Spectrum Incorporated: Cloudsdale HQ Boiler Room, 4:02 am, September 29th
With a feral shout, Daring Do leaped into action, charging at Nimble Stratus to spear him down. The readied stallion took the shot but held his ground and slid but a few feet from where he stood. Daring broke away and threw punch, but Stratus dodged it, shoving her away. Then in retaliation Stratus tossed himself into the air and spun around, landing a spinning kick on the mare. Daring Do was knocked against one of the boilers but shook off the stars as quickly as she could. “Is that all you got?” she mused, wiping a smudge of dirt from her lips.
Nimble laughed then galloped after her, but Daring was quick to take flight, forcing the off-guard Nimble to stumble into the boiler. He managed to catch himself, but before he knew it, Daring came down on the back of his head with a kick, knocking him into the metal boiler again. This time the stallion was notably dazed and it gave the adventuress the chance to strike back. Stratus cringed furiously, soon to recover as he forced himself up and dared for Daring to come at him again. She did just so, but this time the Hurricane agent caught her leg in mid-air, swung her around and sent the mare crashing to the ground. Daring got back up and the two went hoof-to-hoof, throwing jabs and swinging legs. Daring was able to land the majority of them, but Nimble managed to make-up his punches in strength, hitting harder.
He’s stronger than I thought!, Daring thought to herself. Eventually Daring changed up the game and ducked down, throwing Stratus off which allowed her to leap up with a powerful uppercut. A tooth flew from his mouth as Nimble was knocked on his flank. The adventuress went to kick again but Stratus managed to trip her up and Daring fell chest-first onto the floor. Stratus made haste and immediately mounted her, wrapped his hooves around her neck and began to apply pressure to a vicious chokehold. Daring gasped and scratched at his hooves to break the hold but the lock was tight; Nimble had her. However, Daring wiggled her head down and took a large bite of the stallion’s flesh, forcing him to loosen his grip and giving Do the will to break free as she got her hooves underneath his and pushed away. Daring turned on her back and drove her hoof into the side of Stratus’ head as he tried to get up, sending him back on the ground. Both pegasi were already exhausted from the flaring start, but both knew it was far from over just yet.
Nimble stood but he was sent crashing again as Daring delivered another blow to the head, sending him tumbling down into toolbox laying on the ground. Tools spilt all over the floor while the dizzy pegasus tried to regain his sense of perception, then his eyes locked onto a lead pipe that was rolled to him. Nimble looked up and saw the adventuress readying herself for another assault. A sly grin spread across his mug before he picked the pipe up with his mouth.
When he was up, Daring glanced at the pipe he was holding and chuckled, “So that’s how you wanna play, is it?”
Stratus made his move and broke into another gallop, this time winding a swing of the pipe, and then as he closed in on his target the stallion swung with full force, however the evasive Daring Do side-stepped the attempted hit and Nimble found himself on the other side of the boiler room. He wasted no time; Nimble engaged in combat once again, this time stopping in front of the archaeologist as he tried to land a hit. He swung, and swung, and swung again, forcing Daring to backup further and further until she felt a cold, sturdy, metal obstruction press-up against her flank.
Thinking he had the adventuress cornered, No. 9 charged another swing with the lead pipe, but his attack was foiled again after the mare took flight and he instead hit a large water pipe she was standing against. The impact of the wall cracked another tooth out of place as Stratus spit the pipe out, shooting a furious glare up at the pegasus, showcasing a set of blood-stained teeth. Feeling annoyed and enraged, the baddie flew after her, tackling Do.
The two were wrapped-up again, this time mid-flight. Stratus held Daring up against a wall and Daring began laying shot after shot after shot into his back, striking as hard as she could before she got the life squeezed out of her.
While he still had her pinned to the wall, Nimble slid his hooves behind her hind legs and then used his strength to pull Daring and himself from the wall. Then in one swift move, he lifted the adventuress up and then swung her down back-first onto the cement floor, landing on her with all his weight.
Daring Do seized to move, letting out an agonizing gasp while the wind was knocked out of her. She felt every bone in her body strain when the broader Stratus crushed her.
Knowing he had gained a new advantage, Nimble Stratus rolled off of the mare and took a moment to breathe and then quickly got to his hooves before she could. However to his amusement, Daring remained on the ground, panting heavily, trying to get her lungs pumping again. After a malevolent jolt of laugher, the stallion began to stalk around Do like a wolf circling a wounded deer. He watched her wrap her hooves around her ribs, still feeling the pulsing pain of the slam. Then when she tried to roll on her stomach, Stratus drove his hoof into her side, knocking the mare on her back again as she let out a whimper. He scoffed at her pain then scanned the room until he came across the lead pipe he dropped.
Daring was still trying to get to her hooves, feeling every muscle in her body thrive in pain. When she had gotten to her stomach again, this time Nimble stepped on her back, keeping her down with his hoof as used his other to spread out her right wing.
Daring felt her wing being pinned. She made an effort to wiggle away but she was too weak and too late…The next thing she heard and felt was an incredible crack followed by an unspeakable burst of pain, letting out a horrible shriek as the lead pipe bashed into the base of Daring’s right wing, breaking it. Tears started to flood her eyes; she felt helpless at that point; unable to move, in agony, whimpering.
The cold-hearted Stratus had no remorse and stepped back to further enjoy Daring’s torture, circling her again with the pipe still in his mouth, aiming for another place to strike.
Meanwhile the adventuress lay on the floor, trying to think as fast as she could. She knew she had to get back into the fight, wing or no wing. She decided to look around the floor frantically, squinting at something shining in the darkness of the boiler room floor. Curiously, Daring Do used as much power as she could to scurry over to it across the floor but she was but a hoof’s length away from it before Nimble Stratus was on top of her again. Once more she felt his whole weight on her and then she saw the lead pipe cross her eyes and then pull up across her neck. Nimble pulled as hard as he could, choking and contorting the neck of the mare. In an effort to give herself a fighting chance, she managed to get one hoof between her and the pipe and pushed down as hard as she could, using her entire weight to save herself while reaching out for the foreign object just barely out of reach.
Stratus was confident, assured he would break either her foreleg or neck. Whichever came first, both would assure victory.
Daring, however, was not so much confident as she was desperate. She stretched her hoof, reaching for what looked like a handle, but Nimble continued to apply pressure, forcing her hoof back. Soon the adventuress beginning to feel weaker, her limbs were loosening and the pressure of the pipe got stronger. Perhaps there was no way out of this, perhaps this was the end. For a moment, Daring closed her eyes and concentrated. Of all the temples, castles and jungles I’ve encountered over the years, this is how I die? she thought to herself. Then with one more deep breath, one more big thrust forward, she gave herself one last burst of life. “Not…Without…A FIGHT!” she exclaimed hoarsely. Using everything she had, Daring Do pushed on and utilized her last chance to reach out.
Nimble’s hooves were shaking, holding nothing back on the mare, but it was not enough, and finally Daring scooped the object closer and wrapped her hoof around its handle and swung it up at the stallion’s face.
Then miraculously the next sound she heard was the painful holler of Stratus as he dropped the pipe from her neck and covered his face as he stumbled off the mare, falling back. Without hesitance, Daring raced to her hooves and swallowed the pain in her broken wing. She now wielded a saw with the serrated edge lined with blood. Then her attention was drawn back to Stratus as he lifted himself off the ground, now bearing a long slash up the side of his face. Daring held the saw close to her like a sword, initiating a readied stance for another attack from Nimble.
He watched the mare carefully, continuing to circle her yet again and looking for an open target.
The adventuress began to do the same, both of them now stalking around each other and unable to anticipate their next move. To the reluctance of Daring, Stratus retrieved the lead pipe as he stepped over it and now giving both ponies a weapon to work with…
Suddenly Stratus made the first move, coming out with a swing of the pipe, and then Daring Do deflected it off the saw; both instruments met with a clash as his pipe grazed off it. Daring followed the attempted slash with a punch to the muzzle, striking Nimble successfully. The archaeologist swung the saw again, prompting Stratus to step back from its radius. He retaliated with a thrust of his weapon, intending to impale the pipe through her chest, however, Do sidestepped as well and instead slashed his leg.
The athletic pegasus buckled when he felt his flesh being cut, yelling with his teeth clenched, managing to keep the lead pipe in his mouth despite the pain. He rubbed his hoof over the wound, watching and feeling the warm fresh blood stain his coat. Furiously he rushed at the mare and swung violently.
Daring used what agility she had left to clumsily dodge each swing. Nimble was coming at her swinging the blunt object like a pendulum and each shot was aimed for her head. So the adventuress continued to back away, further and further until she backed into a thin pipe coming up from the ground…She cracked a small smirk, held the saw against the thin pipe and slit it.
The sliced pipe burst open and the next thing Stratus knew, he dropped the lead pipe as a high-pressured burst of steam shot at his face, scorching him. He quickly withdrew from the hot gas but did not have time to register the two brown hooves punting him square in the chest when he turned away. The surprising buck sent the stallion through the air and on his back.
Daring Do jumped on top of the torso of the downed Nimble, beginning to lay shot after shot after shot on his head, trying to end this confrontation but the resilient bronco shielded himself with his hooves, absorbing each painful blow.
Then as Daring grew more tired with each hit, Nimble spread out his forelegs and caught Daring’s hooves. He wrapped his hooves around hers and then brought himself up to deliver a fierce headbutt. The adventuress was forced up and she stumble off of the stallion, but that was all he needed. With his hooves below her, Nimble Stratus winded his back legs and launched them into Daring’s stomach, throwing her once again across the room, this time landing against the wall and some sort of metal box on the wall. The mare screamed out as the impact was absorbed by her broken wing. Daring cradled herself on the floor, leaning pitifully against the wall as she caressed her wing. From above she could see the silhouette of Stratus rising to his hooves.
Very slowly he trotted around the room, stalking-like. Eventually he made his way over to the busted steam pipe, which continued to hiss and pop as the steam vented out like a geyser. He knelt down to retrieve the lead pipe yet again. Then he returned to his spot in front of Daring Do who was painfully trying to make it to her hooves while she grabbed at the wall. When she had finally got up, Nimble walked up and swung the pipe into her side, knocking her back down with a tortured holler as she returned to the floor in tears. Stratus stepped back and laughed at her, basking in his certain victory.
Daring was at a loss; she could do little to nothing as she shuttered through the pain, breathing rapidly. She looked above to reach for the wall again, and then her eyes caught something. When she was knocked into the wall, Do had managed to open a panel door on the metal box and exposed a breaker. She stared at the electrical box with interest and then shot a taunting glare at Stratus. “So…This is how it ends,” Daring said, trying to ascend from the floor once more. “You think you’ve won?”
Nimble simply watched in sick pleasure, chuckling at the mare’s excruciating efforts to pick herself up.
“Come on, hot shot,” she teased, halfway up, “Finish me off…While you have the chance. I’m not the type to give up so easily you know.”
Nimble continued to laugh with a condescending manner. Then with a step back, he raised his weapon and wound it up.
Daring pressured him on: “Come on! Give me another one, Stratus; give it your all this time…Make it count…” At last she had forced herself to her hooves, standing wobbly and exhausted.
Stratus made sure to eye her down, assuring there were no weapons at her side or near her at all. Then with a deep breath, he charged the strongest swing he could and then galloped at the mare, poised to put an end to the archaeologist once and for all.
Daring could feel time slow to a crawl. In the last moments of the impending swing, Daring Do had not the strength to dive, but instead allowed herself to fall to the side, feeling the gust of wind as she stared at the pipe whistling past her eyes.
As the vindictive Stratus finished skull-bashing swing, he did not catch sight of the breaker before it was too late. With one misplay, Daring fell away from the vicious swing and the lead pipe smashed through the electrical breaker. Sparks exploded from the panel and the doomed Nimble Stratus could do nothing as he felt the power of thousands upon thousands of volts course through his body all at once, immobilizing his ability to pull away. Sparks continued to shoot out, the breaker sizzled and zapped, and the lights flickered sporadically. He shouted to the top of his lungs in agony, the current taking its toll on the stallion.
Daring desperately crawled away on her stomach and took rest, sitting against the adjacent wall, clutching her broken wing and watching Stratus fry to death.
Eventually the rancid odor of burnt flesh began to fill the room, the electrical breaker took all it could handle and exploded, sending a plume of smoke, the lead pipe, and the body of Nimble Stratus across the boiler room. Without a flinch or verbal response, he hit the concrete wall back first with a smack, and then dropped to the floor with his head drooping underneath his shoulders.
The adventuress was taken aback by the shocking turnout, grimacing at the twitching stallion. With a pained effort, she stood on her hooves using leverage from the wall. Her face contorted and a whimper escaped from her when she let her wing droop under her belly again. After she limped over to Stratus, she knelt down and put her hoof to the side of his neck…There was no pulse. Nimble Stratus was gone. Daring shed a tear knowing her ties to revenge could finally be laid to rest. She backed away and sat on the stairs, staring at the deceased killer. She cupped her hooves and took a moment before looking up again. She realized her mission wasn’t over, and she couldn’t allow herself to get soft this deep into the game. So with a heavy sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from her brow and looked ahead, smiling upward. “You can rest at last, old friend…” Then slowly, the battered pegasus rose from her hindquarters and again hugged the wall for support. With Stratus dead, Daring had one more pony to deal with.
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On the floors above, the malevolent Union Jack and his crew continued to fight the fire that was finally under control. His nerves were since calmed after learning of the Royal Guard’s order for the arrest Daring Do, so much so that he hadn’t stopped grinning. “Good work, mates!” he shouted over the megaphone, “It’s just about dead!”
“Sir!” somepony shouted.
Union lowered the megaphone from his mouth and turned to find one of the guards approaching him. “What is it?” he asked.
“No. 7, No. 12 and Beta Team are en route to Canterlot as we speak;” he answered back, “No. 1 is waiting on their arrival.”
Union laughed. “Excellent! Now we will be ready when the Guard arrives on scene.”
The security stallion paused for moment. “Guard, Sir? The Royal Guard?”
“Precisely.”
“Sir I don’t follow you,” he stated in utter confusion, “I thought we were trying to avoid the Royal Guard?”
“Moments ago I was informed that Captain Shining Armor warranted an arrest for our friend Daring Do and broadcasted it all over the kingdom.” Union promptly returned. “The persistent little pest will have nowhere to run. If we can’t kill her, the Royal Guard will incarcerate her.”
Then all of a sudden, the two were sidetracked by harsh electrical surge. The lights began to flicker and the hum of the machinery started to die, then immediately roared back to life again. Everypony in the factory was surely aware of it as they looked all about, trying to find the source of the problem. The electrical trip continued on for another several seconds until everything went black. The immediate reaction from the crowd was confusion and panic, however the now head-strong Union Jack spoke into his megaphone: “Everypony remain calm, the back-up generator will kick-in momentarily…”
And just a few seconds after he said those words did the lights and machinery come to life once more. Jack returned to face his security guard when his eyes caught glimpse of the pony standing high on the railing of the overhead balcony. “Where in the world!” he shouted astonished. As the heads turned and the gasps were voiced, Union Jack could begin to feel his blood boil again as he gazed up at the ominous sight of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well looking down on him and his Hurricane brethren.
Immediately the security guards armed their spear guns and took aim. Union halted the guards with his hoof when he heard the cocking of the weapons, “Hold your fire! So the final rat shows herself. How fitting!”
“Oh Jacky,” the masked mare teased, “After everything we’ve been through, I couldn’t resist watching you squirm one last time.”
Very cynically, Union laughed. “The jokes on you I’m afraid…Give my regards to Miss Do when you meet with her in the afterlife.” On that note, Union raised the megaphone to his mouth and pointed to the mare, “Exterminate her!”
Seconds later, nearly twenty guards fired their weapons and Mare-Do-Well took action. In one big leap, the hooded heroine dove for the rafters, dodging a barrage of spears as they whipped past her body. She managed to swing up on one of the beams but not without feeling the throbbing pain of her injured leg. However her adrenaline helped her power through as she continued to jump beam to beam while the guards continuously reloaded and fired. Meanwhile the maintenance ponies began to flee the factory in fear they would be skewered by a raining spear.
“Come on, she can’t evade them forever!” Jack shouted over the bullhorn.
Amongst the heavy fire, a few of the pegasi guards flew up into the rafters to try and slow down the masked mare, but she was more than ready for them; very quickly, she reached behind and whipped out her own spear gun against the guards. They flinched on the sight of the gun and made a move to fly back but Mare-Do-Well already shot, piercing through one of their colleagues and sent him tumbling to the ground. She kept moving, trying to sidestep as many spears as she could, not realizing that several had gone through her cape. Mare-Do-Well knew she would be cornered soon and had to think of another plan. In a haste to save her hide, she glanced over as much as she could of the factory, seeing if any of the machinery could assist her. Luckily her swift brainstorming gave her an idea when her eyes crossed over a massive cold storage unit for snow; hundreds of billions of snowflakes chilling inside a gigantic glass container with an operating module at its base. As fast as she could, Mare-Do-Well scaled across the ceiling until she made a leap for the demolished Cloud Cannon 3000; sliding down its shaft and reloaded another spear in a hurry. She then looked ahead of her, seeing the ground draw closer, and then when she was ready, Mare-Do-Well jumped, tucked, and then rolled into position, coming up with her spear gun wrapped around her hoof. She took a quick aim, steadied her hoof and then squeezed the trigger, firing off another spear.
Union watched from afar as it travelled through the air, but not in the direction of him or his guards…Instead her acquired target was the cold storage unit.
As planned, the spear drove itself through the dashboard of the machine, causing a series of sparks to erupt from it before exploding. The blast drew the attention of every guard in the room, and the sound of cracking glass that followed sent a chilling pinch in the pit of everypony’s stomach. They looked up, watching the cracks channel their way up the container, getting louder and louder.
A single bead of sweat rolled down Jack’s face. He stared wide-eyed at the glass as the continued cracking ascended to the top of the machine, invoking him to immediately call into his megaphone: “EVERYPONY STAND BA-“
Interrupting with one big thunderous crack, the glass casing gave way, bursting like a balloon and sending an indoor avalanche of glass and snow in its wake. All the guards tried to get out of the way, however the snow cascaded throughout the room and blinded nearly every pony in sight. Union too was caught in the abrupt, unnatural blizzard, ducking down and shielding himself from the blowing snow and glass. As quickly as it happened, the snow began to settle, but just when things couldn’t get any worse, the lights went black again, throwing everyone into an even bigger panic.
“She’s shut off the lights!” somepony hollered.
There was short break of silence until the sound of continuous thuds, grunts, and smacks echoed across the darkness. Union Jack dropped his megaphone and lit his horn immediately, frantically turning his head every which way he could, looking for the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, but all he could see was half of his armada incapacitated on the factory floor. Every time he’d turn his head toward the sound of brawling, he’d only catch the glimpse of another stallion falling. “Show yourself at once, Mysterious Mare-Do-Well!”
On cue, the lights switched back on, and the masked mare was found standing next to the factory breaker box, smiling intently. Jack found himself surrounded by a mess of littered bodies and a snow-covered floor. His mane was frazzled by the freezing onslaught and the crazed look on Union’s face was redder than his own coat.
“So…Have you had enough?” she asked playfully. “Or should I continue to torture you further?”
“Why can’t you just be a good little filly and die?” he murmured to himself. Nonchalantly, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well began to stroll towards the Hurricane executive until she froze in place when the corporate goon reached down and picked-up one of the spear guns that had been dropped. No. 4 aimed the loaded weapon at her head, “Don’t…bloody…move…” He said softly with a mad glint in his eye.
Mare-Do-Well began to chuckle, “It’s time to face the music, Union Jack. You and I have both had our sights set on each other since our first encounter back in Manehatten.”
“What’s your point?” he pressed.
The masked mare stared him down, “Put the gun down, put up your hooves.”
Union suddenly cracked a smirk, “A fight to the death? The two of us? First of all let me assure you that I do indeed have the nerve…Second, where do you get off making such a challenge? Do you have any idea how absurd your position is? Even if you can defeat me, my superiors will hunt you down and cut you into little pieces while you’re still breathing. Besides, I have the power to shoot you down right now.”
“If they can catch me,” she retorted.
“Your hubris is amusing me,” he chuckled.
“You don’t believe me?” she boastfully returned pointing to all of the downed guards, “Look at what I just caused! Trust me, I have ‘friends’ like you all over the country who have tried and are still trying to put me out. Though I must admit the Hierarchy has been the closest to succeeding. However, I still come back because the fact of the matter is, from the day I chose to be a vigilante I promised to risk everything in the world to protect my beloved Princess, the ponies she leads, and the nation she rules over from any and all meanings of darkness, even if it meant sacrificing my own blood. I would take the fall for any friend. So if I have to drill through every single damn guard you throw at me just to get to you, I’ll do it, even if I die in the process, or you can have me all to yourself.”
For a minute, Union Jack just stared at her in a thoughtful gaze, chewing on each word she had said, deciding between the two.
“…Well?”
No. 4 exhaled, cracking a clever smile, “You’ve caused me great aggravation. Ranging from destroying my office, jeopardizing our operation, killing my employees and most painfully of all…My pride. You’ve damaged my pride, and nothing would pleasure me more than to put an end to your retched life.” He looked around at all the damage his corporation has taken. All the blood that’s been shed and the trouble he’s been put through by his adversaries. Then with one hefty chuckle, Union brush his hoof through his hair, shook his head and smiled. “My dear, you are very irritating.”
Moments later, Union Jack pulled the trigger, firing the spear at Mare-Do-Well. He intended to end the author of his agony but the crime fighter anticipated the projectile and ducked, just missing it as she heard the spear crack against the wall behind her. She stood back up and glared, “Really?”
The sinister Jack dropped the spear gun off to the side and laughed. “I like to keep business as simple as possible. I don’t like complications.”
“Terrorism is no business,” she stated sternly.
Union scoffed and then started to unbutton his suit. “I guess if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Although the sheer opportunity to squeeze the very life force out of your body does make me a happy stallion.”
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well chuckled, “Next, I’ll make you a dead one.”
“That’s one thing I WILL miss about you; your cunning resilience,” he added, rolling up his cuffs. “It’s a shame we couldn’t convince you to see the light.”
“I won’t allow myself to be blinded by your so-called ‘light’,” Mare-Do-Well assured confidently, “It’s amazing how you’ve managed to brainwash all these criminals to do your bidding. Be honest, what’s in this for you and your other executive friends?”
“…Ascension,” the Hurricane agent replied after chewing on the question. His manic gaze then fell back on the mare, “Believe it or not, Canterlot Crisis extends far beyond than what you perceive. This isn’t about the Crystal Mountains or a petty ransom. This is about the first step in a revolutionary movement. This parasprite pandemic is just the calm before the storm. Our agenda is to assure the take over of this kingdom, one way or another. We are just gathering objectives, taking territory to fuel our efforts. After all you can’t topple a tower without first taking the many precautions and preparations. This demolition of Equestrian society had been planned to the last detail, and No. 1 will lead us, with the rest of the Hurricane elites right behind him…Now enough of this talk, let’s finish what we’ve started shall we?”
Preparing for the fight, the masked mare stood her ground, her knees buckled and ready to pounce. “On behalf of the Kingdom of Equestria and its fair citizens, I condemn you, Union Jack.”
The unimpressed Hurricane agent scoffed at her retort then began to loosen his tie, “Bloody yank…”
To be continued…