Daring Do and The Knights of Time and Space

by spectacles_ak

Chapter 5: Sisterly Discussions

Chapter 5
Written by spectacles_ak
Proofreading by Dartrunner

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“So.” Daring said as the two pegasi mares and the earth pony looked at the ring of standing stones.

“So?” Ditzy responded quizzically as she prodded one of the stones with a hoof as the stallion as he looked at the center of the ring muttering to himself and poking at it with a stick that he held between his teeth.

“Sooooo......How did you two meet, hmm?” Daring said conversationally as she eyed several inscriptions.

“Is this really the best time for this sort of conversation? I mean, what with our lives being on the line and all?” she experimentally pushed against some of the rocks.

“Why not? It’s been the best time for us to talk since we ran into each other. In the middle of a jungle. On an uncharted island. With me being chased by evil unicorns. And you and a strange fellow appearing with a blue box out of nowhere. I just wanted to catch up that’s all. Is that so strange?” Daring put on the most innocent looking smile she could muster.

Ditzy glared at her and sighed. “I had forgotten how irritating you can be sometimes.”

“My powers of annoyance only grow with your continued attempts to dodge the question.”

“I don’t suppose I could simply use the phrase ‘shenanigans’ as an explanation and leave it at that, could I?”

“Would you accept it if our positions were switched?”

“Yes. Yes I would.”

“Really?”
“No. Not really. But you have plenty of time to explain yourself.” She huffed.

A guilty look played across Daring’s face momentarily, before giving way to anger.

“Its none of your business, Ditzy!”

“None of my business?! You go poking and prying in my life but I do the same and it’s none of my business? What a hypocrite you are!” The grey pegasus snapped loudly, before ducking her head down behind on of the stones at the sudden look the black-clad guards gave in their direction.

“I think maybe we should tuck this topic away for another day, hmm dear sister mine.” Daring whispered.

“I think you maybe right about that.” Ditzy whispered back.

“I think you should get used to saying that more often.”

“I think you should shut up before I place a hoof upside your head.”

“I think its a teleport.” A third voice interjected in the hushed tones of the sisters’ argument. The two pegasi mares turned their heads to regard this conversational intruder. There sat the brown earth pony grinning like an idiot.

“A what now?” Daring replied quizzically.

“He said it’s a teleport, silly.” Ditzy responded.

“Yes thank you. And what do you mean by that? Teleporting is what unicorns do.”

“This is true! However, it seems that I have discovered a rather interesting thingy here that points to it being a teleportation device.” He called their attention over to one of the other standing stones.

“And what is so special about this rock that the other rocks don’t have.”

“Well you see-”

“Daring has a point, Doctor. It looks like all the other ones to me.”
“That because - “

“I still don’t buy that. A doctor of what? Medicine certainly not. Maybe some branch of the sciences, but I doubt it. Ditzy, are you sure he’s really a doctor?”

“We really don’t -”

“I’m pretty sure he is. A doctor of time!”

“Now -”

“A doctor of time? That is the dumbest -”

“Would you two just be quiet for just a moment? I am about to be brilliant here and I want your undivided attention, for just a moment. Okay? Okay. Now what I found is this!” The Doctor reached out his hoof and placed in on the stone and twist slightly. The rock made a strange clicking sound, and a small rectangular section of the stone slid upwards revealing a cavity.

Inside this cavity was a crystal that glowed with a cold blue light and hummed with a sound that was not a sound. One that your heard more echoing off your bones than in your head. Connected to it was an array of lines, like some kind of complete maze made out of similarly glowing material.

Daring and Ditzy simply stared. Their eyes wide with the beauty of the glow. The only thing breaking their concentration from it was the hum that set their teeth on edge.

“Neat, huh? I didn’t even need the sonic. Not that I’ve got it any-”

“What is it?” Daring spoke, tearing her eyes away.

“That my dear Miss Do, is a crystaline-psychoreactive computational matrix that is bound to the hyperspacial locational linkage array that extends through the rocks itself and into the ground. Though the fact that its not hooked up to a machine in the traditional sense and more of a semi-magical construct is rather fascinating.”

“I have no idea what you just said. And I’m not entirely sure I want to know. Give me the lay pony breakdown and I’ll go from there.” Daring rubbed a hoof across her forehead, trying to banish the onrushing headache.

“Basically, it teleports you to wherever it’s supposed to take you. Without you needing to have any magic whatsoever.” He explained looking pleased with himself.

“Normally I would say that was a load of horse apples.” Daring looked at the stone circle a concerned look manifested itself upon her face.

“But - “ Ditzy supplied, trying to nudge her sister on.

“She’s seen them before.” The trio turned to look behind them, only to see Legerdemane standing a short way away, quietly regarding them, a smug smile playing across his lips. “Haven’t you, Daring Do?”

“The crystals, the setup of the stones, even the vaguely ancient unicorn writings in the temple leading to here points something supposed impossible. But I have seen these before, though none of my colleagues believed me, told me I was a crackpot and all the evidence disappeared. They said it was a myth, a legend. After all, wouldn’t Celestia have mentioned if it had existed. But here it is again.”

Ditzy backed away from her, Daring's wild eyed look was scaring her.

“Daring? What is it? What’s here?”

Daring spun around and faced them. “The nation forgotten, the race lost, and the king clad in shadows. These ruins and this stone circle, this teleportation device. These are remnants of the ancient Crystal Empire! I can finally prove to them that I’m not crazy! They’ll learn what happens when you doubt Daring Do!”