• Published 3rd Sep 2016
  • 484 Views, 15 Comments

Daring Do and the Empire of the Crystal Skull - Amethyst_Dawn



When Daring Do is abducted by foreign ponies years after her last adventure, and is forced to join in a plot to take over the world, what will happen when she confronts forces she never believed in?

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Chapter Three: The Meeting

After being picked up in the middle of nowhere by guards in suits, Daring Do was taken to an all-too-familiar building. She was told that she was trespassing, but she knew better: she was expected here.

Now, she stared at the suit sitting across from her, clearly not impressed with having to wait this long for a reply to her report. She was currently seated in a dimly lit office, the lighting issue obviously more about intimidation than electrical problems. She should’ve known, as this used to be her office. The map of the known world still rested on the same spot on the wall, reminding Daring that she never did get to find out what was in the compartment behind it.

ThePegasus currently occupying the chair behind the desk chewed the eraser on her pencil calmly, only sparing Daring a couple of glances every minute with her odd coral eyes. Her mane and tail were a mix of sage and biscotti, and her coat was like rust. Eventually, she set down the clipboard she was examining, and sighed as if annoyed.

“And you’re sure all this happened, Ms. Do?”

Daring smacked her forehead on the desk with a groan. “I know I sound crazy, Pebble, but I swear on my reputation: everything I’ve said today is true!”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” announced a third voice. Daring glanced over her shoulder just as a pony she never thought she’d see face-to-face stepped out of the shadows.

“Princess Luna?” She asked, her voice only giving off a slight creak as her brow rose. The Princess of the Night gave Daring a curt nod before glancing at the map.

“Since my return, my sister has trusted me with some of the more… clandestine operations of the Equestrian Government.” Luna began.

Ocean Pebble lifted her hoof hesitantly. “Princess? Should she re--”

“She’s going to pursue this even without our help, Peb, she should at least know what she’s up against.” The Princess cut in, before turning her head to wink at Daring. “Besides, whether these events make it into one of her books or not, I trust her. It’s time ponies knew what we have been up to.”

Pebble was effectively silenced, but Daring’s curiosity was piqued.

“Wait, what’s going on here?”

“For years, Equestria and Loshad have been competing in technologies.” Luna began again, extending her wing to brush across the map. “When they announced that they were working on a method of self-propelled carts, we rushed to catch up with them. Competition was always friendly, until recently…

“The leader of Loshad- Stiff Stall -was particularly intrigued by the research of one Dr. Perro Caballeron, whose reputation I hardly have to explain to you. Recently, the doctor has become obsessed with telepathy and non-magical teleportation. He proposed that Equus wasn’t the only world to feature intelligent life, and he swore that the organizations I lead had proof, the fool!”

Daring noticed Pebble shuffle a little in her seat, but said nothing as Luna continued. “He has hunted throughout the known world for his precious extraterrestrials, but we know not if he has found anything of interest. His latest escapades… were unexpected to say the least.”

The Princess gave Daring an apologetic look as she finished, causing the adventurous mare to chuckle.

“I gave up expeditions because there was nothing left to find…” she sighed. Luna and Pebble shared a sad look, but remained quiet as Daring glanced towards the map. “... It appears I was wrong. Do you know where Caballeron is headed?”

The Princess held her gaze on a particular piece of the map. “It’s been a few days since the attack, but we think he might still be searching for an alleged extraterrestrial temple in Mexicolt.”

Daring quirked her brow. “I’m sorry, but what do you mean ‘a few days’?” She snorted. “I don’t think I was stuck wandering in the desert for that long!”

Luna glared at her sharply. “Perhaps if you traveled to the west instead of the east, you might have gotten here quicker?”

Daring rolled her eyes. “Do you think I’m stupid? If I traveled west, I would have found myself in the middle of one of your Megaspell testing sites.”

It was Luna’s turn to cock an eyebrow. “And… how do you know about those?”

“I was a member of the agency that started that project, and Celestia herself selected that plot of land as the testing grounds. I didn’t want to risk my face melting like warm chocolate.”

“Still…” Luna paused, “knowing you: you might have found a way to survive.”

“Oh, yeah, I could totally survive a freaking Megaspell.” Daring hissed. “Flattering that you think so, Your Highness. I’m good, but not that good. What, did you expect me to jump in a fridge or something?”

Luna opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again. She clearly overestimated Daring Do’s abilities. Either that, or she wanted to get her killed. Daring strongly hoped it was the former, and not for the sake of her ego. After too long a silence, Daring glanced to the pith helmet resting flatly on the desk. A familiar glint flashed in her eyes as she slowly reached for it, and stroked the battered- yet still strong -material.

“I’ve given up adventuring…” she sighed, taking the hat in her hands. “There was just… no need for it anymore. My heart’s not in it, but I’d be lying through my teeth if I said I didn’t miss it.” She gently rubbed off some of the dirt with her hoof, sadly shaking her head. “I…”

She shifted her attention back to the Princess, and held her gaze. “I’m sorry for disappointing you, Princess Luna, but you’re wrong: I’m not going to pursue this fight. Caballeron’s not my problem anymore. If you want this pursued, you’ll have to get yourself another mare. I’m going home.”

With that, she dropped from the chair onto the floor, and walked out of the office. Leaving the Princess and Pebble in stunned silence. As soon as the door was closed behind Daring, Luna angrily stomped her hoof with a snort.

“Preposterous!” She stormed. “I present that mare a golden opportunity to journey and explore the unknown once more, and she turns it down even then! She is miserable, Pebble, even I can see that! She misses her life, but she refuses to go back to it. What am I missing?”

Pebble just slowly shook her head, and stood from her seat. “You’re not missing anything, Luna. You and I both know why she really quit…”





“... it was because of me.”

Author's Note:

That took a while! :derpytongue2: It's good to be back!

Now, let's get on with the story, shall we?
As you can see, this is where I'm starting my deviation from the Indiana Jones film, and making the story more my own. And, hopefully, make it more... quality. :raritywink:

Sorry it's so criminally short, just felt like a good place to leave off. :twilightsmile:

Comments ( 4 )

Oh good, you didn't nuke the fridge. When I saw the title of the story I was worried for a second.

8122498
Don't worry, I'll be poking fun at the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull a lot here. :raritywink:

Why is this on hiatus?

9950841
Because while I do have an idea of where I want this story to go, I haven't had an idea as to how to go about it. My focus has shifted elsewhere to other projects, but I do want to get back to this someday.

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