//------------------------------//
// Part 5: "You know what? Don't tell anypony I said that." 
// Story: The Death of Daring Do: The Engine of Eternity 
// by DuncanR 
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"Dah, da-dah daaah! Dah, da-daaah... Da, da-dah daaah, dah da-dah, dah dah!"
Rainbow Dash stood in front of the map built into the wall, sliding a miniature toy plane along its surface. She held a tiny roll of bright red ribbon underneath it, charting a steady course from the city of Baltimare to the unlabeled continent across the eastern sea.
"After weeks... nay, months, of exhausting travel—
"It's been six hours," Derring-Do shouted back over the roar of the wind and engines.
—our heroes have finally crossed the eastern ocean and arrive at the exotic, faraway land of... of..." Rainbow Dash turned to the cockpit. "Hey, where are we going, exactly?"
"East," Derring-Do said.
"I mean where are we going to end up?"
"Destination. Say 'say destination'."
Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow. "Um... say destination?"
"Current destination is the Kathiawari Mountains, to rendezvous with the HMS Imbrium. No known co-ordinates."
"What's that mean?"
"It mean's we don't have a bloody clue where we're going. We've been wandering around for the past three hours, waiting for somepony to make contact."
Rainbow Dash looked out a nearby window and saw nothing but fog. "Do you even know if we've crossed the ocean yet?"
"We've got a full navigational sensor suite. We've been over uneven terrain for the past half hour. Definitely mountains."
Rainbow Dash walked to the cockpit and stared at the featureless white expanse beyond the window. "...This is no way to fly."
"I'm fully trained to pilot by instruments, and I promise we're well above the ground."
"It's not that I doubt your ability or anything... the idea of flying with your eyes closed just gives me the shivers."
"Mm." Derring-Do tapped a few of the controls. "It takes some getting used to, I'll tell you that much."
Rainbow Dash watched the instruments for a minute or so. Eventually, she settled into the co-pilot's seat and leaned back. "So... is there anything I can do?"
"You could put some coffee on," said Derring-Do . "If we don't hear something soon over the radio, I might need it."
Dash rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."
"Yes, I do. Right now, all you can do is sit back and—"
There was a loud buzz from the controls and Dash immediately straightened up. "I didn't touch anything! I swear it wasn't me!"
"Hush," Derring said. She pulled a microphone down from the ceiling and held it to her mouth. "This is civilian Goldfinch two-six-four-november-foxtrot, requesting directions. Please respond."
A crackle of static came through the radio. Derring adjusted one of the knobs.
"I say again, this is civilian Goldfinch two-six-four-november-foxtrot, requesting directions. Please respond."
 A voice faded in and out of the static. "—hear me, Goldf—"
"Loud and scratchy," Derring-Do said as she adjusted the knobs further. "Please respond."
The voice came through, this time clearly. "How can you hear me, Goldfinch?"
"Loud and clear."
"Goldfinch two-six-four-november-foxtrot, Squawk one-zero-three and ident."
She tapped several of the transponder's buttons in rapid succession, then took the microphone. "Roger ident."
"We see you on radar, Goldfinch. Say destination."
She gave Rainbow Dash a sideways smile as she spoke into the mic. "Current destination is the Kathiawari Mountains, to rendezvous with the HMS Imbrium. No known co-ordinates."
"This is the HMS Imbrium air traffic control tower. Our schedule shows no incoming flights at this time. State the nature of your visit."
"This is assistant professor Derring-Do from the Canterlot University's Department of Ancient History. I wish to pay a professional visit to Professor Walski and pass along research data that may prove relevant to her expedition."
The voice crackled again. "Docking request acknowledged, Goldfinch. Adjust altitude to nine-thousand meters, course to seventy-six degrees, and speed to sixty knots. Prepare for cable hitch at two-hundred meters distance."
"Affirmative, Imbrium. Adjusting altitude, course and speed."
Rainbow Dash stared at the white-out or a few more seconds. "What's all that mean?"
"It means sit down and fasten your harness."
Dash did so, hurriedly. After several minutes the whiteout began to clear up in patches, revealing flashes of sunlight. Eventually, they burst out of the clouds entirely and entered the airspace of a gargantuan, silver zeppelin with four short, stubby wings on the sides. It had a long, two-story deck along it's underbelly, and a veritable forest of metal towers and antennae clustered along it's top. Streams of mist whorled against its surface like fog rolling off a mountainside.
"Cable hitch deployed," the radio said. "Adjust speed to ten knots and approach aft-starboard stabilizer."
"Affirmative, HMS Imbrium."
Derring-Do released the microphone and took hold of the wheel. The nose of the plane tilted down, giving them their first clear view of the terrain far below: a series of three arctic mountain ranges, jagged and steep, with a thick white mist obscuring the valleys sandwiched between them. The plane curved closer and drew up along the side of the airship, giving them a magnificent view of it's true size. 
"And now the fun part," muttered Derring-Do. She pulled a lever and the plane lurched violently forward. Rainbow Dash glanced out the side of the window and watched as their wings rotated, pointing the propellers straight up. The plane leveled out and hovered in place directly beneath one of the zeppelin's huge, stubby wings: at this distance it was clearly the size of a building. Derring maneuvered the plane in place for a few seconds until something finally clamped against them and hoisted them up.
She cut the engines entirely and leaned back in her seat with a sigh.
"That was pretty quick," said Rainbow Dash. "How many times have you done this?"
"Only twice, actually. Once was just a simulator." She bit her bottom lip. "You know what? Don't tell anypony I said that."
Dash made a zipping motion across her lips.
The cable hoisted them up and into the stabilizer, which was furnished like a small aircraft hangar. The floor sealed shut below them and a metal gangplank slid out and pressed gently against the side of the plane. Derring-Do climbed out of the pilot's seat and walked back to the door, taking a moment to make sure her helmet was secure. She and Rainbow Dash walked out across the gangplank side by side, and a burly pegasus stallion met them halfway across: He was dressed in a rugged blue uniform that was covered in old grease and dirt stains.
"Welcome aboard, professor Do. My name is Skyworthy." He nodded to Rainbow Dash. "And this must be your pilot! I must say, you've got a lot of guts to come through this kind of weather in a civilian tilt-rotor... and that was the quickest cable hitch I've ever seen! How long have you been flying?"
"All my life, but never in a plane." Rainbow Dash pointed at Derring-Do. "That was all her."
Skyworthy raised both eyebrows. "You're a professor and a pilot?"
Derring-Do looked away. "It's not—"
Rainbow Dash hooked her front leg over Derring's shoulder and hugged her close. "I know! Isn't she just awesome?"
Derring pushed her away and cleared her throat. "Is Professor Walski available?"
"She's on-site at the moment," said Skyworth. "We spoke to her briefly over radio, and she's agreed to spare an hour or so. Right this way." He walked towards the exit and gestured for them to follow.
"Thank you very much," Derring-Do said. "I know it must be very inconvenient for her, especially on such short notice."
"Aw, it's no trouble at all... to be honest I think she's glad to finally have another egghead to talk to. Might cheer her up a bit."
He opened a door and led them to the interior of the zeppelin's balloon: the vast, empty space was supported by numerous grids of slender metal struts, and there were walkways leading all throughout. There were only a few other ponies in sight, almost all of them pegasi.
"The air here is so still," Rainbow Dash whispered. "The inside of the balloon is one giant weather pattern... I've never seen such tight control before!"
"It's how we keep this tub in the air," Skyworthy said. "Our pegasus teams control the air pressure at all times and keep the air as still as possible. If it weren't for them, the weather outside would crumple us like a paper bag."
"Your boys must really know what they're doing. How big is the team?"
"Six pegasi each," Skyworthy said, "and there's two teams. They work in shifts."
Derring-Do looked down each end of the zeppelin. "How many excavators do you have?"
"Thirty, about. That's not really my department."
Derring stared at him. "Thirty? That must cost a fortune!"
"They're just laborers," he said. "In fact, most of them are just regular crewponies. Hauling rocks isn't much different than moving freight."
"No, I mean... how many assistant archeologists do you have? How many of them are certified excavators?"
Skyworthy shrugged. "You'd have to ask the professor."
He led them down a stairwell and into the ship's lower deck, hanging from the underbelly of the balloon. He led them into a large elevator platform with thick glass walls covered by heavy metal fencing.
"You're not easily airsick, are you?"
"Not even close," said Dash. "Why?"
"Sorry. Never hurts to check."
He pulled a lever and the elevator shuddered around them. The entire compartment slid down through the floor, thousands of meters over the ground. It slid down along a heavy metal cable that hung from the bottom of the airship: it held the weight but the terrific wind swung them back and forth like a pendulum. As they descended, blowing snow began to obscure their vision and coat the glass windows with a thick layer of frost.
Rainbow Dash grabbed the support bar by the wall and stared out the window. "This is amazing! Look at how high up we are! It looks like there's nothing holding us up at all!" She began leaning side to side. "Hey, do you think we could get it swinging it even faster? Woo! Woo! Woo!"
Skyworthy passed a bulky winter coat to Derring-Do, whispering as he did so. "So... is your friend incredibly brave, or just incredibly stupid?"
"Not sure," she said. "Possibly both."
 
 
 
After fifteen minutes of swaying back and forth in the howling snow, the cable elevator settled on solid ground. All three of it's occupants were wearing heavy winter coats and full face masks as they stepped out into a torrential snowstorm. They'd landed on a jutting, rocky platform that had been partially cleared of ice and built into a temporary base camp: there were several large grey tents set up in a row, with walkways through the snow outlined by strings of bright blue crystals on stakes.
Dash and Derring followed Skyworthy as close as they could. Except for the lines of glow crystals, they couldn't see more than a few yards away. Other ponies loomed into view without warning, all wearing the same bulky coats and full face masks. Skyworthy looked inside one of the tents for a moment and shouted something, then came back and led them further through the camp.
They came to the mouth of a cave set in the side of the mountain, where a series of heavy sealed tarps had been set up like curtains. Skyworthy led them through a series of heavy curtains and into a cave filled with laborers. Hundreds of glow crystal stakes had been pounded into the floor and walls, and there were scaffoldings everywhere. Some were wooden walkways, and others supported a modest network of minecart rails.
Skyworthy took off his mask and pulled back his hood. "She should be somewhere around her. Stay close, and don't—"
"I know, I know," said Rainbow Dash, "don't touch anything."
"I was going to say no flying," Skyworthy said, "but that too."
"No...? Hey! Why can't I fly?"
"Pegasus flight isn't just physical aerodynamics," interjected Derring-Do. "It's partly magical, and very closely related to weather magic. They need to maintain the temperature perfectly to avoid damaging the site, and even routine flying magic could interfere with that."
"Oooh." Dash nodded to Skyworthy. "Four-on-the-floor, I promise."
Skyworthy shrugged. "Uh... actually, I just don't want you bumping into anyone or knocking anything over. We only worry about contaminating the weather patterns while we're in the zeppelin."
Derring-Do pointed at the main entrance. "But then... why the quarantine door? Why install an environmental seal if you aren't going to preserve the air conditions?"
"Mostly to keep it warm in here. We need to conserve on heating fuel whenever possible."
Derring-Do glanced around the cave. "But what about corrosion? If the air warms up, the ice will start dripping. You'll get water damage all over the place."
He shrugged. "As long as it's not a safety hazard, we're not too worried about it. Right this way, if you please."
They followed him further into the caverns. The next area was full of gruff, burly laborers hauling crates and sacks full of rocks and rubble. They were dressed in winter coats but most of them were unbuttoned in the front: even though they were all equipped with breathing masks and oxygen tanks, they were sweating with effort. Rainbow Dash watched in awe as a pair of stallions pushed a minecart past them, loaded to the brim with fragments of statues and engraved slabs.
Rainbow Dash hopped in place. "Wow... real life ancient ruins! How old are they? Are there more, further in?"
"How did you remove them?" said Derring-Do. "And how are you going to transport them?"
"That's quite enough, young fillies." Skyworthy went into a small side-cave and cleared his throat. "Professor Walski. You have visitors."
A middle-aged mare looked up at them from behind a folding metal table. Her coat was a light bronze color, and her chestnut mane and tail had only the slightest streak of grey. She was wearing an elegant, narrow-waisted overcoat with a long, stiff collar:  The densely-woven wool was embroidered with a continuous pattern of curly, flowering ivy, and a pleated skirt emerged from beneath it to brush against the floor of the cave. She was wearing a wide-brimmed hat that was festooned with artificial flowers and ringed with a black-lace veil that hung across her face.
"Derring-Do," she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Professor Walski." Derring do took off her helmet and tucked it under her wing. "I've been investigating an unusual artifact recently, and uncovered a few details that could link it to the ancient Dzunturan. I was hoping to make use of your expertise."
"And you came all this way, just to speak with me in person?" The Professor tilted her head. "Is there any reason the postal office wouldn't have sufficed for your needs?"
"Well... the issue is rather time critical, and I was hoping for a bit of back-and-forth on the subject. Given your remote location, I figured a full correspondence would have taken several months."
"Well then," she said, "it's good to know you're so dedicated to your field. Do please, have a seat."
"Thank you, ma'am." Derring-Do walked to the table and sat in a folding chair.
"So," Rainbow Dash said, "do you need me for this? Or do you think I could go get a tour while you hang out?"
Professor Walski eyed her critically. "And you are?"
"I'm just here to hang out. I swear I won't get in your way."
"You're certainly right about that. I'm sure Mister Skyworthy will happily escort you back to the airship before you do any damage."
"Wait, wait wait! Can't I at least get a little tour before we go? Just a teeny-tiny little one? I came all this way!"
She scowled at her. "What does this look like, a children's playground?"
Dash's eyes glimmered with moisture and her lower lip quivered.
Walski scowled at her.  "You mustn't pout, young filly, or a chicken will come and sit on your lip. Now be on your way and let the grownups talk amongst themselves in peace."
Derring-Do cleared her throat. "To be fair, I did promise Miss Dash a very brief look-around, as long as she promised to behave herself. I'm willing to vouch for her."
"Then you mustn't make promises you can't be sure of keeping."
Derring-Do stepped closer and lowered her voice. "I should point out that Miss Dash is very interested in archeology... so much so, in fact, that she decided to fund this little visit herself."
The Professor arched an eyebrow. "Are you saying she's...?"
"...A wealthy, eccentric tourist," said Derring-Do, "and it would be a shame to lose her interest before she becomes fixated on something else... renaissance paintings or deep-sea diving, perhaps."
"Wealthy and eccentric? That is the very best kind of tourist, I suppose." The professor walked around her desk and approached Dash. "And what is your name, young filly?"
"Dash," she said, puffing her chest out. "Rainbow Dash!"
"Walski," she said with a slight bow. "Perez Walski. I think a short tour can be arranged, as long as you can keep your hooves and wings to yourself and go exactly where you're told."
Dash sketched a salute. "Yes, ma'am!"
"Mister Skyworthy?"
The stallion's posture straightened. "Yes, Ma'am?"
"See if you can give Miss Dash the two-cent walkabouts. Take her as far as sector eighteen, and give her a chance to peruse the sorting room at her leisure. Bring her back here in an hour or so, and we'll figure out what we're all doing for the rest of the day."
"Yes, Ma'am." Skyworthy nodded to Dash. "Shall we?"
"You bet!" Dash followed him out of the cave and waved back at Derring-Do.
"Now then, Miss Do. Your questions?"
Derring-Do used her good wing to open her saddlebag and set a series of scrolls on the table. She spread them out and Professor Walski immediately picked out one in particular: a diagram of the crystal prism, with several close up details of its microscopic engravings.
"Aduu?" she whispered. "Where did you find this?"
Derring-Do continued to rummage in her saddle bag. "I swear, Perez... you'll never believe me."
"The list of things I refuse to believe in is very small." She sat down and took a pair of bifocals out of her coat pocket. "Tell me everything."