As Flock had suggested, the journey took many miles. They passed quickly, though; the city underground was vast, and its ancient and long-departed builders had understood that its inhabitants would need to move rapidly through it from time to time. It possessed long, straight corridors that seemed to at one time house enormous trains, as well as tunnels intersecting and linking with many individual portions of the complex. Flock led the way, seeming to have an instinctual understanding of the system despite having never been there. Under his guidance, they eventually reached a way to the surface: a tall, wide chimney that led straight up for many meters.
Ascent was easy. Flock reverted to the form of a murder of crows, while Rainbow Dash and White helped to lift Sweetie Drops. Daring Do ascended alone, just behind the last of the crows. The whole while, she prepared herself. Dim, gray light was overhead, and she knew that when they reached the top, time would be limited. Machines still hummed distantly in the ancient city, providing it with warmth, but Hyperborea was cold beyond comprehension and had been since prehistory. They had to hurry, or they would freeze before they could ever reach the Exmoori facility.
Except that the temperature never dropped. It stayed the same as they ascended, although the air became fresher and less stagnant. There was still a slight chill- -it was by no means warm- -but there was no chance that the temperature above was any higher than freezing.
Then, when they finally reached the top of the well-like structure, Daring Do stared outward in disbelief. She had anticipated rocky, sterile crags blown with snow and covered in deadly glaciers. Instead, she found herself in a jungle.
“Oh WOW!” cried Rainbow Dash, her eyes goggling as she poked her head out. “This is a jungle! A REAL jungle! Just like in at least seventy percent of the books!” She squealed softly. “Oh man! Look, a tree fern! This is just like in Quibble’s fanfiction! It was so cool! It had cannibal zebras, but all they said was ‘ooga-booga’!”
“Not okay,” said Sweetie Drops, who was struggling to claw her way out of the whole with White’s help. In her excitement, Rainbow Dash had let go. “Even the crow wizard isn’t THAT racist.”
“Nor do I see why cannibalism would be an uncivilized activity,” sighed Flock as her materialized his body. “In fact zebra is usually quite excellent in quality.”
Daring Do shivered and did her best to ignore them. Instead she focused on the jungle. It disturbed her deeply. The air was barely above freezing, and the sky was dark to the point of almost being black. Lightning illuminated the black clouds and thunder cracked distantly. Yet plants grew here. Tall, lush things with leaves in shades of pale violet and blue, or even opalescent green. Daring Do had ventured into a great many jungles on several continents, and a lifetime of having to decide which plants where good for eating and which were deadly poison had taught her a small modicum of botany- -but none of these plants were species even close to what she recognized.
“Why is this here?” she asked, suddenly. Her tone caused the others to hush. They suddenly understood that she was concerned, although apart from Sweetie Drops and perhaps Flock none of them likely knew why. “This jungle. This shouldn’t be here.”
“The system underground is venting an immense amount of heat,” replied Flock. “This is the ‘sink’. As for the plants…” He reached out and grasped a dull but enormous feathered leaf. It curled and retracted from his touch, and then died. “I don’t know what these are. Perhaps something native to Hyperborea.”
“There can’t be things ‘native’ to Hyperborea,” grunted Sweetie Drops.
“The Exmoori were.”
“I don’t like this,” muttered Daring Do, scanning the thick growth. Most of it was strange trees that had grown immense over thousands of years, although the undergrowth was thick with vines and dull-gray, harsh looking plants. The soil was soft with sticky, sickly-smelling moss. “Every single time I get into a jungle, something goes really, really wrong.”
“Well, we don’t need to go through it,” suggested Rainbow Dash. “I mean, all but one of us have wings. We can totally fly it!”
She spread her wings and took off. Daring Do did not get a chance to stop her.
“WAIT!” she cried.
It was too late. In the trees, something suddenly moved. The underbrush parted as machines ground to life. Daring Do saw them twist, and saw the flash of light as they turned their sensors toward not only Rainbow Dash but the rest of them as well. She saw the barrels pointing at her, and then heard the high and familiar whistling of darts sailing through the air.
Sweetie Drops and White acted on instinct alone. White leapt forward, raising the armored parts of her hooves to cover Sweetie Drops. The darts struck the metal and fell away harmlessly. Simultaneously, Sweetie Drops’s sword flashed as she drew it and struck a dart out of the air just before it could reach White’s flank. She turned again, changing the angle, and in a wide arc struck three more before blocking another two with the flat of her blade.
Flock did not bother to dodge. The dial he wore on his chest clicked, and translucent yellow armor formed around his body. The darts vaporized on contact.
Rainbow Dash and Daring Do were not so lucky. Daring Do felt the prick of the needles as they penetrated her coat and skin. Rainbow Dash, likewise, was hit several times. It seemed to annoy her more than anything, and she landed gracefully- -only to stumble.
“Wh…what?” she said, her eyes growing bleary. She turned slowly toward Daring Do. She was shaking. “Daring…I don’t feel so…”
She collapsed to the ground.
“DASH!”
Daring Do rushed to her side, ignoring any more darts that were coming toward her. Rainbow Dash was lying on her side, several darts sticking up from her. Her breathing was already starting to slow.
“I can’t…I can’t move…”
“Hold on, Dash, hold on!” Daring Do tore out several of the needles. Rainbow Dash did not even wince, even though the arrows were viciously barbed- -and hollow. She had lost the ability to feel pain.
Daring Do quickly sniffed one of the darts, and her heart sunk.
“Iocane,” she whispered. She looked over her shoulder. “The darts are tipped with iocane powder!”
Sweetie Drops became pale, and her expression became stern. “Then it’s already too late. There’s no cure.” Sweetie Drops’s eyes narrowed on the numerous darts poking into Daring Do’s body. “But you’re hit too- -”
“It doesn’t matter! I’ve built up a resistance! But she hasn’t! Dash! DASH!”
Daring Do bent down, trying to hear for breathing. Rainbow Dash was still respiring, but the rate had slowed almost to a stop.
“Her pulse is fading,” said Flock. “I can hear it.”
Daring Do glared up at him. He seemed to be watching Rainbow Dash fading with clinical amusement. “Then DO SOMETHING!”
“What makes you think I know healing magic? I’m a mathematician. I study architecture, dimensional algorithms, quantify the soul- -but I do not know any spell to treat illness.” He paused. “Even if I knew it, I could not complete it. Even the most powerful mages cannot cure iocane poisoning. There has been some research, yes, but it would take incredibly powerful magic.”
“Then…” Daring Do chocked slightly. “Then there’s nothing I can do.”
White appeared by her side and hugged, her, and Daring Do lifted Rainbow Dash’s hoof. It was already cold. The pulse had stopped. “And it’s…it’s my fault…oh Celestia, I did this…”
“Don’t blame yourself,” said Sweetie Drops.
“THEN WHO ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO BLAME?!”
Sweetie Drops was silent, and Daring Do felt herself staring to cry. Flock stared at her, and something shifted in his eyes. He sighed. “Is this pony a mission-critical resource?”
“Wh- -what? What is that supposed to mean?”
“Do you need her to complete the mission? Is she important?”
“Of course she’s important!” cried Daring Do.
Flock rolled his eyes. “Then take off her coat.”
“What- -”
“As a Pegasus, her brain is somewhat resistant to anoxia. But if you delay…well, I’d say ten seconds. Maximum.”
“Just do it,” said Sweetie Drops.
Daring Do did not understand why, but she started to tug at Rainbow Dash’s jacket. Her hooves were shaking and numb, and she felt sick at the limpness of Rainbow Dash’s body. She could not managed to get it off.
“MOVE,” ordered Sweetie Drops. She shoved Daring Do out of the way and slid her silver sword down Rainbow Dash’s neckline. With a flick of the blade, she cut the clothing free.
“Excellent,” said Flock. He reached to his chest and removed the dial from it. It came away with a sickening sound, and Daring Do was horrified to realize that despite being flat on its own, when it was connected it actually went quite deep.
“This is not out of altruism,” he said, turning the gears and aligning the dial’s systems. “It is purely out of curiosity. Also, because I can guarantee that it will be painful. EXCEEDINGLY painful.”
Before Daring Do could ask what he meant, Flock lowered the dial to Rainbow Dash’s chest. It began to whir and spin, the gears selecting new settings as mechanical systems engaged. A set of legs extended, and Daring Do watched as they attached to Rainbow Dash’s skin- -and burrowed beneath it. The dial, now like some sort of hideous living thing, pulled itself tightly. Daring Do saw the tendrils moving beneath Rainbow Dash’s skin.
Then it stopped clicking. The silence lasted only for a moment. Then it was rent by a scream.
Rainbow Dash shot up, immediately writhing. The force was so great that when White and Daring Do tried to hold her, White was thrown back into a small shrub.
“CAPTAIN SPITFIRE!” cried Rainbow Dash, saluting shakily. “Rainbow Dash reporting for duty! I’m ready coach! GET ME THE WHEEL- -wheel…” she blinked and looked around. She was breathing hard, her body instinctlvly attempting to reverse the lack of oxygen in her brain. Every breath she took made one of the gears in the dial ratchet forward. Another small set turned at the exact rate that an excited Pegsus’s heart would beat.
“D..Dash?”
Rainbow Dash turned to Daring Do, and her eyes widened. “OH M C! D- -Daring Do!” She stood up sharply. “Omigosh omigosh omigosh, is it my birthday? Did Pinkie get you to come? Oh mane I didn’t think she could beat out the party last year, but…but…” she winced and looked around. “Wait. Wait a minute.” She paused, putting her hoof to her head and flexing her wings instinctively. “No. No, I was in the jungle. And I got hit with darts…”
“Poison darts,” noted Sweetie Drops.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. “Poison? POISON?! SWEET TWILIGHT’S TICKLISH WINGS!”
“Dash- -Dash!”
“Am I- -am I going to- -” She gasped, and tears ran down her eyes. She immediately wrapped herself around Daring Do’s legs. “I- -I never kissed a stallion! Or a MARE! Except Fluttershy but that was ONE TIME! And Gilda but she’s a griffon and doesn’t even have lips! I- -I can’t go! I’m too young and athletic! Who’s going to take care of TANK?!”
“Rainbow,” said Daring Do, lifting up Rainbow Dash’s face in a way that pinched her cheeks into silence. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re not poisoned.”
“Actually, she is,” said Flock. “Her organs are still shut down, and the effect is spreading. Slowed, but still moving.”
“Then how is she still walking? And breathing- -”
“The technetium dial has assumed most of her vital functions.”
“Technetium?” said Rainbow Dash. “What the heck is- -” She looked downward and her eyes widened when she saw the clock-like mechanism imbedded in her chest. “WAIT! I didn’t agree to this! Get it off! GET IT OFF! It feels reeeeallly weird!”
“I can remove it,” said Flock. “But then you would lose circulatory integrity. And expire. Then I would eat you, most likely.” He pointed at the machine. “That dial is the only thing keeping you alive right now.”
“But- -”
“No buts,” snapped Daring Do. “Dash, you have no idea how close you just came to- -to- -”
“And she still is close to it,” said Flock. “If there is a healer in the world that can repair her, she needs to get there. Now.”
“Her friend is Twilight Sparkle.”
Flock raised a nonexistent eyebrow. “The Least-Alicorn? From what I’ve heard she’s bookish and incompetent. And purple, which is a hideous color for a pony.”
“Trust me,” muttered Sweetie Drops. “It is.”
“Maybe,” said Daring Do, “but she’ll be able to find a healer. Dash- -”
“No,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Dash, you have to listen- -”
“NO.”
“But you- -”
Rainbow Dash looked at Flock. “How long do I have?”
“As long as the dial is attached to you, probably a week.”
“And is this going to take a week?”
“At the rate you’re going? No. It will take much, much shorter.”
Rainbow Dash turned to Daring Do. “Then I still have time.”
“But you’re poisoned, I have to get you to a doctor- -”
“But so are you!”
“Like I said before- -”
“Before? Wait, how long was I out?”
“You were clinically dead for about eight seconds,” said Flock nonchalantly.
“What? Wait, does this technote thing make me a zombie?” She gasped. “Am I a zombie?”
“No.”
“Dash, you’re not listening- -”
“No, because I’m thinking! If we turn back, Caballeron gets the lead!”
“We don’t even know if Caballeron’s figured out the map yet!”
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Come on, Daring Do! I’ve read EVERY one of your books, and my weight- -and Twilight’s weight- -in fanfiction! Caballeron ALWAYS gets there at the same time as you! Or first! For all we know, he’s already scratching his rump on the Hand of Doom while we’re wasting time here!”
Daring Do frowned, not wanting to admit that Rainbow Dash was right. She had a gut feeling that somehow, Caballeron was already on his way- -and that this mission would already be close. “Your safety is more important- -”
“Than the fate of Equestria? Of the entire UNIVERSE? No. It’s NOT.” She started walking into the thick underbrush, helping untangle White as she passed. “Besides. You can’t stop me. I’m faster than you all. And I’m pretty sure this tip’ncanoe gives me superpowers.”
“That’s not how it works,” snapped Flock. “And don’t touch it, you’ll probably explode!”
“Good to know!” said Rainbow Dash, waving as she disappeared into the brush.
Daring Do sighed and turned to the others.
“We’re not going to change her mind,” said Sweetie Drops. “Believe me. I once saw her nap in the middle of the road for three days straight because she refused to move. That one apple-granny ran a cart over her and she didn’t even budge. She’s stubborn as a mule.”
“I’ve known a LOT of mules. Not one of them seems to compare to her,” muttered Daring Do. “I mean, she doesn’t even have a working heart and she’s still getting ahead of us…”
“So, what, then?” asked Sweetie Drops.
Daring Do sighed and looked up at the sky. “We can’t fly. Those things are turrets. They’re designed to shoot things down but for some reason they don’t seem to mind if we’re just walking.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“I don’t know,” said Daring Do, although she did not like it. “But probably because this path was meant for Exmoori. And I don’t think they had wings.”
“They didn’t,” said Flock.
“So we go on hoof,” said Sweetie Drops, sheathing her sword. “White. On me. Help me go find Pretty-Dash.”
“STOP CALLING ME THAT!” yelled a voice from not too far ahead.
“…and there she is,” said Sweetie Drops, taking White with her. White stopped to stare back at Daring Do, and then give a bow. Daring Do did not know why White did that, but it seemed to convey respect, and a different emotion that could not be placed.
Daring Do eventually followed them, walking alongside Flock. When the others were ahead enough, she turned to the wizard.
“You can’t use magic without that dial, can you?”
“It’s not magic,” he said. “You wouldn’t understand. But in essence, no. Simple magical parlor tricks. Moving my birds, making light…things a feeble earth-pony magician can figure out given time and enough red elixir. But nothing substantial, no.”
“And you gave that up to save her life.”
“Not out of empathy,” protested Flock. “I do not have the capacity for it. It was because you asked me. I cannot lose a mission-critical resource, even if she’s just meant to be dart-fodder.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” he said. He pushed away a nearby stalk of something that looked like a thorny cabbage. Below it, Daring Do spied a warped hoof-print. One that did not belong to any of them. “I may still get to taste her wings yet.”