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Literature Text
Chapter 2
"Wow, this is the most fascinating gem I've ever seen" A light brown pony stared intently at a bright red ruby, cut to perfection.
"Atlas, you say that every time."
"No, only the times when it really is the most fascinating gem I've ever seen."
"Which is every time." Daring-Do rolled her eyes.
Professor Atlas lowered her round glasses and looked at Daring. "I just can't believe you managed to nab this right out from under their noses."
"Well it wasn't exactly easy..." Daring-Do motioned to her wing, now wrapped in a bandage.
As much as Professor Atlas cared for Daring, she did have a tendency to only see the treasure in front of her and forget how much danger can be involved in getting it sometimes. But then again, Daring-Do would be out of a job if it wasn't for her; she was the one who agreed to hire her for finding new artifacts for the Trottingham Museum.
Even if Professor Atlas could be a bit short minded at times, she was one of the smartest ponies around. A brilliant archaeologist, Atlas had spent almost her whole life on her dream of owning a museum, and once she had one the first thing she did was hire ponies like Daring-Do to gather pieces for her museum. Most of them left to join various underground organizations, but Daring stayed and they quickly became fast friends.
She was even the youngest pony to ever own a museum, something she was particularly proud of.
"I bet this will go lovely next to the....um....ohhhhh...."
Atlas pranced around the room, looking for the perfect place to put the ruby.
"Why not put it over there?" Daring-Do pointed over her shoulder at nothing in particular.
"Oh! Of course! Next to the ancient unicorn civilizations exhibit! Thanks Daring!" Atlas trotted down the hall, her hoofsteps echoing in the tall wooden ceilings.
"What would you do without me?" Daring-Do smiled and tossed her mane.
"Probably be out of business, you've brought in most of the things in this museum."
Daring-Do looked around the museum and smiled to herself, each glass case containing a memory from one of her adventures over the years.
"Come on Daring, after I put this ruby away I want to show you something I've been studying up on recently." Atlas said and trotted down the hall.
Daring-Do followed her down the hall to the storage room. As she trotted down the hall she passed the door to the large warehouse containing the usual odds and ends of things that couldn't fit in a display case but never found their way into the museum proper.
But among the piles of what Daring considered to be junk was a large object covered in a tarp.
"Hey Prof, what's this big thing?" Daring called down the hall.
Atlas walked up to her and followed her gaze to the object covered in the tarp.
"Oh that? That's just a little project I've been working on for a while now, don't worry about it. Come on, let's go put this ruby somewhere safe for the time being."
Daring-Do shrugged and walked into the storage room. Atlas was always tinkering with some weird device; she may not look like it, but she knew her way around a toolbox.
Atlas gently placed the ruby in a padded box and closed it with a loving pat. Daring looked around at the impressive collection of objects in the storage room. Atlas often called this room her "private collection".
"So what was this thing you wanted to show me?" Daring-Do asked hesitantly. Often when Atlas wanted to show her something it was some boring research on an ancient town or something.
"Well, I was reading up on the history of the Sandy Dunes Desert and the civilization of ponies that lived there hundreds of years ago. They were mostly nomads traveling the sands but occasionally set up small towns to trade and rest at."
"That's cool I guess..." Daring-Do sighed, whenever Atlas started talking about an ancient group of ponies she couldn't stop, no matter how many times Daring pretended to fall asleep.
"Hold on, you might like this. At one point a large group of ponies got together and formed a large city somewhere in the desert. It is said that it grew to become a major trading center and prospered for years. But eventually the city went off the map and disappeared."
"How is this different from any other vanished city story you've told me?"
"Well, the ancient city grew very wealthy over time, meaning they acquired a large number of very valuable treasures. But best of all it is said to have held a legendary crown, and it is said that this crown can grant any one wish, no matter what it may be."
"Whoa really?" Daring-Do stopped looking around and stared at Atlas intently. "Anything?"
"Supposedly, it's all rumor and myth now, but that's what it says. It can grant the wearer any one wish, no matter what it might be." Atlas nodded her head, her light grey hair bobbing up and down.
"Wow, now that sounds like something worth finding." Daring-Do's eyes lit up.
"Yes, but it's not that simple. According to what I know, the ancient city of Rabalon was buried in the sands years ago and was lost to time forever. No map has any info on it. Not to mention the Sandy Dunes Desert has almost constant sandstorms, it could be buried under hundreds of layers of sand for all I know."
"Really? Shoot, I wanted to go get that crown. But if we find a map that has the location of Rabalon, maybe the sandstorms could have actually uncovered it!"
"Maybe, but that's only if a map with the location exists, and even with all my sources I couldn't find one."
"Well let's go hunting one dow-OW!"
Daring-Do winced as she rapidly unfolded her wings and felt pain shoot through her injured wing. Atlas looked at her and chuckled.
"Maybe you should just go on home for now, rest that wing of yours. You've had a long day anyway, you need some sleep."
"Yeah, maybe you're right, even I need some rest sometimes." Daring-Do stretched her neck.
She had to admit, after all that she went through, she was pretty tired. She felt like a good night's sleep might do her good.
"Alright I'm heading home, try not to get too attached to that ruby while I'm gone." Daring-Do said.
"I'll try, and we'll discuss the matter of your pay tomorrow too."
"Don't worry about it too much; you know I don't do this for money. See you tomorrow" Daring-Do waved her hoof goodbye and opened the back door of the museum.
Daring-Do stepped outside into the evening air. Trottingham was nice this time of day, when everypony was winding down and heading home to be with their families. Daring-Do kicked a rock on her way back to her house, ready to spend the rest of her evening alone.
But she didn't mind being alone, her adventures often caused her to travel, and she was never in one place for very long. The only pony she always had in her life was Professor Atlas. Even though she lived alone she was rarely lonely, she honestly did not mind that her line of work was a little too dangerous at times for most ponies.
True, she still had her mother, but she lived way off in Canterlot. Daring-Do had left home almost as soon as she was able to take care of herself, but she still missed her mother from time to time. Her father on the other hoof; she missed him every day.
Her father was a little different, without him, she wouldn't be such the brave adventurer she was today. Just like she was, her father had been a fantastic adventurer, exploring more dangerous locations then anypony else; he was her hero.
She looked up to him and wanted to be a brave adventurer just like him. But eventually her father had disappeared when she was still young, and she had been searching for him for years now, looking everywhere she went.
But she never found him, not even a single trace. It was as if he simply vanished into thin air one day.
But the day he disappeared, he had left behind something for her. It was a scrap of paper with a photograph of the two of them attached to it. She always kept the picture next to her bed, a reminder to be as brave as he was.
She never found out what the paper was for though, it was simply a drawing of a city on it with some symbols. She had long since given up on trying to find out what it means. She kept it anyway, if it was to her from him, it was important.
Daring-Do yawned and collapsed onto her bed, she was more tired then she realized. She quickly fell asleep on the warm bed, her head swimming with thoughts of Rabalon, the ancient city in the sands, and the wish granting crown within.
"Wow, this is the most fascinating gem I've ever seen" A light brown pony stared intently at a bright red ruby, cut to perfection.
"Atlas, you say that every time."
"No, only the times when it really is the most fascinating gem I've ever seen."
"Which is every time." Daring-Do rolled her eyes.
Professor Atlas lowered her round glasses and looked at Daring. "I just can't believe you managed to nab this right out from under their noses."
"Well it wasn't exactly easy..." Daring-Do motioned to her wing, now wrapped in a bandage.
As much as Professor Atlas cared for Daring, she did have a tendency to only see the treasure in front of her and forget how much danger can be involved in getting it sometimes. But then again, Daring-Do would be out of a job if it wasn't for her; she was the one who agreed to hire her for finding new artifacts for the Trottingham Museum.
Even if Professor Atlas could be a bit short minded at times, she was one of the smartest ponies around. A brilliant archaeologist, Atlas had spent almost her whole life on her dream of owning a museum, and once she had one the first thing she did was hire ponies like Daring-Do to gather pieces for her museum. Most of them left to join various underground organizations, but Daring stayed and they quickly became fast friends.
She was even the youngest pony to ever own a museum, something she was particularly proud of.
"I bet this will go lovely next to the....um....ohhhhh...."
Atlas pranced around the room, looking for the perfect place to put the ruby.
"Why not put it over there?" Daring-Do pointed over her shoulder at nothing in particular.
"Oh! Of course! Next to the ancient unicorn civilizations exhibit! Thanks Daring!" Atlas trotted down the hall, her hoofsteps echoing in the tall wooden ceilings.
"What would you do without me?" Daring-Do smiled and tossed her mane.
"Probably be out of business, you've brought in most of the things in this museum."
Daring-Do looked around the museum and smiled to herself, each glass case containing a memory from one of her adventures over the years.
"Come on Daring, after I put this ruby away I want to show you something I've been studying up on recently." Atlas said and trotted down the hall.
Daring-Do followed her down the hall to the storage room. As she trotted down the hall she passed the door to the large warehouse containing the usual odds and ends of things that couldn't fit in a display case but never found their way into the museum proper.
But among the piles of what Daring considered to be junk was a large object covered in a tarp.
"Hey Prof, what's this big thing?" Daring called down the hall.
Atlas walked up to her and followed her gaze to the object covered in the tarp.
"Oh that? That's just a little project I've been working on for a while now, don't worry about it. Come on, let's go put this ruby somewhere safe for the time being."
Daring-Do shrugged and walked into the storage room. Atlas was always tinkering with some weird device; she may not look like it, but she knew her way around a toolbox.
Atlas gently placed the ruby in a padded box and closed it with a loving pat. Daring looked around at the impressive collection of objects in the storage room. Atlas often called this room her "private collection".
"So what was this thing you wanted to show me?" Daring-Do asked hesitantly. Often when Atlas wanted to show her something it was some boring research on an ancient town or something.
"Well, I was reading up on the history of the Sandy Dunes Desert and the civilization of ponies that lived there hundreds of years ago. They were mostly nomads traveling the sands but occasionally set up small towns to trade and rest at."
"That's cool I guess..." Daring-Do sighed, whenever Atlas started talking about an ancient group of ponies she couldn't stop, no matter how many times Daring pretended to fall asleep.
"Hold on, you might like this. At one point a large group of ponies got together and formed a large city somewhere in the desert. It is said that it grew to become a major trading center and prospered for years. But eventually the city went off the map and disappeared."
"How is this different from any other vanished city story you've told me?"
"Well, the ancient city grew very wealthy over time, meaning they acquired a large number of very valuable treasures. But best of all it is said to have held a legendary crown, and it is said that this crown can grant any one wish, no matter what it may be."
"Whoa really?" Daring-Do stopped looking around and stared at Atlas intently. "Anything?"
"Supposedly, it's all rumor and myth now, but that's what it says. It can grant the wearer any one wish, no matter what it might be." Atlas nodded her head, her light grey hair bobbing up and down.
"Wow, now that sounds like something worth finding." Daring-Do's eyes lit up.
"Yes, but it's not that simple. According to what I know, the ancient city of Rabalon was buried in the sands years ago and was lost to time forever. No map has any info on it. Not to mention the Sandy Dunes Desert has almost constant sandstorms, it could be buried under hundreds of layers of sand for all I know."
"Really? Shoot, I wanted to go get that crown. But if we find a map that has the location of Rabalon, maybe the sandstorms could have actually uncovered it!"
"Maybe, but that's only if a map with the location exists, and even with all my sources I couldn't find one."
"Well let's go hunting one dow-OW!"
Daring-Do winced as she rapidly unfolded her wings and felt pain shoot through her injured wing. Atlas looked at her and chuckled.
"Maybe you should just go on home for now, rest that wing of yours. You've had a long day anyway, you need some sleep."
"Yeah, maybe you're right, even I need some rest sometimes." Daring-Do stretched her neck.
She had to admit, after all that she went through, she was pretty tired. She felt like a good night's sleep might do her good.
"Alright I'm heading home, try not to get too attached to that ruby while I'm gone." Daring-Do said.
"I'll try, and we'll discuss the matter of your pay tomorrow too."
"Don't worry about it too much; you know I don't do this for money. See you tomorrow" Daring-Do waved her hoof goodbye and opened the back door of the museum.
Daring-Do stepped outside into the evening air. Trottingham was nice this time of day, when everypony was winding down and heading home to be with their families. Daring-Do kicked a rock on her way back to her house, ready to spend the rest of her evening alone.
But she didn't mind being alone, her adventures often caused her to travel, and she was never in one place for very long. The only pony she always had in her life was Professor Atlas. Even though she lived alone she was rarely lonely, she honestly did not mind that her line of work was a little too dangerous at times for most ponies.
True, she still had her mother, but she lived way off in Canterlot. Daring-Do had left home almost as soon as she was able to take care of herself, but she still missed her mother from time to time. Her father on the other hoof; she missed him every day.
Her father was a little different, without him, she wouldn't be such the brave adventurer she was today. Just like she was, her father had been a fantastic adventurer, exploring more dangerous locations then anypony else; he was her hero.
She looked up to him and wanted to be a brave adventurer just like him. But eventually her father had disappeared when she was still young, and she had been searching for him for years now, looking everywhere she went.
But she never found him, not even a single trace. It was as if he simply vanished into thin air one day.
But the day he disappeared, he had left behind something for her. It was a scrap of paper with a photograph of the two of them attached to it. She always kept the picture next to her bed, a reminder to be as brave as he was.
She never found out what the paper was for though, it was simply a drawing of a city on it with some symbols. She had long since given up on trying to find out what it means. She kept it anyway, if it was to her from him, it was important.
Daring-Do yawned and collapsed onto her bed, she was more tired then she realized. She quickly fell asleep on the warm bed, her head swimming with thoughts of Rabalon, the ancient city in the sands, and the wish granting crown within.
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The second chapter of Daring-Do and the Deserted Past.
After escaping the pegasi hoodlums and making it back to Trottingham, Daring-Do delivers the Fire Ruby to Professor Atlas, the young owner of the Trottingham Museum. Atlas thanks Daring then tells her of a lost city buried deep in the sands.
Cover art by
Chapter 1: [link]
Chapter 2: You're reading it dummy >.>
Chapter 3: [link]
Chapter 4: [link]
Chapter 5: [link]
After escaping the pegasi hoodlums and making it back to Trottingham, Daring-Do delivers the Fire Ruby to Professor Atlas, the young owner of the Trottingham Museum. Atlas thanks Daring then tells her of a lost city buried deep in the sands.
Cover art by
Chapter 1: [link]
Chapter 2: You're reading it dummy >.>
Chapter 3: [link]
Chapter 4: [link]
Chapter 5: [link]
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