//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: "Schemes In Motion." 
// Story: Daring Do Adventures: Daring Do And The Raiders Of Atlantis 
// by XombieSlayr 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 5: "Schemes In Motion."

Daring had flown back to Manehatten as fast as her wings could take her. She needed to warn professor Atlas, that someone else knew about Atlantis, and were planning on coming after her and the professor for information. And Daring guessed they weren't exactly gonna be nice about it.

She arrived at The Manehatten Theater, out of breath and out of time.

She opened the door, and raced over to the receptionist, still panting from her trip.

"Is...Professor Atlas, still here?" She asked, breathing heavily.

The receptionist seemed oblivious at Daring's exhaustion as she smiled. 

"Yes, she is! But she's talking with somepony right now, so she probably shouldn't be disturbed." 

Daring's exhaustion went away instantly. 

"what?? who is it?"

The receptionist continued to smile. "Oh, some nice unicorn in a suit. He was with someone. A mare, I believe."

Daring didn't wait for her to finish. she raced through the lobby, down the hall and stopped outside Professor Atlas's room.

As quietly as she could, Daring leaned in and pressed an ear to the closed door, listening carefully.

A familiar sounding voice made her eyes widen.

"Now professor, we've tried to be nice. I've been very courteous, and I even explained our plans." The voice said calmly.

"So why do you insist, on stalling us?"

Daring heard professor Atlas respond. She sounded scared, but determined.

"Because your plans are insane! Your messing with things, you can't possibly understand!" Atlas exclaimed.

The voice sounded disappointed.

"Oh, now insane is a strong word. I prefer the term, open minded."

"Atlantis isn't some weapon for you to exploit." Atlas responded coldly.

The voice chuckled. "Oh, I couldn't care less about that city. It's whats in Atlantis, that I seek."

Atlas sounded serious now. "You'll get nothing from me. I'm done being every pony's punching bag."

"Way to go, professor!" Daring thought to herself.

The voice sounded less than impressed. "How noble." It jeered.

"But if you won't tell us, well, that's just fine-

Daring yelped as she was suddenly picked up off the ground by magic, and pulled into the room.

Daring gasped as she saw who the voice belonged to.

Moonbeam smiled wickedly as she said " I'm sure Ms.Do can enlighten us without a fuss."


Mysterious Back Room (Manehatten Theater)

Daring struggled to loosen the ropes that binded her and Professor Atlas together. Mr. Heypony and another burly looking unicorn stood by the doors.

"I knew it was you! That voice sounded way too familiar." 

Moonbeam chuckled. "Oh, but you didn't Ms. Do."

"You know, you really should learn to think more quietly. You never know if someone could be listening to your thoughts." She added motioning towards her head.

"Y-You can read minds?" Daring gasped.

"Heh. No Ms. Do."

Daring's ropes suddenly turned into long slimy snakes, making both her and Atlas yell out.

"I can do, so much more than that."

The snakes coiled along one another, as Daring narrowed her eyes at Moonbeam. "Just who are you, anyway? What do you want with Atlantis?"

Moonbeam trotted over to a picture the professor had on her table,and examined it. 

"Oh me? Well, I'm a collector of sorts. You see, the organization I lead is a reowned society of magic users. We collect the most powerful magics in the world, and lock them away for our own use."

Moonbeam turned to look at Daring with a glint in her eye. "But the magics your used to, are just so...weak. So bland."

"I've long since abandoned trivial unicorn magic. There's just so much more that the Dark Arts can teach. So much more."

Daring's eyes went wide."The Dark Arts? You really are insane." She said amazed.

Moonbeam was suddenly an inch from Daring's face."No! Ms.Do."

"I am enlightened." She said with a strange smile.

Moonbeam began to slowly walk around Daring and Atlas, as the snakes coiled around them, hissed menacingly.

"The Dark Arts have enlightened me, to a higher state of power, far beyond that of Equestria's pathetic magics."

She stopped and leaned in closely. "So imagine, what we'd be able to do with the magics of Atlantis at our disposal. We'd be even more powerful then Celestia herself!" She exclaimed.

Daring was at a loss for words. But then she laughed.

"Wow. I mean, I knew you guys were crazy, but...

Daring smirked at Moonbeam. "I didn't think you were idiots, too."

Moonbeam sighed. "You disappoint me, Daring."

"I thought you, at least, could see the bigger picture here. But...it seems your just as ignorant as your father."

Daring narrowed her eyes. "What do you know, about my father?" She demanded.

Moonbeam smiled. "Oh, I'm afraid we've run out of friendly conversations, Ms. Do."

She turned away from them and ordered her henchponies out the door. "Now, If you'll excuse me, we have a lost city to find."

She smiled back at them. "Oh, and by the way. Those snakes will coil tighter and tighter until they've literally squeezed all the energy out of you. Toodles!"

She left with a wave and locked the door.

Daring and Atlas began to try and squirm free from the snake's grasp. But it was no use, as the snakes coiled tighter and tighter.

Daring struggled to speak. "Well...this is a new one. Even for me. I've never been tied up with snakes before."

"Points for creativity." She added.

The snakes hissed loudly, as they coiled around.

"But minus a million points for being completely off her saddle, and trying to kill us." Daring said as she felt the snakes squeeze around her.

Professor Atlas was freaking out, but trying her best to speak calmly. "W-What do we do?"

"Working on it."

"Well, do you think you could work faster? These snakes don't seem very patient." Atlas said worriedly.

Daring looked around the room, for something, anything she could use to free herself and the professor from the snake's slimy grasp.

Then she spotted the furnace and got an idea.

"Hey Professor."

"Yes?"

"How hot do you think those pipes over by the furnace are?"

"Well, the furnace is on full blast, because its rather chilly out today. I'd say they'd be very hot indeed. Why?"

Daring smiled. "I've got an idea. On the count of three, we both stand up at the same time, okay?"

"Uh...okay?"

The snakes were now squeezing tighter than ever, but Daring now had a plan to get rid of them.

"Alright. ready?" she asked Atlas.

"Ready." 

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

They both stood up on their hind legs at the same time. The snakes hissed loudly, annoyed.

Daring chuckled. "Alright! Now head for that pipe by the furnace."

"Okay!"

They both slowly made their way over to the furnace, taking effort to match each others steps.

Stumbling towards the furnace, Daring glanced down at the snakes. They were still coiling tighter and tighter. She felt no regrets from doing this to the snakes.

Beside them, a metal pipe coming from the side of the furnace, radiated with intense heat. 

"Okay, now carefully lean towards the pipe." 

Atlas did as she was told, and the two of them leaned into the pipe.

Their was a loud hissing, as the snakes suddenly uncoiled themselves from around Daring and Atlas's waist, and slithered off.

Daring smiled broadly. "Ha! I guess they couldn't take the heat!" She joked.

Atlas breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled. "Indeed."

They took a minute to collect themselves.

"Alright. There's no time to lose. We need to get to Iceland before Moonbeam and her thugs do!"

"Absolutely! We can't let her get her hooves on the magic of Atlantis, Daring! We just can't." 

Daring smiled. "Don't worry professor. She's not even going to make it to Atlantis."

They raced out of the theater, and Daring hailed a taxi. "We need to get to the docks. I got us a plane to go to Iceland!"

"You did?"

"Yep. We'll need to refuel, but we can be out of here and on our way to Iceland, in an hour."

A taxi pulled up,and Daring opened the door for the professor.

"By the way professor, what was moonbeam going on about anyway?'

"The magic of Atlantis is beyond anything we know. Far beyond even that of Alicorn Magic."

Daring's eyes widened. "But it's just magic, right? I mean, what all can she do with it?" She asked.

Atlas looked worried. She looked at Daring with a very concerned look.

"A better question would be: What couldn't she do with it?"

Canterlot Docks (Warehouse District.)

As the taxi drove away, Daring and Atlas loaded the plane with all their stuff. the Professor had packed a small bag with various notebooks, pens, and all of her research books on Atlantis. She loaded them into the cargo hold, As Daring refueled the plane.

A voice made them both jump.

"Room for two more?"

Daring looked to see her friend Swift Wing, smiling broadly while gazing up at the plane. Herpy stood beside her, carrying a large saddle bag.

"Glad to see you changed your mind, Herpy!" Daring said cheerfully.

Herpy shuffled his feet as he smiled back.

"But how did you know about the trip, Swift?"

Swift Wing chuckled. 'Oh, you thought you could fly off on some epic quest to find Atlantis, without me knowing about it?" She joked.

They both laughed.

But then Daring looked at her seriously. "Swift. I know you want to go with us...

"But we got some bad ponies after us. And their not very friendly."

Swift Wing laughed. "So? What else is new?"

Daring didn't want to imagine what Moonbeam or her cronies would do to them, if they caught them. Swift hadn't seen what that crazy mare was capable of.

"Her name is Moonbeam." Daring explained.

She's like an insanely powerful unicorn, and she doesn't use magic. She uses The Dark Arts!"

Swift Wing's eyes widened. "Whoa, seriously? That's so cool!"

Daring looked concerned. "She's dangerous, Swift! She turned a pair of ropes into snakes, for Celestia's sake!" she exclaimed.

Swift Wing looked even more excited. "Well, see now you have to take me." 

"Look, It sounds awesome, I know, but you'd be safer here!"

Swift Wing raised an eyebrow. "So you know how to fly a plane, then?"

Daring went silent. She had no idea how to fly a plane. Not without crashing one anyway.

"Uh...

Swift Wing smiled slyly. "That's what I thought."

She hurried past Daring, and hopped into the cockpit.

"C'mon! Iceland ain't getting any colder!"

Daring stood there for a moment. Then she smiled.

"You heard her. Let's go!"

Herpy and the others finished loading their stuff onto the plane, as Swift Wing donned her googles and started the engines.

The propellers spun instantly, as the engines roared to life. Hopping into a passenger seat, behind Swift Wing, Daring held onto her helmet.

"Hang On!" Swift shouted over the roar of the engines.

She pushed the thrust forwards, as the plane sped down the runway and soared up into the clouds, bound for Iceland.