Adventures in the TARDIS

The TARDIS crew are standing on or near the edge of a massive platform which leads outside of the flying pyramid. Furthermore, if it were not for a force field which is only intermittently visible as a transparent and floating two-dimensional pattern of hexagons, nothing else would prevent them from stepping off the ledge and into a massive drop beyond. That isn't as much of a threat to this party since they can all float or fly in some fashion.

When they first arrived at this pyramid, they seemingly almost crashed into a wall then suddenly transported somewhere inside of it. Standing here now, some of them wonder why this didn't happen to them again in reverse. They had to trot to this edge this time and now they are standing behind a semi-transparent barrier which marks the outer edge of this giant structure. They were escorted here by Commander Viraxis himself who is also flanked by a pair of identical-looking brown unicorn stallions in battle armor that occasionally pulses with a glow in certain parts of the armor.

“I just realized something,” Daring Do announces while initially looking off the edge of the platform but then looks back at Commander Viraxis. “As we were rapidly flying here before, Margret mentioned that she needed to commune with somepony she called, 'The Authority'. I had wondered, ever since then, if we'd ever meet this 'Authority' too, except now it suddenly clicked with me that we might have already. She was referring to you, wasn't she, Sir?”

The reminder of that title causes Commander Viraxis to groan glumly. The TARDIS crew have yet to ever see this particular pony in a good mood. To that observation, he says, “I'm about the closest thing to that you'll ever encounter in this society which, in my opinion, is sad. Cooperation can be very important in a society and an authority figure can help keep them organized. This is particularly crucial when there is a crisis situation.”

“Stands to reason,” Stern Wing agrees with an accepting nod. “Except, in this case, this society seems so powerful and technologically advanced that it seems they can afford to be lax with authority and security. Why should the average citizen care when, apparently, nothing substantial can ever seemingly threaten them?”

“Which means they are all the more caught flat-hoofed when something finally does threaten them,” the Commander adds bitterly then shakes his head. “Something in this system needs to change eventually and I'm pushing for it. With all of your help, there might be an alternative avenue to tap as well.”

“I've always been a supporter of the policy of teaching a pony to fish rather than just hoofing them one,” announces Stern Wing. “It's just more practical. I will, of course, defend the defenseless when and if it ever becomes necessary, but it is a better tactic still to teach others to defend themselves so that they are less vulnerable from then on. After all, I can't be everywhere at once and I'll eventually have to move on.”

“Speaking of that, what's the next step?” Daring checks with the Commander. “If there were only a partial opening in this barrier, my teammates and I can make our own way to the land below.”

“Really?” the Commander asks with a curious and surprised look for the first time. “I only see some of you are pegasi. Can the rest of you teleport?”

“I can,” Doctor Kelly chimes in. “But I can also float slowly in a bubble force field. When I do, I can carry others too when necessary. That affords protection at the same time. It's actually much akin to something Margret employed earlier, but I can't go anywhere near that fast.”

“Maybe I can't either,” Feather Wind mumbles so quietly that only Stern Wing beside him managed to hear that. He then looks up at Stern Wing as he says to her in the same volume, “Remember when I quickly flew us to the temple where Vision and her mother was? That required me to blow us with wind force so fast and strong it would have torn up a building if we had also flown at a low enough elevation. Maybe I could have flown us a little faster if it weren't for the fact that the speed alone would rub off our hide due to the sheer friction traveling at that speed would cause. That's not a problem with Margret's spell or technology, though, because her barrier magic provided a buffet.”

“What if we wore a suit designed to withstand such friction?” Stern Wing quietly proposes to her short-stature friend. “I think that is the point of the Wonderbolt's various outfits aside from style. That's also why pegasi tend to wear goggles if they plan to travel anywhere near that kind of speed.”

“Maybe, but you remember how it was difficult to breathe while we traveled that fast,” Feather reminds his large friend while others around them continue to talk.

“Air is your specialty. Maybe you can create a globe of calm air around our heads?” Stern Wing checks.

“Perhaps but that should slow us down. My concentration was mostly focused on getting us to the temple as quickly as I could due to the informed emergency. As it was, I already had to create a bit of a windscreen ahead of us to protect our hides from being rubbed off. We really were traveling that fast. In fact, that is still the fastest I have ever flown to date on my own power.”

Stern Wing gives her friend an intrigued nod in acknowledgment then resumes paying attention to the others. Her eyes shift quickly back and forth to each pony talking in an effort to quickly catch back up to what they are saying again. Beside her, Feather Wind does much of the same except he isn't as lost due to the fact he had partially been paying attention while the others were talking.

“Well, fortunately for you, I've assigned you all an alternative,” Commander Viraxis replies to Doctor Kelly's last comment. “Margret Wessle should be showing up soon. She'll take you wherever you need to go.”

“Whoa! Hold it,” Daring Do objects with a lift of a wing then refolds it. “You said you didn't want untrained civilians out there. Why assign her to us now?”

“Is this your punishment for her for reporting to you late?” Derpy asks in concern. Daring Do flashes the gray fellow pegasus mare a look because that possibility didn't occur to Daring until Derpy said that. Daring looks back while thinking that possibility is unlikely from Commander Viraxis's point of view, but she listens to his response anyway just in case.

“Punishment? Ha!” Commander Viraxis scoffs. “If anything, she might consider this assignment a reward. Not that she necessarily deserves it, but still. This is her opinion.”

“Oh?” Derpy asks in a tone of delighted-surprise.

“Margret loves the concept of aliens and time travelers,” Commander Viraxis explains. “Some of you are both and all of you fit at least one of those categories. Believe me, she'd consider this assignment a privilege so you can all rest easy knowing this is most certainly not against her will.”

“Oh good!” Derpy says happily. “Then I'm one-hundred percent behind this plan then.”

“But I still need to be convinced,” Daring Do counters while still regarding the commander sharply. “The only thing you told us so far is why she'd be willing. You have failed to explain why you are assigning her to us, so level with us. What's the deal here? Do you simply want somepony among us so you can spy on us?”

“A spy would imply subterfuge, so the term isn't quite apt here,” the Commander replies to Daring's comments and questions. “Though it is true I do wish to have her among you so I can keep tabs on your progress. I'm making no effort to hide this fact. I want your cooperation and, for that, I need to have your respect and trust. To that end, I'm being transparent here with you all about my methods and tactics.

“Mind you, the same thing applies here in reverse. If need be, any of you can also communicate to me through Margret as long as she, and her resources, remains loyally beside you. So,” he shrugs, “if there is any urgent situation that comes up, you can use her to contact me and I'll send whatever resources I can spare to help alleviate your problem.”

“That's good to know,” Stern Wing says aloud when she partially caught up with the conversation at this point.

“There are other useful resources she has access to that'll remain at your disposal as well for as long as she travels with you all,” the Commander adds a bit more brightly. “For instance, she can safely transport you down from here and she has some means to help track down those you seek, or potentially many other kinds of lifeforms that lack some unusual means to hide from our scans. Otherwise, most other lifeforms can be detected which means she can give you the heads-up. Then there are also her forcefields and other such useful equipment.”

“I was already aware of some of her potential advantages in the party. I've seen it before,” Daring remarks. “But again, I repeat, why send an untrained civilian with us? Whatever she can do, a well-trained soldier could probably do as well and/or more.”

“I'm assigning her to you because A; she's more than willing. B; she's useful to this party during this particular mission. C; she can be a means to communicate back and forth between us which means further resources can be deployed as necessary. D; you've all already met her and developed a bit of a rapport with her. She's saved your life before, after all, so that likely means there's a higher chance of team cooperation. Socially you'd be starting from scratch if I assigned a stranger in her stead. E; she's a resource I can spare. Finally F,” he waves a hoof among them all, “I trust you all to keep her safe in return. Whatever training she lacks, you have. You faced off against a chaos creature for quite some time by yourselves. One of you even did it solo for a while there and won were it not for some interference,” he says with a respectful nod to Daring Do. “Believe me when I say I don't have many other personnel at my disposal that can hoofle these creatures with the ease that you did and with the resources you had. I've got a few well-trained ponies indeed but very few of them have had actual combat experience like you all have. Whatever shortcomings she has, the rest of you can make up for and you will commit whatever resource you have to keep her safe, right?”

“Absolutely,” Stern Wing instantly agrees. “Protecting others is my thing.”

“By the looks of you, which includes the confidence and determination you exude, I believe that it may be rare to find another pony who can do that job better than you,” the Commander says with a nod of respect to Stern Wing. “As such, I'm putting my faith in you all to protect her. Don't let me down.”

Daring Do squints at the Commander as she says, “Alright. You've convinced me on one condition.” When she says that, the Commander regards her very seriously. “You must firmly impress upon her that I am the leader of this party. While traveling with us, she must obey me instantly because, whatever order I give her, an expedient response might save her life, that of the party, and result in the success of this mission.”

“Naturally,” the Commander replies as if surprised that Daring even needed to make that point. “I've already apprised her of that situation.” He nods in respect to Daring. “She knows that you're in charge. The rest is up to you. Prove that you're in charge by being assertive about it. She'll fall in line if you continue to give off an air of authority like you're doing right now.”

“Very well, then,” Daring accepts as she relaxes her stance slightly. “In that case, if there is nothing further, we'll take off as soon as she arrives.”

Daring Do regards the quickly shifting landscape around them with discomfort as she, and her party, which now includes Margret Wessle, continue to rapidly travel through the air on the floating disk that somehow cancels inertia to those standing on it. As she continues to examine this, she can feel something is wrong in her gut. Since it is so persistent, she eventually shakes her head then announces aloud her decision.

“Margret, take us down to the land right now,” Daring Do orders.

“Uh . . . really?” Margret asks in confusion. “But we haven't arrived at the Earthbound's campsite yet, and I don't detect their life signatures anywhere near this vicinity. We probably have a long way to go from here.”

Daring Do gives a firm look at Margret over her right shoulder as she says, “I thought we've all agreed that you'd instantly obey my orders whenever I give them.”

“Ah . . . okay.” Blinking in confusion, her horn ignites with dim purple-ish energy. Something on the holographic console beeps in response. They are quickly angled downwards after that. Along the way down, she looks back at Daring as she says, “Okay. We're on our way down now. Care to explain what this is all about?”

“I'm curious too,” Derpy agrees. “I thought we wanted to do this quickly and Margret's resources can make that possible.”

“But this is the wrong approach,” Daring says to Derpy. “Remember, we're not just assigned to simply find the Earthbound but also win their cooperation and trust.” She turns around to face her teammates while also shaking her head. “And I don't think we can do that while flying at them on a laser disk like some arrogant and snobby gods from the sky. That kind of approach is most likely why Those Above have failed in their negotiation tactics before. This,” she gestures down to the disk they are standing on, “isn't relatable to them. If we want to win their cooperation, we have to develop a rapport with them first. To do that, I think we need to be respectful and approach them on their terms.”

“That makes a lot of sense to me,” Feather Wind agrees. “I mean that both in a logical but also instinctual sense. Something about our approach so far didn't sit right with me either.” He blushes as he looks down a bit. “But I was too shy to bring it up.” He looks back at Daring. “Now I wish I wasn’t.”

Daring nods in respect to Feather as she says to him, “Then you get it. I've traveled far and wide in my time and I met many kinds of other cultures along the way. Some of those I met in the past seem to be similar to the ones we're seeking. Unlike Those Above, the ponies we are seeking now are ponies of the Land. They are more grounded and connected to nature. Such tribes usually have more superstitions too. Symbols and signs tend to be more important to them, and we're already starting off on the wrong hoof if we present ourselves with the wrong symbolism. To correct this, we have to approach them on their level.”

Daring Do looks over her shoulder when she notices they have arrived to the land, or rather floating a few inches above it. Noticing this, she nods in satisfaction then looks back at Margret as she says to the green mare, “Okay then. Cancel this spell.” She gestures to the red disk they are standing on. “We proceed the rest of the way on hoof.”

“I have a better alternative,” Margret offers, then proceeds to drop the laser barrier around one side of the hexagon they are standing on. “That way is open now. All of you step off from there and then I'll cancel this spell; otherwise, we'll end up falling a few inches instead. That's probably not dangerous per se but might be a little startling if it's done abruptly.”

“Even better,” Daring agrees before they all proceed to step off the floating platform. As promised, Margret cancels her spell after that.

Margret then looks at Daring Do with uncertainty as she says to the older mare, “Are you sure about this? We might have to trot a very long way from here, during which time we'll be more exposed to the elements as we continue. That might potentially include danger.”

“Good,” Daring accepts with a firm nod to Margret. “Because all of those things are what the Earthbound have to deal with every day of their lives. If they see us approach them in that way then it will show them that we're willing to expose ourselves to the same challenges and risks that they face. That we're brave enough to approach them on their terms. That, in turn, will help us win their respect. To face them properly, we must show that we also know The Way. By doing so, they should consider it as a sign of respect.”

Margret looks taken aback by Daring's words as she repeats, “The Way? Wow. You sound just like they do.”

When Margret said that, she was unaware that a term like that was already presented to the TARDIS crew briefly from Commander Viraxis first. None of that changes Daring's primary point, though.

“Exactly. That's what we need to do. Be identifiable to them,” Daring presses. “To that end, from now on, we use none of our advanced technology, or at least nothing that they can't access themselves. That means no more drones.” Daring orders as she passes a firm look at Doctor Kelly. “I'm not saying for you to get rid of them, but keep them invisible and do not employ them any further. Especially not in their presence, and since we can't be certain when and how they might show up, it's best to keep them offline if you can.”

“Okay,” Doctor Kelly casually accepts. “I have a way to stow them.”

“And none of your weird stuff either,” Daring orders to Margret. “Am I clear?”

Margret nods as she says, “While I'm a bit reluctant to admit this, we probably do stand a better chance of succeeding in this mission if we don't repeat the tactics that probably caused us to fail before. In hindsight, I'm starting to realize how ludicrous it was to expect different results by repeating what doesn't work.

“But, ah . . .” Margret looks around her in some discomfort. “. . . if we keep all of that technology off, we won't benefit from it either.” She looks back at Daring. “Some of them are very useful. Maybe also occasionally essential? Just where do we draw the line here? I assume all bets are off in a life or death situation?”

“I'll let you know when and if we can turn them on again,” Daring informs Margret. “For now it's very important that we keep them off. The success of our mission depends on it.”

“But this also means we'll get there much more slowly,” Margret counters. “Is that important?”

“I don't think we're working with any vital time limit for now,” Feather Wind brings up. “We should be okay. For the moment I think it's more important that we go slower if it means success rather than rushing in and failing.”

“Several of us do have some decent wilderness survival experience too,” Stern Wing announces. “That's especially true of our leader here.”

“I'll keep you all safe and on course. Don't worry,” Daring assures. “From now on, we'll employ our own personal technology,” she says with a gesture to herself. “Just like the Earthbound do.”

“Personally, I hate to do anything that increases our security risk such as abandoning that which could have helped us remain safe,” Stern Wing comments. “But it also makes so much sense to me why our new tactic is more likely to result in success.”

“If we wanted to stay completely safe, we never would have stepped off the TARDIS,” Derpy brings up.

“Or set hoof on the TARDIS in the first place,” Feather counters. “Both you and the Doctor once warned us that joining him on that machine would lead to an adventurous lifestyle. I don't see the point of complaining about the risks now after making those kinds of informed choices awhile ago. We could have remained in Ponyville instead and we all saw how harmonious that town was.”

“Adventure is what I got my cutie mark for,” Daring Do announces. “It took me a while to fully realize that, but here I am.”

“And we're glad to have and to know you,” Feather Wind says to Daring happily. “Lead on, my friend.”