//------------------------------//
// Chapter 39: The Knight of the Bell 
// Story: Daring Do and the Hand of Doom 
// by Unwhole Hole 
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Caballeron was shoved into a chair. He resisted somewhat, although not enough to actually escape; it was more of a formality to demonstrate the fact that he deserved to be handled with much greater care, especially by the likes of a nameless albino. 
There were more than one albino, though. They had regrouped, and none of them looked happy. Two of them were wearing badly damaged armor. One of those two had a wing that hung uselessly at his side. A gelding and a mare, likewise, had been forced to vacate their armor and instead wore the thick internal interface clothing that was meant to be worn beneath it. Neither of them appeared happy, but their displeasure was not as great as that of the one who led them, the only one to make it out of the botched case fully unscathed. 
Caballeron’s own group was not doing much better. Argiopé had expended all of her energy fighting Daring Do, and lay curled up on the floor. The best she seemed able to do was to restore a slight mottling remnant of her weaver-stripes, although for the most part she looked like an ordinary black changeling. Rogue sat beside her, occasionally speaking with her when she needed comforting. He, though clearly angry, had escaped without a beating- -something he very seldom managed to do when Daring Do was involved. 
Zel had also been recovered, and spent much of the time sulking and pacing in the rear of the large stone room. He had quite obviously lost again, and Caballeron wondered why he had bothered paying for the “best” mercenaries in Singapone in the first place. The only remaining member of Zel’s band was the minotaur, who was sitting in a pile of baby goats and holding ice to her head. 
Withers had also gotten out of the fight unscathed, except for the loss of his glasses. His friend, though, had not. The fur near her face had been bleached and etched away, and she wore a bandage over her eyes.
“Are you doing okay?” asked Withers.
“What does it look like?” snapped the mare, wincing at the pain. “Oww…”
Withers shifted. “Sorry this happened.”
The mare punched him in the foreleg, or at least tried to. Being unable to see, she missed. “Stop apologizing, steed. You didn’t have anything to do with it.” She raised her voice. “But I better have medical coverage for fixing my eyes!”
Zel was about to scream at her when the leader of the Pegasi interrupted. 
“Doctor Caballeron,” she said. “Do you have any idea what you have done?”
Caballeron frowned deeply. “Or do you mean what YOU have done? I’m an expert in capturing Daring Do, I could have helped- -”
“You sabotaged two of my brothers. An additional brother and sister if you count your changeling’s interference. You actively impeded me from acquiring my target.”
Caballeron stood up suddenly. “Acquiring? Interesting, interesting,” he said, barely hiding his fury. “Because Withers, you see, told me that ‘acquiring’ was never your goal. What did you say her mission was, Withers?”
Withers looked up at them. “Termination.” 
“Ah,” said Caballeron, laughing hollowly. “So I was right!” He suddenly glowered at the albino mare. “First you overstep your authority. THEN you lie to me. And then you try to insult me in front of my rival through an astounding lack of professionalism!” He was so enraged, he was spitting on the mare’s face. She did not react. “And you think you can justify this?”
“No,” she said. “I don’t think I have to. Because you miscalculated.”
“Really? How so?”
“Yes.” She leaned forward. “You have greatly overstated the amount of leverage you have, earth-pony.” 
As she spoke, the circular room was suddenly filled with a deafening roar. Caballeron covered his eyes against the force of the sound and the flash of light that accompanied it, but his eyes quickly adjusted as he saw a large orange portal had formed several meters from him.
“What is this?” he demanded.
“As I told you,” said the leader-mare as she approached the portal. “Actions have consequences.” 
A figure stepped through the portal. As it emerged and materialized, Caballeron saw that it was a pony, and one dressed in armor. The armor, though, was substantially different from the style that the Pegasi wore. While the Pegasi wore silver, this suit of armor was dull gold in color; likewise, the complexity of its design was substantially greater. Caballeron noted that the plates of armor were carved with runes and symbols that, by their shape and position, were meant for far more practical purposes than a decorative motif. The armor was far more advanced and, though more thin than what many of the Pegasi wore, gave the impression that its wearer was far more massive than he or she was. 
The armor contained an insignia on one shoulder: that of a red thistle on a white background, as well as a smaller coat of arms focusing around a bell.
The golden-armored pony was not alone. One of the Pegasi came through as well, dressed in heavy silver armor but helmless. His eyes were both red, but one of them was slightly different in color, betraying the fact that it was mechanical. Caballeron recognized him; he was the stallion that had come with the mare on the first night he had been introduced to their organization. 
After the ponies stepped out, they were followed by two gaunt shapes. Caballeron winced, recognizing them as well. They were active versions of the robot that he had sent to deal with Daring Do: thin, faceless mechanical things. 
The gold-armored pony stopped in front of Caballeron. Then the helmet of the armor began to unfold and retract, revealing the fact that the wearer was a mare- -and a unicorn. Her coat was a pale teal color, and her eyes were deep orange- -or at least the right one was. The left was milky and clouded and marred by a jagged scar that continued up her face. 
The mare shook out her mane, which nearly fell to the floor. It was white with a long, black shock running through it. 
“Mother,” said the lead Pegasus, sounding as surprised as her brothers and sisters appeared. She bowed deeply, as did the others, and then they lifted their heads and saluted. “I was not expecting you in person. Please, this matter is not so important that it requires you to take time from your busy- -”
The unicorn mare raised gold-clad hoof, instantly silencing the red-eyed mare. The Pegasus bowed again.
“The Grandmaster himself requested my presence on this mission,” she said, her expression not changing. “And you have no right to comment on how I use my time, daughter.”
“Of course, mother.”
“You may also be underestimating the importance of this mission. Just as I’m afraid I overestimated your capacity to accomplish it.” 
“We were sabotaged,” said the gelding across the room. “If we had- -”
The mare turned her one good eye toward him and he immediately stiffened, to the point where his wings shot out at attention. “Son, that sounded like an excuse to me.”
“No, mother, no! I was attempting an explanation.”	
“And did I ask for explanations? Rhetorical. No, I didn’t. Because I want RESULTS instead.” She took a silent step forward. Even though her armor was quite clearly loaded with exceedingly costly robotics, it made no sound. “I’ve already been briefed on the situation.” Her eye turned toward Caballeron. “And I know who you are.”
“Doctor Pontrancio Caballeron.” Caballeron bowed. “At  your service and pleased infinitely to make your acquaintance.”
“Really?” she replied. “Because I’m not. You reek of poor breeding, earth-horse.”	
Caballeron’s temper flared. “I will have you know that I am the most recent in a long line of nobility- -”
“And I don’t care. I’ve been informed that you’ve been actively undermining our operation.”		Caballeron sputtered. “Well, I would not use such a phrase- -”
“Are you aware that the offer to pay you was legitimate?’	
Caballeron blinked, not understanding. “As opposed to?”
“As opposed to the amount of money you will be receiving now. The Grandmaster insisted on honoring his pledge. He is far more…noble, I suppose, than I am. I, however, rescind the offer. Completely and totally, effective immediately.”
Caballeron turned several shades of red. “You- -you CAN’T! We had a contract!”
“Consider it broken. By your own hoof.”
“Well- -then- -I won’t work! Not for FREE!”
The mare leaned forward. Caballeron shuddered when he saw the empty hatred in her one eye, and knew that he was staring into the eye of a unicorn who was almost impossibly old. “You don’t understand your position,” she said, slowly. “Perhaps a demonstration. You, changeling.” She gestured at Argiopé with her horn. 
“Yes?” said Argiopé, weakly.  
“Am I correct that changelings can regenerate lost limbs?”
Argiopé seemed confused. “Well, yes. During molts, when it happens- -” Her eyes widened suddenly as she realized what the unicorn mare was implying. 
“Hold her.”
The two Pegasi in power armor closed in on her. Argiopé screamed and struggled, but they held her tight. She tried to shift her form to something more vicious, but she had used up all her energy fighting Daring Do. There was nothing she could do but writhe and squirm to no avail. 
“NO!” cried Caballeron. He leapt toward the pair, trying to push them away. They did not budge, and instead threw him back with robotically assisted force. “You can’t!” He pivoted toward the unicorn. “How dare you! You can’t!”
“Of course I can. I only need to decide on a number.”
“NO!” screamed Argiopé. “I’ll drain your fluids! I’ll drain you ALL!” 
“How pleasant,” said the unicorn in disgust. 
Caballeron took several angry steps toward her but then quickly regained as much of his composure as he could.
“My dear unicorn,” he said, now far more measured. “I really must wholeheartedly apologize for the escape of Daring Do, but I must request that you  not take it out on my employee. Although she is currently weakened by the fighting, her role in this mission is critical.”
The unicorn paused. “That may be true,” she said. “But as a knight, I cannot let your insult stand.” She lifted her head toward the Pegasus with the broken wing. “I suppose it would be appropriate to rely on Hammuriwoche’s code. A set of wings for a set of wings.”
The Pegaus nodded. His brother suddenly lifted Argiopé’s wings, and before she could even scream he had extended a blade from his power armor. There was a sudden motion, and a thin line of green-fluorescent fluid slashed across the ground. Then Argiopé really did scream in a tone so high and long that even Caballeron felt tears forming in the corners of his eyes. 
She was thrown to the ground. Her wings drifted after her, slowly descending. Shaking, she immediately tried to grab them, only to find them rapidly fading to dust. “My- -my wings!” she sobbed. “My beautiful wings! They- -they took my wings!” 
Caballeron closed his eyes and took a breath. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Actions have consequences. Consider it a warning. The next time you fail us, I will take something from you. And mind the fact that you have no wings, and that whatever you have does not grow back.” She nodded and the Pegasi retreated. The entire room was silent, save for Argiopé’s paniced sobbing. Everypony was staring in shock, save for those who knew the teal unicorn as their mother. They seemed to understand. Zel had drawn his spear and was twisting it slowly, muttering to himself. The unicorn seemed to notice but not to care.
“Now,” she said. “I will be assuming direct control of this operation. This mare,” she gestured toward the Pegasus commander, “is one of my most beloved. My best work. But she is still young. And this is too important to allow her to fail.”
“I am sorry to displease you, mother,” said the Pegasus. She was extremely sincere. 
“As you should be,” replied the unicorn. She returned her attention to Caballeron. “My name Carillon. Carillon Heartstrings, the last living member of the Heartstrings bloodline. I am Grand Seneschal of the Order of the Red Bloom. Does that name mean anything to you?”
“No,” said Caballeron, his eyes still on the floor. He could not look up for fear of seeing Argiopé’s eyes staring back at him, blaming him for what he had done to her. “But the insignia on your shoulder. You are one of the Questlords of Inverness.” 
“I am,” replied the knight. “One of precious few, rising in an unbroken line from the time of the rule of the Horn dynasty itself.”
“Your reckoning must be poor,” said Zel. “As it is well known that the Questlords are no more.”
“And yet I am here.” She lifted her head. “Zebra. You are a mercenary. As such, you are free to go.”
Zel paused for a moment, and then shook his head. “While it may be in poor taste to say/ I must ask about my pay.”
“It will be rendered,” said Carillon. “If you survive. You have my word.”
“If that is what you proclaim, then I will remain.”
“Excellent. Because if you had tried to leave I would have eliminated you on the spot. Very few have witnessed me and remained breathing. You, hopefully, will be able to count yourself among that number once we are through and have reached our goal.” She surveyed the rest of them, and then she turned to her eldest daughter. “Damage?”	
“One brother has a broken wing and internal bleeding. And our sister has severe corneal damage?”
“Why?”
The Pegasus with the Mohawk sat up straight and faced her mother. “Because I was wearing contact lenses during a hydraulic rupture event.”
“Really. Then you deserve to lose your eyes. They are red for a reason. Because I like them that color. Never wear them again.” She sighed softly. Then she shrugged. “Not that you will be able to.”
“I would also like to request medical attention for one non-brethren. An earth-pony with a broken nose.”
Carillon frowned, but then smiled softly. “Granted.”
“Thank you, mother.”
Without any additional warning she slugged Caballeron in the nose. She was far too fast for him to dodge, and although he had been punched many times before, a hoof driven by power-armor was not something he was accustomed to. He was immediately thrown back as he tumbled to the floor.
“W- -WHY?!” he screamed, holding his injured nose.
“For endangering my brothers. And for embarrassing me in front of my mother.”
Caballeron stood up, and as he did, Carillon began walking. “I will send for a medical squire, as well as a repair team for the armor. Until then, I need to assemble our information and try to regroup this mess of inferiors.”
“Mother,” said the lead Pegasus. “There is one other thing.” 
Carillon stopped walking and turned slowly. “Oh? And what would that be?”
The Pegasus who now thought of herself as Absence paused, not sure she wanted to say. But she could not help herself, if only out of concern. “During the battle, one of our sisters was observed. Fighting on the other side, for the dark wizard.” 
“Really.” Carillon thought for a moment. “Which one?”
“A scout unit. The one we sent in Singapone to detonate our target.”
“Yes,” said Carillon without hesitation. “I recall that one. I signed the requisition. And I understand the problem.”
“It confuses and concerns all of us, mother.”
“It should. She was not supposed to survive the blast.”
Absence’s eyes widened and she gasped in disbelief. “M- -mother?”
“The explosives were timed to eliminate her along with the target. To prevent her from being a witness, and because she was defective.”
“Defective?”
Carillon nodded. “Not every one of my children are successful. And not all are perfect.” She stroked her armored, rune-coated hoof across Absence’s chin. “Sometimes there are failures. And I put them to what uses I can. In her case, her maternal imprinting system was malformed. It seems that instead of imprinting on me as you all have, she imprinted on this Daring Do Pegasus instead.” 
“Is it possible to correct? To rescue her?”
Carillon shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Do not attempt to. That is an order. Deal with her as you would deal with any enemy.” She paused, seeing the pained expression on her daughter’s face. “Daughter. She is sick. Very much so. And there is only one way to treat her.”
Absence paused for a long time, and then nodded. “Yes, mother.”
“And try to retrieve her eyes if you can, they’re quite expensive.”
She walked past her daughter and gestured to Caballeron, who was still holding his nose. 
“Doctor,” she said, “Your insult to myself and the Order has been atoned for, and I now bear no anger toward you. I actually find you somewhat amusing. You may accompany me and explain your progress on the Exmoori translation.”
“Do I have a choice?” he muttered.
“No. Since the moment you agreed to my daughter’s offer, you have not. And you do not now. I do not allow for choice, it creates uncertainty. I was politely phrasing an order.” 
“Of course,” said Caballeron, swallowing his pride and bowing. He took his place beside her and slightly behind, walking in the rear with the enormous armored Pegasus stallion who seemed to be her aid- -or consort. 
He followed them as they led him out. He could not help but look down at Argiopé, still hugging the remnants of her wings and crying silently. Deep anger welled in him, and he watched as Argiopé’s coat began to restore itself. She looked up at him, and their eyes met. He could tell that she had forgiven him, although at the same time he knew that he could never forgive himself. The Questlords were arrogant, and they had made a mistake- -and made an enemy in the process.