Daring Do and the Throne of Ouroboros

by Tolerance

3: Deep Ward

Daring sat there for a moment, trying to absorb everything she'd been told. "So let me get this straight. So, one, you know who sent me the letter that basically paints an X on your little isolationist community, and two, you’re cool with that. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all for not being used as slave labor, but shouldn't you be more worried about keeping a secret like that, well, a secret?"

"With your arrival, we've come to learn that our knowledge of the outside world has grown insufficient. The author's intent aside, there are more important things at stake, and I believe that an adventurer such as yourself can assist us in rectifying both situations."

"Wait, are you asking me for my help now?"

"Master Aaron has seen fit to remove your restraints, Miss Do. And not all of us agree that you will be needed, or that you will do anything but get in our way."

"Yeah, I'm grateful for that and all," Daring said as she stretched out her wings to their fullest extent, "but I kind of have to agree, I don't see what I can bring to the table that you guys don't already have. I mean, no pony'd suspect you of being able to use magic, for starters. I'm a pegasus, not a unicorn. So, yeah, what's this whole plan of yours again?"

"We certainly don't require your physical, or indeed magical, abilities, Ms. Do. We need your knowledge. You said that you often go searching for artifacts and dungeons in order to remove them from the workings of all manners of shadowy organizations and shady evildoers, but you've never done so without doing at least some research before you set off on an adventure. You said so yourself, when you said that you weren't expecting us to be here, and that other sources pretty much confirmed our nonexistence before you'd arrived. The kind of information I'm interested in should be right up your alley."

Daring mulled it over for a bit. "Alright, but what's in it for me?"

"The gratitude of my people?"

"Yeah, that might sound good and all, but I can't trade gratitude for, you know, anything. So you're going to have to up the ante a bit."

"How about we let you live?"

"And then you'd be back to square one with being stuck in a hole in the ground. What do you think, that just anypony would be able to just adventure their way in here like I did? Even if that were the case, do you think that the little ghost-writer of yours would be willing to send anymore ponies to their dooms? If you were planning on killing me you'd have done it already. Celestia knows you've had ample opportunity. So, that leaves me with two options really. Do whatever it is you need me for, with nothing but the promise of freedom afterwards, or do the same thing but the promise of freedom and treasure."

"And what do you suppose would keep us from simply keeping you here?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about the thousands of fans suddenly worried about their heroine's disappearance?" Daring lied. Sure a few people would wonder what happened to A.K. Yearling, a few of them were even influential, but none of them would send an army out for a rescue operation. "I'm kind of famous, you know."

"Enough." Aaron silenced the two. "How about we leave the reward on the table for now, at least until after we've discussed what you are needed for." Aaron stood up and motioned for the others to follow.

"Where are we going?"

"To the Eye."

~~~~~

Leaving the gardens, Aaron led the group back through the maze of corridors. Not that it would have mattered to Daring Do, who still had no frame of reference concerning her whereabouts anyway, but the trip was almost as lengthy as the one from her cell to the dinner table. Eventually, they came upon a small platform that acted as a divider between the normal walkways and a new tunnel that had rounded edges, even on the floor. Suspended from the ceiling of this odd tunnel was a metal railing of some sort.

Daring's guesswork as to what the whole setup was for was soon answered when a set of interlinked coaches arrived, each seeming to envelop the metal rail as it passed through their upper machinations.

Once aboard, Daring observed the seating next to the ornately inlaid windows. "Nice train." She stated.

"Guess that means that your kind has progressed to at least the industrial age since our last encounter. But your definition is a little lax, while similar to a train, this method of locomotion is referred to as a mono-rail." Aaron answered matter-of-factly.

The group fully boarded, the carriage gently eased itself into motion, quickly leaving the lit platform behind. While the interior of the cabin was lit, the tunnels from here on out were not. Daring was about to ask why they even had windows, it all they could see is more rock, when the monorail left the confines of the tunnel and opened up into the rest of the settlement.

"Welcome, Daring Do, to the Deep Ward!" Sahni exclaimed once she saw the awestruck reaction of the mare.

What Daring saw was a veritable metropolis, which sprawled out beneath her, filling up almost every inch of space inside the massive underground chamber. The valley, for one could call it nothing else, was likely a match for the valley above in size alone. Daring had suspected that the pack was larger than normal, but there seemed to be enough room to accommodate thousands.

The streets were all lined up around a few circular grids surrounding the slanted pillars that spanned from the floor to the ceiling. In between buildings, foggy green lights offered visibility and revealed the presence of several gleaming, no doubt industrial, buildings scattered about. Each of them far larger than even the grandest of airships, and many of them connected to lines much like the monorail the group was using now.

The walls of the cavern were covered with crystals of all sizes, some of them a match for the buildings below. Overhead, a massive transparent bowl extended below the chamber’s ceiling, the waning light of the sun still barely visible as it cut through the water above and refracted through the crystalline walls. The whole city had been built beneath the inlet. Daring had no idea what level of engineering was required the dogs to pull the 'skylight' off without flooding the place, or even how they figured out how to build something like that at all, but she had to admit it was impressive.

"So what do you think?" Aaron inquired.

For the first time in recent memory, Daring Do was speechless.

~~~~~

The speechlessness lasted all the way to their destination. Several buildings that, with exception of their curved frame, were built in a style similar to ancient pony government buildings. Three of the pillared buildings surrounded a central domed structure.

As the group entered the main building, no small amount of canine stares found themselves focused on Daring Do. The pegasus flattened her ears against her skull. Daring may have been a mare of action, but there was a reason she was content to stay out of the limelight herself. If she didn't know better, and honestly she didn't at the moment, she could swear she was being led to a cage. Either so they could experiment on her, or so that she could be an attraction of some sort. Neither option sounded appealing, but Daring forced the feeling down and instead queried her captors. "What is this pace?"

"Ah, it's the, um... Sahni?" Aaron attempted.

"Kahsso Arkerros, Master."

"Okay..." Daring accepted, even though it did nothing to explain what the facility was for. "Wait, don't you run things here? Shouldn't you at least know the name of a special building like this?"

"Heh, I suppose you are right. As is turns out, I'm actually terrible with names. The only reason I remember Sahni's name is because it sounds like Sunny!"

The Priestess looked both proud and downright embarrassed to have her master remember her name due to such a mnemonic trick. Not that Daring was going to press the issue just yet. It was already obvious that Sahni preferred to remain close enough to her Master that any accidental 'brushing up' was bound to happen. Often. And even though Daring preferred not to antagonize the dog, an evil smirk crossed her muzzle. ''Sunny' it is,' she thought to herself.

Cruel thoughts of teasing stowed away for the moment, the distraction was enough to pull Daring away from her own predicament, and the increased attention had rapidly dwindled to manageable levels. The group continued through what appeared to be a library of some sort, and had then began to head deeper into the bowels of the structure.

After leading them down almost six basement levels, Aaron instructed the group to stop before a large smooth wall. Steadying himself, and placing a paw against the surface, a uniform piece of stone wall folded into itself in a strange, mystic silence. After ordering the guards to remain outside. Aaron escorted Daring and Sahni inside before sealing the wall up behind them.

As she entered the central chamber, Daring Do found herself speechless once more.

Comments

[Edgeblackstar]

The city or valley is epically amazing

[Royal7]

"Oh, I don't know, how about the thousands of fans suddenly worried about their heroine's disappearance?" Daring lied. Sure a few people would wonder what happened to A.J. Yearling, a few of them were even influential, but none of them would send an army out for a rescue operation. "I'm kind of famous, you know."

A.K.

[Tolerance]

8446562
Oh, thanks for that!