Daring Do struggled to remain conscious, even as the ancient artifact before her sucked out her will to live. She was facing one of her oldest and most persistent foes, an enemy she struggled with after most every adventure. She had always emerged triumphant in the past, and she was determined that the same would hold true into the distant future. But that did not make the battle any less arduous, or her suffering any less terrible.
The sound of a polite knock on her door pulled Daring out of her fugue state, drawing her eyes from the blank sheet of paper in the typewriter before her. Her body flew into motion, quickly donning her 'A.K. Yearling' disguise, while her mind flew through possibilities.
Daring was a mare who really valued her privacy. To that end she had built her home out in the middle of nowhere. She wrote under a pseudonym, and even her pen name was known as a recluse. Aside from her publisher (and a few of her more competent competitors) no one even knew where she lived.
Taking a moment to adjust her dress to ensure it covered her cutie mark, Daring Do cautiously approached the door. She couldn’t afford to break character, in case it was a fan who had somehow discovered her whereabouts. Again. But she needed to prepared in case this was part of some nefarious plot…
With those thoughts in mind, ‘A.K. Yearling’ opened the door to her humble abode, ready for anything.
And thus she took coming face to face with a smiling purple alicorn with more aplomb than most would expect.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle?” She asked with just a hint of surprise.
“Hello Miss Do. I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”
The tea was stale.
Daring grimaced and hoped her guest wouldn’t notice as she placed her tea set on the kitchen table. It was one of the many minor hassles of being an intrepid adventurer. When a new lead or avenue of research might pop up at any time and draw you away for months on end, it was hard to keep up on the grocery shopping.
Taking her own seat across the table from Twilight (whom, she noted, was practically quivering in excitement) she moved to pour them each a cup of tea.
“So your highness, what brings you by this afternoon?” Daring raised a questioning eyebrow as she poured.
“History!” Twilight blurted excitedly. Seeing the confused look on Daring’s face she forced herself to calm down and explain in a bit more detail. It just wouldn’t do for a princess of Equestria to go all fan-filly on one of her favorite authors. No matter how tempting it was!
“Ahem. That is, I’ve recently begun expanding my studies of Equestrian history.” Twilight took a small sip of her tea. “I’ve been rather disappointed by what I’ve found however. Even going back just a few hundred years, there’s so little reliable documentation, as I’m sure you’ve noticed."
Daring took a sip from her own cup and grimaced. The tea was nothing to write home about but it wasn’t the source of the bitter taste in her mouth.
“Yes. I’ve noticed.” She replied dryly.
Bored.
Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored.
Daring Do was completely, totally, and utterly bored.
With a defeated sigh she closed the cover of the ancient tome before her. She was rewarded with a small cloud of dust, but she paid it no mind as she laid her head down upon the book. Daring was too drained to bother sneezing. Instead she allowed her eyes to roam across the desks and bookshelves of the Canterlot Archives.
This was not what she expected archelogy to be like.
Oh, she expected studying, and plenty of research. She actually enjoyed studying and research! But she also expected there to be more than just reading through three hundred year old accounts of things that may or may not have happened five hundred years earlier…
She didn’t want to just read about history! She wanted to discover it! She wanted to explore! Dig! Touch! Feel! Smell! She wanted to hold bits of the past in her own two hooves! And then she wanted to assemble those pieces like a puzzle! A jigsaw puzzle! And when she'd put all the pieces in their places, she'd show it off to everypony, so that all could know and see what the world had once looked like!
Her name was Daring Do! And she wanted to go out and ‘Do’ things!
But her professors just scoffed at her.
Nopony went out digging around in the dirt! That wasn’t what archeology was all about! Instead a true archeologist dug through books! Searched through libraries, compared bibliographies, and cross-referenced citations. Anything you really needed to know about the past had already been catalogued, written about, and filed away after all. So why bother sullying your hooves?
Besides, there simply wasn’t any funding for silly things like research expeditions or ‘hooves-on’ archeology. And if the crown wasn’t interested in wasting money on something, nopony else was going to put up the bits.
With yet another heartfelt Sigh, Daring closed her eyes.
Perhaps Canterlot Academy wasn’t the place for her...
“Anyway, Rainbow Dash and I were having our weekly Daring Do reading hour…” She flushed and cleared her throat. “Ah, I mean, we were just discussing your latest release when it occurred to me... You’re really Daring Do, and you’ve really been to all of those places! Seen all those things!”
Daring nodded carefully. She was actually herself. She had been to many different places. And right now she wished she were just about anywhere else. Because she was not comfortable with the direction this conversation was taking.
“That’s sort of true...” she hedged. Her lack of enthusiasm went unnoticed.
Twilight had enough enthusiasm for both of them.
“Oh, I know your books aren’t one hundred percent accurate.” Twilight waved her hoof dismissively. “I’ve read ‘The Rings of Scorchero,’ and I saw all of the embellishments and, shall we say, literary liberties you took with the story. It was hardly suitable for publishing in a journal of archeology!” She shot her host a small, apologetic smile.
“But that’s just it! You may have embellished things, but there was a core of truth to it! And if the same is true of all of your other books… Why, I can hardly imagine all the things you’ve seen!” Twilight’s wings were twitching in excitement at the very thought.
Daring Do, on the other hoof, was not feeling at all excited. She took another sip of her tea, her gaze drifting to the side as she avoided eye contact with the Princess.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’ve seen lots of things.”
She’d done it! She’d been right!
Daring had known there were ruins in the mountainside! The ancient pottery shards and other artifacts ponies found when digging out their basements in nearby settlements told her that there had been something of interest in the general area. The strange Igneous rock formation along the flank of the mountain had helped her to pinpoint the location.
But in the end it was a combination of luck, skill, and perseverance that allowed her to discover a crack in the rocks where time and water had worn the stone away. She’d had to crawl on her belly, hop and fly over chasms, and squeeze through openings so tight she was certain she’d left half her primaries behind her.
But her perseverance had paid off. This... This was no natural cave formation. This was a proper tunnel. This was signs of civilization!
She’d been right! She’d been right! They’d all laughed at her, but she’d been right!
Well, okay, they hadn’t really laughed at her, per se. Rather, they’d just pointed out that their books showed no ancient settlements in the area. And then ignored her theories. They just didn’t care.
But Daring Do cared. She cared a lot.
She cared enough to quit the university and spend the remains of her tuition on train fare, camping equipment, and spelunking gear.
Giddy with excitement, she started down the rough hewn tunnel, her lantern lighting the way.
Her excitement lasted until she came upon the skeletons.
There were just a few at first. Near the start of the tunnel. Twisted, blackened things, so badly disfigured that she couldn’t even identify the species. Further down the tunnels the remains were far more intact.
And far more numerous.
Even so, Daring still could not identify their species. Their skeletal structure didn’t match any of the Sapients she was familiar with, and she was familiar with all of the common species of Equus. If she had to guess, based on the presence of fangs and claws, and the general morphology of the skeletons, they may have been related to felines. There was evidence of jewelry and clothing amongst the remains, but Daring had no way to tell the stallions of this species from the mares.
The smaller bones of the foals however, were quite easy to pick out.
Slowly, it began to dawn on her. Daring had set out to find the ruins of a lost civilization.
What she’d found was its tomb.
Completely oblivious to her host’s mood, Twilight continued to chatter excitedly.
“Dash and I reread all of your books after that.” She flushed a bit in embarrassment. “For... research purposes of course!”
“Of course.” Daring’s lips twitched into a small, amused smile. Truthfully, she’d never had much use for fan fillies. Avoiding them was the reason for her reclusive alternate persona. Her writing was just a means to an end, and that end was not fame or glory.
But for some reason the thought of a royal fan filly was just too amusing for words.
“Ahem. Anyway…” Twilight cleared her throat, still looking embarrassed. “I reread your books. And you’ve written so many of them! You must have learned so many things! Seen such wonders! Discovered so many secrets!
Once again the act of sipping her tea helped cover up a grimace.
“Yeah, there have been a lot of those…”
Daring wasn’t sure what these creatures had been. There were no mentions of felinoid races in any of the history books she had read. But whoever and whatever they had been, they had clearly been fellow sapients. And thus they deserved to have their remains treated with dignity and respect. Which was why she spent so much time flying despite the low ceilings.
In many places, there was nowhere she could walk without desecrating a grave.
Any sense of giddy euphoria had long since fled. But she was an archeologist. She was here for a reason. To discover the threads of history. And to weave them back into a tapestry. To learn the truth, so she could share it with everypony else.
Whoever these unfortunate souls were, whatever catastrophe befell them, it was her job, her goal, her purpose to discover what happened. To make sure that these people weren’t forgotten. To let their story be told.
As she delved deeper into the tunnels and antechambers, she began to discover writing along the walls. Much of it was unfamiliar script. Long flowing symbols intermixed with complex runes. But in the furthest chambers she began to find smatterings of Ancient Sew-Mare-Ian. Daring may have tired of her studies at Canterlot University, but she had never slacked in her study of languages.
The pictograms may not have spoken of the start of the story… But they were very clear as to its end.
The Abominations have come for us. Their blood is an Unholy mixture of Lessers, bound with fire and ice. They strike at our edges, but the Rzzzine are strong, and our Hunters fast. Our claws have sunk deep into the stones, and out paws cover the valley below.
The Abominations shall taste our bronze, and feel our fangs on their throats.
The Abominations are strong. Our claws and fangs break upon their hides. Our spears melt or shatter. Our greatest hunters fall like hoofbeasts mired in mud.
From the redoubt we can see the valley burn. Many of the Clans have fallen. But many more remain.
The Abominations have driven their fangs deep. But they have not struck heart’s blood. The Rzzzine remain! Like the Bird of Fire, we shall grow back stronger!
Our stores are deep, and the mountain our shield. Any who strike at the Redout will find naught but death.
The Abominations fear our claws. They dare not enter the Redoubt, lest they be slain.
They throw their foul magicks against the stones, but the stones are thick above us. They will not yield. They will give us time.
Claw and Spear can not slay the Abominations. The Wise Ones see this. In time, they will make us sharper claws and longer spears. The Abominations fear to face us in our Rebout today. Tomorrow, they will fear to face us across this world.
The stones weep.
The Abominations have brought the heat of a thousand forges against the mountain. Flowing stone has filled the passages to the sky.
The air grows thick, and death stalks Hunter and Kit alike throughout the great halls.
To our children who one day come to read these words, beware!
Beware the Abomination of the three hoofbeasts! The Horns, the Winged, and the Earth!
Beware the Sun and the Moon!
Daring could only stare in disbelief at the final words, etched roughly and hurriedly into the stone walls.
Her translation was rough. But the last sentence was unmistakable. The symbol they had used for the sun was one she was very familiar with.
It had, after all, been stamped on the coinage of Equestria for centuries.
Just as it was marked on the flank of Equestria’s ruler…
“There were a lot of important details left out of your books though. I mean, of course you’d leave out some of the details!” Twilight laughed nervously. “Creative liberties and all that. But there are a lot of gaps in your books. And while they make sense in fiction, knowing that you’re, well, real...” She trailed off.
Daring simply nodded in agreement.
“I’ve left a lot of things out of the books. Especially actual locations. A lot of the places I visit can be dangerous, and the last thing I’d want is for some overeager fan to try to follow in my hoofsteps. Somepony could be hurt.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Twilight nodded slowly as she considered the point. “It would be terrible to know ponies were hurt because of something you’d written.”
“Yeah. Sometimes those gaps are there for a reason...”
A faint air of desperation surrounded Daring as she skimmed through book after book. The stacks surrounding her table were growing taller and taller, even as her patience grew shorter and shorter.
There was no mention of the Rzzzine in any of these books. There was no mention of any species or civilization that matched them.
In point of fact, there was no mention of anything existing in that valley before ponies settled there several hundred years ago. The most she had found with a passing reference in an ancient travelogue stating that the area was dangerous. Aside from that the entire time period before its settlement was a blank space in the history books. A gap in the historical record. One of many such gaps.
Daring paused at that thought.
There were lots of gaps in the history books. In this particular gap, she had found an entire civilization, and entire species that had been unknown.
What might she find in the other gaps?
Daring eyed the books surrounding her from a new perspective. Carefully removing one from the stack, she began reading more slowly, and taking notes. Only this time she was paying attention not to what was there, but to what was missing.
“But as I wondering… Why are you writing adventure books, instead of submitting your findings to peer reviewed journals? I mean, with all the discoveries you’ve made, you’d be famous!” Twilight gushed. Before the consequences of her suggestion occurred to her.
“Ah, not that you’re not famous already!” She stammered. "Or that you should stop writing adventure novels! They’re really really good!”
Her muttered comments about 'Rainbow Dash killing her if she got Daring Do to stop writing' were probably not meant to be heard.
The panicked alicorn’s antics were almost enough to bring another smile to Daring’s face. Almost.
“Let’s just say that most of my discoveries didn’t quite fit in with mainstream archeology…”
Daring grunted at the rejection letter she held in her hooves before dropping it unceremoniously onto the table. It landed beside a half a dozen similar letters. Their origins, hoofwriting, and verbiage were all different, yet they all said the same thing.
“The Crown isn’t interested in paying ponies to dig in the dirt, and neither are we.”
Her discovery was being ignored. More than just ignored. It was being buried. Buried as deep and hopelessly as the ruins she had discovered.
And this was despite her writing her grant proposal to be as... bland an uninflammatory as possible! No mention of a new Sapient species. No descriptions of their final writings, or the possible origin of their destruction. Just simple, dry facts.
The evidence that led her to explore the region.
The discovery of a clearly constructed tunnel system.
The presence of remains and artifacts of a previously undiscovered nature.
And a request for a very modest sum in order to perform some initial excavations and examinations. Just to identify the civilization and determine if the site required a more thorough investigation.
She may as well have asked for the moon.
Well, she still had a few bits left to her name. Her camping supplies were still in good shape. And she had a great many ‘gaps’ in the history books to explore, even if nopony else cared enough to bother.
But if she was going to continue down her current path, she was going to need to find an alternative source of bits…
“I found it much easier to have my exploits published as fiction.” Daring continued. “No matter how much it pained me to have it labeled as such.” The last was muttered under her breath, though based on how her ears drooped, Twilight caught at least part of it.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to hit a sore spot.” Twilight frowned down at her tea. Daring just chuckled lightly, trying to wave it off.
“I took no offense. It’s all water under the bridge.” She insisted, even if there was a certain tightness around her eyes.
“Besides, when you get right down to it, most of what I’ve found has just been variations on a common theme...”
Death has come for us from the seas.
We flee the shore, and the tentacles that none can stand before.
If you find this warning, traveler, beware! None may defeat the Monster that is Shark and Squid. Though it shies from the flame, it always returns…
Our ending Cometh. It hast drained us of our vital essence. Our wings fail us, and we are lost.
To those who follow, learn from us! Flee! Flee the Abomination! It has the bottom of the pony, and the top of the minotaur, but mercy it has not at all!
The cold grows worse. Our crops fail. Time is short.
The Soldiers of Harugh stand ready. We shall finish the Minoans this time. The icy winds shall not steal the fire in our blood!
They came from the skies, and warned His Highness from his path. They said our fighting would draw down the Wendigos.
Our lord heeded them not. And when next they came, they brought death to our people.
Beware the Sun and Moon!
Our end comes! Beware the creature of many beasts and madness!
Beware the cloud that is half shadow! It consumes all those who’s shadow it touches!
Beware the Dog of Rock and its Breath of Stone!
Beware The Centaur!
Beware the Sun and Moon!
Beware!
Beware!
Beware!
Twilight giggled. “Well, the Princess does say that history tends to be cyclical. What happened before tends to happen again!”
Daring did her best to hide the shiver of dread that ran down her spine.
“If you say so, you highness.”
“Please, just call me Twilight!” She insisted with a bright smile.
“If you insist, Twilight.”
“Anyway, once I started to think of your books as real I did start to get a little concerned…” Twilight's smile faded, replaced by a worried look. “After all, some of the artifact that you've discovered sound rather dangerous!”
Daring forced a smile to her lips, and faked an unconcerned chuckle.
“Well, they’re just stories Twilight. And like you said, I've embellished them a bit here and there. To, you know, add a bit of drama. A lot of the details are exaggerated, or don’t quite reflect reality.”
Daring Do strained her wings against the ropes that bound her, while before her Ahuizotl gloated and monologued.
“Once again you are too late Daring Do! And another ring falls into my hands!” Using his tail hand he held the golden ring up for all to see. Behind him, his army of native ponies shook their spears in celebration.
“Why Azy, I never knew you were into jewelry! I hate to tell you this, but Gold really clashes with your fur. And it’s not your size anyway.” She smirked at her nemesis, masking her fear with bravado.
“Ha! Foolish little pony, are you truly so ignorant? Do you not know what this is?”
“One of the rings of Scorchero. There’s like, a dozen of them. Big deal.” Daring rolled her eyes and feigned a yawn.
As expected, Ahuizotl was unable to pass up the bait.
“You truly are a fool then, Daring Do. These rings… These rings are one of the few artifacts of my people left upon Equus.” A grim smile crossed his muzzle as he stared at the ring. “Our greatest, and alas, final creation.”
“Oh? And what's it do? Let me guess, you use it to stretch out your necks to look pretty for all the boys?” She snorted, prodding her foe once again, waiting for him to explode.
But instead he just turned his eyes from the ring to his captive. And his grim smile only grew.
“Not quite. No, when combined with the rest of the rings, this will allow me to wrest control of the sun from the Abomination you worthless ponies kneel before.” His grin spread, and he held the ring up once more.
“And with that power, I will burn Equestria and it's princess to ashes! BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Daring couldn't help but but flinch at his maniacal laughter. Especially when his minions joined in with him.
“You monster.” Daring growled. And just like that, the laughter cut off.
“Monster? You call me a monster? You, who kiss the hoof of Celestia, dare call me a monster!” He growled, stalking forward. “Have you any idea how much blood those hooves are soaked in, ignorant pony? OCEANS OF IT!” He roared in her face, before seeming to calm down.
“The entirety of my people not being the least of it.” He hissed.
“Your… Your people preyed on ponies. Sacrificed them for entertainment.” Daring managed to shoot back despite the quaver in her voice. It was a struggle to rebuild her bravado, her sense of invincibility.
Ahuizotl just laughed.
“Yes, and? Your kind prey on grass and trees, and even the eggs of birds! It is the natural order! It is your princesses that are the abominations!”
“And what of them?” Daring gestured at the surrounding native ponies with her chin. “What lies have you told them to get them to follow you? To get them help you destroy their own people?”
Her question just elicited more laughter.
“Lies? I have told them no lies, Miss Do.” He chuckled in amusement. “They are followers of the old ways. And they remember the old truths. They remember what was done to their ancestors.”
His smirk only grew wider.
“Come now, miss Do. You know as well as I that it wasn't just non-ponies that have felt the wrath of your perfect little princess.”
Daring Do broke eye contact, looking away. She'd been exploring and discovering for years now.
She knew what those gaps in the official histories held.
And she knew the truth as well as he did.
“Still, if there's even a hint of truth in your stories… Perhaps it would be best if you handed some of those artifacts over to the Royal Guard? I think everypony would feel better if they were properly sealed away and under guard...”
Daring just smirked and called on her adventuring persona, projecting an air of complete confidence. An act she'd long since mastered. A bit of bluster and bravado had gotten her out of many tight spots in the past, and this one would be no different.
“No offense meant to yourself or the Royal Guards your Highness, but I've been at this job for quite a while now. Trust me when I say I've got everything under control.” She flashed her trademark confident smirk and winked.
Twilight brought her hooves to her mouth to hide her giggle as she struggled to resist the urge to fan-filly out.
“W… Well, if you're sure you've got a handle on it...”
“No worries Princess. I've got everything under control.”
Daring Do was completely out of control.
It wasn't that much of a surprise. Even through the lead lined chest, the Bag of Magic Stealing was interfering with her pegasus magic, and thus her ability to fly. Coupled with the fact that lead lined chests are damned heavy, and it explained why the pegasus adventurer was wobbling through the air like she'd just finished a keg of cider.
Still, she had no choice but to keep a stiff upper lip and soldier on. She had to get the Bag away from here. Out of the path of the monster's rampage.
The old scrolls had been very clear on that point. The Centaur was bad enough on its own. With it's magic stealing bag in hand, it was nearly invincible. The Diamond Dog Imperium had learned that the hard way. That once great Civilization had fallen, its people scattered and all but annihilated at the hands of that particular Abomination. It had taken all they'd had just to separate it from the Bag, and hide it away.
There was no way Daring was going to let the two be reunited.
Off in the distance, she could hear Tirek roar…
He wings beat faster.
”Putting that aside though, I was really hoping you might be willing to share some of your research with me. I'm sure your discoveries would make fascinating reading! And it would really help me fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge of Equestrian history.” Twilight smiled happily at Daring, practically giving her puppy dog eyes.
Daring had never been given puppy dog eyes by Royalty before. It was a mildly disturbing experience.
“Ah… Haven't you asked Princess Celestia or Luna to bring you up to speed?”
“Well, it feels a bit rude to bring it up with Luna. She's working so hard to come up to speed with the present, I don't know if I want to remind her of the past...” Twilight frowned, then giggled before continuing. “And you know how Celestia is. She's remarkably forgetful. Why, Historians have been trying to get information on ancient history from her for centuries! But all she ever does is smile and shrug and say she 'can't quite recall that far back.'” Twilight rolled her eyes, a smile on her muzzle.
“Yes, well, I really think that you should speak to Celestia about this before I share my notes with you.” Seeing Twilight's crestfallen expression, Daring rushed to reassure her. “It's not that I don't trust you or anything. It's just that, ah… Some of my discoveries and conclusions might not be one hundred percent correct. None of it has been peer reviewed after all… And I wouldn't want to taint your knowledge of history with incorrect data.”
Twilight's expression quickly brightened.
“The Princess's would really be a… more appropriate source for… historical perspective than one crazy pegasus adventurer.”
“I suppose you're right.” Twilight agreed, nodding after a moment's thought. “Princess Celestia always knows best about these things anyway.”
Daring breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted to do was 'corrupt' the newest Alicorn with her… unusual perspective on history. The truth deserved to be known, to be remembered. But sometimes… Sometimes it was best that the past remain buried, for the sake of the future.
“But you really shouldn't put yourself down like that.” Twilight continued sternly. “You're not just some crazy pegasus adventure! You're Daring Do! Like Rainbow Dash says, one of the most awesome pegasi ever! Not to mention an excellent writer!”
Daring couldn't help but smile at the heartfelt praise.
“Thank you your Highness. That really means a lot, specially coming from Element bearers and Royalty.” Daring ignored Twilight's embarrassed blush. “Now, I'd love to continue to chat with you, but I've really got some work I need to attend to...” She nodded in the direction of her typewriter.
“Oh. oh!” Twilight embarrassment grew. “I'm, so sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt your writing!”
Daring gave the Princess a reassuring smile as they both got up from their seats.
“It was no interruption. Really. If anything it was a pleasant distraction from a bit of writers block.” Given the subject matter, 'pleasant' may have been stretching the description, but she still managed to say it with a straight face.
Twilight cleared her throat as Daring escorted her to the door.
“I hope it's not presumptuous but… I don't suppose you know what the title of your next book is going to be?” She asked hopefully. Daring just smiled.
“I'm thinking 'Daring Do and the Silica Thorax' for a title.” She confided.
Twilight practically squealed in excitement at the tidbit of insider info, her wings fluttering as she hopped up and down in excitement.
“Thank you so much Miss Do! I really love you books, and it's been a pleasure talking to you.” Twilight smiled broadly, holding out her hoof as she stood outside the doorway.
“You know, I can honestly say that this has been the most pleasurable tea time I've ever had with an Alicorn Princess.” Daring replied, forcing her face to smile at the thought.
Twilight just giggled at the 'joke.'
Never let them see you sweat.
That was one of Daring's many mottos.
And it was one she was having a hard time living up to at the moment, as she sat across the table from her most dangerous opponent ever.
It was a struggle to keep her teacup from shaking in her hoof.
“Is the tea to your liking?” Princess Celestia asked with a motherly smile.
“Yes your Highess. It's quite good.” Daring was not comfortable being here. But when the ruler of your nation invites an award winning author to tea, the award winning author shows up for tea.
“I've read your latest book Miss Do. Or do you prefer Miss Yearling?” Celestia cocked an eyebrow as she took a sip of her own beverage.
“Miss Do is fine your Highness.”
“Oh, please, call me Celestia. We're in private, after all.” She gave Daring another regal smile before continuing.
“As I was saying, I read your latest book. I found your descriptions of the Glow Blade of Sky Walker absolutely fascinating.” She paused and tilted her head, inviting a response.
“As you say, your Highness.” Was the only response Daring allowed herself.
“I only vaguely recall legends about such a weapon myself.” She tapped her chin in thought. “I recall them saying it could cut through anything.”
Daring just nodded, taking a sip of her tea to hide her unease. The actual legend was that the incandescent blade was created to cut through anything… Even (and especially) Alicorns.
“Even Alicorns, as I recall...” Celestia continued, raising an eyebrow.
Daring's Teacup rattled loudly against its saucer as she carefully set it back down. Celestia allowed the silence to linger for a moment before speaking.
“You have no need to fear me, my little pony.” She said gently, a sad expression on her face.
“Of course not, your Highness.” It took an effort of will to look her ruler in the eye. After a few moments, it was Celestia that looked away.
“I notice that your story was… lacking in a few details about that mythical pegasus city.” Celestia probed gently.
Daring didn't answer immediately. Instead she took a few moments to gather her thoughts, and her courage, as the silence grew tense and brittle.
“Sometimes, your Highness, there are details that… Don't necessarily help the story. Details that… wouldn't be enjoyable to the reader. So sometimes it is necessary to leave them out.” She spoke slowly and with great care, eyes never leaving the Alicorn.
“But those details are not forgotten.”
“No your Highness.” Daring thought back to what she'd discovered on that frozen mountaintop. The mummified remains still entrapped in ice. The shattered homes and storefronts. The bones scattered across the streets, some far too small to have been those of warriors fallen in battle.
The last desperate, scribbled notes left behind by those trapped inside their own homes as the cold sunk into their bones…
“No, they're not forgotten.” She answered, her expression hard as she met Celestia's eyes once again.
“If… artifacts such as these were real… It would likely be best if they were kept by the crown. So that they can be kept someplace safe.” Celestia offered delicately.
“The… research material for my stories… is already kept someplace safe, you Highness. Alongside full copies of the… original manuscripts and notes for my… stories.” She kept her gaze locked with Celestia's, even as her heart pounded in her chest.
And once again the Princess looked away first.
“If you're sure.” She spoke softly after several moments of silence.
“I'm sure.”
“Well, I suppose I won't keep you any longer then.”
“Your Highness.” Daring bowed her head respectfully before rising from her seat. She bit back a sigh of relief as she turned to walk towards the doors. She wasn't out of the Everfree yet.
She was just reaching for the door handle when Celestia spoke once more from behind her.
“Miss Do?” She asked softly. “You do realize that everything I did… everything… Was for the benefit of my little ponies, right?”
Daring paused, her hoof on the door. Her mind went over all the places she'd been. The discoveries she'd made. The civilizations she'd discovered… The endings of civilizations, or whole species she'd found.
Not all of them lay at the hooves of the Alicorn behind her. Not even most.
But there were more than enough.
“Yes. I understand.” She replied without inflection. Without looking back.
“But I wonder… How many others would have said the same thing, if they weren't little more than dust and bones today?”
There was a soft sigh behind her.
“I ask myself the same question every day, my little pony.” The words were little more than a whisper.
Without another word or even a backwards glance 'A.K. Yearling' stepped out of the room.
Author's Note
This story was written for the July 2016 Write-Off Event: End of an Era. I’ve cleaned up a few typos and tweaked a line here or there, but otherwise left it mostly unchanged.
I hope Celestia doesn’t come across as too evil or tyrannical in this story, because it wasn’t my intention to cast her as such. Rather, she and Luna came to power in a much more violent and dangerous era. They did what they had to do to survive, and to ensure the survival of their little ponies. But by being Goddesses of ponykind, they inevitably became Demons to those who sought to harm their people.
Now, thousands of years later, the necessary actions of those early years would be looked upon with horror and disgust by her peaceful, harmonious subjects. But rather than tyrannically censoring the history books she’s chosen to let the past bury itself, gently nudging things along. She doesn't ban, block, or prevent research into the past. She just doesn’t fund it and passively snubs those that do. And that has, over the centuries, shaped pony society to be disinterested in proper archaeology and 'digging around in the dust and dirt'.
For her part, Daring Do is pragmatic enough to recognize that while Celestia (and Luna) are monsters, they are her monsters. They are the defenders of ponykind and of their current civilization. And bringing up their dark, blood stained past really is to no one's benefit. But they’re still monsters, and still dangerous. And so Daring Do has no intention of handing over the few artifacts she’s found that might actually post a threat to a mad Alicorn. Because as far as she’s concerned, they’re insurance against Celestia backsliding to her old ways...
