Secret Agent Dinky
Chapter 5
by Rixizu
I don’t believe this. Dinky fumed.
Of all the ponies to get foalnapped why her? She wasn’t even standing by herself when it happened either. Sweetie Belle and Rumble were right next to her and there was no good reason why she of all ponies got singled out. Okay sure, she was glad nopony else got kidnapped, but still, it wasn't fair. Was there a sign on her back that says, "Foalnap Me, Easy Target.”?! So much for swearing never to get captured again. It surprised her how much the situation didn’t terrify her. Sure, she was scared, but her anger at the unfairness of it all overrode everything else. That couldn’t be normal. She hoped she wasn’t getting used to this.
“Stand down.” Kragolark pointed her bone sword so close it scratched Dinky’s fur. “Drop your morpher.”
“Dinky!” The class cried out and back away in alarm unsure what to do.
“If I put my morpher down, will you let her go?” Cheerilee asked, her voice firm. “I have your word that you will do with me as you wish, but leave my class alone?”
“Don’t do it Miss Cheerilee! You can’t trust her!” cried Dinky. Kragolark twisted her neck painfully causing her to gasp.
“Dinky!” Apple Bloom’s eyes widened in horror.
“Quiet you.” Kragolark tightened her grip on Dinky’s neck. “Adults are talking.”
"You hurt her one more time and you will regret it," Cheerilee growled and pawed at the ground.
"Enough," Kragolark said, "end this and drop your morpher. You have no choice in the matter.”
Cheerilee’s face twisted in indecision, and she slowly lowered her morpher to the ground watching Kragolark’s every movement like a hawk. Their teacher placed it on the ground and kicked it away.
“No miss Cheerilee please don’t!” Dinky couldn’t allow this. She was a secret agent and refused to stand by and let this monster get her way. She bit into Kragolark’s arm and the mare cried out in pain. In response, the monster mare threw Dinky to the ground and her back screamed in pain from the impact.
“Little wretch!” screamed Kragolark as she thrust her sword towards Dinky's heart.
“Dinky! Look out!” Apple Bloom threw herself on Kragolark’s arm diverting the attack just enough so that it dug into the floor next to Dinky.
“Get off!” Kragolark struggled with Apple Bloom as she held on for dear life.
“Apple Bloom!” Dinky watched helpless as Kragolark tried to batter her friend to the floor, but the little filly refused to let go and held on for dear life.
“Go please!” Apple Bloom pleaded and Dinky scrambled away, tears in her eyes. Apple Bloom screamed in pain as Kragolark threw her off her leg and into a window.
“No!” Dinky ran to her friend’s side. The little filly was still breathing, thank Luna, though it looked painful.
“Finally.” Kragolark twirled her blade. "No matter. Not like I would let you live anyway. Can't have any witnesses." In a blur, she dove right towards them with her sword.
“It’s morphing time, Libra!” Miss Cheerilee was in front of her students with astonishing speed and grabbed the blade point first with a hoof stopping it in its track. “Get away from my students.” In a single motion, Cheerilee threw the blade aside and punched Kragolark square in the face.
Much to Dinky’s horror, the hit didn’t have much effect. Kragolark seemed more amused than hurt. “If I knew you were this weak, I wouldn’t have bothered taking hostages.”
“Run, I’ll handle this.” Miss Cheerilee motioned with her head to a nearby corridor and Dinky threw Apple Bloom over her back and ran to safety with the rest of her classmates. Thankfully, Kragolark didn’t intervene.
Kragolark pointed her sword at Miss Cheerilee and fireballs flew from its tip. They roared right at her with frightening speed and it was all the Libra Ranger could do to not get hit by them. Miss Cheerilee summoned her whip, and it used to destroy the next volley.
Miss Cheerilee turned to the offensive, trying to hit Kragolark with her weapon. Despite her size, she proved to be too agile and weaved through the strikes with graceful ease. She counteracted with her sword and sparks flew as it connected with their teacher’s chest causing her to writhe on the ground in pain before struggling to her hooves. Miss Cheerilee tried to dodge the next swords strike, but Kragolark proved to be too fast for her.
“Shame.” Kragolark carved a deep gash into the metal floor with her sword. “I thought you would be more fun than this. The Masked Rider is at least able to get a few good hits in.”
“Miss Cheerilee!” Dinky screamed as their teacher unmorphed after Kragolark blew a fireball into her face.
“Not bad.” Cheerilee struggled to her hooves grabbing at her left leg. “I don’t know who you are, but leave my students out of this.”
“Can’t sorry.” Kragolark showed teeth. “It would be inconvenient if Masked Rider Baldr or Princess Luna learned about our King’s return.”
Masked Rider Baldr? What the hey does that mean? Dinky wondered if this meant there were other superheroes out there in the world.
“I see.” Miss Cheerilee took up a fighting stance despite being barely able to stand up on her hooves.
Kragolark watched the teacher with amusement dragging her sword across the ground for a moment causing a painful screech of metal before she moved in for the kill like a cat playing with a helpless mouse. Cheerilee’s students watched in helpless fear unable to help their teacher. Dinky closed her eyes and prayed from somepony, anypony to save them. Kragolark blurred and swung at Miss Cheerilee’s head and gasped in surprise as their teacher ducked under it.
“It’s morphing time, Libra!” Miss Cheerilee’s armor returned, and she summoned her whip. She pressed a button on her morpher and her whip glowed with a powerful light that stung Krogolark’s eyes.
“Solar Sting!” Krogolark screamed in pain as the attack hit her dead on the solar plexus. She retreated against the outer window.
“I should have known you wouldn’t be beaten so easily.” Krogolark let out a pained laugh.
“Rangers never give up.” Miss Cheerilee replied and readied her whip. “Especially when we have something we want to protect.”
“Noted,” replied the monster.
Dinky cried out in surprise as Krogolark stabbed her sword into the window behind her creating a huge crack. She spun around and threw her sword into another window creating an even bigger crack. “I would love to play more, but I can’t risk losing my treasure that I went to so much effort to obtain. I would love to play again if you survive this.” She dived for the skull on the floor and turned around in a circle, her entire body disappeared in smoke.
“Ponyfea… darn it to heck!” Cheerilee said correcting herself mid-sentence. “We need to get to the cockpit, now. We need to get out of here before that window breaks. I’m flying us out of here. I hope the internal doors will hold the water until we get to safety.”
She didn’t have to speak twice as the crack in both windows grew at an alarming rate and the foals scrambled to get to one of the staircases. The entire class screamed as water shot from the cracks. Cheerilee pushed her class forward as ice cold water filled the floor and refused to leave until the entire class as safe. When everypony was safely running up the stair, she closed the door behind her and locked it. It seemed to hold for the moment, but it creaked from the force of the water.
“Are you okay?” Dinky asked Apple Bloom who walked up the almost endless stairs behind her. She appeared okay if a bit bruised.
“Fine.” Apple Bloom replied. “It will take more than that to keep me down.”
“Thank you.” Dinky gave Apple Bloom a hug which surprised the other filly. “I might have been a goner if it wasn’t for you.”
“Yes, that was very brave of you Apple Bloom.” Miss Cheerilee said. “Please don’t do it again. I don’t want any of my students getting hurt on my account.”
“Your welcome.” Apple Bloom blushed as the entire class threw praises at her. Astonishingly, even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon joined in. Dinky never believed she would ever see the day that would happen.
“Ah just wanted to help a friend.” Apple Bloom said a little sheepish. “We are friends, right?”
"Of course!" Dinky gave the other filly another hug. “Why wouldn’t we be?” In Dinky’s mind they were friends for life. No, that silly. Friends for eternity! No even beyond that!
“No reason!” Apple Bloom said a little too quickly, and she looked away deep in thought. Something troubled her, but what Dinky couldn’t imagine.
"Um, Miss Cheerilee," Rumble said terror in his voice.
“Yes, Rumble?”
Rumble pointed down and everypony looked to discover water filling stairway. Somehow the door to the stairway had failed. Worse, it was coming up very fast.
“Run!” Miss Cheerilee didn’t have to speak twice and the entire class booked it up the stairs.
Dinky’s legs burned from the effort. Since she was the shortest in the class, she had the most difficulty going up them. Why did she have to be so short? She envied her classmates with wings. The stairs just kept going on and on and she wasn’t sure she could go on for much longer. The water was gaining on them at a terrible pace.
“Through here!” Miss Cheerilee slammed on a door control and it opened with a whoosh and the whole class dived in. “I’m afraid we aren’t anywhere near the cockpit yet, but it’s a start.”
Dinky looked around to find that they were in a storeroom and there were boxes tied to the floor in large piles.
“So, how back to the cockpit?” Diamond Tiara asked.
Miss Cheerilee rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, I’m not sure. I’ve never been here before. I haven’t explored the entire insides of my Zord yet. But, no worries! I’m sure a lift can’t be too far from here! Come on, class! Let's go and find that lift!” At least she hadn’t suggested they find another staircase.
“Yes, let’s go.” Diamond Tiara said. “I’ll feel safer once we get at least five more doors between us and the water.” The entire class agreed with her for once.
This proved to be more difficult than expected. The storeroom seemed like an endless maze of boxes and Miss Cheerilee got them lost repeatedly. Everything around them looked the same. Worse a layer of water was building up under them. It hit Dinky that the Zord wasn't all that waterproof which was strange. Wasn’t it build for space? The water was freezing too, and it seemed to sap their strength. They climbed on top the crates to stay out of the water and they had to jump from crate to crate to get anywhere slowing them down even further. Real panic hit Dinky when the water got up to the top of the crates and the lift or even a staircase their teacher promised them was nowhere in sight. The class yelled at Miss Cheerilee to do something and she could only respond with empty hopeful words.
“Don’t worry class!” Miss Cheerilee said with a forced smile. “I’m sure we’ll find something soon!”
“Hey, I found something!” Rumble yelled, and they looked up to see him crawling into what appeared to be an air duct or a service tunnel in the wall. He poked his head out and gave them a wave.
“Good thinking Rumble!” Miss Cheerilee said. “It seems big enough to fit an adult pony. Alright, class, we might have to go a little climbing through some air ducts, but this looked like the best way for us to get out of here. Gather around. I’ll help you in one at a time.”
It took several minutes, but with a little help with Rumble and the other pegasi in the class, they were all climbing through the tunnel. It was a service tunnel of some kind, large enough for an adult pony to crawl through it with little difficulty. They also seemed to go on forever, but at least in the distance, she saw a ladder they could use to go up. Despair hit Dinky when she realized just how long it went up and she had to squint to see the top.
“Good news class.” Miss Cheerilee said. “The top of this tunnel should get me to or at least close to the cockpit! Then we will be out of here in no time!”
“How the hay are we supposed to climb all of that?” Diamond Tiara demanded.
“Well, let me think.” Miss Cheerilee replied hesitantly. “How about we go up to the next floor first and see what we find? Who knows, it might have a lift we can use! We can at least find a safe place to store all of you, then I can just morph and use my powers to climb up no problem.”
Rumble and the other pegasi in the class flew up ahead and found another deck 30 hooves up and it led to the living quarters! It was a ridiculous height to climb, but if it meant safety Dinky would take it! The pegasi helped fly some other foals up, but it took two of them to lift one foal at a time and it was slow going. The rest of the class climbed while the pegasi worked. Miss Cheerilee stayed at the bottom to make sure nopony stayed behind.
“Uh, is it just me, or is the water climbing even faster?” Apple Bloom asked. The water climbed with them at a terrifying speed and was almost at their hooves.
“Hurry class, we haven’t much time.” Miss Cheerilee took Sweetie Belle who was strangling on her shoulder and the entire class put everything they had into climbing.
The entire class sighed in relief when they exited the service shaft and were in some place they recognized. Cheerilee shut the shaft’s door and locked it. Everypony panted in exhaustion.
“Quite the adventure, right?” Miss Cheerilee said forcing cheer nopony else felt. “Just a little further. There’s a lift only a few hooves away from here.” It turned out Miss Cheerilee changed her mind staying with her students after all.
Good. I don’t think I can walk much further. Seriously, this was worse than one of Bon-Bon’s training sessions.
They waited for the lift to arrive on this floor and Dinky had a distinct feeling that it wasn't over. They weren't safe just yet. Dinky turned around to look back at the service shaft's entrance to make sure it wasn’t leaking water as well and shrieked as a sword came flying at them. They jumped out of the way and in time and stared in shock as it stabbed into the lift’s controls destroying it and sparks flew in random directions.
“You?!” Miss Cheerilee pointed a hoof at the culprit and everypony stared in shock at Kragolark in utter disbelief. The mare was dripping wet and water could be seen filling the service shaft behind her.
“Yep! Miss me?” Kragolark gave them a toothy grin. "I thought I'd pop back after saving the King's skull. Why risk letting you escape? I don’t like letting go of my prey.”
Miss Cheerilee bared teeth herself. “So you’re the reason none of the safety doors have worked.”
“Made things fun, right? I never thought you'd get this far."
“It’s morphing time! Libra!” Miss Cheerilee summoned her whip and Kragolark scrambled to get out of its path in time. "Nopony harms my students! You will regret coming back here!” Water filled the floor as the two exchanged blows.
“Come then.” Kragolark thrust her sword into Miss Cheerilee’s chest and their teacher flew into a wall leaving a huge dent in the metal wall. “Let’s see if you can beat me in time before your students drown.”