The Feather of Fire

by nerothewizard

Chapter 15

The bowl of hot oatmeal lay in front of Mare-Do-Well, teasing her with a pleasant aroma that contained just a hint of brown sugar. It was a hastily-prepared meal, one that she and Daring could consume quickly before setting off for Trowel's, but while the pegasus was already nearly finished with her helping, Mare-Do-Well merely sat and stared at hers, foiled by an obstacle she hadn't considered when she agreed to partake in breakfast at Daring's.

My mask.

The sounds of Daring thoroughly enjoying her oatmeal paused, and Mare-Do-Well looked up when her companion asked with a mouth still half-full of food, “What'th the matter? Aren't you hungry?”

It wasn't that she didn't trust the archaeologist; if anything, she was the one pony who Mare-Do-Well could trust at this point. Her identity, however, was her one safe haven, her means of remaining stable in a city that often threatened to drive her crazy even as she strove to keep it safe. Of course, she felt ridiculous, denying herself food – which her stomach was practically screaming at her to eat – just for the sake of hiding behind her mask a little while longer. On the other hoof, she was still tentative, especially after the encounter at the bar, and the fewer ponies that saw her true face, the better. That way, there's less chance of them hurting me...or me getting them hurt.

But Daring had already shown that she was willing to put herself in harm's way, and Mare-Do-Well flashed back to the pegasus' brave, if clumsy, rescue the night before. Would just anypony have gone to such lengths if they didn't care about her? Daring could have just as easily let her fall, but no; she chose to help, to likely save her life, if not prevent a serious injury, and the pegasus had ended up causing herself pain because of her actions. She was one of the first ponies Mare-Do-Well had helped who had shown just as much concern in return, and she had even overcome her own trepidation and distrust when it came to the mysterious mare.

Besides, that oatmeal smelled more appealing by the second.

Across the table, Daring swallowed another mouthful of the delicious-looking mush and said, “Earth to Mare-Do-Well! You all right?”

“Yeah,” she replied dismissively. Her decision made, Mare-Do-Well continued softly, “Daring, I'm going to do something very unexpected, and I want you to bear with me.”

The pegasus' brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

Before she could hold back her hooves or give herself time to second-guess, Mare-Do-Well removed her hat and placed it on the table next to her, then closed her eyes and peeled back the mask of her costume. Past her chin, then over her nose, across the eyes, and at last completely off the top of the head, her mane springing free. She let loose a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, then breathed in deeply through her nose, the air just a little fresher without a layer of fabric between her and it. Here she was, out in the open, and while she felt exposed, almost naked, she knew that this was the right thing to do. Her lids drifted open, and she looked to see Daring's reaction.

It was much as she had expected: wide eyes and a slightly open jaw. For a few seconds, the only sound was the ticking of a nearby wall clock as Mare-Do-Well sat, letting Daring take in the sight of her true face. Finally, however, the formerly masked mare broke the silence with an undisguised voice. “I figured, if we're going to trust each other throughout this whole thing, that means that I should let you see the real me.” She put on a weak grin and waited for Daring to respond.

To her surprise, the pegasus gave her a reassuring smile in return. “That's cool,” Daring said in a tone just north of nonchalant. “You didn't have to do that, you know.”

“Yeah, I did,” Mare-Do-Well replied, “if I wanted to eat.”

Both mares shared a brief laugh, the awkwardness in the room quickly dissipating. The hints of mirth still in her voice, Daring added, “You could've just pulled it up a little, only shown your mouth or something.”

“Wouldn't that have been even weirder?”

The pegasus tapped her chin with a hoof. “Come to think of it, yeah, you're right.” She chuckled again, then said, “But seriously, that's real cool of you. It kind of...” Daring spun her hoof in a circle, as if cycling through options to try to find the right word. “It makes me feel more secure, better to know what's underneath that mask. Now you're not just some weirdo; you're a real, normal pony, and it's kind of a relief.”

“Thanks, I think,” Mare-Do-Well said, “but I was always a 'real, normal pony.'”

“I know,” Daring said, “but now, it just feels like I can actually believe that. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I guess I do,” the exposed mare said. She breathed in again, her nostrils once again assaulted by the aroma that had been driving her mad for several minutes now. She tilted her head down toward the bowl. “Do you mind if I...”

Daring's eyes popped open, and she sputtered out, “Oh, yeah, of course! Get it while it's hot.”

Those words were sweet relief to Mare-Do-Well's ears, and in an instant, her tongue was licking up its first scoop of warm oatmeal. The flavor delivered on the promises the scent had made, and she eagerly ate, closing her eyes to enhance her taste and smell so she could further her enjoyment of the tasty breakfast. As she munched on one mouthful, she looked up to see that Daring was still scrutinizing her unmasked face, and she chewed and swallowed before asking, “What? Were you seeing if I ate like a normal pony too?”

“Huh?” Daring was caught off guard for a moment, but swiftly recovered. “No, no, nothing like that. It's just...well, I don't really know how to put this, but I don't recognize your face.”

“That was kind of the point of the mask,” Mare-Do-Well responded flatly.

“Yeah, I know,” Daring answered, waving off the sarcasm. “I guess I kinda thought you'd look familiar, like I'd seen you in a magazine or something.”

“What?”

“I don't know, maybe like you were some billionaire that sneaks out at night to fight criminals in a costume or something, and when you did this big reveal, I was supposed to be all shocked when I realized you were somepony famous.”

Mare-Do-Well blinked twice in disbelief. “Sorry to...disappoint?”

“Nah, it's no big deal,” Daring said, turning her attention back to her unfinished oatmeal. For a while, both mares were content to eat in silence, save for the smacking of their lips. Naturally, Daring finished first, and as Mare-Do-Well continued to savor her food, the pegasus sat quietly. As Mare-Do-Well neared the end of her bowl, the silence was broken by Daring once again. “But that does make me wonder about something.”

Mare-Do-Well felt herself bristle and tense up; she should have known this line of questioning was coming, but that didn't make her blood boil any less. She lifted her head up from the bowl as she gulped down her bite of oatmeal, her eyes narrowed in a gaze that made Daring flinch in surprise. In a low voice that seethed a little more than she wanted it to, she said, “Let me guess: You want to know my real name, maybe hear about my history, how I ended up where I am today?” There was bile in her statement; she instantly regretted it, but her knee-jerk reaction had overridden her sense of control. She tried to keep her voice level as she continued, but it still shook a little. “Well, I'm sorry, but I'd rather not say.”

Daring, of course, had been taken aback by the ferocity of Mare-Do-Well's comeback, but despite her look of shock, she seemed to remain relatively composed. “Yes,” she said slowly, “I was going to ask about those things. But if you don't feel like sharing, I'm not going to push you.”

“Thank you,” Mare-Do-Well muttered as she hung her head. It had been wrong to snap at Daring that way. She had every right to be curious; after all, it wasn't every day that you encountered a pony wearing a full-body costume and a mask, much less teamed up with them. Mare-Do-Well knew that Daring wouldn't betray her trust. Heck, I showed her my real face! I don't do that for just anypony. There were some doors, however, that had been shut and locked for a reason, and they needed to remain closed, no matter how much she could rely on another pony.

Daring interrupted her thoughts. “No problem.” Mare-Do-Well looked up. The corners of Daring's mouth had risen into a soft, non-threatening smile, and the pegasus went on, “You took a big step, letting me see the pony behind the mask, but if there are things you don't want to tell me, I understand.”

Mare-Do-Well allowed a grin to creep onto her own face. “I'm grateful.”

“Like I said, no problem,” Daring answered, leaning back in her chair. “Now, we need to head out soon if we wanna get to Trowel's any time soon.” She pointed at the bowl in front of Mare-Do-Well. “You done?”

With one last dive of her head, the unmasked mare scooped up the last chunk of oatmeal and sent it down the hatch. “Now I am,” she said, hopping off the chair. After licking her lips, she swept the mask back over her head and donned her hat in one swift motion. It felt a little strange to be covered up again, but at the same time, her heart started to pump blood a little quicker through her veins. The suit meant business, and there were still plenty of questions that needed answers. It was time to start asking. Out of habit, she reverted back to her lower-pitched voice. “Good to go?”

Daring shook her head. “I gotta say, it's like you're a completely different pony.”

“Well, I'm not,” Mare-Do-Well said. “I'm just ready to get out of here. Let's go, yeah?”

Daring gave her a smirk and strode over to the living room, snatching the artifact container up from the chair where it had lain since the night before. Through teeth clenched around the handle, she said, “You bet.” With a quick nod, Mare-Do-Well followed the pegasus as both ponies departed through the front door and out into the morning sunlight.

***

Naturally, they didn't travel together, as the sight of a normal-looking pony and one dressed in a full-body costume was very likely to attract a great deal of unwanted attention. However, Mare-Do-Well ensured that Daring never left her sight for more than a few seconds as she traveled through the alleys and shadows, eventually moving to the roofs of the city when the buildings were taller and more closely spaced. Trowel lived much nearer to central Manehattan than Daring, and Mare-Do-Well was almost relieved to be back in her old stomping grounds after spending the previous night in the suburbs. The feel of the sun-warmed rooftops was comfort to her hooves, but as she leaped from building to building, she kept a watchful eye on the pony in the streets below. After last night, she couldn't be too careful.

Soon, they came to the appropriate address, a high-rise apartment complex on the outskirts of downtown, and Mare-Do-Well descended to the street level to join her companion. The nearby sidewalks were devoid of other ponies as Daring pressed on the call button next to Trowel's name and awaited a response. One came very soon, a stallion's voice crackling through the intercom. “Who is it?”

“It's Daring Do,” the pegasus said back. The container lay nestled on her back, freeing up her mouth to speak clearly. “I really need to talk to you, Trowel; do you have a minute?”

The voice that responded sounded nervous, and a little higher-pitched than before. “Oh, uh, hi Daring! Yeah, go ahead and come on up!” A dull buzz from the door indicated that it had been unlocked, and Daring nosed the door open and stepped inside, shadowed by Mare-Do-Well.

As opposed to Mare-Do-Well's living quarters, or the apartment complex where she had “interrogated” the greaser, the hallways in this building were relatively clean; the air smelled of disinfectant spray. A door to her right marked “Stairs” caught Mare-Do-Well's attention. The masked mare turned to her companion. “What room is he in?”

“Fourth floor, room 406,” Daring answered.

Without a word, Mare-Do-Well bounded off and threw the door open, stepping inside the stairwell quickly and already beginning her ascent before the door had even shut. When she reached the first landing, she spun around to see Daring's progress, but was surprised when nopony met her eyes. She trotted back down the steps and peeked back out into the lobby to see that the pegasus hadn't moved from her previous spot and was staring straight at Mare-Do-Well with a single eyebrow raised in confusion. The masked pony said, “Well? Are you coming?”

Daring pointed toward the door on the opposite side of the room. “I'll take the elevator, thanks.”

Mare-Do-Well shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She retreated back into the stairwell and began the climb to the fourth floor. Her muscles, still sore from the events of the last twenty-four hours, groaned in protest as she raced past the second story and on to the third, but she gritted her teeth and breathed deeply through her nose, relishing the little workout. It felt good to be active again, and the familiar adrenaline rush put her in a very good mood. I'm sure we'll find out something. She repeated that mantra to herself as she tackled each flight of stairs.

Finally, she spied the sign that read “Floor 4,” and she triumphantly pushed the door open, only to be met by the eyes of a very bored-looking Daring Do.

“What took you?” Daring asked, a smug look on her face as she leaned against the wall next to the elevator doors.

“Just getting a little exercise,” Mare-Do-Well said back, trying to be just as smug. It wasn't as if they had been in a race, so Daring had no reason to gloat. In spite of that, Mare-Do-Well still had to suppress a little pang of disappointment.

The self-satisfied look on Daring's face faded away, replaced by her normal smirk. “Whatever you say. Just follow me.” She started to walk through the empty hallway, and Mare-Do-Well fell in behind, darting her eyes back and forth to sweep for trouble, as unlikely as it was to be found here. The walls were bleach-white, and the doors still had most of their paint. Some ponies had even put welcome mats in front of the doors that led to their apartments, and the masked mare wasn't sure whether to be happy or sorry for them.

It didn't take long to reach room 406, and Daring knocked several times before calling, “Trowel? It's me, Daring!”

From within, a muffled voice shouted back, “Be there in a second!” It was, in fact, a few seconds before the click of the deadbolt was followed by the door swinging open to reveal a lime green earth pony stallion with a combed-back auburn mane and a pair of spectacles on the end of his nose. He was taller than either mare, but Mare-Do-Well guessed that he probably weighed about the same as she did. At first, his look was a toothy grin, but then he caught sight of Mare-Do-Well, and his eyes went wide. She was used to that reaction by now, as well as the question that usually followed soon after. “Who are you?”

Daring interjected, “That's a friend of mine, Trowel, and she's after the same thing that I am right now. Can we come in?”

He kept a nervous stare on the costumed pony for a moment longer before stepping back and lifting his hoof. “Sure, go right ahead.” Daring smiled politely and stepped in, and Mare-Do-Well followed close behind, her unblinking gaze never leaving Trowel's. She paused just far enough into the room for him to close the door, and after a moment's hesitation, he did just that. Neither of them moved. In her mind, Mare-Do-Well knew that she was probably freaking him right out, but that's the way she wanted it to be. She didn't know this pony, not yet, and until she'd confirmed that he was one of the good guys, she wasn't about to turn her back on him.

Daring's voice called from the other room, “Are you two coming?”

Trowel took a tentative sidestep away from the door.

Mare-Do-Well watched him.

He took two more steps.

Mare-Do-Well watched him.

He turned and walked quickly around the corner, but not before swiveling his head to get one more glance at his mysterious guest.

Mare-Do-Well just watched him. Okay, maybe I'm having a little too much fun with this.

She followed him around the corner and quickly surveyed his apartment. She hoped he was a bachelor. While it looked like he had made at least a little effort to clean up while the mares were on their way up, the sparse furnishings still appeared to have little food stains spattered on them, and the couch where the stallion now sat had end tables that looked rather like rumpled piles of sheets, and possibly towels as well. Even as she walked into the room, their host said, “Sorry about the mess, Daring. I haven't had much time to clean lately.”

The pegasus, who was sitting on the other side of the couch, smiled weakly. “That's okay, Trowel. I've been pretty busy myself here lately.”

Beneath her mask, Mare-Do-Well smirked. Isn't that the truth. She hopped up onto a loveseat that faced the couch where the other two ponies sat and fixed her gaze firmly on Trowel. He met her stare, and for a few more tense moments, nothing was said. Finally, the stallion turned to Daring and said, “Um...can she talk?”

“Yes, she can,” Daring said, “but that's not why we came here today. Would you mind if we got right to the point?”

“Oh, yeah, that's fine,” Trowel stammered back, settling back in his seat. “What can I help you with?”

As Daring leaned down to retrieve the container that she had set on the floor beside the couch, Mare-Do-Well continued her silent assessment of Trowel. She had already been sure to check his eyes at the door, breathing a little easier when she was met with light blue and not a hint of gray. That didn't mean, however, that he wasn't working for the Collector, and now, as he sat on the couch across from her, she studied his body language. He looked a bit tense still, but she attributed that to her presence. Yeah, I think I overdid it a bit. No subtle twitches or tics caught her eye, and she relaxed a little. From all appearances, he was clean.

Daring set the container on the couch between herself and Trowel, but left it closed as she asked, “Trowel, what do you remember about your trip to Cameland?”

His eyes got a faraway look. “Oh, well, it was a very exotic locale, one that I'd never personally visited, and let me tell you, the architecture there was absolutely stunning! You know, the camels themselves developed very unique styles, and the dromedary and bactrian tribes even came up with entirely disparate themes in their buildings because of their differing numbers of humps! Isn't that marvelous?”

Okay, so he's a nerd too, Mare-Do-Well thought as Daring tried to bring the conversation around. “Yes, Trowel, that's really fascinating stuff, but what I really needed to ask you about was what you found out there.”

“Didn't I already tell you?” Trowel asked, sounding incredulous. “We explored two different sets of ruins, and after some thorough excavations, we ended up with a very sizable haul of artifacts, ranging from fragments of pots to ancient hoof jewelry. I thought I showed you all of those. Some really remarkable finds, I have to say.”

“They were,” Daring said, “but were there any other places you went? Didn't you find anything really out of the ordinary, something that you'd never seen before?”

Trowel's eyes lowered, and his smile faded. “It's weird that you say that, Daring. For the life of me, I can't remember anything like that, and neither can anypony else who was in my team, but...oh, never mind.” He cast his eyes to the side.

“What is it, Trowel?” Daring scooted closer and put a hoof on his shoulder. “What were you going to say?”

He cracked a brief grin, and Mare-Do-Well wondered if it was because of the encouragement or because Daring Do had just touched his shoulder. The stallion took a deep breath and exhaled, then said, “It's just...some days, I wake up, and I feel like I dreamed about something really important, but the only detail I can remember is that it was about Cameland. It's been happening a lot, almost as soon as I got back to Manehattan. At first, I shrugged it off; I mean, who really understands dreams anyway? But lately, it's been getting to me. I'll try to think back to Cameland, and while I remember plenty from my trip down there, the memory feels...incomplete, somehow. It's hard to explain, but I feel like there's something I should know that I don't any more.”

For the first time, Mare-Do-Well spoke. “Trowel, I need you to do me a favor.” He looked in her direction, his eyes full of distrust. She tried her best to placate him. “Listen, my name's Mare-Do-Well, and I'm trying to help Daring solve a very big problem. If you help me out, you'll be helping her out. Understand?”

Any doubts he had seemed to evaporate when Daring chimed in, “It's all right, Trowel. You can trust her.”

The stallion glanced back in Daring's direction, then turned his attention back to Mare-Do-Well. “All right,” he whispered. “How can I help?”

Mare-Do-Well hopped off the loveseat and strode over to the couch, closing the distance between her and Trowel. The stallion backed away as she approached, but she stopped just short of his seat and said, “I need you to look into my eyes, Trowel, and I want you to think back. Think back to Cameland, and try your hardest to remember absolutely everything.”

“Are you serious?” he said.

“Dead serious,” Mare-Do-Well responded in a voice that proved that statement. “Now, look at me.” Slowly, he leaned forward, meeting the gaze of the masked mare. “Good. Now, remember.” His eyes clenched shut. “No!” Mare-Do-Well snapped, and when Trowel recoiled, she followed with a more subdued, “No. Keep them open. That's important.” Once again, he set his focus on her, and this time, she was able to watch his irises.

The light blue coloring dimmed, and Mare-Do-Well's worst fears were realized as gray tendrils began to swirl inside the eyes of the stallion on the couch. His memory was taken. He can't remember. Before he could be fully saturated with the gray, Mare-Do-Well said softly, “All right, that's enough.” She turned to Daring and pointed at her own eyes.

Following her cue, Daring leaned in to study Trowel's irises, and she gasped when she saw the same thing that Mare-Do-Well had espied. In the midst of all this, the stallion spoke up. “Um...excuse me, ladies, but I am very confused right now. What's going on?”

Daring was the first to respond. “Trowel, have you seen Illusion since you got back to Manehattan?”

“Yeah, I saw her first thing,” he said. “She said she needed to run a couple tests on me, make sure that I didn't run across any curses or weird magic while I was in Cameland. Think she did that for the whole team. I hadn't heard about anything like that before, but I guess it makes sense. After all, I wouldn't want to end up looking like I just stumbled through a patch of poison joke, or maybe even something worse.”

The pieces were falling into place. At last, Mare-Do-Well was starting to realize the extent of the truth, but to hear this stallion tell how he had been duped by Illusion made her seethe with rage. She looked at Daring, who gave her an equally steely gaze, and she knew that the pegasus' fury matched her own. Oh, she is going to pay. Daring tapped the lid of the container that held the figurine, and Mare-Do-Well nodded quickly. If anything could jog Trowel's memory, their best best was sitting on the couch.

Mare-Do-Well sat back, expecting to see Daring crack open the container, extract the pegasus, and show it to her co-worker. If it had the desired effect, his stolen memories would come flooding back, and he could shed some more light on the situation at hoof.

What she did not anticipate, however, was the beam of white light that shot straight up as soon as the lid was opened, its glow much brighter than the lamps that were currently illuminating the room. She held up a hoof to shield her eyes, but her heart skipped a beat when she caught sight of Daring.

The pegasus had been perched over the container, and her head was bathed in the light. Her eyes, however, were wide open and staring straight at the source of the beam, and they were filled with terror. Mare-Do-Well froze, not wanting to put herself in danger, but after only a few seconds, the apartment reverted to its normal state. It was as if the light had never been there, but Mare-Do-Well knew that something had gone terribly wrong, and she jumped up onto the couch, knocking the container aside as she clutched Daring's head in her hooves. “Daring! What happened?”

Daring Do wasn't looking at Mare-Do-Well. The pegasus' head was pointed in her direction, yes, but her vision was far, far away, still stricken with what looked like utter horror. In desperation, the masked mare shook her companion's shoulders, hoping to rouse her from whatever stupor had overtaken her; she hoped it wasn't another bout of mind magic, but Mare-Do-Well hadn't seen any gray in the other pony's eyes. Actually, they had looked more vividly colored than before, almost sparkling, but Mare-Do-Well attributed that to the fact that she had just been blasted by a gigantic beam of incredibly bright light. Please, don't be blind was the only thing Mare-Do-Well could think as she shook Daring violently.

She paused her motion after a few seconds, and Daring's head settled back into its original position. This time, however, the faraway look was gone, and she knew that the pegasus was back. To confirm this fact, Daring suddenly inhaled sharply, then doubled over and coughed as Mare-Do-Well stepped back. From behind her, Trowel spoke over Daring's coughing fit. “Is she gonna be okay?”

Mare-Do-Well didn't have a chance to respond, as Daring raised her head and locked her stare on both of the other ponies in the room. In a weak voice, she said, “I'm all right.” She wheezed a couple more breaths, then added, “I..I know everything. I think...both of you will want to hear this.” A strange gleam flickered across her eye. “You might want to sit down.”

They already were, so Daring began her tale.

Comments

[bahatumay]

Oooh....
Mare-Do-Well is best pony.
I think it's pretty cool that you've had MDW take off her mask, but you haven't told us who she is yet. Keeps her mysterious.

[Otsdarva]

Oh my, Arc of the Covenant moment there. I couldn't help but think "Shut your eyes!"

[Avenging-Hobbits]

WHY U END WITH CLIFFHANGERS?!

[nerothewizard]

1252555 Feel free, and thanks for reading! (The rat thing has been edited. Hooray, science!)

[Firebirdbtops]

and now that Daring has mind melded with the statue, we get the scoop on whats happening. Finally!

[Zelda Spectrum]

“I..I know everything. I think...both of you will want to hear this.”

i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/6934045952/h6BBB0FF8/

[Borg]

You know, Mare-Do-Well, if you just pull your mask up enough to expose your mouth, all Daring will learn is your coat color. Maybe it would also help a little if she were trying to pick you out of a lineup of appropriately-colored ponies, but unless you're worried that Daring's going to betray you you only need to be concerned with what Daring can remember and describe accurately, and in practice Daring probably can't distinguish more than a few dozen different pastel colors at most. Any villain would be far better off trying to lure you into a trap rather than track you down on such vague information.

It's interesting how you keep avoiding describing Mare-Do-Well. I can't decide if I should take that to mean we would recognize her if you did, or that her secret identity is irrelevant and the only description that matters is "purple with a cape and hat."

It's nice that the statue has decided to speak up. About time the only pony with a clue chimed in.