Daring Do and the Crown of Queens
The Adventurer and The Con Artists
Daring Do walked moved through the small desert town she'd been lead to through a series of clues on her hunt for the Crown of Queens, an artifact that was one of a set next to the Alicorn Amulet and the Eternal Scepter, supposedly. She moved around, just getting her bearings on the town that for now she would be investigating. She also couldn't help but feel that she was being followed. While most ponies would call that paranoia she'd been right about it to many times to leave anything to chance, so as she wove through the crowded streets of the market she kept a look out for anypony following her. It didn't take her two long to spot them, they were a bit taller than average, yellow coats, and red manes. She frowned. That didn't remove any of the possibilities, the could be henchponies or they could just be fans, either way she needed to deal with it soon.
She moved past crowed streets and through sideways until finally she found a back alley on a near completely abandoned street. She looked at a wall as she kept her back to the street almost as if she'd found what she was looking for. She could hear them near by at the end of the alley, but every time she looked over her shoulder they'd pull there heads back. After a few minutes she safely concluded that they were complete amateurs, and she wasn't about to waste anymore time on them she flew off before sneakily coming back around, curiosity getting the better of her. She peeked past a roof and spotted them studying the wall.
"Well what do you think?"
"Not sure but that's why we're letting her do all the work."
"She might be smart, but."
"We're smarter, shall we go find out where she went and flew off to?"
"Yes, yes we should." The two twins walked off toward the direction she'd flown off to. She face hoofed.
"Great amateur thieves I'd almost prefer that they were with caballeron at least then I wouldn't feel so bad about out smarting them." She flew of back to her inn on the other side of town.
Daring Do walked through the desert getting as much of a head start on her current stalkers as she could. The night early rays of dawn were just starting to show on the horizon when she suddenly felt that creeping suspicion that she was being watched again she groaned. If the pyramid wasn't so close to the town she would have started flying hard and fast leaving them in the dust, but as it was the temple was just passed the next couple of dunes. She opted to ignore them and move on.
The desert pyramid was like many she'd seen she wasted no time making her way into the base, hoping to lose the two poachers in the structure. A few minutes later Flim and Flam arrived at the pyramid.
"Amazing."
"Spectacular!"
"Why I'd even call it Stupendous!"
"And imagine the treasures in there, all we have to do is follow the pegasus."
"And we'll be rich."
"Absolutely loaded."
"After you,"
"Why thank you but I do insist."
"Together?"
"Together." With a nod the two of them walked into the deserted desert tomb. They found it seemingly completely empty. "I see out little birdy is trying to out smart us, doesn't she know who she's dealing with we're far to clever to be so easily lost. Clearly one of these walls contains a hidden door." Flim and Flam split up one going to one side and the other going to the other they began filling around both finding a false stone at the same time.
"Aha!" Both cheered pressing their respective stones inward. Behind one a thousand red eyes began to open and stare out at Flim. Behind the Flam's hidden door a manticore roared at him.
"Wrong room sorry."
"Woops." The both closed the doors behind them. Before both started looking hitting the far wall a the same time finding the third hidden door.
"Third time's the charm." The Flim Flam brothers said pushing it in revealing a long hall way torches lighting up to meet them. There was a long hall with dozens of varying tiles on the floor and dozens of holes peppering the walls.
"Spooky."
"I am loving the atmosphere." They started walking forward as soon as they stepped on the tiles though arrows started shooting out of the wall. "Ahh!"
"Well this is going to make it hard clearly our pegasus guide must have flown across."
"Tsk, tsk, how unsporting."
"What do you think?"
"That there's nothing in the world that gets the heart pumping like a good run in the morning. On your mark."
"Get set."
"Go!" The both ran screaming down the hall screaming as they did, and triggering every trap, arrows, spears, fire, swinging pendulums, and at the end a giant boulder. But within only a minute they'd cleared the long hallway and reached what seemed to be the end of their long track. A room full of crowns, of varying design but all looking ornate. Well lookie here brother, a room of great treasure, crowns for a princess everywhere the eye can see, but."
"Only one for a queen, I do think we'll have to try them out to see which on is correct."
"Normally I'd never take off my hat but for an occasion like this."
"Sacrifices must be made I suppose." The two brothers both tried on different crowns one turning into a fish and the other a foul before taking the crowns off. "Curses these crowns seem to be"
"Completely cursed, drats. Well Unless we wait for her get here and take the treasure for herself we'd better do what we can to get it for us."
"I can't believe she didn't find this room before use. Perhaps she took a wrong turn into on the other doors." The two brothers spent the next four hours trying on different crowns and being turned into different things. Before finally they were left with just one. "Well this must be it."
"The crown for a queen."
"And its all ours."
"Or mine Daring Do's rope wrapped around ti and she pulled it up to her as she hovered quietly up near the ceiling. Thanks for clearing out the traps to guys that would have been a hassle."
"You used us!"
"That's not fair we were using you!"
"Well you know what they say if you can't out smart them let them out smart each other. Well thanks boys see you around. I'll take this and you can have everything else" She blew them both a kiss before flying out through the sky light.
"You know what, let her have it never let a defeat go without a source of profit."
"That's what I like to hear. You know I think this place would make a great tourist attraction."
"That is exactly what I was just about to say." Flim and Flam smiled as they headed back to the town to buy paint and hire somepony to wear toilet paper to be their very own mummy.