Daring Do- -once again disguised as A.K. Yearling- -carefully lowered herself into the seat of the express train to the Crystal Empire. The line was new; in her youth, the idea of a train linking what had once been thought of a desolate area of southernmost Hyperboria to anything at all would have been inconceivable. Yet, somehow, one had been constructed in a matter of mere months.
She supposed it made sense. Celestia had wasted no time in securing the Crystal Empire as a fiefdom and placing a relative on the thrown. Exactly how Cadence and Celestia were related was unknown, and Daring Do had never contemplated it in detail. Politics mattered little to her. She was only glad for the train. Flying there manually, even with a jetstream, would have been too harrowing after such a long day, and teleportation was out of the question. Only a train would suffice, especially one with a sleeper car.
Her day had indeed been difficult. It had taken everything he had to get away from Twilight, and then more to get away from Rainbow Dash. While Daring Do appreciated that she had fans- -both of her writing as A.K. Yearling and of her exploits as Daring Do- -but there was a reason she had adopted the persona of a frumpy recluse. Fame or fortune were two things she had not only never desired for herself, but could not even comprehend the need for- -fame especially. She simply wanted to go about her life, doing what she was born to do; fawning fans did not help were with that goal.
The train started to move, and Daring Do removed a small notebook from her pocket. She began to flip through it, taking down several notes in neat, pert cursive written with her mouth. As she wrote, though, a shadow passed over her and she was aware of a pony sitting across from her.
“Excuse me,” she said, shifting the pen to the corner of her mouth. “I reserved this section. This isn’t your seat.” She looked up and nearly dropped her pen when she saw the multicolored mane on the pony across from her. “YOU!”
“Heeeey,” said Rainbow Dash, scratching the back of her head. “Fancy seeing you here, am I right?”
“I did not say you could come with me!” hissed Daring Do.
“What? Who said I was coming with you?” Rainbow Dash feigned offence. “I mean, I’m allowed to take the train too, aren’t I? Am I not allowed to have urgent business in the Crystal Empire? I mean, after all the time I’ve spent there. I literally know Shining Armor! And for the record, he’s pretty hot, but he has a really weird voice…”
“I don’t care!” cried Daring Do. Her seating was functionally a booth, separated by glass from the other booths, but her volume caused some other ponies to turn to her, visibly perturbed by her reaction. She forced herself to become more calm, even though a headache was already brewing in her temples. “Look,” she said. “Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow Dash squealed quietly at the utterance of her name by her idol. “I’m very busy. You do realize I’m going there to read books, right?”
“I like reading books!”
“You like reading MY books. Do you even read Crystalian?”
“Um…no?”
“I didn’t think so. You’re not going to be able to help me!”
“Who said I wanted to help you?” asked Rainbow Dash, suddenly in a huff. “I told you! I have my own business! We just happen to be on this train together!”
“A train that you knew I was taking!”
“Because we’re going to the same place! And here I was, thinking you might want a friend to keep you company!”
Rainbow Dash stood up, and Daring Do sighed audibly. “You don’t need to be so dramatic! Luna’s hips, you’re histrionic.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“It means I’m not going to throw my biggest fan out. Even if she is being a tremendous annoyance and a little bit of a stalker. You can stay for a little bit if you just stay quiet.”
Rainbow Dash beamed, and Daring Do turned toward the window. In truth, Rainbow Dash was right. Adventures were one thing, but the prerequisite waiting was something else entirely. World-striding adventures were enjoyable in the heat of the action, but the time it took to travel the world was lonely. Daring Do, despite her solitary lifestyle, had spent far too much of her life alone with her thoughts.
She took out her notebook and began to flip through it.
“What’s that?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Notes,” replied Daring Do curtly.
“About what?”
“About a lot of things. Usually things that don’t make much sense.”
“Like what?”
Daring Do looked up, and then stood. Rainbow Dash looked panicked for a moment, but instead of leaving Daring Do instead closed the collapsible door that linked her booth to the rest of the train. The walls were mostly glass, so she could see the others- -and any food carts that might be approaching- -but they were immediately shrouded in silence. Daring Do could not help but wonder if the glass was enchanted.
She then proceeded to describe the story of the events at the Get Out Inn to Rainbow Dash. Daring Do had always had the impression that her speech was not nearly as eloquent as A.K. Yearling’s writing, but Rainbow Dash seemed to hang on to every word with anticipation.
“Oh wow!” cried Rainbow Dash at the end of the story, awkwardly fluttering her wings but finding herself unable to fly in the confined space. “You beat up some sort of knight! A POWER-knight! That is the coolest thing EVER!”
“It’s not a big deal,” sighed Daring Do, turning back to her notebook. “There was only one of them, after all.”
“Only one? ONLY ONE?! Like- -have you even ever SEEN somepony like that?!”
“Not in person. But that’s what has me concerned.”
Rainbow Dash seemed confused but also intrigued. She sat back down. “What do you mean?”
Daring Do turned the notebook around. On one of the pages sat a perfectly drawn replica of the power-knight’s insignia, a white thistle on a red background. “Do you know what this is?”
Rainbow Dash cocked her head. “A spiky beachball with wings?”
“It’s a heraldic crest.”
“Like toothpaste?”
“No,” groaned Daring Do. She tapped at the page. “It’s an insignia representing an order of knights. And there’s only one order that uses the thistle.”
“So…you know who that guy was, then?”
“No. But I know what the thistle means. It’s called the Ancient Sign. It belongs to the Questlords of Inverness.”
“Most awesome name EVER. Why have I never heard of them?”
“Because they don’t exist anymore.” Daring Do turned the page around and looked at it. “Or at least they’re not supposed to. They were an anti-Celestian society of Templars. ‘Warriors of power steel/who hear galactic cry/unicorn defenders, unafraid to die’.” She paused, letting the effect of the couplet sink in. “They were said to be notable in that they wore indestructible suits of ‘strange mail’. Which I can only assume refers to this sort of power-armor.”
“But if they’re gone now…then how did they have that in the past?”
“Because decay overwhelms progress? In most cases, the ancient ponies were vastly more advanced than we are now.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“None of this does. Because I’m familiar with the Questlords, at least in a historical perspective. I went through one of their old castles once. Even after four thousand years, I almost didn’t get out with my feathers- -or my head- -attached to the rest of me.” She tapped at the diagram. “Which is how I know this is all wrong.”
“Wrong? But the guy who tried to get you was dressed in power-armor, just like these quest guys. And he had that toothpaste thing.”
“Heraldic crest,” snapped Daring Do. “And that’s the problem. The heraldry isn’t correct.” She turned the page and showed Rainbow Dash a different sketch, this one also of a thistle. “You see the crown? The Questlord heraldry has nine points on the flower. This one only has five. And the leaves have three points on the red one, when they’re supposed to have eight points on the left and seven on the right with the traditional.”
“And they’re different colors.”
“Exactly. The correct heraldry is green and pink over argent.”
“Argent?”
“It means gray. Or white. Because according to legend the Order was founded under the Horn dynasty, even by Second Horn himself- -” Rainbow Dash’s eyes were glazing, so Daring Do kept her summary brief. “What I’m saying is that it would NEVER be red. The argent background is sacred to them. Or was. It’s the most important part of the Sign.”
“So, what, then? This guy wasn’t a Questlord? Why would he have the thistle at all then?”
“Well, if he WANTED me to think that he was a Questlord. This isn’t exactly common knowledge.”
“But why would he do that? It doesn’t make any sense!”
“I know,” sighed Daring Do. “That’s what’s bothering me.”
“And why haven’t I heard of this before? I mean, you were in some castle belonging to ancient knights? I mean, there was probably suits of power armor walking around full of skeletons and stuff! Or weird traps with magical incantations! Why haven’t you written this down?!”
Daring Do’s eyes narrowed, and her tone became serious. “Because I don’t write down every story.”
“You- -you don’t?”
“There’s some I can’t. And some I won’t. Either because there are still ponies out there who would make sure those books never see the light of day…or because my goal wasn’t as successful as I had hoped at the start.”
“But…you’re Daring Do! You’re always successful!”
Daring Do leaned back, setting the diagram of the red-backed thistle beside her. “If only that were true…”
Rainbow Dash stared at her, and Daring Do could see doubt creeping into the younger pony’s eyes. It was strange how closely they resembled her own. Instead of falling silent, though, Rainbow Dash shook her head.
“No way! I’m not going to believe it, and you can’t make me!”
Daring Do smiled. “Huh,” she said. “You’re awfully confident.”
“Of course I am! Do you think I could do half the stuff I do if I wasn’t sure I could? I mean, come on, everypony knows I’m awesome. But you’re even more awesome! You’re DARING DO!”
Daring Do almost laughed. Fame had never been her interest, and while Rainbow Dash’s confidence in her may have been misplaced it was good to have a voice other than that of her own creeping regret. Rainbow Dash seemed to respond to this, and she smiled as well. After a few moments, both of them were laughing- -until Daring Do suddenly stopped.
Once again, Rainbow Dash was remarkably perceptive. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Okay,” said Daring Do, her voice suddenly becoming serious and her eyes turning back to Rainbow Dash from the glass partitions that surrounded the booth. “You’re going to need to listen to me very carefully and do exactly what I say. Got it?”
“I don’t like this…”
“Don’t look. Don’t turn your head. Look up at the glass over my head, at the reflection.” Daring Do watched Rainbow Dash’s eyes turn up, followed by a momentary look of confusion as she tried to interpret the reversed and double-reversed image- -and then her eyes widened as she saw them.
“You see them,” stated Daring Do. It was not a question, but a declaration of fact: they were now both aware of the group of three heavy-bodied, muscular ponies making their way through the center of the train, occasionally taking time to stick their heads into any open booths and shout at the occupants, or pound their hooves against the glass walls of those that were closed. All three of them were earth-ponies, and the largest among them was an enormous brown stallion with a bandana around his neck and a black Stetson hat.
“Road apples,” swore Rainbow Dash, weakly. “Who are those guys?”
“I think you know who they are. Come on.” Daring Do stood up. Rainbow Dash gasped.
“Wait! You can’t go out there!”
“I didn’t take you for a coward, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow Dash bristled. “That isn’t what I meant! If this is what I think it is, they’re looking for you- -”
“There’s no way they would know I’m here. And besides.” Daring Do pulled her frumpy A.K. Yearling hat over her graying mane and lifted her correspondingly frumpy shawl over her shoulders. “I’m not here. Just an aging, reclusive author.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“We’re going for a walk. To the other side of the train. These Crystal Empire trains have guards on them, don’t they? For customs?”
“I- -I don’t know! I’ve always been with Twilight, and her brother doesn’t let the guards near her! Especially that Flash Sentry guy…”
“That’s not helpful,” snapped Daring Do. She grabbed Rainbow Dash’s front leg, causing Rainbow Dash’s eyes to expand vastly.
“She’s…she’s touching me…”
“MOVE!”
Daring Do grabbed Rainbow Dash and began to pull her- -not hard enough to draw suspicion, but enough to hurry her on the course toward the rear of the train. As they left the seat, though, one of the thugs turned toward them. Daring Do caught his reflection in the back of the glass door.
“Hey, hey Biff! There she is! Rainbow mane at twelve!”
One of the group- -the moor lunkheaded of them- -looked at his watch, which was drawn on. “But it’s not even three!”
“Then grab her quick before we have to work overtime! MOVE!”
“Celestia’s fluffy wings!” swore Daring Do under her breath. She suddenly spread her wings and pushed forward. Flying on a train was no doubt rude, but proper social protocol would have to give way in this case. Rainbow Dash, despite being the superior flyer, was taken by surprise, both by being suddenly jerked forward and the fact that despite her advanced age and nearly crippled wings Daring Do was still a powerful flyer.
They raced quickly through the train, pushing passing ponies out of the way and overturning several food carts, much to both of their disappointments. The whole while, not one crystal guard was apparent. Daring Do had a sneaking suspicion that somehow, somepony had been bribed.
Their journey ended when they reached the baggage car. The door farther to the caboose was sealed and locked. The few windows that were present were small and obscured by mountains of poorly lit luggage.
Rainbow Dash tried the door. “I can’t get through! We’re going to have to jump out a window!” She dashed toward one of the windows and managed to open it, only to find that it was too small for her to fit her entire body through. As her head was out, though, the door to the car burst open and the three earth-pony thugs burst in.
“There she is!” cried one of them, pointing at Rainbow Dash. “She’s trying to make a break for it!”
“Well then quit blabbing and grab her! Lummox! Get the rope!”
“It wasn’t me!” cried Rainbow Dash. “I didn’t do it!”
“Excuse me!” shouted Daring Do, stepping forward, still in her A.K. Yearling disguise. “What is the meaning of this, chasing us all through the train?”
The hat-wearing pony shoved Daring Do, nearly knocking her over. “Out of the way, old lady! This isn’t any of your business!”
“Old lady!” cried Rainbow Dash. “You can do whatever you want to me, but calling her- -HER- -OLD! I hope you know some good bakers, because your buns are about to get ROASTED!”
Daring Do put her head in her hoof and groaned. The largest and clearly dumbest of the henchponies seemed confused and overjoyed at the same time. “Is it lunch time already? I want the whole grain ones because I need the fiber!”
“Quit talking and grab her! Tie her wings so she can’t get away!”
The thugs converged on Rainbow Dash, who, trapped against the luggage, prepared for a fight. Daring Do did as well, reaching for the whip concealed under her clothing- -even if using it would mean revealing her secret identity to a group who was guaranteed to remember it.
They all stopped, though, when they heard the door to the luggage care open.
“What the heck is this?!” cried a severely annoyed voice.
“Yeah. You’re going to want to turn back,” said the pony with the hat, not turning his head. “If you know what’s good for you.”
“No I’m not leaving! I came back here to have a sweet, it’s not my problem if you’re having some sort of weird luggage party.”
The pony in the hat, now quite clearly angry, turned around. As he did, both Rainbow Dash and Daring Do looked at who was speaking. The pony in question was highly unremarkable. She was an earth-mare, cream-colored, with a bicolored mane. She was wearing a thick pair of sunglasses and leaning against the door frame. As they watched, she nonchalantly produced a small wrapped candy and tossed it into her mouth.
Daring Do did not recognize her at all, but Rainbow Dash clearly did.
“Bon Bon?!”
“That’s a stupid name,” growled the pony with the hat. He stomped across the floor to her, looming over her. “But fine, if you want it the hard way, we’re all feminists here. Meaning we don’t mind beating you just as hard as we’d beat a stallion.”
Bon Bon stared at him for a moment, and then made an extremely rude gesture with her hooves. This seemed to enrage the pony with the dark hat, and he screamed and moved to punch her. Daring Do drew her whip, but before she could even fully draw it back the pony in the hat had received two sequential blows to his chest. With his wind knocked from him, he dropped to the ground, only to receive a powerful upward kick as Bon Bon flipped backward acrobatically.
The pony in the hat fell, and Bon Bon charged before the others could fully comprehend what was going on. The smaller of the two was slightly quicker, and he moved to grab her. The earth-mare ducked, sliding across the floor and spinning, kicking him in the shoulder and knocking him into the baggage. The larger, stupider pony then moved foreward, proving he was faster than he looked. He grabbed the earth pony in a bear hug, attempting to squeeze her into submission. She pulled her head back and spat her candy into his eye.
“My EYE!” he screamed. “I can see CANDY! Too close! TOO CLOSE!”
He released her, and she dropped to the ground, ducking under his legs before landing a swift kick against the back of one of his rear knees. His leg buckled and he shrieked. Rainbow Dash saw an opportunity and pushed him sideways and into his associate, who had just been climbing out of the baggage. They were both pushed in, and one of the higher bags burst open, raining several bowling balls onto the pair below. Only the larger of the two managed to weather the impacts enough to stand back up, although in a dazed state- -and Bon Bon sent him right back down with a punch to the jaw.
The whole room suddenly went silent, save for the sound of the bowling balls continuing to roll as well as the low groans of the injured ponies. Bon Bon took a deep breath and exhaled before returning to a normal standing position.
Rainbow Dash stared at her wide-eyed. “Bon Bon…”
“Agent Sweetie Drops,” replied Bon Bon, picking up her glasses from the floor as she stepped over a bowling ball. She put them on just as the pony who had been wearing a hat started to stand slowly. Sweetie Drops grabbed him by the bandana around his neck and, with barely any effort, pulled him to the window that Rainbow Dash had previously opened.
“Wait,” he said. “What- -what are you doing?”
Sweetie Drops stuck his head out the window. He struggled, but she pressed one of her free hooves into his ribs, causing him to howl.
“Bon Bon,” said Rainbow Dash. “What- -what’s going on- -why are you here- -”
Sweetie Drops ignored her. Instead, she addressed the pony she was holding. “Alright,” she said, speaking calmly but loud enough to be heard over the wind outside the train. “You’re going to tell me who you work for.”
“Cadence’s tail I’ll tell you!” he screamed back.
“Are you sure?”
“How about Celestia’s fat RUMP! That’s who I work for, you stooge!”
“That’s too bad. Because that’s also my boss, and I don’t remember seeing you at the company Hearthswarming party.”
“I’m not going to tell you anything!”
Sweetie Drops sighed. “Well, that’s too bad. Because, see, you can’t move. Not from this position. You can try, but I think you’ll find I spend a lot more time in the gym than you ever will- -and I never skip leg day. And if you turn your head to the right? You’ll notice that we’re coming up to a tunnel.”
The thuggish pony’s eyes went wide, but he still maintained an air of defiance. “You’re bluffing! You wouldn’t!”
“I wonder what the clearance is,” said Sweetie Drops, putting her hoof to her chin. “Probably a few inches…oh, wait, no. That’s right. These Crystal Empire trains are four spans wider than standard Canterlot trains. The gauge is fine…but they go through the tunnels with less than an inch of clearance.”
Now the pony being held looked outright terrified. “N- -no! Let me go! LET ME GO!”
He began to struggle, but Sweetie Drops was proven correct- -she was strong, and in the hold with her hoof against his ribs, there was nothing he could do. Neither of his friends were in any position to help him, either, and when he realized that his struggling was useless, he turned his head to the right- -only to burst into tears when he saw that Sweetie Drops was not lying about the tunnel.
“Please! Please let me back in!”
“Then tell me who you work for.”
“I can’t! I CAN’T!”
A train whistle sounded in the distance. “Oh. That means we’ve got…five hundred feet? Six hundred? It looks like you’re about to get a few inches shorter, doesn’t it?”
“No! NO! Please, I’m begging here!”
“Stop it!” cried Daring Do, putting her hoof on Sweetie Drops’s shoulder. “I already know who he works for! PULL HIM IN!”
Sweetie Drops stared at her for a moment, and then smiled and shrugged. With one quick jerk, she pulled the pony in- - just as the edge of the tunnel swept by, shrouding baggage car in near darkness save for an inadequate incandescent light in its center.
The pony took a step back, watching the tunnel pass- -and promptly fainted.
“Well,” said Sweetie Drops, kicking him in the side. “I hope you really do know. Because I really, really don’t feel like waiting for him to take a nap before I can start interrogating him.”
“His name’s Biff. He works for Dr. Caballeron.”
Rainbow Dash gasped. “I knew it!” she cried.
“Huh,” said Sweetie Drops, nodding. “Makes sense. For the most part.” She turned her blue eyes toward Daring Do. “But that doesn’t explain why they would be after Rainbow Dash and not you, Daring Do.”
Rainbow Dash gasped, but Daring Do just sighed. She removed her disguise. “Does everypony know my secrete identity now? How many ponies did Twilight tell?”
“Only Starlight,” noted Sweetie Drops. “I have different sources. I know exactly who you are. Daring Do, firstborn and only daughter of Well-To Do, who was himself the firstborn son of one Morning Dew, lover and assistant of the adventurer Daring Feats III. Both of whom, if I’m not mistaken, are the source of the inheritance that you use to fund your…ahem…‘adventures’.”
“And just who are you?” growled Daring Do. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“Of course not. My name is Agent Sweetie Drops. I’m with- -”
“You’re with CRUT.”
Sweetie Drops wrinkled her nose. “I’ve always hated that acronym. ‘Committee for Research of Unusual Threats’. Ugh. Having a name completely ruins the mystique. But hey, they didn’t exactly ask my opinion, did they? Who cares what the grunts think.”
“You’re hardly a grunt if you can fight like that.”
“That’s a thought that’ll get you a beating one day. And at this rate? Sooner or later.” Sweetie Drops turned her head toward Rainbow Dash. “You okay, Rainbow?”
“Does…does Lyra know about this?”
Sweetie Drops sighed. “Yeah. She knows. Here.” She picked up a rope- -the very rope that had been meant to hogtie Rainbow Dash just moments before- -and threw it to the Pegasus. “Tie them. Tight. When your done and they wake up, I’m going to chuck them off the train.”
“There will be no chucking!” snapped Daring Do. “These guys aren’t who you’re after anyway! They’re just paid muscle. And not even well paid. I should know. I’ve dealt with them before.”
“A whole lot of times before,” noted Rainbow Dash.
“Less talking, more tying!” Sweetie Drops turned her head back to Daring Do. “So you have. Caballeron, was it?”
“Yes.”
“That confirms at least some of my suspicions.” Sweetie Drops leaned against some fallen luggage and kicked a bowling ball out of her way as she popped another candy into her mouth.
“What suspicions, if I may ask?”
“You have no right to. But what do I care? I’m not having a good day. I had to get called out of retirement for this bunk. You know I’m going to miss Lyra’s birthday? It’s going to break her little unicorn heart.”
“If you’re willing to talk, why are you deflecting?”
“I don’t know. Because it’s my job? Because maybe you’ll give up and walk away and let me clean up this mess before anyone notices?” She sighed. “You know, this was supposed to be an easy job. They pointed me to these shmucks, and I was going to get the information out of them. Easy in, easy out. No mess. But then you had to show up and mess it all up.”
“You have the information, don’t you?”
“And three witnesses…plus another two. But hey. Maybe you can help. You’ve had dealings with Caballeron?”
“You could say that.”
“They’re sworn enemies!” piped Rainbow Dash. Both Sweetie Drops and Daring Do ignored her.
“Well, the Agency- -I’m not calling it CRUT- -has had its eye on him for a while.”
Daring Do raised an eyebrow. “Since when does CRUT care about artifact smuggling?”
“Since always. Especially when some of those artifacts are ‘curios’ taken from dangerous monsters. Did you know a year ago he sold some moron a snorkack horn? The darn thing took out half a port in Locke Fet. Nopony was hurt…but half the things he’s smuggling could do A LOT worse.”
“I know that. Which is why I make an effort to stop him.”
“Yeah. By getting those artifacts for yourself.”
“And putting them in museums, where they belong.”
“What you do with them is not my problem. Neither are you. The Agency doesn’t mind you. It does mind Caballeron. And right now, he’s up to something big.”
“What kind of big?”
Sweetie Drops sighed, and took out another sweet. She popped it into her mouth.
“You know, those things are going to give you diabetes.”
“You can go buck an apple tree, Do. If you had to see what I saw, you’d be popping them twice as fast.”
“What happened?” asked Rainbow Dash. She had finished tying up her captives, several of whom were starting to wake- -and one of whom was crying softly. Once again, Rainbow Dash seemed oddly perceptive; her face was lined with worry.
“We put a mole in his organization. It wasn’t easy. Agent Sugarloaf. A nice girl. I trained her in the academy. And then, suddenly, last week, she didn’t make a scheduled dead-drop.”
Daring Do winced. “They found her.”
“Yeah. And so did we. With her head covered in maple syrup and shoved into a flash-bee hive.”
Rainbow Dash gasped, and became pale if not outright greenish. “Is- -is she- -”
“We have good doctors. Unicorn ones. They’re pretty sure they can get her sight back. And they think she might even be able to talk again someday. But her career is over. They knew that when they put her in there.”
“Didn’t…didn’t they try to do that to you once?” asked Rainbow Dash, turning to Daring Do. “But you whistled the exact wing frequency of a queen bee and- -”
“Road apples,” swore Sweetie Drops. “That would never work.”
“But it did- -”
“Rainbow, quiet.” It had, of course, happened, but Daring Do saw no need to push that fact, especially considering another girl- -one who had formerly had such a promising if dangerous future as a spy- -had not been so lucky. “Yeah. Caballeron does that. He hates disloyalty.”
“Obviously. But…”
“But what?”
“But we found a note. Sugarloaf had swallowed it. It’s part of our training. We recovered it. She wasn’t found out. Somepony fingered her.”
“What the heck is a finger?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“It doesn’t matter. The note wasn’t very big. She didn’t have a lot of time to write it.”
“What did it say?”
“White ponies. Pegasi with red eyes. They showed up and gave Caballeron a document. A rubbing. One that looked curiously similar to a critical classified document that went missing in transit four months ago.”
“Didn’t you hear? Twilight’s changing the archives. Nothing’s classified anymore.”
“Twilight has no idea what she’s doing. And doesn’t have any real authority. Only Celestia’s word is true divine law.”
“You take that back!” cried Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow, hush.” Daring Do sighed. Of course it was still classified. These things were never easy.
“That particular text was sealed by Celestia’s direct order, too,” said Sweetie Drops, slowly. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this particular document, would you?”
Daring Do made not change to her expression. “And why should I tell you?”
Sweetie Drops stepped forward, crunching through her candy. “Because if my math’s right, there’s another tunnel coming up in less than three minutes…”
“You think you can take us both on?” asked Rainbow Dash, fluffing her wings angrily. Daring Do winced; it did not look nearly as threatening as Rainbow Dash seemed to think it did.
“I know I can. Because I actually have the proper training to be doing this. I’m a professional. You’re not. Whatever Caballeron’s looking for? I don’t really care. But he’s going down. And if you get in my way on some half-butted quest for the Dongle of Power or Butterchurner of Victory of whatever the heck that idiotic untranslatable rubbing tells you, so are you.”
Daring Do’s eyes narrowed. “You knew I was on this train.”
“And I knew that they were looking for Rainbow Dash. Because they’re trying to get to you through her. Caballeron’s making a preemptive strike. I just helped them along…and got what I needed in the process.”
Sweetie Drops turned away curtly and opened the door to the baggage car. Before leaving, she looked over her shoulder at Rainbow Dash. “And if you tell Lyra about any of this, I’ll shave you in your sleep and paint you green. And Fluttershy too.”
And, with that, she left, leaving Daring Do and Rainbow Dash standing alone in the baggage car- -alone, save for three of Caballeron’s henchmen, all of whom were now watching the proceedings intently.
“Well, buck,” said Rainbow Dash. “That was unsatisfying.”