As soon as the door closed, the inside of the temple started getting dark, making it hard for Diamond and Daring Do to see. Diamond then tried to use her magic to light up the room, but apparently, this temple was cursed, preventing unicorns/alicorns from using their magic. Daring Do turned to Diamond, seeing that Diamond was trying to use her magic, but she couldn’t.
“Uh, what are you doing?” Daring Do asked giving Diamond a confused look.
Diamond sighed, as she gave up trying to use her magic.
“I was trying to use my magic to light up the room, but I’m guessing that this temple was cursed, preventing unicorns and alicorns from using their magic.” said Diamond as she looked at Daring Do.
“A temple that’s cursed, preventing unicorns and alicorns from using their magic? Well, that’s just great. Hmm… ” said Daring Do as she tried looking around in the dark to see if there’s a torch or something which would help them to see inside the temple.
Diamond put her hoof in her bag, searching for the flashlights she had in there, just in case something ever prevents her from using her magic. If there's one thing she knows about any kind of mission she has, it’s that she always has to be prepared. Diamond was able to find the two she kept in her bag, just in case one of them runs out of battery.
“It’s a good thing I packed some flashlights, then.” said Diamond as she took them out.
Diamond gave one to Daring Do. They turned them on, allowing them to see some of the hallway.
“Stay close, and watch your step. Who knows what kind of traps this kind of temple has?” said Daring Do as she looked at Diamond cautiously before carefully walking down the hall.
Diamond nodded, understanding on what to do, before carefully walking with Daring Do down the hall. As they were carefully walking down the hall, Diamond looked around, kinda amazed at how ponies would make a temple just as beautiful as she imagined they would look in the Daring Do books. When Diamond was looking around, Daring Do had a confident glare on her face, as they kept going. But soon enough, Diamond accidentally stepped on a tile which caused a lot of arrows to shoot from the walls. Diamond noticed them, and jumped back, dodging the arrows. Daring Do instantly turned around as she got shocked about it, and went up to Diamond.
“Wait a second...” said Diamond as she looked at the easily set off trap tiles.
“What’s wrong?” Daring Do asked, a little concerned.
Diamond sees a pebble close to both of them, she gave a tap to the tiles, and one of them set off the arrow trap again, hitting the other side of the wall. Daring Do and Diamond were shocked, and Diamond gulped, a little frightened from the arrows.
“I guess most of the tiles set off the trap.” said Diamond as she looked at Daring Do.
Diamond sighed, trying to calm down, before having a confident glare on her face.
“Hmm...” said Daring Do as she looked at the tiles, trying to figure out how to get through them without setting it off.
Diamond then started doing the same thing. Most the tiles set off the trap by shooting tons of arrows from the side of the wall, but some of them are safe for them to walk or crawl on. As they continue on down the hallway, Diamond was still looking around, carefully, and on the alert, in case if there was another trap on the ground. With that, while Daring Do was walking, she’s looking for a way out of there, but then trips over something. Diamond goes up to her, and sees that Daring Do has tripped over a tripwire. After a few seconds, the ground started to shake, as Diamond got Daring Do back on her hooves as they looked around.
“Oh that’s not good.” said Diamond as she started to get a little worried, thinking that the place might fall apart.
After a few seconds, it stopped, they looked around hoping that they didn’t set off a trap, before they sighed in relief, and kept on going. But, as they were about to do so, a slide appeared a yard away from them, and a boulder came sliding down, and starts rolling for them. They turned around and now their shocked about it.
“Oh my Celestia!!” said Diamond in a worried tone.
“Run!!!” said Daring Do as she pushed Diamond into running, before running down the hallway.
They both ran down the hallway, trying to get away from the boulder. They had a few turns and zig zags and there were some spikes coming in and out of the tiles side to side ahead of them, along with flamethrowers coming from the walls, and giant saws popping in and out of the wall and axes swinging back and forth from the ceiling way ahead of them as they were about to reach the end of the hallway to the next room. Diamond and Daring Do were shocked on what their seeing up ahead, they both have a confident glare on their faces, as they looked at each other. They nodded on knowing what to do about those traps, they dodged them, trying to survive. As soon as their about to get through the flames from the walls, the entrance to the other room started to close slowly. They noticed, and goes faster to get to door. After they got through the saws and axes, the entrance was getting smaller and smaller. Diamond slid under it first, then Daring Do, but she ended up dropping her hat behind it. Diamond grabbed the hat before it closed, and as soon as it closed, the boulder hitted the entrance, making a huge rounded crack on the wall, blocking the exit. Diamond sighed in relief, as sweeps the dust off of Daring’s hat with her hoof.
“You ok?” Diamond asked as she goes up to Dating with her hat on Diamond’s hoof.
“Yeah, no worries.” said Daring Do as she gets up, and takes the hat from Diamond and wears it.
They turned around, knowing that now the exit is blocked because of the boulder.
“Well, there goes our way out.” said Diamond.
“We’ll find another way, right now, let’s focus on getting the crown.” said Daring Do as she walks down to the other side of the room with Diamond.
Diamond walks with her as she looks around, the room was filled with jewels glittering like shining stars in a clear and dark blue sky. Diamond’s eyes glisten in the sight of the room their in.
“Woah…” said Diamond shockingly amazed as she kept walking with Daring Do while looking around. “I-I’ve never seen anything quite like this.”
“There’s lots of things that you might imagine on what my adventures are like, Diamond-Chi.” said Daring Do.
“Especially if you have to protect the artifacts from Caballeron and Ahuizotl, or anypony else who would try to use them the wrong way.” said Diamond.
“Exactly.” said Daring Do as she looks at her. “Were you born as an alicorn or something?”
“No, I was born as a unicorn, I’ve earned my wings to become an alicorn, just like my friend Twilight, why?” Diamond said before raising an eyebrow when she asked why she asked her about that.
“Because you seemed to know about my destiny for Equestria more than any of my fans.” said Daring Do with a raised eyebrow.
“That’s because I pretty much do the same thing as you do, Daring, except I only protect everypony in Equestria, from real danger that comes in my way.” said Diamond with a smile. “Doing Tai-Chi, it’s what got me to protect everypony in the first place. I mean, I may have lost my family due when Tirek attacked Equestria, but I never give up, I’d do anything to protect Equestria, that includes sacrificing myself, and I never lose hope on saving everypony. ‘Pain is temporary but Pride is forever.’
“Uh, what does that mean?” Daring Do asked with a little confused look.
“It means I focused on what to accomplish more than anything else that gets in my way. So... yeah, I do this alone just like you do, Daring.”
Daring was kinda shocked on what she said. And it is true, Diamond has been working alone ever since her family died, her mother Musical-Chi was one of her private instructors of Tai-Chi when she was a filly. Musical-Chi used to be the one to protect Equestria for years right before Diamond took over, because of her being an alicorn, and the way her magic was more powerful than her mother’s. Right when Musical-Chi died, Diamond made a promise to herself that she would protect Equestria at any cost, that includes sacrificing herself for her family/friends. After a few minutes, when nopony said anything, Daring Do broke the silence.
“Wow, I.. I had no idea you would do almost the same thing as I do, like I protect the artifacts from getting into the wrongs hooves, and you protect everypony from real danger.” said Daring Do being amazed.
Diamond nodded in agreement, before Daring continued.
“Hmm.. I guess both of us we’re called to get the crown together.” said Daring Do giving Diamond a smile.
Diamond smiles back at her, they both continued walking down the room, glancing at the gems in the room.