Paladin

"Come one everypony, dig faster. We've got to reach sandstone before sundown!"

The sun was beating down on the Naroonu desert, the relentless rays of Celestia did not make the inhabitants of the sandy wastes any happier with life. But worse was it for those who were not used to it.

As was the case with Daring Doo, and the rest of her crew.

It had now been eleven days since they'd discovered the tip of the ancient ruin. It was of similar architecture to most of the Zebranian pyramids built by the nomads as resting places for their leaders and shamans. But that little niggling adventurous sense within Daring had made this all the more exciting for her, and of course the fact that she had to present at least something to both the museum and her sponsor.

Said sponsor was Ponyville's resident multi-millionaire, filthy rich, who was approaching her even now.

"Miss Doo, I don't feel that shouting at your colleagues has any positive effect on their working capability." The stallion said carefully. He had a small handkerchief with which he was wiping his forehead free of sweat. "I think that it might have the opposite effect."

Daring dropped from her elevated position to be face to face with her employer. "Look here mr Rich, I know that you've spent quite a deal on this journey. But when it comes to my crew I'd like to make the decisions myself." She turned with a smile towards the diggers. "I've worked with them for years, their skin is thick enough to take it."

Filthy Rich nodded understandingly. "Of course miss Doo, I understand." He looked towards his tent. "Would you accompany me for a short time?"

She shook her head quickly, "I have to stay here. What kind of leader would I be if I were to leave my crew without sharing their pains?"

"Miss Doo, another job of the leader is to look out for her crew. If the one paying you were to cut off now, what would your crew say?" Filthy rich asked, he meant none of it. But there was no reason for the archaeologist to know that.

Daring shook her head and flashed a quick grin. "You're one slick bastard aren't you?" She asked, making Filthy rich chuckle. "Aight, I'll join you, but don't you try anything."

Filthy rich let out a hearty laugh. "Miss Doo, I am happily married."

"Not everyone lets that stop them." The grin she wore lasted all the way to the tent, and until she sat down opposite of Rich. "Now tell me what exactly it is you wanted to talk about."

"Please, don't let business get in the way of comfort." He indicated towards a small fridge next to her chair. "There is a variety of beverages available, alcoholic and non-alcoholic."

Daring opened the tiny door and picked out a small bottle of water, she had no desire for anything else. She popped the cap off on the edge of the table and guzzled down about half of it before slamming it back down. "Better?"

Filthy rich nodded with a smile. "Much, I'd prefer to be in company with you when you aren't dying of thirst." He leaned forward in his chair and crossed his hooves on the table, and put on his usual business face.

"Miss Doo, what exactly is so special about these ruins?"

The question jumped out at her. While Filthy Rich was by no means uneducated, he never came across as one interested in Archeology. And secondly she hadn't found anything special about the ruins, they just seemed like the run of the mill Zebranian pyramid.

"I'm not entirely sure I know what you mean....." Daring leaned forward a slight bit and raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Miss Doo, if you're bluffing then you're doing it surprisingly well. Because as far as I know then this is not Zebranian in any way." As he spoke he pulled out something from beneath the table. It was a rather small object wrapped in linen. He pushed it towards her and she had to do everything in her might to not jump at it. In stead she calmly unwrapped the linen, until a small chain came into sight.

A gold necklace, with a cross serving as the main ornament.

"Where did you get this?" Daring asked, she stared at the small piece of jewellery with awe. The cross had small runes running all along the edges. It seemed almost warm, but not the relentless heat that came from the sun, but more like the warmth of another pony, a nice radiant kind of warmth.

"I actually found it randomly while walking through the excavation site. I kept it safe from anyone who might've stolen it." That last statement made Daring frown. "I'm sorry miss Doo, but I don't know your crew as well as you do, and in my profession misplaced trust can mean failure on levels no one can comprehend."

Daring nodded, but her focus was entirely on the necklace. It was solid gold, and no gems. As far as price went it would be able to fetch you a dandilion burger with nothing extra, if that. But those proficient in cultures and history would see that the design was not only unusual, but also alien. It was clearly not made to be flashy or pricy, the lack of any gemstones made that clear. The only other types of ancient jewlery Daring had ever heard of was those worn to appease gods.

But what kind of Zebranian god had anything to do with a cross?

There was only four religious symbols in the Zebras ancient culture. The fang of Huet'matal. The claw of Zul'warak. The feather of Nilveglar. And the hoof of Qhuetzhoatl, the god that represented the Zebras themselves. A cross was mainly used by griffins as a form of public execution. And the nearest griffin settlement was about 3000 miles north, and they'd certainly not make a decorative jewlery piece that exemplified execution.

Actually, Daring corrected herself, they'd be the ones to do exactly that.

She looked back up at Rich after examining the cross for about a quarter of an hour. "I've got to admit Mr. Rich, what you've found is intriguing and interesting. But I've not got too high hopes. Often me and my colleagues have found strange things in digging sites and immediately declared to the world that a major new discovery had been made, only to find out that it was some five year old fillys birthday gift that she lost while on vacation." She pushed back the necklace, "I wouldn't hold out much hope is what I'm saying."

Rich nodded. "I just wanted to run it by you in case you might've known something."

She nodded back, "I completely understand." She pretend looked at her foreleg, despite there being absolutely no watch there. "Now, if I may I'll go and watch how my crew is getting on."

She didn't even get out of the tent before a colt barely above the age of 17 rushed in and bumped into her.

"Oh dearest Celestia!" He babbled, "I am so very sorry Miss Doo, but the others choose me to go and inform you and I just got so excited that I got to be an important part, because I don't get to do that often and I-"

"It's fine kiddo, now what is it you need?"

"We've found the entrance to the tomb Miss Doo." The colt grinned. "We've begun unearthing the entire archway, but the foreman thought it best that you oversaw the operation."

"Lead the way kid!" Daring encouraged him, waving toward the exit. "We've got some serious spelunking to do."

"Okay....... This is definitely not Zebranian....."

Daring was standing alongside the rest of her crew, Sparkling ruby, Rough shovel, and then the odd fourth wheel, Filthy rich. Watching the hired diggers unearthing what they'd thought was a Zebranian pyramid.

When first the entrance had been unearthed, the speculation began.

The entrance was huge, easily allowing a carriage to enter, and then some. But the size wasn't the mystery, rather the architecture.

The runes that they'd seen on the cross were plastered all across the edges of the huge archway. With some new ones appearing here and there, but pretty much all of them seemed to be the same sentence, as the letters appeared in the same order continually.

But even more alarming was the statues beside the entrance.

They were alien and weird, bipedal with incredibly detailed armour that hid everything from sight. In many ways they resembled a dragon, if they were only slightly larger.

"Ruby, do you know where these runes are from?" Daring asked, dragging a hoof over the words that were hidden in plain sight. "And more importantly, can you translate them?"

Sparkling ruby flipped through a small notebook with haste before shaking her head, "I'm afraid that it's gotta be a no on both accounts Daring." She turned he notebook towards her boss, "my compendium has no information, and it has details on all races going all the way back to before the union of the ponies." She closed it and stuffed it into her saddlebag. "Short and short, I can't really tell you anything."

Daring nodded before she turned to the geologist of the group. "Rough, you got anything?"

He huffed slightly before scratching his head, he almost looked sad. "Well, the building itself Is hard pressed sandstone held together with blood, not unusual for ancient buildings in these parts." He scratched at the surface of the building until he found what he was looking for, a small white lump sticking out of the wall. "And bones have been used to strengthen the structure, all in all very standard....... But then there's this."

He walked over to one of the statues, where he literally kicked forward before bucking as hard as he could into it. Standard procedure.

If the statue hadn't gotten a  bump, Instead of shattering.

"It's made of iron, both of them." Rough said, stating the obvious. "Which normally wouldn't be so odd, but the tests I've taken seem to indicate that this building is no older than 2000 years..... Iron was expensive back then." He prodded the statue to emphasise his next point. "And if my calculations are correct, then this is about 300 tons per statue."

Rich whistled lightly. "That much to build something that ugly. Seems like a waste."

"Watch out Mr. Rich," the colt who'd first informed Daring of the progress said, "often times the inhabitants stay even after the rent of life is due."

"That's just old rumors kiddo," Rough said, giving the colt a lighthearted punch on the shoulder, "you're scaring away our sponsor you lil bastard."

Rich smiled lightly, "I'm anything but superstitious my dear Shovel."

Daring shook her head in fake disappointment. "Are you three done having a dickwaving competition so we can get moving?" She pushed her hat up so her entire face was showing, "I'm itching to explore this place."

"You'd be itching to explore a 50 year old abandoned warehouse if you thought you could find something of value." Ruby was shifting through a large book, this one with a rather large Zebra head on the front, a turquoise serving as its eye.

"Not true," Daring said through clenched teeth, but a single 'oh really' glance from Ruby was enough to make her mumble, "maybe 60 years old."

"Quit yer lollygagging, we've got a pyramid to explore." Rough beamed with excitement before running on ahead with the colt in hot pursuit.

"Is it even possible for Rough to keep calm for one minute, without breaking stuff?" Ruby asked no one in particular, apparently wishing to have a conversation with the air around her.

"Good question," Daring pushed her hat back down so it just covered her forehead as usual before turning to Rich, "are you interested in joining us?"

Rich shook his head, "I think this is better left to the professionals."

Daring nodded, "you're probably right." Before turning around and walking towards the black emptiness that was the entrance, the statues looming overhead like guardians.

"Those things freak me out," Ruby whispered, staring at the huge alien statues with awe and fear. "They look nothing like what we've found before, and yet they seem so oddly familiar."

"Yeah, I get what you're saying." Daring nodded, the way the statues rested their gauntlets on those huge swords gave off a certain amount of intimidation.

"Well," Ruby shook her head to clear her thoughts, "let's save that for another time, as you always say..."

Daring grinned, "When you're going into tunnels, remember to tunnel vision."

"Exactly."