Daring Doubt
Sora lounged up on top of the castle, taking a little breather from his chores on the farm this morning. It was a nice, clear day, autumn was already here, which meant one of his favorite holidays is on the way, and everything was at peace for the time being. Sadly, that peace wouldn't last long as he heard a yell from above him, noticing too late as a mass of gray fur flopped down on top of him, uttering a grunt while he wheezed in discomfort.
"...D-Darn it, Rainbow Dash," Sora gasped. "I thought...this stopped."
"Oops. My bad." Surprised, the assailant who made a crash landing on top of him was actually Ponyville's resident mailmare, Derpy. "Sorry, Sora. I got turned around and lost control."
"Oh...Derpy." After clambering off of him, Sora sat up, coughing slightly as he rubbed his abdomen. "I thought it was Rainbow after she kept using me as her safety cushion during her crazy stunts years ago. It's been a while."
"I know. My little Muffin told me how beautiful the wedding was. Shame I had to work and miss it," Derpy said. "Oh! Speaking of; mail call!"
Digging through her bags, Derpy pulled out a few envelopes, squinting with her cocked eyes before finding the right addressees and gave them to Sora. "Thanks. Just make sure when you land, I'm nowhere underneath you."
"Can do! Bye, Sora!" Derpy waved, then flew off toward the Everfree Forest, but she turned back around into town. "Oops! I had to turn around!"
Sora chuckled as he watched the mailmare return to her duties. "How can anyone be mad at her with optimism like that?" As he looked over who of them got some mail, he noticed a flyer among them. Unfolding it, he was surprised to see a photo of A. K. Yearling at a book signing, which was held in Manehattan, and it was happening today. "Huh. She released another book. It's been a while since I've seen 'Daring Do'. Not since that incident in Somnambula...It's a little confusing keeping that name now that the actual Somnambula is back from limbo with the other Pillars, huh?"
"SORA!" Quickly looking up, Sora screamed and jumped back as Rainbow Dash slammed down on the castle rooftop, thankfully landing nowhere near where he stood. "Dude, you are not going to believe this!"
"For goodness sake, I'd like to not get painfully glomped by another pegasus!" Sora exclaimed.
"First of all, that was all your fault for being in my way in the past," Rainbow said, making Sora frown in irritation. "But that's not important! Just...Just look at this!"
She practically threw the book she'd been carrying at Sora, startling him as he caught it in his hooves. A moment later, Fluttershy came hovering down, much gentler than either Derpy or Rainbow.
"Oh my. I'm sorry, Sora," Fluttershy apologized. "Rainbow's just a little...peeved after I told her the new Daring Do book that came out a while ago."
"That is NOT Daring Do at all!" Rainbow argued.
"Huh?" Looking down at the cover, Sora noticed the illustration had Daring Do on it, only with a sinister smirk on her muzzle and her pith helmet concealing her eyes. He then read the title of this new book aloud. "'Daring Do and the Fallen Idol'? The heck? What idol threatened the fate of the world this time?"
"That's not even written by her! Just look who wrote that abomination of lies and slander!" Rainbow said.
Opening the front cover, the author of this book wasn't A. K. Yearling, but someone who goes by the name Groom Q. Q. Martingale. "Ok...So, did she get a ghost writer to write this one if she's been a bit too busy for her next 'story'?"
"This Martingale guy's making up a whole bunch of stuff to make Daring Do look bad!" Rainbow zipped up to Sora, flipping through the pages and pointing to the lines in different parts of the story. "'The true story of the thieving fraud known as Daring Do!' 'The only thing worse than Daring Do's destruction of temples is her cruelty to the mild-mannered Dr. Caballeron!?'"
"Wait, what!?" Sora exclaimed. "'Mild-mannered'!? That stallion's anything but mild! He ransacked her house to steal one of those gold rings Ahuizotl needed in that ritual to spread an sweltering heat throughout Equestria! And he already tried to slander her name in Somnambula to steal their glowpaz, AND kidnapped you and held you hostage in that temple where that Sphinx ruled that desert city!"
"Exactly!" Rainbow agreed. "But Fluttershy thinks it's a good story, and from Caballeron's point of view!"
"I thought it was a creative artistic choice," Fluttershy said with a shrug.
Sora sneered, staring down at the book as he looked through the story. "From 'Caballeron's' point of view, huh? Who's to bet Munny that this Groom Q. Q. Martingale is actually the sadistic archeologist trying to cause more chaos with his corrupted mind." His eyes widened when he came to a line he did not expect a "fictional" tale from a popular series that actually is true to have. "'Daring Do isn't just a fictional character from over-the-top adventure stories. I've met her, and she's a real, live pony!?' Ok, this is definitely Caballeron written all over this thing!"
"A. K.'s whole career is gonna be ruined because of this! We need to find her and stop 'Maringale' from tarnishing her name and revealing her true identity!" Rainbow agreed.
"Well, luckily, she's got a book signing in Manehattan. I only hope no one else has read this...garbage," Sora growled.
"You sure you both don't want to read it a little more?" Fluttershy suggested. "Maybe hear both sides of the story?"
"We already know Caballeron's side: he steals artifacts from ancient temples and crypts and tries to sell them for a profit in the black market," Sora said. "Also, hostage taker. He kidnapped Rainbow Dash."
"Twice!" Rainbow added. "She even took Quibble Pants back when I was at that Daring Do convention!"
"Well, if you look here-" Fluttershy took the slenderized book, flipping to the pages and pointed to a page detailing more about the stallion in question. "Caballeron is actually a history professor. And an amateur bird watcher."
She smiled innocently, seemingly swayed by Caballeron's interest in watching birds, but Rainbow and Sora stared at Fluttershy blankly, then to each other, then back to Fluttershy. "...Fluttershy. Sweet, dear, naive, innocent Fluttershy," Sora sighed, taking the book from her and began patting her head. "I've met Caballeron personally. Even if he likes birds, he is not, in any way, shape, or form, considered a 'good guy'. In fact, he's been selling dangerous artifacts to people who wish to use those same artifacts to destroy the world one way or another. Sooooo...whatever his personal hobbies, they don't hold a candle to his poor choices as a thief and a kidnapper."
"And all of us saw him and his goons ransack her house searching for the Ring of Destiny and attack her and Sora!" Rainbow added.
"Which none of you guys bothered to help fight them off with me," Sora stated.
"After learning A. K. was Daring Do, how could we after such a surprising plot twist in reality?" Rainbow questioned. Sora growled and leered at the pegasus. "What!?"
"Let's just hurry before a crowd of her fans start questioning 'Martingale's' adaptation to her series," Sora grunted, taking off with Rainbow and Fluttershy following behind.
Arriving at the book store A. K. Yearling would be holding her book signing, and it was already beginning to escalate to horrible results. All of the writer's "fans" started to question her and what they discovered from Martingale's "adaptation" of Daring Do. Ponies were questioning what else was supposed to be real that she omitted from her stories and what else she'd been hiding.
"Is Daring Do bribing you to only write the good things about her and not everything!?" one pony questioned. "Martingale's version says here in page five-thirty-one that she kicks puppies!"
"The nerve!" another scoffed.
"And what about 'Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny'!?" a third questioned as he pulled out the book, showing a cover of the events leading Daring Do to receive help from Rainbow Dash and Sora. On the cover was the explorer with Rainbow Dash running alongside her with the temple in a dark red background, Ahuizotl's eyes peering over the gloomy sky at the viewer, and behind them was a small group of Power Wilds chasing after them, and fending them off was a slightly altered version of Sora as a pegasus. Keeping his spiky hair and tan fur, his jacket was red and black with short white sleeves, a silver necklace with a heart symbol instead of a crown, and a chain loosely hanging from one of his jacket pockets, and the Keyblade he wielded was the Kingdom Key D variant, the very same Keyblade Mickey wielded before it was altered into the Star Seeker design. "Your 'Kingdom Hearts' series had your main character look almost exactly like Sora, and he's real! Changing his name to 'Kiyo' isn't that brilliant when your fictional tales are actually real!"
"T-That one IS fictional!" A. K. argued, letting out a groan at the headache she was getting from her so-called fans. "Look, are any of you here for my book signing or not!?" They all voiced negative remarks and stormed out, leaving in a huff, much to the author's relief and confusion. "Ugh. Of course this was going to bite me in the haunches one day."
"Looks like we're a little too late to help you out of this mess," Sora said.
Looking up, A. K. was glad to see Rainbow and Sora here, though she wasn't too happy with what was happening with her image. "I'm surprised nopony went to ask for your autograph since you're not a fictional character from a story."
"I think they would still recognize me as me and not 'Kiyo'," Sora said.
"I figured an altered alias for your character was fitting," A. K. explained. "It's a common Neighpon name. 'Kiyo' means 'Light'. But while looking over which name would be a perfect match, I found one with your name, which means 'Sky'."
"Really? Huh. That's interesting," Sora mumbled, Rainbow pushing past him to approach A. K.'s table.
"Martingale's insulting your name, and we're gonna give him a stern talking to," Rainbow said, pounding her hooves together aggressively.
"I never wanted anypony to know about my real identity," A. K. said. "I couldn't just keep the stories to myself; I had to let others at least know. Whoever this 'Martingale' author is, I want to know why he's ruining my image; both A. K. and Daring Do."
"I have a hunch that it's Caballeron," Sora said. "He tried to ruin your name in Somnambula while stealing their glowpaz while in disguise. Groom Q. Q. Martingale is probably an alias he's made up similar to you and A. K. Yearling."
"Maybe we can ask him," Fluttershy said.
Confused, they found the animal-loving pegasus looking out of the doorway to the empty book store. Sora, Rainbow, and A. K. poked their heads around, the former two's jaws dropping in shock as, down the road at a much bigger book store with posters of Martingale's book cover plastered on the windows and a long line of new fans. Out of pure irony, they completely missed the building holding another book signing, and held by the same stallion who slandered Daring Do's name.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Sora grumbled.
"He's doing a signing on the exact same day as you!?" Rainbow exclaimed.
"You guys better go without me," A. K. said, slinking back inside. "I can't risk the chance Martingale might recognize me as Daring Do."
"Well, all the more reason to reveal this snake for who he really is," Sora grumbled.
He flew off to the other book store, soaring over the other ponies, finding the line ending at a table where the book-signing author was currently sitting and talking to his fans. Though no one was the wiser, Sora could clearly hear Caballeron's accent underneath his disguise as Groom Q. Q. Martingale. Bearing the same dark brownish-gray fur, his disguise consisted of a hat covering his black mane, a fake gray beard, a dark navy shirt with two white stripes running vertically on both sides, and a pair of dark blue pants to conceal his cutie mark. Sneaking himself in the line, he glowered at the stallion as he "innocently" waved to one of his adoring fans with one of his signed books.
"Appreciate your praise!" he called out, then brought his focus to his next fan. "And have you enjoyed my-?" When he found his next guest was Sora, "Martingale" froze, grimacing in shock at the powerful wielder standing before him. "-...book?"
"Oh, there's quite a lot about your 'book' that caught my interest, Mr. Martingale," Sora nonchalantly said, leaning casually against the table. He glanced back at the other ponies, then leered back at the author. "Or should I say Dr. Caballeron?" The stallion gulped nervously, not wanting to cause a scene and cause any suspicion with the other ponies, but he also didn't want to endure Sora's ire. He hadn't expected the Sphinx to return from the tale in Somnambula, but if he managed to beat it without the ability to fly, along with hearing of his other feats after first bumping into him a couple years ago, he stood no chance. "Care to explain why you're making up a whole bunch of lies about Daring Do? And also revealing she's an actual pony and not some fictional adventure character? Your last trick in Somnambula almost worked, and I still have a bone to pick with you for kidnapping Rainbow Dash in that enchanted temple!"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Caballeron whispered nervously with a grin.
"I will reveal you right in front of all these 'fans' of yours, and when they see the conniving stallion who assaulted Daring Do AND her home while trying to steal ancient artifacts made to bring destruction to the world on the black market, they'll stop bashing her and whatever horseapples you made up about her," Sora warned.
"Hey, move along, buddy!" one of the fans behind him scolded.
"Yeah, how did you get in front of us!?" another exclaimed, causing the whole crowd to jeer at Sora for cutting the line.
"A-As much as I would love to chat with one of my biggest fans, there are other ponies who wish to talk with me, too, good sir," 'Martingale' said, then handed one of his signed copies to Sora. "I will make up for lost time on my next book signing!"
"Why, you-!" Sora yelped as he felt his tail being yanked back and dragged away from the signing table, telekinetically held by a unicorn security guard. Sora scowled at the guard, snatching his tail back, then walked off with a raspberry at the stallion doing his job. "You're lucky you aren't one of Caballeron's cronies. They're all earth ponies."
As much as he wanted to reveal the stallion's actual identity, he didn't want to cause a scene. Or be seen as a crazy pony and get dogpiled by irritated fans. Daring Do's stories were already being questioned with all the made up details in Caballeron's story, even where some of his interpreted interactions with his "character" in one of her books. Taking the signed book with him, Sora trudged out of the building, not seeing Rainbow or Fluttershy having snuck inside to confront Caballeron as well. He returned to A. K. Yearling, who was trying to explain to one of her foal fans the alleged puppy kicking incident.
"Look, that was just the one time!" A. K. said, struggling not to reveal herself to her young fan. "Accidentally!" The foal wasn't sure what to believe, making the mare go crazy that her fanbase no longer appreciated her "fictional" adventures. When Sora walked in, she stepped away from the table and ran up to him, getting desperate. "Please tell me that he's who you're thinking it is."
"No doubt about it; Martingale is Caballeron," Sora said. "I could tell by his heavy accent. And he definitely recognized me and feared for his life, as he should. Sadly, I didn't get the chance to reveal his secret, but it probably wouldn't have been a good idea in hindsight."
"If ponies saw that Caballeron was real, then it'd only prove his book about Daring Do's existence even further and tarnish my name even more," A. K. sighed miserably. As she wallowed in the hopelessness of her situation, she gawked at the book Sora had on his back. "...You got one of his signed books?"
"Oh. Not for the joy of reading it," Sora grumbled. "He just shoved this on me when the crowd got upset I was eating up his time. I would have gotten an angry mob chasing me out, even though everyone should know who I am. Better than being chased by a crazier mob in the Crystal Empire."
"In the Crystal Empire?" A. K. asked.
"I know you do your research on ancient civilizations, and the Crystal Empire was once an ancient and thought to be long-lost civilization," Sora said. "Just look up 'Sora: The Warrior of Light' or 'Spike: The Brave and Glorious'."
"Fanmares?" she guessed with a smirk.
"Fanmares," he confirmed.
A. K. chuckled and shook her head. She was partially glad to have a secret identity to avoid something like that. Then again, she met Rainbow Dash, and she geeked out like crazy, which nearly resulted in her tale of "Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny" leading to an unhappy ending and a century of unbearable heat waves. While waiting for Rainbow and Fluttershy for any news, Sora stared at the cover of Caballeron's version of events. Though both pegasi told him a few different things in the stallion's book, he couldn't help but feel overly curious about what else he wrote about Daring Do.
Flipping through the pages, he read some excerpts in the versions of events through Daring Do's heroics from Caballeron's point of view. He scoffed when he mentioned the part where Daring Do hoarded different artifacts in her house, but he omitted his minions breaking in and ransacking the place searching for the last ring Ahuizotl needed. Though, there were a few things he noted that did seem a bit wrong of Daring Do to do. Whenever she scours through the temples and escapes from the deathtraps, some of them wound up getting destroyed and crumbled to pieces. Most of them weren't really her fault and the result of the ancient civilizations protecting their treasures from thieves with these same traps. Ahuizotl seemed to be involved in a lot of these temples from all the Daring Do books, either trapping her in "inescapable" rooms that would meet her demise. From meeting him the first time, he definitely seemed to look like a creature who had lived long after the civilizations he prowls about with his feline "pets" and planned to use their ancient relics to destroy the world.
There were half-truths, half-lies, odd snippets that Daring Do didn't know about. Sora grimaced, despising how nice he can be at times. Caballeron did want to try to team up with Daring for an excavation, but that was long before she accepted help from others. And if he was that concerned about getting money for his archaeological trips and bringing his findings to museums around Equestria, he shouldn't have resorted to trying to sell them to evildoers like Ahuizotl, especially if those relics can cause more trouble than they're worth. And him tarnishing Daring Do's name in Somnambula to steal all of the desert city's glowpaz was more than enough for Sora not to fully trust Caballeron at all. But, if there was a big reason why he did all this, he sighed, wanting to know more before the picture around his character was fully painted in.
"SORA!" Rainbow suddenly burst in, snapping Sora from his reading and alerted A. K. Yearling. "Martingale really is Caballeron, and he just took Fluttershy with him!"
"Ok, seriously, first you, and now he's kidnapped Fluttershy," Sora growled.
"N-No. Fluttershy...willingly went with him, actually," Rainbow said, baffling the wielder. "The book thing was his plan to ruin Daring Do's reputation, but he's trying to make Fluttershy into a criminal! They're on their way to Tenochtitlan right now!"
"Oh no. Caballeron must be after the Truth Talisman of Tonatiuh," A. K. grunted. "It requires the wings of a pegasus to retrieve it!"
"And Fluttershy's a bit too nicer to trust someone more than me," Sora said. "Heck, she gave Discord the benefit of the doubt. And now those two are dating."
"He's probably tricked her into joining him to take this artifact," Rainbow said.
"Then we need to stop them." Pulling off her author persona, Daring Do set her pith helmet on her head.
Her reveal didn't go unnoticed when the curious foal who questioned her earlier saw the real Daring Do in the flesh, jaw hanging open in shock. The pegasus trio flew out of the building and left the city to catch up with Caballeron, his minions, and Fluttershy before it was too late.
The vast Tenochtitlan jungle was a treacherous ecosystem, far more than the Everfree Forest and its much wilder and "unbalanced" nature. Sora questioned how such a smaller forest that was one plagued by Discord's chaos couldn't be controlled, yet this very jungle wasn't all that fearsome for ponies despite how many more dangerous wildlife exist in jungles. And it was much bigger than he last recalled.
"At least there aren't any Flyders buzzing around here," Sora grumbled, pushing through the thick underbrush as he led the way, following Daring Do's directions. "So, out of curiosity, what's this Truth Talisman do? Magnify the light of the sun to create a burning hole in the earth? A magical X-ray that sees through a body and spies on the inner organs of its victims for a swift blow to the heart?"
"It makes anypony who wields it tell the truth," Daring answered.
Dumbfounded, Sora glanced back at the explored. "...Ok. That's a whole lot more tame than one of several rings that would bring a sweltering heat for decades."
"Yeah, kinda lame," Rainbow agreed. "But you said this talisman needed the wings of a pegasus to get it. Why is it so important if you haven't gotten it already?"
"Yes, but the temple traps are far too dangerous to face without a map," Daring said. "And maybe even WITH one."
"Well, it's a good thing 'dangerous' is my middle name," Sora chuckled.
"Hey, I made up that middle name for me!" Rainbow argued.
"No, you said 'danger', not 'dangerous'," Sora corrected.
"Same thing!" Rainbow said.
"Guys, keep it down!" Daring Do hissed. "The Tenochtitlan jungle is Ahuizotl's home. He could be prowling about searching for us, so if we want to save Fluttershy and stop Caballeron, we need the element of surprise."
"Pth. What's a giant cat-dog thing with a hand for a tail gonna do to someone like me?" Sora boasted. "I can run circles around-"
Blindly stepping forward, Sora stepped on a well-hidden rope trap. He yelped as he was flung upward, getting himself tied up in thick vines and hung from the branch like a cocoon.
"Or you could get too cocky and wind up in one of his simpler traps," Daring muttered.
Sora grumbled to himself in annoyance. Suddenly, they heard one of the vines get snapped, making him fall, but where he expected Rainbow to cut him down, he was sorely mistaken. He was then blindsided by a blur, grunting, then sent flying through the woods, crashing through trees, alarming both mares, neither of them able to see what struck him.
"...Uhh, I don't think that was Ahuizotl," Rainbow uttered.
"No. He isn't that fast," Daring said. "Is it one of those dangerous monkeys?"
"Didn't seem like a Heartless," Rainbow pondered. "If there are any, though, don't sweat." She summoned her Keyblade, giving her favorite "fictional" explorer a smirk, seeing the look of shock on her muzzle. "I got your back. And Sora can handle whatever sent him crashing through the trees..." She looked back in the direction where Sora was whisked away, grimacing slightly at the number of trees they broke through, and all of them were pretty thick. "...Uhh...I'm sure he's fine?"
"Well, this story's going to be a weird one to write if we fix this whole mess," Daring sighed.
Sora grunted as he was rammed through each tree until finally crashing to the ground, bouncing and sliding to a halt in a wide open grove amidst the thick jungle. The vines that were wrapped around him loosened, freeing him from his bindings from the trap he fell in. The vines did cushion the impacts, though it still rattled him and left him a little sore.
"Ugh...Ok. Now I know how Riku felt when Larxene zapped him away from us," he groaned. Shaking his head, he summoned his Keyblade, searching around for the assailant who struck him. He didn't need to look long when he heard the bushes rustle where he was knocked from. Stepping through the foliage, he wasn't all that surprised that someone was wearing the Organization's black coat, completely concealing all of their features. And by attacking him specifically, they must have been tasked with trying to take him back to Xehanort. "You guys just can't let me go, can you? This is starting to get old really quickly! The worst you could have done is hold my other friends hostage like Marluxia, or even Demyx!"
The pony beneath the cloak said nothing, just staring at him in silence. Sora growled at the lack of response, though as he tried to see who it was, he noticed that their height was a tad bit shorter than his from a distance. Whoever it was, this pony was a mare, but it wasn't Larxene; she would have openly mocked him like she had back in Arendelle. He couldn't remember if there were any other female members of the Organization, of which he could actually recall, and not including Xion since she's now part of their group after defecting from the former Organization XIII years ago.
Without a word, the assailant lowered her stance, itching for a fight. Sora kept on his guard, but as he blinked, the pony suddenly zipped in front of him, then swung a foreleg and socked him in the cheek, sending him flying back a few yards. Groaning, Sora got back up, rubbing his sore cheek and glowered at the sucker punch he received, the mare stifling her laughter. He charged at her and swung with a yell, but she weaved around him with such speed, he couldn't have seen her move so fast. Now standing beside him, she bucked him hard in the side, making him slide back. She was silently mocking him at this point, and he was growing frustrated.
Rushing her again, Sora swung his blade, never letting up his offense, but she dodged and ducked each slice and thrust while backing away. She didn't even summon a weapon, and she was able to best him with her hooves alone. Even when he thought he would get a hit in, her hoof would swiftly bat away his Keyblade by the guard, throwing him off and either spinning him around or making him stumble, leaving him wide open for a few swift jabs or a hard kick to knock him down. Getting back to his hooves, he leapt back and tried unleashing magic at her from a distance.
Casting Firaga, the fireball came hurtling toward her, but she lifted her hoof and smacked it back at Sora without effort. Grunting, Sora slapped his own spell aside, flinching slightly as it exploded dangerously close to him. The mare's hoof then began crackling with electricity, launching it up in the air with a bright spark. Quickly diving away, Sora just narrowly avoided a Thundaja spell, the crackling radius as the bolt struck the earth just barely catching his tail as the booming thunder it released shook the forest, startling the fauna as many birds flew off to find a safe haven. Glancing back, his jaw dropped at the singed earth, and he stood just a couple inches from the small bursts of electrical energy that still surged.
"That was a Thundaja spell? That was way too powerful to be one," he uttered to himself.
Quickly looking back at his foe, she had already closed the distance, uppercutting him in the chin and sent him flying in the air. Raising both hooves, the pony held an aura of fire in one and ice in the other. The magical energy billowed and grew bigger, then she flung them skyward, sending both elements hurtling toward Sora. He flipped around and tried to counter the magic spells with Reflect. The ice struck his barrier, but it dispelled its reflective counter with a slight burst of ice, then it unleashed a much more powerful explosion surrounding Sora, trapping him in a giant block of ice. Completely frozen, the fire began circling around him, spiraling faster and faster until it had split itself into six large fireballs, then flung themselves into his ice prison. In an instant, the ice had shattered and melted, trapping Sora in a raging inferno.
The flames died down, leaving Sora singed and wincing in pain, somehow still conscious. He glanced down, but his attacker was nowhere to be found. His ears twitched at the sound of electricity crackling from above him, but as he looked up, he saw a black blur divebomb toward him, her hoof filled with electricity, then struck him in the face, sending them both crashing down to the ground along with another powerful bolt from a Thundaga spell. Though the spell struck them both, the robed assailant came out unscathed while Sora yelled and convulsed, his muscles painfully jolted by the powerful volts. Even with his limbs acting up, he tried to retaliate, only for the mare to stomp at the ground, sending a thick pillar of the earth to strike him in the back, bending his spine painfully. Lifted in the air, she quickly spin-kicked his side, giving him another electric jolt, sending him flopping across the ground, his Keyblade clattering as he dropped it and rolling to a stop on his side.
Groaning, his body twitching from the electricity still coursing through his body, he weakly glanced up at the pony who managed to overpower him with only her hooves, speed, and surprisingly powerful magic. She approached him, feeling the smirk on her muzzle as he stared at her with a scowl.
"Pathetic," she said. "You're nothing but a washout."
He didn't recognize her voice, but from the way she spoke of him, she must have been someone he knew. "...W-Who-?"
A swift kick to his gut made Sora wheeze, causing him to roll further back, coming to a halt on his back as he clutched his belly. "All that strength you carried, and you're not bothering to use it. Aren't you supposed to be the strongest wielder compared to everyone? Or were you always this lucky?" Squinting his eyes, he grunted as he struggled to catch his breath. He couldn't see her face beneath the hood, just a pair of yellow eyes glowing menacingly at him as her lips were curled in a sadistic smirk, relishing his agony. "I suppose that's all it equates to; luck."
"...Y-You want...luck?" Sora questioned. His Kingdom Key disappeared behind the mare, making her glance back slightly as Sora summoned Crystal Ultima in his hoof. His clothes flashed as his Keyblade separated itself, shifting the shards into Laughter's bazooka form and aimed directly in the mare's face when she looked back at him. "Have a face full of it!"
Pulling the trigger, he blasted her with the powerful force of glittering confetti. Unfortunately, he missed, watching her leap back just as he fired. With some space between them, Sora winced as he slowly got back to his hooves, using the ethereal party launcher as a crutch. Scoffing, the mare was barely amused by his surprise attack.
"Hmph. You could do better than that," she said. "Though I didn't take you for using such underhanded tactics."
"Who are you?" Sora asked. "How do you know me?"
"I know more about you than you think," she said, chuckling darkly.
"Then tell me who you are!" Sora demanded, grunting slightly as he took aim with his launcher. "Why are you with the Organization!?"
The mare let out a sigh and shook her head. "Always with the questions. But if you really want to know, I have my own reasons. I got a little cramped doing nothing but waiting in our 'hideout', so I thought I'd get to see you again and have fun toying with you before we finally go to war."
"I don't know who the hell you are," Sora growled. "Your voice isn't familiar to me. And you chose to fight me just to mess with me? Why?"
She grinned, suddenly flashing in front of Sora, throwing a swift jab in his gut, knocking all the wind out of him. "Because I have a score to settle with you, Sora." Struggling to breathe, Sora reverted back to normal, his Keyblade transforming back and clattering to the ground as he fell over, wheezing and weakly gasping. The mare laughed, a portal of darkness appearing behind her as she looked down at him. "Don't disappoint me when we clash on the battlefield."
The portal shrouded her and disappeared, leaving Sora alone. Digging into his pouch, Sora pulled out a Potion, chucking it over him to let the healing mixture recover his injuries. Coughing as he finally caught his breath, he shakily stood back up, staring at the spot his attacker once stood.
"The heck does she mean by that?" Sora uttered to himself.
"Sora?" Hearing Kairi's voice, Sora ignored the newest member of the Organization for the time being.
"H-Hey, Kairi," Sora grunted.
"Are you alright? You sound like you just got in a fight," Kairi questioned. "...What happened?"
"Uhh...Let's just say I met one of the last few remaining Organization XIII members," Sora said. "...And...I stood no chance."
"What!? W-Where are you right now!?" Sora winced, inducing a panic attack in his wife.
"I'm in Tenochtitlan. Somewhere in the jungle," he said. "Not my plan to pick a fight with someone in the Organization, though. I swear. Rainbow told me Daring Do's name was being slandered by some author named Martingale, and, surprise surprise, it's an alias made up by Caballeron."
"Oh, great. Him again," Kairi grumbled. "Let me guess; he somehow found a way to kidnap Rainbow Dash. Again."
"Not exactly. He's got Fluttershy this time," Sora said. "Except...she willingly volunteered to join him and his gang to take the Talisman of Tonatiuh."
"...Which does...what?" Kairi asked curiously.
"Anyone who holds it always tells the truth." Sora didn't hear a response from Kairi, possibly imagining her being dumbfounded by this unique relic not causing any sort of destruction upon the land. "...Yeah, so, any way you can be my guiding eyes and tell me where Rainbow or Fluttershy are? I'm all twisted around after getting my butt kicked."
"And you're not in anymore trouble?" Kairi questioned, scolding him.
"No, dear, I promise. Just bruised...with a wounded pride," he said. He heard nothing as he chuckled sheepishly. "Be my beautiful angel to guide me, pretty please?"
"Fine, but if you get in another fight with someone in the Organization, you tell either of us instead of trying to handle it on your own," Kairi scolded, making the stallion sigh and droop his ears.
"Yes, ma'am," he mumbled.
Using Cure on himself to numb the pain from his beatdown, he waited for Kairi to give him some directions. "Ok, I see three separate lights in the jungle. I'm gonna guess you're in an empty grove that's way off the normal trail."
"Ten points to my lovely wife," Sora praised.
"Don't try to butter me up with your charm, husband," Kairi grumbled, making him giggle sheepishly, ceasing his goofy antics before he was put in the doghouse. "I see one of them is at a temple far to the east where you are, and the other is quickly making its way in that direction."
"Darn it. Caballeron's already there. I hope I can make it in time," he muttered. "Thanks, Kairi. I love you."
"You're going to show us what happened to you when you get back from another Daring Do adventure, Sora," Kairi sternly ordered. Sora wilted and hung his head, knowing he was going to get an earful from everyone, especially Donald, Goofy, and Aqua. "And I love you too."
He smiled and chuckled. "No doghouse for me tonight."
"I heard that." Sora winced, forgetting to end his communication.
Once he was no longer sore, Sora sped off and flew east from where he stood. In the distance, he noticed a bright flash come from the sun and shined a beam down upon the jungle. Nearly blinded, he kept flying, hoping to catch up to what was most likely an ancient method of accessing the very temple holding the truth-telling talisman. He grew closer to the temple, spotting Rainbow Dash and Daring Do swiftly swoop inside, the entrance beginning to close up faster than he expected. Just as he touched down, the stairway leading inside had already been sealed back up.
"Agh! Dang it! I know Rainbow and Fluttershy can handle themselves, but I wanted to see what this talisman looked like," Sora whined. He began to ponder how to open the way, only to hear a set of snarls come from behind him. Turning around, Sora frowned, meeting face to face with Ahuizotl's feline minions, along with the menacing being commanding them. "Oh, great."
"You again?" Ahuizotl questioned. "The same pegasus who assisted Daring Do in thwarting my plans with the Rings of Destiny!"
"Yeah, yeah. The one and the same," Sora groaned. "Look, if you're gonna monologue about how I ruined everything and cursing me and Daring Do, maybe you should save it for another day. I'm trying to stop Caballeron from getting one of my friends hurt down here in this temple's traps."
"What!? Caballeron is in the temple holding the Talisman of Tonatiuh!?" Ahuizotl exclaimed in shock, then began to growl angrily. "How many more of my ancestors' ancient relics are these fools going to keep taking from my homeland!?"
"Maybe if your ancestors didn't house artifacts that can bring doom to the world, maybe they don't need to invade your land!" Sora stated. "And you started all this mess from Daring Do's first book!"
"MY fault!?" Ahuizotl questioned. "You have no idea just how much Daring Do, Caballeron, and every other death-defying explorer as given me so much grief! And you will be the last one to ruin me!"
Snapping his hand-tail, he ordered his minions to attack Sora. As they lunged at him, Sora leapt to the air, summoned his Keyblade, and aimed down at the angry felines.
"Sleep!" In a wavy aura of warped blues and purples, a field surrounded the cats as the sound of sheep baaing rang out. In an instant, Ahuizotl's minions fell asleep, startling the jungle guardian as the pegasus hovered down in front of him. "I don't think you have any power to take the likes of me down."
"D-Darn you," Ahuiztol grimaced. "You want the talisman as well?"
"I'm trying to keep it out of Caballeron's grubby hooves. That's kind of why I'm here with Daring Do," Sora said. "And since you know the ins and outs of every temple in this dungeon, I think you know of a secret passage to get inside hidden around here."
"And what makes you think I can trust you and YOU won't try to take the Talisman of Tonatiuh?" Ahuizotl snarled.
"Because all it does is just force the wearer to tell the truth, it's not exactly that dangerous to take away from someone like you." Ahuizotl growled in response, but Sora wasn't going to back down. "I stop Caballeron from taking it and selling it, and I will tell Daring to leave the talisman alone where it belongs; in your precious temple."
"...Do not make me regret this truce, pegasus," Ahuizotl warned, holding his tail out to the stallion, which he grabbed with his hoof, the two shaking on the agreement. "This way."
Leaving his minions with their magically induced catnap, Ahuizotl led Sora down the flight of steps leading to the top of the temple. About halfway down, he walked along the outer edge of the temple, pressing a hidden pressure switch on the wall, revealing a secret passage inside.
"Huh. Interesting secret passage," Sora complimented.
"This leads straight to the chamber where the talisman is floating," Ahuizotl explained. "I only hope that Daring Do and that pegasus double of hers, along with you, are the only pegasi who could take it without getting burned by the lava spouts that'll shoot up at whoever takes it."
"Then do I have bad news for you; that friend of mine Caballeron tricked into joining him is a pegasus," Sora said, then flew inside to hurry after them before either of them got hurt. As he entered the chamber, he found Caballeron, his minions, and Fluttershy, the pegasus already starting to fly up to a floating necklace made of gold. The talisman was in the shape of a cat with rubies making the eyes and a bright green emerald on its chest. Down below where the talisman was floating was a pit of lava, and the molten liquid was beginning to bubble. "Fluttershy, get back!"
Startled by Sora's voice, she looked at him then glanced down, quickly flapping away with a yelp as a lava spout rose up to where she had been hovering. "Oh my! That was close!"
"How did you get down here!?" Caballeron exclaimed.
"Like I'd tell you how!" Sora said. Fluttershy tried to go for it again, but Sora wasn't going to let her get burned. He zipped toward the talisman, pushing Fluttershy back to safety with a powerful flap of his wings, then grabbed the talisman and weaved around the rising lava geysers. He landed on solid ground, laughing in triumph as he held Caballeron's prize in his hoof. "You're not getting this, Caballeron!"
Not even a minute later, Rainbow Dash and Daring Do stumbled into the chamber, baffled to find Sora had beaten them to Fluttershy's rescue before they did. "Sora!? What happened to you!?" Rainbow asked.
"And how did you find a way inside?" Daring asked curiously.
"Ugh. I just got my ass kicked by someone new in the Organization, and I couldn't land a single blow," Sora said, unaware of the talisman glowing green, along with his eyes as he spoke. "She claimed to know me, but I have no idea who she was and remained maliciously vague. But getting inside here? I made up a truce to Ahuizotl and he guided me to a secret passage, so I guess I beat you guys here despite the setback." As the glowing stopped, Sora's face quickly turned from smug to mortified when he realized what he had just said. Staring at the talisman, he completely forgot about its effects; the wearer, or even the holder, can only tell the truth. Though Daring Do and Caballeron and his minions had no idea about the first part of the blurted truth, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were astonished. Hearing a growl from the passage he came from, Sora slowly turned to face Ahuizotl, having caught up quickly and heard his forged truce was nothing but a lie. "...Heheh...Uhhh...I meant what I said?"
The glowing artifact and Sora's eyes flashing the same color proved his betrayal, and Ahuizotl was not pleased. "I knew you would stab me in the back and claim the talisman for your own," he growled. "But since you're all gathered together, I can get rid of you once and for all! Guardian-goyles, ATTACK!"
By his command, sitting on pedestals up high around the chamber, three thestral-like gargoyles came to life, their eyes glowing as they hissed, spreading their wings and swooping down to attack the intruders. Ahuizotl laughed as he watched them duck from his enchanted guardians' attacks, slipping back inside the secret passage and sealing it shut with a pull of a lever. Caballeron and his minions panicked and tried to run away, the leader of the thieving group getting getting pinned down by the aggressive stone beast. Seeing him in peril, Fluttershy summoned her Keyblade, flicking it and transforming it into its whip state, then flung it and wrapped it around the creature's neck. With a yell, she yanked the gargoyle off of Caballeron and flung it away from him.
"T-Thank you, Fluttershy!" he said with genuine gratitude.
"Fluttershy, don't save him!" Rainbow scolded, blocking a gargoyle's claws with her Keyblade, their attention solely focused on the more stronger of the group of intruders. "He's the bad guy!"
"It was only fair that I help them get through the jungle and retrieve the talisman to be placed in a museum," Fluttershy said, leaping away from her gargoyle and began smacking it wildly with her whip.
"Yeah, right!" Sora scoffed, smacking the third gargoyle away from him, all while still carrying the talisman in his left hoof, which started to glow again. "And I'm actually a human being magically disguised as a pony to not arouse suspicion about me not actually being an Equestrian!" Growing frustrated from his fight and suddenly blurting out more secret truths, Sora yelled angrily. "Why is thing thing worse than a relic that can cause earthquakes without end!?"
He flung it away from him, which wound up getting caught by Caballeron, to his surprise. "But they're just researchers who only wanted to study it, not sell it!" Fluttershy reasoned. She grunted and wrapped her whip around her opponent's neck again, slamming it to the ground as it growled and writhed about, trying to wrestle control from her masterful whip skills. "Right, Dr. C?"
"Uhh...N-No," Caballeron said, sitting up, his eyes glowing with the talisman. His henchponies grimaced, the truth shocking Fluttershy, though to Rainbow, Daring, and Sora, they weren't surprised. "I will admit that we were only using you to get this talisman, but my henchponies and I have come to value your kindness you gave us through the trek here."
Stunned, Rainbow Dash and Sora were able to hold back their gargoyles, struck with disbelief by the talisman forcing Caballeron to be truthful. "...Didn't see that coming," Rainbow said. Focusing on her fight, she shoved the gargoyle back, flinging her Keyblade down to the ground, where it sank into the platform, followed by a surge of electricity as the blade shot back up in its spear form, back into Rainbow's hooves, getting a bit more reach as she rapidly thrust the lightning-tip spear into the gargoyle. "Why are these things so durable!?"
"They're meant to protect and eliminate intruders threatening to take whatever treasures under their gaze!" Daring said.
"So how do we kill them or get them to stop!?" Sora asked.
"I know they don't like bright light..." Daring glanced over at Caballeron, growing a bit curious, but had an idea. "Caballeron, do you still have the Diamond of Lapis Lux?"
"Yes!" the stallion admitted by the talisman's "curse", making him shake his head. "I-I mean...Yyyyyes! I mean-!" Unable to lie, Caballeron gave up with a frustrated yell, reaching into his pocket and pulled out a small diamond he'd been keeping. "How did you know I stole it!?"
"Lucky guess. Now hold it up high!" Caballeron did as Daring asked while she pulled out her flashlight from her jacket pocket, shining the light on the diamond, letting it reflect the light brightly in the room.
Seeing the light, the gargoyles all screeched, backing away from the Key Bearers and tried to shield their eyes from the blinding light. As they retreated, they soon turned back into stone, left as statues once again to protect the treasure still in possession by Caballeron. Now safe from anymore current traps, Sora, Rainbow, and Fluttershy touched down next to Daring, both heroes and villains staring each other down.
"So, let me get this straight, Caballeron," Sora said. "You originally wanted to use Fluttershy to get that talisman, but...you actually felt bad about it?"
"Not at first," Caballeron admitted, though the talisman didn't light up. "It was a rough trek through the jungle, but despite my frustrations, Fluttershy helped us get through without as much trouble as we had before. I did lie to her about what we planned to do, but after everything she did for us...it just felt wrong."
Stunned, Daring Do, Rainbow Dash, and Sora's jaws hung open, staring bewildered at the stallion. "...If it didn't light up all green, does that mean...he willingly told the truth?" Rainbow asked.
"And am I going to forgive this jerk after an admittance like that, AND reading his 'backstory' from his eyes in that mudslinging book of his?" Sora questioned.
Daring Do shook her head, ignoring the nicer Caballeron. "We can feel sick to our stomachs about this after we get out of here."
Making her way to one of the temple doorways they entered from, Ahuizotl's lever switch had also sealed the other doors to the chamber. Daring charged forward, slamming her shoulder into it with a grunt, barely making it budge.
"No keyholes, but we're bound to make an exit with a little more-" Sora decided to give it a try and sprinted at the door, ramming his shoulder into it. He grimaced and yelled, his body still feeling the aftereffects of his battle against the mysterious mare who ambushed him. "Agh! Guess I don't have enough oomph in me."
"Uhh, maybe if we all work together, we can get out of here more easily?" one of Caballeron's henchponies suggested.
"THAT...is actually a good idea," Caballeron said, nearly worrying the stallion who suggested the idea as he spoke his opinion.
"And he didn't lie," Sora grunted. "...Should we be concerned that he's still got that stupid talisman?"
"At least he's now listening to any open ideas his team gives him," Fluttershy said. "I told you he would listen."
The stallion who offered the idea grinned in response. Gathering together, all the earth ponies and pegasi charged together, putting all their combined weight into the door and managed to breach through with ease. Running through the corridor, they reached a central room with several other connecting passages throughout the temple, and waiting for them, unaware of their escape, was Ahuizotl. His back was turned, filing his nails, thinking he'd won, only to turn around, startled by the group having escaped his guardians within chamber, though with how often Daring managed to escape his death traps, he shouldn't have been that surprised.
"Hey, you weird cat-dog anubis thing," Sora greeted. "You should reinforce your family's stone doors if they fall that easily. Maybe that's why they're prone to crumbling."
"Urgh! How many times must I get rid of you!?" Ahuizotl shot his tail at Caballeron, who was still holding the talisman. Panicking, he tossed it to the others, Daring quickly catching it, frustrating the guardian more. "If I wanted to play games, I would get out my pinochle deck!"
"How about a fair wrestling match instead!?" Sora shot forward, ramming into Ahuizotl's chest and pinned him down while he dropped Caballeron.
"This way!" Daring called out, spotting an opening for them to try to escape the temple.
They ran or flew around the struggling wielder and guardian, but Ahuizotl had the upper hand, grasping Sora's barrel with his tail, then flung him off of him. Climbing back to his feet, he sprinted off, blocking the intruders and tried to swipe at Daring to take the talisman back. The adventurous mare tossed the talisman away from him, caught by Rainbow Dash, his sights now set on the mare who could have been Daring's twin sister in another life.
"I'm gonna need the deluxe spa package after all of this," Rainbow said, the relic reacting as she spoke the truth.
"Not really a secret that you like going to the spa, Rainbow Dash!" Sora called out as he got back on his hooves.
"S-Shut up! I like being pampered!" Rainbow exclaimed, the relic reacting once again, making her growl and toss the talisman to one of Caballeron's minions. "None of this is leaving the temple!"
Ahuizotl tried to jump the unfortunate stallion, but Sora quickly blew him away with Aeroga. They quickly made a break for the opening while Ahuizotl shook off the cobwebs, but to their unfortunate luck, the passage was nothing more than a dead end.
"That's it! I'm quitting the henchpony business to finally follow my dreams of becoming an opera star!" the stallion holding the talisman said, expressing his feelings with his eyes glowing along with the talisman. Caballeron and the rest of his fellow henchponies gawked at him, who grinned sheepishly and gave Caballeron the talisman back. "Uh, maybe you should hold this, boss."
"I swear, all this chaotic truth telling sounds like something Discord would have come up with," Sora muttered.
The dead end corridor suddenly shook as Ahuizotl slammed the wall where the passage was opened. "You cannot hide in there forever!" he shouted, planning to cave them in or crumble the ceiling to drop debris down on them.
"He's not going to give up until he catches us," Daring said, another few slams making her glance up. "Or crush us."
Sora was ready to have another go at Ahuizotl, but Fluttershy gasped as she got an idea. "Maybe our problem is the solution." Baffled, he looked back at the yellow pegasus. If she knew anything about Ahuizotl in Daring's books, he was always aggressive and almost got her killed. She was even present with her friends working with the tribal ponies when putting the Rings of Destiny stacked in the now crumbled temple they were placed in. "Don't give me that look, Sora. We didn't get Caballeron's side of Daring's story. And we don't even know Ahuizotl's side in all of this either."
"Fluttershy, I think your kindness overpowers mine when we have an angry protector of this jungle trying to bring the temple down on us with the Talisman of Tonatiuh," Sora said. Fluttershy gave him a blank stare, making him wince as he thought back to all the dangerous creatures she was able to tame with her kindness. "...And it shows when you even made someone like Discord fall in love with you. You even tamed Cerberus...and that's actually more terrifying."
"Or he's probably just the bad guy?" Rainbow reminded her friend. "How many times has Ahuizotl tried to kill Daring Do?"
"And me as well!" Caballeron chimed in. "I was so scared, I had to change my ascot." Everyone gawked at him, unable to lie with the talisman blurting out something no one ever wanted to hear. Getting fed up with being overtly honest by force, he yelled, taking the relic off. "Curse this truth teller!"
He then flung it, but Fluttershy caught it. "Understanding begins with listening," she lectured. "And understanding his reasons why, we can find forgiveness in him and he will find forgiveness in us. Sora knows this better than anypony."
"Ugh. Don't drag me into this," Sora begged. Rainbow and Fluttershy both knew him and how nice of a person he is. Even though Cozy Glow had breached that forgiving personality of his and had nearly broken his spirit, that part of him would never be broken. It didn't help that Caballeron had admitted his scheme to Fluttershy, despite how obvious his intentions using her were, and also admitted how her recruitment to his excavation to retrieve the truth-telling talisman made him see the error of his ways. Sighing, Sora caved in, silently cursing his kindness. Fluttershy held out the talisman to him, which he took and cautiously approached the exit. "Ahuizotl, we surrender!"
The guardian ceased his ramming, glowering down at the small entrance, watching Sora's hoof holding out the talisman. "And what makes you think I will fall for such a ridiculous trick!?"
Sora sighed, stepping out, the talisman and his eyes glowing green. "I know I tricked you by breaking the temporary truce we had. But I did promise I was going to make sure this wasn't taken from the temple," he admitted. "Plus, Fluttershy suggested I try to see reason in your stress to get your side of all of Daring Do's adventures. And, as much as I hate to say this for being the truth...I am willing to look past any horrible acts you've done once I understand how you came to be so ornery toward Daring, Caballeron, and other explorers who invade your land. I do this to so many people I've met, so...I'm not the kind of guy to hold a huge grudge."
Taken aback, seeing Sora was telling the truth thanks to the talisman, Ahuizotl frowned silently in response. The others peeked outside as they watched Ahuizotl take the talisman from Sora, the enchanted effects making his eyes glow.
"Well...it is my duty to protecting this jungle," he said. "That includes all of the artifacts that these two keep taking while also causing destruction upon the temples! I've been reprimanded by the other guardians for having them stolen from me, if I lose another, my job is on the line!"
"There are other guardians?" Sora mumbled in surprise, even Daring and Caballeron didn't know there were more creatures like Ahuizotl that exist.
"So, yes, maybe I get a little too aggressive, and maybe went a little overboard putting Daring Do in the numerous death traps over the years, but can you blame me?" Ahuizotl asked as he began to look visibly upset, nothing like the monster that was depicted in Daring's stories or when Sora last met him. "Despite you helping Daring Do ruin the temple of the Rings of Destiny, I had my doubts trusting you earlier. But with the Talisman of Tonatiuh in your hoof, I believe you were honoring the truce to an extent."
"I was more concerned about my friends. No amount of bits some ancient trinket has matters that much to me anyway," Sora said.
Cautiously, Daring and Caballeron stepped out as Ahuizotl placed the talisman down on the ground. Both ponies brought their hooves to it, surprising the guardian as he leered at them, the artifact glowing upon contact.
"The only reason I've been taking the artifacts is because I thought I was protecting them," Daring said, telling one of her many foes in her expeditions the truth.
"I was stealing them to get rich," Caballeron said, though his blunt honesty through the talisman made Ahuizotl snarl and glare menacingly at him. "B-But I never realized you had a noble cause. I thought you were just being a monster."
Wilting at the response, Ahuizotl sighed. "I get that a lot."
"I've dealt with far worse monsters," Sora added. He frowned, learning many times in the past just how differently some of the people he's met and who they are on the outside doesn't match who they are on the inside. He misjudged some villains and didn't want to trust them for their actions, but there was always a reason for them, pushing past what made them mean in the first place and willing to offer a hand in friendship after understanding them. Cozy Glow, however, she'd been a monster hiding beneath the guise of her small size, and there was no chance of redemption for her now. "...Those who don't want to take the opportunity to explain why they walked the dark path before them to explain themselves, at least."
Ahuizotl picked up the talisman again, the tension between Daring, Caballeron, and Ahuizotl eased now that all three of them had a better understanding for all of their fighting for the artifacts and each other. "For returning the talisman and taking the time to understand me, I will let you all go." Ahuizotl reached his tail out to a lever, pulling it and opening the entrance to the top of the temple. Before they could leave, the guardian cleared his throat to get their attention, holding the talisman to Daring Do and Caballeron. "On one condition. You two swear to NEVER steal artifacts from the Tenochtitlan Basin again."
Proving they will keep their word, both Daring Do and Caballeron touched the talisman one last time. "I promise," they both simultaneously said, speaking the truth with the artifact's glow.
"I'll even write that in my next book," Daring also promised, the claim shocking Caballeron as he gawked at her.
"YOUR next book!?" he asked. "You mean you're actually A. K. Yearling!?"
Flabbergasted, Sora gawked at Caballeron. "What!? You didn't know about that!? You made up an alias to write that book about your woes and what Daring did to you, and you never once crossed paths with her outside of your run-ins in the jungle and thought she looked familiar!?"
"I thought A. K. Yearling was her ghost writer," Caballeron stated. "Though it does make sense that some of the crucial details that specified all the traps and puzzles made them feel more realistic."
"Just don't tell anypony about my secret identity," Daring said to her newly former rival.
The stallion nodded, knowing full well he didn't want his identity to be known if the thousands of other fans haven't read his book and still find his character villainous. After learning of the startling realization, the ponies climbed up the stairs and out of the temple, Ahuizotl waving them off with the Truth Talisman of Tonatiuh in his possession, his job saved thanks to their cooperation.
"See? Everything works out fine if we take the time to listen," Fluttershy said.
"Yeah, and there's a couple new former enemies who we befriended," Sora sighed. "I don't know why you couldn't have talked to Ahuizotl."
"Because you lied to him when you cooperated with him," Fluttershy explained.
"Only because I was concerned about your safety!" Sora stated. There wasn't a point in arguing, having witnessed so many times Fluttershy was able to handle herself when it came to other creatures who weren't ponies. "I really shouldn't be at this point. You tamed a wild manticore 'kitten' when it was mad over a thorn stuck in its paw. And you wrestled Harry, your brown bear friend."
"It was a massage," Fluttershy corrected.
"You snapped his neck! Violently!" Sora exclaimed. "I still can't get that out of my head!"
"Uhh, what I can't stop thinking about is what you said back in the chamber where the talisman was," Caballeron said. The group stopped as the explorers turned to face the pegasus stallion. "When you gloated after 'tricking' Ahuizotl to enter the temple, it reacted when you spoke. And since nopony could lie when wearing or holding it..."
"Yeah, that is weird," one of Caballeron's henchponies agreed.
Gulping, cursing the talisman for making him blurt out his own secrets, Sora shifted his gaze to the ponies. "...Uhhhh...Oh! Is that the time!? I was supposed to take my wife out to dinner tonight! Better go before I'm put in the doghouse!"
Sora launched himself into the air and sped off back to Ponyville, avoiding answering anymore convoluted questions to the accidental blurting of his identity and shattering the world order in Equestria some more. Confused, Daring Do and Caballeron looked at each other, then to Rainbow and Fluttershy to see if they had the answer to Sora's odd exit.
"Uhh, we better get going, too, actually," Rainbow said. "We've gotta go through some lesson plans at the School of Friendship. I can't wait until this adventure gets released as a book, though!"
Rainbow flew off and hurried after Sora, Fluttershy flapping her wings and rising up as she waved goodbye to Daring and Caballeron on his newly reformed minions. "Take care getting back, everypony!"
They watched the pegasi leave, left with so many unanswered questions. "Err, is there...something I'm missing?" Caballeron questioned.
"I have no clue, but what Sora said back in the temple had to be true," Daring pondered. Back in desert city of Somnambula, Sora did admit to Daring how closely accurate her second fictional series was to his actual adventures in real life. It only added more to the mystery of who he really was, which made her even more curious with her accuracy to his fictional counterpart's. "I suppose I'll figure him out once I get this next book drafted."
"Say, I have an interesting idea," Caballeron said. "Assuming you're willing to...work with me?"
"After we settled all our differences, I'm open to what you've got in mind," Daring said.
While they returned back to civilization, Caballeron and Daring discussed a future project the stallion wanted to suggest, his former rival peaking interest in what he had in mind.
Upon returning to Ponyville, Sora was already going to get an earful from everyone. The moment he explained to Kairi what happened to him, the rest of his friends waited for him in the throne room, and when Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy caught up and joined them, Sora showed them all the newest member of the Organization, their number twelve if Demyx and Vexen were still put on the sidelines. Despite the beatdown Sora was given and witnessing the powerful magic that came from this sadistic person, none of them recognized her voice or her style of combat or magic spells. She seemed to have a vendetta against Sora with how brutal she was when she physically struck him, but neither he nor the others have ever encountered someone like her.
"So there's someone else who's just as sadistic as Larxene, but ten times worse," Lea mumbled.
"Does she even use a weapon?" Twilight asked. "Her magic...I've never seen a spell combining Fire and Blizzard in that way before."
"She could be a sorceress like Master Yen Sid," Aqua pondered. "But her speed and strength made her much more threatening up close as well as at a distance."
"Whoever she is, if we have to face her..." Riku didn't feel confident in his own prowess if none of them could keep up with the likes of this addition to Xehanort's "army". "But if she knows Sora, then who the hell is she?"
Sora tried to think back to the numerous people he'd met, friend and foe alike, but her voice and the sadistic glee in her eyes after she showed him how weak he was compared to her didn't match with any villainess he'd encountered. Even if most of the villains were from other worlds, the only one he'd seen appearing in other worlds outside of her own was Maleficent, but none of them had heard from her, or even Pete, in a long while.
"Xehanort and his young, alternate counterpart, Ansem, Xemnas, Vanitas, Riku's double, Xigbar, Saïx, Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene, and now this person," Aqua said aloud, listing all of the known members of the Organization they were going to face in the upcoming war. Though they knew mostly who they were and how they fought, the only ones that were a mystery to the group were this aggressively dangerous mixed fighter and whoever their chosen thirteenth member was. Since they had no need to kidnap Sora or the Young Six anymore, whoever the last person was, must be just as powerful as whoever ambushed Sora in the Tenochtitlan Basin. "...Let's just hope this woman showed her full potential on Sora, and she wasn't holding back."
"There was no way she held back on me," Sora confirmed, still sore from the beating he took from her. If she hated him that much, he had no clue why she didn't just end his life then and there. Her final words before she escaped, not to disappoint her when they really fought, she seemed to have already known the full extent of his strength. "...What did I even do to her?"
Kaito felt impatient sitting around in the Organization's hideout. He wasn't able to sneak away without being watched by someone, or something. He had a close call after he freely roamed about the Caribbean and assisted Sora and his companions on the Leviathan, but so far, no one else was all the wiser. Needing to clear his head after his last interaction with Sora before they left, he decided to wander around and hope a walk will get him focused on the inevitable.
Trudging along the corridors, he froze when he spotted a portal of darkness appear in front of him. Stepping out, to his chagrin, was the veiled pony, the one who had replaced Sombra as the Organization's likely candidate to follow and obey the old man bent on destroying everything in existence.
"Where did you go to?" Kaito questioned.
She huffed, walking past the Nobody. "Just a little bit of fun," she said. "It's boring sitting around here waiting. I'm getting more anxious until I get my hooves on Sora for real."
As startled as he was to hear her speak, Kaito had no idea this pony had an issue with Sora. "Sora? You went after him?"
"It's none of your business," the mare said. She stopped, then turned around and smirked at him. "Or, are you really that concerned about him because you're his fake father?"
Growling, Kaito glowered at the snarky mare. "...What did you do to him?"
"Just a taste of what's coming to him," she said. Kaito summoned his cutlass, clenching the handle tightly. His reaction made her laugh and shake her head. "You really are a pathetic Nobody if you really let memories that aren't yours drive your emotions. Plus, you're now his enemy. We're all going to be fighting those morons sooner or later, and I'm really hoping it's soon."
"You little-!" Kaito stepped forward to fight her, but she zipped in front of him, her hoof crackling with lightning and held dangerously close to his chest, making him freeze in shock.
"You have a very low tolerance for electricity as a water elemental," the pony mocked. "I wonder how much juice it'll take for me to electrocute you until you die and turn into nothing but a puddle. You want to try me, Nobody? Neither you or Sora will put a stop to my plans."
"P-Plans?" Kaito uttered.
The mare continued smirking, the lightning in her hoof disappearing, only to swiftly jab Kaito hard in the chest. He gagged, staggering back as he grabbed his chest and tried to breathe, collapsing to his knees.
"Xehanort made a terrible mistake choosing me to join this Organization," she said with a dark chuckle. "But I'll play along until my chance comes. Kinda like how you are and being forced to because you're being blackmailed by that imaginary heart of yours." Kaito lifted his head, grunting weakly as he squinted at her through the pain in his chest. "I suggest you throw that 'heart' away. You fail, you'll die before you even serve your use in the war."
Kaito got back to his feet, confused by this pony's goals if she also planned to defect like himself and Luxord. "...Why...are you telling me this?" he questioned.
"Because I know you'll keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you," she warned. "And I know you and Luxord are a little too buddy-buddy, plotting your own backstabbing scheme."
Kaito didn't expect anyone would have found out, though with how serious she was about planning to overthrow the Organization in her own way, she must have known for a while if his own grievances gave it away. "Then why not work with us?" he mumbled, being cautious of any wandering ears.
"I work alone," she said. "The last time I worked with anyone, we wound up losing even when we had the advantage. It was a good plan at first...but it didn't really seem to matter in the end." Raising her hoof, an aura of darkness appeared around her limb, her eyes staring at the immense amount of strength she felt from it. She glanced back at Kaito, revealing her yellow eyes to him. "With the power of darkness, things are definitely going to work in my favor."
The aura faded, lowering her hoof as she chuckled, then walked away, leaving Kaito concerned about what she planned to do. Even if he had a chance to warn Luxord, or, to his discomfort, Xehanort, she could easily snuff his life. She would be true to her word after feeling just how powerful she jabbed him and the powerful volts of electricity that coursed through her hoof after threatening him.
"This pony's psychotic," Kaito muttered.
Left alone, the impact of her words began to sting. His hand was held over his heart, or where his heart would be, the conflicting memories clashing with his own thoughts reviving the internal struggle he was suffering through. Pulling out the card of the family photo Luxord gave him, Kaito stared at the family, at the man who was his true self, taking his image as a creature who lacked a heart. He remembered the last conversation he had with Sora back in the Caribbean, unable to warn Sora about him being on the enemy's side, and hearing him call him "dad".
It was going to be a difficult confrontation when the time comes. He really didn't want to do this, nor get Manami involved after Xigbar's blackmail. He didn't want to hurt Sora. But, either way he looked at it, he was going to get hurt one way or another. And for himself, he was going to lose his life by Sora's hand when they clash in the Keyblade War, by Xehanort if he discovered his treachery, or the mare in the group who had her own agenda playing her part in the Organization. Kaito wasn't going to find any rest, feeling more lost and more confused about what to do, including himself and who he was meant to be; a father with a loving wife and a son with a promising career, or a creature with fake memories meant to follow the orders of those stronger and superior to him. When the day comes, he's going to need to go all out and not hold back, and he expects Sora to do the same without hesitation.