Daring Do trod through the old, dusty chambers of an ancient, long-forgotten ruin. She scanned the walls and flexed her wings every so often, her ears constantly alert for any suspicious sounds. Sure, Ahuizotl and his minions had already been sent packing by the ‘gas bombs’ she’d used – a bit of green smoke and everypony just assumes it’s poisonous – but that didn’t mean he hadn’t left behind a surprise.

Where is that stupid artefact? I’ve been here for hours already!

He couldn’t have taken the Golden Skull with him – his hands were empty and he didn’t have any pockets – and he wouldn’t trust any of his goons with it. Yet, that chunk of gold was nowhere to be found.

Couldn’t he just put it onto some pedestal in the main room, like usual? Or hold it above his head, laughing maniacally?

She kicked a nearby rock, scowling.

‘Daring Do and the Boring Search for the Golden Skull. Our hero managed to – in a streak of genius – trick her enemy and then fail to find what she was there for. So it was, all in all, just a big waste of time.’ She trotted on, her muzzle scrunched and her brow furrowed.

She stopped, her lips curling up. On the wall before her was an empty sconce – there were many like that scattered throughout the ruin, but this one was clean. She grinned and pulled at it . The wall next to the ‘lever’ slid aside.

Her jaw dropped. “No way.” She took a step through the newly-revealed doorway and her hooves touched a smooth, fluffy carpet, her wings as prepared as ever. The room was well-lit and had a bed with luxurious, silken sheets, the furniture there was made of mahogany, and the walls were covered by lavender plaster. In other words, it looked nothing like a room in any proper ruin should.

“Is this even real?” Her gaze jumped from one object to another until it landed on a framed photo of an all-too-familiar figure. “Ahuizotl? I... I found Ahuizotl’s suite?” Daring jumped on the bed and laughed as she laid back. “Whoo, he has better than I do back home. Unfair!” She sprung back up with a giggle and stared all around her again.

The readers will go crazy! ‘Ahuizotl – a rough shell that hides a delicate soul.’ Or, or ‘Tips and tricks on how to make your ruin feel like home by Ahuizotl, the legend of interior design.’ She giggled again. I can’t wait to see his face when he hears about this! I’ll write a chapter about it.

Daring Do sighed. Right after I find that stupid skull. Shaking her head, she started rummaging through his chest, then through his closet, and then through his dirty laundry.

She stopped after the first whiff.

Darn it, Ahuizotl! Where did you put that stupid skull?

She walked over to a nearby desk and opened its top drawer. Nothing. She tried the second one. Nothing. Then she tried the last.

It better be here, or I swear I’ll–“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” She smiled and lifted up a blue, slightly ragged book, a notice scribbled on its cover, from the drawer. “‘The journal of the dreaded Ahuizotl, the harbinger of ascension. Hooves off, minion!’” Daring sneered and flung the book somewhere behind her. “Aye, aye, Commander. Like I care about your precious little diary.” She rifled through the rest of the drawer’s contents. No traces of any skull, much less a golden one.

She groaned and sat on the chair by the desk. “It’s not here, is it? Let me guess. There are more secret passages in this ruin.”

There was nothing worse than such hidden rooms. They were nearly always filled with traps and were a pain to find, especially when all the ‘hints’ that were supposed to mark the entrance were destroyed by time. Once, she pulled every book in an old castle’s library, only to later find out that the lone hint she’d found meant some other library inside some other secret room. She must have cursed the architect’s name at least a hundred times that day.

Yeah, I’m not going to try every single torch holder here or search for loose bricks that might hide a secret button.

She looked around again.

There’s got to be some clue! Where would I put a golden skull? Hmm…

She looked under the bed. A blanket, some sheets, Ahuizotl’s journal… It seemed like she was the only one who stored important things there.

“Dang it, Ahuizotl… I’ll really have to try finding that passage on my own, won’t I?” She sat back down on the chair and glared at the entrance. If I was Ahuizotl, where would I put a clue? She sat for a while longer, then her eyes widened. “Into that diary!”

She jumped up and grabbed the book from the ground. Let’s see… last entry, last entry… Her hooves turned pages faster than those of a veteran bibliophile. Ninth of July? That was like a month ago; he wasn’t even here at the time!

She grimaced, and once again, the book flew through the air. What’s the point of having a journal if one doesn’t write important stuff in it? Daring stood up with a groan and moved towards the entrance. Another wasted day. Great.

She looked out of the room into the derelict hallway outside and shuddered. Slowly, her gaze turned back onto the book. On second thought… She shook her head. Golden statue. Have to find it as quickly as possible. She rolled her eyes and stormed off.

Ten seconds later, she rushed back in.

‘Know your enemy’ is how the saying goes, right? If nothing else, I might find out some new ways on how to mock him next time. Plus, the skull isn’t going to grow a body and run away anyway! I have time.

She sat down on the chair, put her legs on the desk, and opened the journal. With a bit of luck, Ahuizotl noted the location and opening procedure down there somewhere after all. Besides, it wasn’t like he or his servants were coming back any time soon – not with the ‘friendly’ tribals she’d sent chasing after them. Let’s see, page one...