but smiled at the rebuttal. “Or not,” he said calmly and kindly. “Do as you like. I merely offer my advice.”

“It is welcomed, I assure you,” Daring said apologetically. “I just don’t care for the handbag. I prefer my satchel, but I’d rather not take that with me, either, since I carry it everywhere.”

“Fair assessment. Oh, what about a necklace?”

Daring thought about it. “If you really want to go that direction, do you think I could have the Quetzalcoatl pendant?”

Ravenhoof opened his mouth as though he was about to object, but after a while changed to a more thoughtful one and said no more throughout breakfast.

When Daring Do prepared to leave, Ravenhoof got up from the table and went to his own closet. He pulled out a black satchel and put the letter with the royal seals and something else inside it. “At least take this,” he said, giving her the satchel. “Less trouble than just the pocket.”

Daring selected one of Ravenhoof’s many sunglasses, then took a small coin-purse and placed it in the satchel. “I’ll take it. Thanks.” She smiled to show him she meant it, and left.

Daring Do looked like a rather ordinary Canterlot citizen out ambling the streets at nine that morning. Daring lazily walked a few blocks out of the way and found a coffee shop she was rather keen on and ordered an iced caramel latte, taking care to speak with a slightly affected accent. When the time came to pay, Daring opened the satchel and got out her coin-purse, but not before noticing a special gift had been placed inside.

Daring paid for the coffee and sipped it gently at one of the corner tables of the coffee shop. She took a few sips before gently reaching into the satchel and taking out golden pendant of Quetzalcoatl. She knew Ravenhoof would never have offered her the satchel otherwise, and would never agree upfront about giving her the pendant. Daring carefully put it on and adjusted it to her neck size, letting it hang just slightly, before she resumed sipping the coffee.

By the time she was done, it was almost time for the meeting. Daring walked out and brought up her pace a little bit as she made her way to the address listed on the note, aware that it seemed like someone was following her.

Daring wasted no time. She ducked down a side alley and galloped through to the other side and resumed walking, though this time in the opposite direction of the address. But suddenly when she turned around she swore she could see the same pony walking behind her; a dark grey unicorn with face paint that seemed to be meandering randomly behind her, but never let Daring out of his sight. Daring picked up the pace, and so did he.

Daring started galloping as properly as she could. “Oh, excuse me, I’m dreadfully late for an appointment!” she said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bump into you like that... Oh! Excuse me, I just need to slip through here...” Ponies gave gentle grumbles of discontent as Daring, acting as much of the Canterlot lady guise she had assumed, maneuvered her way through the Canterlot crowds until she came through a small plaza, at which point she selected a different street and made her way back to the location of the address.

It was a plain house with a blue roof and windows covered in heavy, dark blue curtains so that she couldn’t see in. Daring paced back and forth down the street a few times, making sure no one was nearby and the stallion with the face paint was gone, before approaching a dark oak wood door with the diamond keyhole and knocking three times.

The point of a spear rested on Daring’s shoulder. Daring tried as hard as she could not to show her nervousness and prepared her rear hooves for a kick.

“You could have waited a few minutes more and I’d have escorted you...” grumbled the stallion behind her. The spear went forward and into the diamond keyhole, turned until a click sounded, and pulled out from the keyhole.

Daring Do turned around to see the dark grey stallion with the face paint standing behind her... wearing a full set of royal guard armor minus the helmet. “Oh... oh, you’re a guard. I... I saw the face paint and just assu—”

“Yes, yes. Understandable, Ms. Daring. It’s a matter of temporary protocol. Go on in; Captain Shining Armor is waiting for you.”

Daring nodded sheepishly and opened the door. “So much for a disguise...” she mumbled to herself and went inside.

Inside was a rather simple cottage that looked like it was only three rooms; a kitchen blended into dining room blended into a living room, and two doors hung slightly ajar to reveal a simple bathroom and bedroom. Daring walked in and found another guard sitting in the living room, this one with helmet on.

“Sit down,” he said, motioning to an armchair placed on one side of what Daring assumed to be the living room. “Captain Armor will be out in a moment.”

Daring took off her hat and sunglasses and placed them on the coffee table in the center of the room and sat down where the guard had indicated. She sighed and looked around at the room impatiently; the guard stood passively by the bedroom door, paying zero attention to her.

A few moments later, a white unicorn stallion with bright blue mane and eyes, and a rather regally designed purple and gold armor set came out from the bedroom. He smiled at Daring as he took the seat across from her.

“Thank you for answering our summons,” he said easily. “My name is Captain Shining Armor, but there’s no need for the honorifics.”

Daring Do held back an urge to scoff. He was something of a pretty boy for his position – no, she wasn’t interested, but she couldn’t deny he was handsome – and spoke like a surfer stallion she’d once seen at a beach near Las Pegasus. “Well, you know my name,” Daring said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Now, what do you need to know to get on with this?”

“Well, not much. Simply if you’re free at the time being and if Professor Ravenhoof has given you an assignment.”

“What’s Ravenhoof got to do with this, huh? Sending a guard around with an anonymous letter at one o’clock at night has made me rather uncomfortable with the arrangement.”

“Necessity, Ms. Do. We had the guard following the pony who tried to intrude and poison you last night. He actually had an antidote if it was absolutely needed.”

“You seem to have a lot of eyes around here if you already know about the cultists of Ahuizotl.”

“Ah... you see, Ravenhoof is a dear friend of ours. Oftentimes, it is we who give him the assignments he gets, and he shuffles through them and picks the one best suited to your current situation. Matter of fact, of our latest assignment, you’ve already completed the first crucial step.”

Daring Do smiled. So there was more behind the ‘pretty boy’ outside that was carefully hidden but waiting to spring out. “And what would that step be?”

“The statue of Ahuizotl is in safe hooves: those of Princess Celestia. The minute it gets to the Royal Equestrian Historical Society, they shall call us and it shall be delivered safely to our vault. A copy shall be constructed and go on display instead of the real thing.”

“Alright. So why isn’t the Princess here and you are?”

“A long time ago, Princess Celestia was not our only ruler. Since then, she has had to take up the responsibilities of two leaders instead of one. Meanwhile, I, as Captain of the Royal Guard, have been tasked with extending her hoof and making sure her orders are carried out. At times, that means calling on the estimable Professor to help us retrieve something of value.”

Daring nodded. “Makes sense. So, I’m guessing this has something to do with the statue of Ahuizotl I found on my trip to Tenochtitlan Basin. Where do I come in?”

“We’ll get there. But first, a bit of backstory. You see, we have fairly good relations with Mesoequestria, but this cult of Ahuizotl and it’s leader – Chief Darkhooves – is a bit of a thorn in both of our sides. For the most part, it’s been small and thus unable to get what it needs. Recently, however, the statue of Ahuizotl was found by a mercenary and given to them, hence why it was imperative we got it back.”

“So, you send me off to Tenochtitlan Basin to recover it before Ahuizotl got summoned. But something bad must have happened in order to call me here.”

“Yes. You see, Ahuizotl’s summoning ritual did work, and the ‘cult’ in Mesoequestria is growing. This is problematic for a number of reasons, not the least of them being we know have a potentially destructive god roaming quite freely around the continent. Soon as it happened, we received a message from one of their fastest fliers that told us the news, and figured it was time we moved one step ahead.”

“So, what’s going on? Why can’t the guard just disable him, or the leader of Mesoquestria send out their army?”

“You’ve seen the statue, right? Head of a crocodile. Arms of a gorilla. Strength of a big cat. Cunning as a jackal. We’re not dealing with a group of miscreant ponies here, Ms. Do; we’re dealing with a bonafide deity. And one that isn’t entirely interested in current political affairs.”

Chapter 4 - The Legend of the Sacred Stones

It took Daring Do a moment to realize the full effect of Shining Armor’s words. “So... we’re scre—”

“Not necessarily,” Shining Armor cut off Daring Do before she could finish. “We have one more option. And this one we know where it is.”

Daring Do nodded. “You need me to seek out this final option because you’re all too busy with political matters and day-to-day running of Equestria.”

“Correct. Now, have you heard of something called the Sacred Stones?”

Daring shook her head. “Nothing comes to mind immediately.”

“Very well. The Sacred Stones are considered a legend across Equestria. Supposedly they hold enough magical power to defeat nearly anything. In the right hooves – say, Princess Celestia and former Princess Luna – they are the most powerful magical artifacts to exist. And we’re talking enough to seal Discord away in his stone prison and for Princess Celestia by herself to banish Nightmare Moon nearly one thousand years ago.”

Daring blinked in astonishment. “Oh! I remember now! Each Stone is powerful in and of itself, but their power is strongest if they’re all gathered in the same place. But only certain ponies have access to their power. That sounds like the perfect thing to help us defeat Ahuizotl!” But Daring’s excitement quickly turned into a frown. “But wait a minute... weren’t the Stones lost shortly after the defeat of Nightmare Moon?”

“Exactly. With one of their number gone in the banishment of Princess Luna, the Stones were soon lost, supposedly spread to the far corners of the globe. None of them work anymore because of this, and we can’t use them if they’re spread apart.”

“So, if they’re lost, that means they’re hidden out there somewhere. And you want me to go get them.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Unfortunately, we only have two clues as to the location of the Sacred Stones. The first is that there are rather strange ruins in rather obscure places around Equestria that seem to serve no purpose, but we’ve been able to find one and there’s a hint there’s four more. Furthermore, we have a poem from the renowned mage Starswirl the Bearded that makes reference to the Sacred Stones.”

“Won’t be so hard,” Daring Do said proudly. “Hey, I took a fairly direct path to Tenochtitlan Basin and the Stone Spire to get that statue. Following a trail around Equestria and looking for these ruins shouldn’t be too hard.”

“But the path isn’t entirely known,” Shining Armor said. “We know of one that is just outside Canterlot. That’s the easy part. But each ruin contains a hint to the next on the path. The other remaining problem is the poem mentions nothing of it, just of the existence of these Stones.”

“Sounds like you’re sending me on more than just a hunt for these Stones. You need me to find out this path such that these ruins can be secured.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Sounds about right. However, to help you out, we do have a single Stone. Princess Celestia identified it as such, so it may give a hint about what you’re looking for. Come with me.”

Shining Armor stood up and went into the bedroom. Daring Do followed him. It was dark excepting for a lit desk lamp shining on a large stone sphere in a red pillow on the bed.

The Stone looked rather unremarkable. It was as big as a basketball, round, and gray as though made of plain rock or andesite and looked rather sturdy. Shining Armor stood on one side, Daring Do on the other, each examining the stone. Daring took a minute to look around the Stone but didn’t touch it.

“Got to admit, it doesn’t look like much,” Daring Do said.

“No, not particularly,” Shining Armor said. “Except for one detail.”

Encasing the Stone in blue magic, Shining Armor turned around the Stone and carefully wiped away dust that had gathered on one part of it. After a few gentle sweeps, an image started to show: a symmetrical six-pointed star, the points facing up and down larger and longer than the four pointing to the sides.

“Princess Celestia found this one day quite by accident,” Shining Armor said. “She was taking a walk through her favorite spot in the castle garden and she nearly tripped over it. Caused quite a confusion until we noticed the mark.”

“And what did Princess Celestia think of it appearing, exactly?”

“Well, confusion as to why it appeared. Then the cult started to grow and we received word of its actions in Mesoequestria and she realized its purpose.”

“She needs to wield them again?”

“Not exactly. They’re magically powerful to the point of almost being sentient. Sounds strange, but the current theory is that it almost quite literally jumped out of its former hiding place to the safest place it could imagine, which happened to be at the Princess’ hooves.”

“So, by extension, these ruins are probably the safest places the other Stones could imagine and so they leapt from their hiding places and went to them.”

“It’s a possibility. And the best we got for now. But Ahiuizotl finds these ruins, they’re no safer than they were in hiding, and could even be used to restore him to his full power including bringing him immortality. This one was right to come here, but then there’s this mercenary to worry about.”

“Right. You mentioned something about one going after the statue of Ahuizotl for Chief Darkhooves and finding it before you could. Let me guess: you need me to find these things quickly and before he gets them, and then we can use them against Ahuizotl before he can use them himself.”

“You catch on quick. Whoever it was had access to the once lost statue of Ahuizotl. Who knows if they have access to the Stones.”

“Alright. So find the ruins, secure the locations of the Sacred Stones, bring them back to Canterlot, and find out about this mercenary or band of mercenaries and keep them from getting their hooves on it.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Now, things might move a bit quick from now on. The day after tomorrow, I will be bringing along an acquaintance of mine and a few guards and we’ll be heading for the first ruin. We collect the Stone, find the hint, and you will be traveling with my acquaintance to find the rest of the Stones.”

“Right... normally I work alone. Professor Ravenhoof gives me whatever task he wants me to go on and leaves me to handle it by myself.”

“I’m afraid to say it, but this being a royal order, I can’t let you do otherwise.”

Shining Armor walked out of the bedroom. Daring Do followed him out and they sat back in their respective positions in the living room.

“So, at least tell me who this acquaintance is.”

“Name is Combat Medic Charity Kindheart. Unicorn, I’d say a little younger than yourself, specializes in medical treatments and herbal remedies with mild knife training for protection. We can’t have you injuring yourself and being taken out of the game. No one else in your job field has the productivity you do.”

“You challenging me?”

“Not at all,” Shining Armor said, somewhat irritated. “Actually, I’m praising you. I’m saying we need you, Daring Do.”

Daring Do smiled. “Count me in. I’m down for adventure. And I’ll do my best for Princess Celestia.”

Shining Armor smiled proudly in return. “Perfect. Then we have a few gifts for you.”

Shining Armor raised a hoof and beckoned a guard over. He held three items in his yellow magic glow: a stack of letters, a soft-but-sturdy-looking sack, and a map.

“The first are these: the Rite of Conscription. With these, you are allowed to recruit whoever you want to help you in gaining the Stones; as a Royal Order, they are forced to accompany and aid you. We’ll start you with three, but you can contact me if you need more. I will be available at this house as much as possible.”

Daring took the letters the guard gave her and put them in her satchel.

“Next is this Transport Sack. This has a duplicate here. Place an item or a note in it and close it tightly, and it will shine. At that point, it will have teleported to its duplicate, which will be in my possession at all times. We will also be able to send you items should you require them via the notes, and it will prove a quick way of sending the Stones back here when you find them.”

Daring Do put the Transport Sack in the satchel as well, and was very glad that Professor Ravenhoof had given it to her.

“And finally is this map of Equestria. We have included the poem on the backside for your convenience. As I have other duties to attend to today, I cannot go over the poem with you. But I would advise you to read it. Furthermore, we will need you to use the Transport Sack frequently. When you come across a ruin, mark it on the map and send it back. We’ll duplicate it on our own maps and send it back. This way we can secure the ruins easily.”

Daring nodded. “Is that it?”

“For now. We leave at seven o'clock in the morning the day after tomorrow. Rest well, Daring Do, for you will have little time to do so once we start.”

Daring Do nodded. “You know, you’re smarter than your pretty boy looks suggest. You ever hear that?”

“Very frequently. The pretty boy part at least; a lot of ponies wonder how I made it to Captain, let alone even into the guard. But it’s better to laugh at yourself for things like that. If someone can laugh at themselves, then they have the strength to take on the world.”

Daring nodded at Shining Armor, smiled, and left.

A. B. Ravenhoof nodded thoughtfully at the information Daring Do gave him. Daring, now comfortably back in her jacket and pith helmet, watched him as he ducked down carefully under his desk and began to sort through items. He was down there for a few moments muttering to himself before he became audible.

“Here we are... I should have known about this. Why doesn’t Her Majesty ever tell me these things earlier...” Coming up from behind his desk, he had a stone tablet in his hooves and he set it on the desk.

“Yes, the Sacred Stones are hidden,” he said. “Yes, they are somewhat magically powerful and sentient to the point of jumping to the nearest source of safety. As such, it is entirely possible they don’t know it is safe and need coaxing out.”

“Okay, but what’s with the tablet there?”

“Because the Stones have always been in these ruins. This was in the first one, which is located somewhere in the Everfree Forest, and would have held the Stone that Captain Shining Armor now has. And this was the clue to the next step on the path of the ruins. Here; read it and it might give you a clue as to what you are looking for.”

Daring Do approached the tablet and blew it off. The words had almost faded by time, but were still there.

A snowy peak stands tall above the sunny fields;
A cold air and violent blizzard protects and shields.
Though it's close to throne of pony royalty,
Admittance is gained by value of one’s loyalty.

“That’s it?” Daring Do exclaimed. “That’s all I’ll have to go off of!?”

“Well, it will vary from ruin to ruin. But this one is fairly obvious. You’re going there tomorrow; just outside Canterlot is a path that leads to the summit of the mountain it sits on. Snowy peak above fields? Close to throne of royalty?” Ravenhoof leaned back in his chair and threw his hooves up as though to say “There you go.”

“By the way, how’d you get it if these ruins are supposed to be hidden?”

“Well, now that’s the strangest thing. Few years back, I was in Ponyville down at the base there by the Everfree Forest. I was there on holiday and have family down there, and I was perusing through one of the shops when I saw an open stall selling all sorts of knick-knacks. The seller - I don't know what his face looked like; he had on a cloak that covered his face - then suddenly comes to me with a rather ‘rare’ item and presents me with this. I recognized it immediately but didn’t tell him anything about it. He comes in there with this whole pitch and rather elaborately explains it to me, and I act bamboozled about the whole thing and bought it off him for an absurd amount for the purpose of taking it off his hooves before he knew what it was exactly.”

Daring Do nodded. “Any idea where this seller is?”

“Not a clue. For according to the residents, he packed up and left that evening. And they hadn’t seen him there before, and apparently haven’t seen him since.”

Chapter 5 - The Snowy Peak Above the Fields

Three weeks ago

“...and I can give you this rare magical tablet for just 149 bits! Not a moment to be lost; anyone would want this sort of tablet for this sort of deal!”

There was something in the customer’s face – particularly the sparkling green eyes and the grey mane – that appeared wizened, but his own looks deceived him. His eyes were cocked to one side, his head slightly tilted, his ears somewhat flattened by the barrage of information and pointed towards him as though unsure of what to think.

He had him. “However, just for you, sir, I think I can make an exception. For you, today... 129 bits.”

The orange unicorn contemplating the stone plaque brought a hoof to his face. “You can’t get it any lower?” he asked. “I’m afraid it’s still a bit high. Do you think you can make it a hundred?”

“Sir, the words on this tablet are a magical incantation! I can’t get away with things like that for even the 129 bits I’m offering you! But you’re a special case, so I’m going to ask you one more time: do you want this rare tablet?”

The pony thought about it a little more. “Why not? I’ll take it.”

The unicorn customer counted out one hundred and twenty nine bits. Once the cloaked shopkeeper had agreed to the amount and the tablet exchanged, the unicorn took the tablet and walked away, seemingly happy with his decision.

The shopkeeper was even happier. The sale of pilfered items had gone quite well, and in a place like Ponyville with lax laws and a populace kept in the dark on most events, it was quite easy to do so without arousing suspicion. Even the tablet, itself chiseled from the stones of the ruins inside the Everfree Forest, could be sold in a place like this with the right customer.

Bits were exchanged, a few more items sold, and at around five the shopkeeper closed down his shop. A pony from the local government building came by and the shopkeeper paid him a small fee for using the space before tearing down the tent he'd used and heading into a rented cottage a few blocks away at the edge of the town. He carried a heavy bag of bits with him and set it down with pride.

“Withers!” he called. “You in here?”

“Coming!” Out came a pale grey pony with a short black mane and a purple shirt collar came out of a back room. “How did the sale go?”

“Good. I think we made somewhere in the range of six hundred bits. You have a location of the Ahuizotl statue?”

“Chief Darkhooves’ lead did not fail me. Uncle Curio in Canterlot does have the statue, but he thinks it mere blue crystal and not the sapphire it really is.”

“You could tell it was indeed sapphire?”

“I took a jewelers’ glass with me. I inspected it. No crystal could have shone the way that did under the light. And the cost is cheap; a mere two hundred fifty bits.”

“Good. What about the other leads?”

“I have been informed that a certain Professor A. B. Ravenhoof was unavailable by local staff of Canterlot University. Apparently he’s taking a holiday.”

“Well, then we’ll have to try again some other time. I’m sure he’s holding another piece of the puzzle. You remembered to copy down the riddle before the plaque was sold, yes?”

“Exactly as instructed; it is in your pocket notebook and inside your own satchel.” Withers motioned to the fresh-looking satchel by the door.

“Excellent. Tomorrow, I need you to go to this Uncle Curio. Take three hundred bits; the amount for the statue plus fifty to buy his silence. I will go to the University and see about anyone else who would know the studies of this Ravenhoof.”

“What about a member of the guard?” Withers suggested. “I know one or two who are considered dependable and reliable. I might be able to pay one or two of them to pass information on if we find it.”

“Do so. Tell them payment available upon receiving the information. They will likely make a move soon; Chief Darkhooves is perhaps overly zealous and the Princess is getting uncomfortable with the situation down there.”

Withers nodded. “Of course,” he said, bowing slightly.

“For now, let us sleep. Today has been profitable; eight hundred bits over the last few days is quite the payday, and will give us free reign in some cases. But tomorrow, we’re on the first train to Canterlot.”

Present day...

At six thirty-nine, Daring Do sat at the kitchen table finishing breakfast. A. B. Ravenhoof had made a fine breakfast quesadilla of egg, potato, and roasted tomato and provided her with a black scarf for her trip up the mountain. She examined the contents of her satchel, including the Transport Sack, the letters of conscription, and the map of Equestria with the poem. Waiting for the guard to arrive, she began to read the poem.

The Sacred Stones shall quell sibling rampage
Then become hidden at the end of an age.
Their departure marks the finale of a troubled climb
For none are needed during following peacetime.
But their arrival shall herald a brand new evil
And villains asleep since times medieval;
All will be lost if they remain apart
And even their magic will not outsmart.

A knock came at the door. “Well, that answers nothing,” Daring thought to herself as she folded the map back up and put it in her satchel. “Just that they would hide away and we have to go find them.”

The knock came again, sounding slightly impatient. Daring Do opened the door and recognized the pony standing there as the unicorn guard who was present at the house where she met Shining Armor. “I’ve come to collect you, miss,” the guard said. “We will meet the others at a guard tower near the exit of the city and the path we’ll use up the mountain.”

Daring nodded. “Lead the way,” she said. “Quickly, if you must; I can keep up just fine.”

The unicorn nodded. “Fly over me. I shall gallop ahead. I have tied a blue ribbon on my spear; find it should you lose me in crowds.”

Daring Do secured the satchel over her shoulder and back and nodded. She locked and closed the door behind her and jumped into the air, spreading her wings and flapping a few times to gain some altitude but enough where she could still easily see the guard. Without waiting for further notice, the guard took off and galloped east towards the mountains.

There were few ponies out at that hour; a few were at the coffee shops and more were coming, but Canterlot remained a relatively quiet town and her streets held only whispers. The sun had barely risen over the horizon and most of Canterlot remained hidden in the shadow of the mountain on which it stood. Daring looked up for but a moment to see that the top was surrounded almost entirely in snow and ice despite it being spring and very close to summer, and the exact top could not be seen.

But Daring didn’t question why it snowed on top of the mountain despite the already increasing heat. She was sure the top had been somehow enchanted, a way of hiding the ruin and protecting the Stone within. It was meant to scare them, to drive them away, to make sure that only those who sought them out were powerful enough to find a way through in the first place and had the knowledge to correctly make use of it.

When they approached the guard tower, the unicorn leading Daring Do slowed down and Daring eventually glided down and stood alongside him. Shining Armor was standing outside the tower looking at them expectantly as they approached and soon walked up to meet them.

“Good, you’re here,” Shining Armor said. “Thank you, Swift Blade.”

The unicorn who had brought Daring saluted Shining Armor then resumed his post.

“Well, we’d better get inside,” Shining Armor said. “We have a few provisions to go through before we make our trek. It’s not long, but it’s steep and difficult.”

Daring Do nodded and followed Shining Armor inside the watchtower. They entered a main room with a staircase leading upwards and a door presumably leading into the wall surrounding Canterlot. They entered through the door and came across a small armory where two unicorns and a pegasus sat waiting. One of the unicorns was a royal guard, but the other was a white mare with a bright pink mane and wide blue eyes and with a cutie mark of a red heart with a white cross in the center.

Shining Armor walked over to this white mare first. “Daring Do, this is Combat Medic Charity Kindheart,” he announced. “She’s part of the Royal Medic Corps, has advanced training in Botany and knowledge of basic sedatives, antidotes, and healing ointments.”

“Just ‘Kindheart’ is fine, Ms. Do,” the unicorn mare said softly. “I’m not completely defenseless, though; I do have a police baton with me and can use it well enough.”

“All recruits must go through training with one weapon to defend themselves,” Shining Armor said. “Medic Kindheart has ably completed her training with high marks.”

Daring Do nodded. She felt a little better about having a companion who was skilled and could protect herself. Shining Armor gathered the other two unicorns close as Daring examined Kindheart. She was rather delicate-looking, but there was a quickness to her rather wide-eyes that Daring thought marked her as a keen observer. She was also smiling rather tenderly, and Daring wondered how long it would be before the pressure of the guard finally broke her.

“I hope you don’t mind me coming along with you, Ms. Do,” Kindheart said apologetically. “But Shining Armor told me it was a royal order and I couldn’t refuse.”

“Yeah, he told me the same,” Daring admitted. “But you look capable enough. Have you ever seen combat before?”

“No,” Kindheart said. “I was going to go fight changelings not long ago, but the fight ended in their retreat before I could ever see combat. This will be my first time.”

Daring admitted to herself she felt a little worried by this information, but didn’t have much time to dwell on it. Shining Armor was gathering them around and drawing their attention to a drawing on a nearby chalkboard.

“Alright, everypony. This is our current mission: we need to ascend the top of the mountain and reach the ruins within. From there, we shall obtain the second of the Sacred Stones and hopefully find the key to the next ruin. We’ll need to stick close together to keep ourselves from getting separated in the storms above.”

Shining Armor pointed to the chalkboard, on which was a reasonable drawing of the mountain. “Now, the blizzard will not only block our progress, but could potentially result in frostbite or even death if we get lost. To help combat this, everyone will wear one of the jackets provided and drink a Potion of Heating. We’ll put on the jackets now and we’ll drink the potions later. Go ahead and grab yours.”

Daring Do found a nametag on a dark brown jacket with her name on it and put it on. It was a little large and was very soft, and almost immediately she began to swelter in the confined room. Shining Armor slipped his on, the guards put theirs on over thinner coats of armor, and Charity Kindheart put on a pink one, oddly brighter than the duller brown of Daring’s and the guards and the dark, royal blue of Shining Armor.

“Alright. Let’s head out. Daring, you can fly alongside if you want, but be warned the atmosphere gets thin up there and it might be hard to fly.”

Daring Do nodded. “I think I’ll conserve energy and stay on the ground.”

Shining Armor nodded approvingly. “Alright. Come on, we have no time to lose.”

Shining Armor led the way out the tower and right outside the gate to a pass leading to a cliff-side path along the mountain’s edge. Daring Do and Kindheart followed close behind and the two guards, Swift Blade and a pegasus, brought up the rear.

“So how long have you been adventuring?” Kindheart asked Daring.

“Oh, about three years under my mentor, Professor A. B. Ravenhoof.”

“I know Ravenhoof. He was my old history professor at Canterlot University before I joined the guard. I didn’t know he adventures.”

“Well, he’s retired now. He mostly sends me out nowadays; he finds objects that need retrieving, and I go get them.”

“Shining Armor told me you’re getting the Stones for Princess Celestia right now,” Kindheart said. “Do you have any ideas about the locations?”

“No, not really. The fact we already have one and know the place of another is a decent start. But I’ll have to figure out where the next one is from a clue at the ruins.”

“This is really fun,” Kindheart said. “I’ve never been on an adventure like this. I know it’s glamorized sometimes, but I always wanted to do something like this.”

“Trust me; it’s fun but dangerous,” Daring said. “It’s not something to take lightly. Come on; we should stay quiet and conserve our breath; I can already feel the air getting thinner.”

The path wound around the edge of the mountain for a while until they were on a very small ledge looking above Canterlot. From here the path turned inwards, and the first glimpses of snow could be seen a short ways away.

“Charity, distribute the Heating Potions,” Shining Armor said.

Charity pulled out five vials of a red liquid and distributed them with her magic. Daring quickly uncapped her but waited until the others had also obtained and uncapped their own vials.

“Drink,” Shining Armor said simply. “Then we go. We have limited time before they wear off.”

Daring mimicked the others and downed the vial in one gulp. As soon as the vials were emptied of their contents, the five set off again, following the path into the snow. Shining Armor pulled out a series of red flags along the way and placed them within visible distance of each other, each holding a red light on top that shined brightly. Daring knew the technique from those used by climbers for keeping track of where they were in areas of dense snow or fog.

The five trudged onwards. Kindheart was panting furiously, and every once in a while Daring turned to her and gave a small smile. Kindheart’s spirits seemed revived every time she did so, and would once more resume pace. The snow grew thicker and the air grew colder, and still they trudged on.

Then suddenly a high speed gale seemed to crash into them. Daring pulled her wings close and braced herself, but was still thrown backwards into a pile of snow. She quickly dug her way out and looked around, soon seeing the brown coats of the other guards, the dark blue coat of Shining Armor, and the red lights of the poles.

“Are we all okay?” Shining Armor called over the howling winds.

“I’m okay,” Daring Do replied.

“We’re good,” Swift Blade replied.

“Where’s Charity?” Shining Armor asked.

Daring Do looked around. There was no sign of the white mare. Daring began to panic. “She’ll be lost out here if we don’t do something! Her white coat will hide her if we don’t act soon.”

“Charity’s been warned of the dangers,” Shining Armor said. “We have the flags; she should be able to find her way back with them.”

“Are you kidding me!?” Daring shouted. “We can’t leave her! What if she’s knocked out?”

“We have a limited time before the Heating Potions run out,” Shining Armor said. “We can’t wait around to look for her.”

“I don’t care!” Daring said. “I’m not leaving her behind! Give me some flags!”

“I can’t let you do that!” Shining Armor said. “You’re vital to this mission; unfortunately Charity is not.”

“Well, I’m not letting her stay behind!” Daring Do trudged off into the high gales. “And don’t you try to stop me!”

Daring Do wandered off, always keeping in sight of the red flags and the red lights. She scoured the snow as quickly as she could, looking for a little flash of pink somewhere among the white drifts. Another wind blew and toppled Daring over and she rolled away, screaming as she twisted and turned.

Sticking a hoof in the deep snow, Daring finally managed to stop spinning and regain herself. She pulled herself up but could no longer see the red flags or the red lights.

“Shining Armor!” she cried out. “Kindheart! Where are you?”

But her voice was lost to the howling winds.

Chapter 6 - The Mile-High Temple

Daring Do pulled her jacket around her tighter. Already the winds were becoming harsher and colder, and Daring shivered through her jacket. The Potion of Heating she had drunk was already wearing off for her, which meant Kindheart was even worse out in this storm. If she couldn’t find either Kindheart or Shining Armor in time, she would freeze to death out here.

“Kindheart!” Daring called again. “Where are you!?”

Daring Do wandered around. She reached into her own bag and pulled out a compass; remembering that Canterlot was east of the mountain, Daring looked at the compass and tried to reorient herself, hoping to come to the edge of the mountain and use the red flags to make her way back, then she could use Shining Armor’s help to get Kindheart back.

The plan would have worked if the compass worked right. Daring took one look at the device and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. The compass needle was spinning around so fast that Daring was surprised the thing didn’t break or run off the pin in the center. The compass was completely useless.

“Ponyfeathers!” Daring spat. “I need to find Kindheart fast. I don’t care what Shining Armor says; I’m not leaving her behind. If Shining’s forces are already spread out as is trying to keep others from getting these Stones, then I’m going to need Kindheart’s help.”

Daring Do picked a direction and walked. Her hope was either to find Kindheart or a cliff face where she could carefully drop down and return to the path. She walked on for a little while before the wind got colder again and she pulled the jacket even closer around her.

Every once in a while she called out Kindheart’s name or Shining Armor’s, and every once in a while the wind seemed to calm down and the snowfall began to lighten. But after a short while the winds just picked up again. Twice, Daring was caught off guard and nearly blown backward again. Afterwards she began to find the tells of when the wind would pick up again, and tucked her wings in and braced herself for a moment before moving on again.

“Kindheart!” Daring called out once. “I’m not leaving you behind! Where are you!”

A faint voice could be heard in the wind. Daring listened for it for a while, and the voice came out again.”

“Kindheart! Can you hear me!?”

“...Daring...”

Daring hadn’t known Kindheart for long, but the pegasus was sure it was her; no other female was on the mountain. Daring called out again. “Kindheart! If that’s you, keep shouting!”

“...are you...”

“I’m coming! Just keep calling, and I’ll go over to you!”

Daring Do heard the voice calling again and again, and followed the voice into a particularly deep patch of snow and fierce winds. But Daring kept hearing the voice and so she kept following. She travelled on, further and further, until she came to a small bit of pink and a red flag visible through the storm.

“Kindheart!” Daring said. She picked up a little bit of speed as she approached the flag.

Sure enough, the little white unicorn with the pink sweater sitting by the flag was Kindheart. The unicorn looked over when Daring called her name and nearly jumped for joy at the sight, walking over to where Daring was approaching.

“Oh, Ms. Do!” Kindheart said, throwing her front hooves around the pegasus. Daring rolled her eyes at the hug, but was happy all the same at finding her. “Oh, thank Celestia someone found me!”

“Yeah, but we’re not out of the woods yet,” Daring said. “I got blown away by a wind and don’t know where Shining Armor is now. But I wasn’t going to leave you behind.” She shivered and fell over, feeling numb in her hooves.

“Oh! Your potion must have worn off!” Kindheart exclaimed. “Here, I have another one. I had a few left and used one to keep warm.”

Kindheart used her magic to steady and uncork a vial of the red liquid and poured another Potion of Heating down Daring’s throat. Almost immediately Daring felt warmer and the numbness left her hooves. She picked herself up and noticed her jacket once again was keeping the warmth inside.

“Thanks,” Daring said. “Not sure how much longer I was going to last.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll find our way back to the others. I have more potions we can use, and I gave some to Shining Armor just as a precaution.”

“Well, that won’t help. But we need to find the red flags Shining Armor put down. By the way, how’d you get one?”

“I was blown over by a particularly strong gale. But I grabbed one of the flags that Shining Armor was carrying and held on as hard as I could. I’m lucky I didn’t lose it in the storm, otherwise you might not have found me.”

Daring Do and Kindheart took up the red flag and started walking side by side, keeping the flag between them and huddling together for warmth. Daring explained her plan of finding a cliff or the flags and Kindheart agreed almost immediately. They walked for a while and took turns calling Shining Armor’s name to conserve their breath. But as long as they walked there was no sign of Shining Armor or the guards.

But presently, they came across a strange black shadow looming over them.

“Hey, Ms. Do,” Kindheart said as they looked at the shadow. “What do you think that is?”

“I don’t know,” Daring answered. “I’m just hoping I’m not going delirious.”

But as the two walked forwards, the winds seemed to calm down and the shadow came into focus. They approached closer and found a small stone structure. The walls seemed to have pictures carved into them but they were worn away by snow and ice and neither could make out what they were. It also appeared to get fatter the further back it went, and was covered in torch sconces where the fires had gone out.

Daring Do and Kindheart walked around the structure for a little bit and soon found a large pair of stones that looked like a door. The two went to them and pushed them aside with a loud creaking and scraping sound. They opened the door just enough to get inside and slipped in, Kindheart placing the flag outside the front door in case Shining Armor was nearby looking for them.

It was only after the flag was planted that Daring got a good look at her surroundings. She and Kindheart were in a small room with a stone fireplace that had a pile of logs and some twigs and kindling in it; Kindheart was already busy trying to get a fire started. There were more carvings on the walls, but Daring couldn’t see much of them in the dimmer light.

At the far end were two statues that looked like two alicorns. One seemed to have Celestia’s mane and cutie mark, and the other had a similar mane with many small holes and the cutie mark of a moon. Both sat astride another door with writing on it. Daring approached it, and looked at the writing.

“Can you get that fire started?” Daring said. “It’s cold, plus I’d like some light to see this.”

“Just one second,” Kindheart said. “I think I got it.”

A few seconds later, there was a small crackling fire in the fireplace. The fireplace was significantly sheltered and thus even the howling wind didn’t put it out. Kindheart carefully picked up a decent-sized stick and went to one of the torches nearby and tried lighting it. The torch eagerly accepted the flame; Kindheart put the stick back in the fireplace and moved over to the door where Daring stood.

“There’s writing on it,” she said. “What does it say?”

Daring took a quick look at it. “It’s the clue to the temple,” she said. “Ravenhoof showed me one gained from the Castle of the Two Sisters, where the trail of the Sacred Stones was supposed to begin.”

As soon as Daring finished speaking, there came a sound like an unlocking door. Not long afterwards, the doors opened all by themselves, causing Daring and Kindheart to jump backwards in surprise. Behind the door was dark and nothing could be seen further than the door itself.

“Daring...?” Kindheart said, voice small and trembling. “I’m scared.”

“So am I,” Daring said. “But we ought to go in. If the Sacred Stone is here, we should at least see if we can’t get it.”

Daring Do went towards the door and motioned for Kindheart to follow her. Kindheart moved the torch in front of Daring with her magic and walked behind the pegasus, the two approaching the doors and squeezing through the gap in the stone. First the torch entered, then Daring, then Kindheart.

Daring and Kindheart found themselves in a small stone room with a staircase leading up to a small pedestal on which sat a grey sphere. Daring and Kindheart walked up the stairs side-by-side and approached the pedestal and the stone. On the stone was engraved a mark in the shape of a cloud with a thunderbolt coming down from it; the thunderbolt had three lines that looked like they were colored at one point but the color had faded away.

“This must be the Sacred Stone,” Daring said. “This looks like the one Shining Armor told me about.”

“Are you sure?” Kindheart asked. “It doesn’t look like much.”

“It’s the same size and has an engraving on it. And with it being up here in this snowstorm, I doubt anyone would try and make a fake one to put here.”

Daring pulled out the Transport Sack that Shining Armor had given her and placed the stone inside. It fit perfectly, and when Daring closed it she found the bag glowed for a second and stopped. When she opened it up again the stone was gone and nothing remained.

Daring Do and Kindheart were about to leave the pedestal when Kindheart stopped.

“What?” Daring said impatiently. “Is something there?”

“Yeah,” Kindheart said. “It looks like another poem.”

Daring went up and found Kindheart taking out a pencil and paper and beginning to scribble the writing down on her own little notepad. Daring Do went over and looked at the verse engraved in the pedestal below where the Sacred Stone once rested.

In south deserts dry, a community stands.
Two separate species shall have to shake hands.
To abate these creature’s ferocity,
One will have to show their generosity.

“It’s as cryptic as the first,” Daring Do said. “But if that’s what we have to go off of, then we ought to see if we can’t research.”

“We could always go to Prince Blueblood,” Kindheart said. “He knows a lot about maps and Equestrian geography. Maybe he would know something about it.”

“Sure, if we can get him to cooperate,” Daring said. “I’ve heard he doesn’t look too kindly on city ponies.”

“Maybe he would help you if you told him it was royal business,” Kindheart suggested. “He couldn’t deny an order from his aunt.”

“Well, we can try it,” Daring said as they exited the small room and went back to the fireplace. “But first we have to figure out how to get down from this mountain.”

“That won’t be so hard.”

Daring Do and Kindheart both looked to the entrance of the building where the voice had come from and found Shining Armor trudging in with the two guards. They all looked worn out but none showed signs of freezing and they all hurriedly came over to the fireplace.

“Thank goodness we found you!” Shining Armor said. He raced over to Kindheart and threw a hoof around her, who returned the gesture. “We were getting more worried and considered going back down to tell Celestia, but then we saw the flag outside the building here and found our way here. We heard you speaking inside.”

“Are you alright?” Daring asked. “What happened after I blew off in the gale?”

“Not much. We used our flags to try searching for you and heard you calling out, but you started going farther and farther away. We tried searching a little farther but couldn’t find you; it was like the snow was creating a wall between us and you. So we started looking for the temple.” Shining Armor let go of Kindheart and looked around the room. “Seems like you found it ahead of us.”

“Yeah,” Daring said. “We found the Sacred Stone and used the Transport Sack to send it back to your place in Canterlot. And we found a poem that looks like it could be the next clue on the trail.”

Daring recited the poem to Shining Armor and the guards. They were attentive listeners as Daring repeated it, and soon the guards and Shining Armor were all nodding their heads.

“That certainly sounds like the next clue,” Shining Armor said. “Celestia told me it would probably be in verse. Where did you find it?”

“Under the Stone,” Daring said. “By the way, the Stone had a thunderbolt-looking mark on it. Do you have any idea what it stands for?”

“No idea,” Shining Armor said, shaking his head. “I can ask Celestia to see if we’re on the right track, but I can’t give you any information off the top of my head.”

Kindheart finally spoke up. “I’m sorry, Captain Armor, for getting lost like that,” she said.

“No need to apologize to me,” Shining Armor said. “I was going to count it as a loss, but it was Daring’s idea to go and search for you. Turns out that was the right situation in the end. I should apologize to you for nearly leaving you behind.”

Kindheart nodded. “I’ll forgive you,” she said, “but perhaps it’s better I’m going with Ms. Do.”

“You know,” Daring said, “you can just call me ‘Daring’. I hate ‘Ms. Do’; it sounds too formal.”

Kindheart nodded happily.

“Now,” Shining Armor said. “We’ve placed flags in a path down. Why don’t we head down to Canterlot, regroup, and figure out what our next step is?”