Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes. Night had fallen hours ago without her notice. The soft snores of Twilight could be heard from the hallway. At some point she had fallen asleep standing up. Spike’s prediction came true and he had to drag her into bed, still snoring softly. Rainbow Dash had to help with that little chore, the purple dragon just wasn't quite big enough to lift Twilight on his own.
Spike yawned after the exertion, and settled into bed himself. Rainbow Dash was getting sleepy, but the book still called to her. She landed silently on the cloud still in the library with a lantern, fireflies dancing inside. She rolled into the cloud like a blanket and opened the book again.
=====*****=====
Ahuizotl was silently creeping through the main room of the cabin when he found his whistle sitting on a table. His feline friends were in cages along the wall but he freed them in short order. He snatched up his whistle and crept out of the side door careful to avoid being seen.
The camp was buzzing with activity as he shadowed the working ponies while they packed up their supplies into the hanger bay. The Sky Master hovered so low to the ground all you had to do was reach up and grab it. A metal ramp lead up to the hanger bay, it was the only way in or out for a creature without wings. Ahuizotl crouched in the shadow of an evergreen, the snow and cold seeping into his fur. The glow of the collapsing structure was behind him, the only source of warmth and he was leaving it behind. There was a tremendous crash as the structure finally gave way and fell in upon itself. The workers ignored the burning structure except to occasionally stop near it and warm themselves. And that’s the end of Daring Do. Ahuizotl was still not satisfied and growled quietly to himself. I am going to make Gold Bar pay and I am going to get my compass. And I was right, Daring Do was wrong, it’s the orange and red tiles.
He waited and waited growing impatient, shivering in the freezing cold. Finally the last group was onboard, and the airship lurched and threatened to take off. There was a call and they began to retract the ramp. With a whoop, a shout, and a whistle blast, Ahuizotl sprinted forward and jumped onto the ramp. He bound into the cargo bay followed by his trusty felines. The working ponies in the cargo bay all froze, their eyes shrinking to points, their legs quivering. “Now my little ponies, you are going to find out what happens when you cross me…”
=====*****=====
Daring Do looked around, fire was everywhere and smoke obscured everything. She coughed and remembered the cave she had escaped from earlier today. Or was it yesterday, or the day before? She glanced up and saw starlight filtering through the smoke. The collapsing beam had opened a way out for her, if only she were brave enough to take it. Flames licked the walls and ceiling, it was the only opening but going up was also the fastest way to get burned. Daring Do snatched her pith helmet from the hook just before the flames took it and set her eyes on her only escape. Here goes nothing!
She shot out of the roof, burning cinders clinging to her flank. Each cinder felt like the tooth of a wedingo, her lungs burned and her eyes watered. She coughed through the smoke and fell into the snow like a comet. The snow and fresh air helped her recover, but she started to shiver again before she could pull herself to her hooves.
She stood at the edge of the clearing, she looked around and saw the Sky Master hovering a short distance off the ground. I don’t remember the clearing being this big. She heard the crunch of a hoof fall in the snow. She darted around a massive tree stump and crouched low behind it. She saw more tree stumps around her and realized that clear cutting was an acceptable way for Gold Bar to set up camp. The burning wooden structure was the only semi-permanent quarters. Tents of various shapes and sizes were all over the place, but all were being rapidly packed up by a veritable army of worker ponies. They were taking everything onboard the Sky Master. There will be nothing left but a smoking ruin in this clearing in less than an hour, Daring Do thought to herself. And I better be onboard or else I’m going to freeze to death. She could already feel the numbness creeping up her hooves and down her ears.
A worker pony was nearby but he didn't seem to notice her, so focused on his work. He was packing a massive crate with supplies, tent canvas mostly. He moved with the lethargy common to workers with a big task. It made it easy for Daring Do to wait until his back was turned before she dove into the crate and sandwiched herself between a large canvas tent and a burlap sack. The worker grunted and tossed the last tent into the crate and popped the lid on. Daring Do could barely move, and didn't chance it anyway. She didn't want to give herself away.
Grumble
Her eyes went wide and she gulped. She looked down at her stomach.
Blurble
There was no denying it, she hadn't eaten in over a day, and her stomach started to say something about it. She could see through a knothole in the crate, the worker had his back turned. He was loading the next crate and at the moment was taking down another tent. She sifted about for anything to eat when she grimaced at the burlap sack. It reminded her of being captured. She opened it and almost squealed with delight finding it full of red apples. She munched as quietly as she could on one of them. It turned from a bright red apple into an apple core before the worker returned with the collapsed tent. By then her stomach ceased its complaints. She ate three more before the crate was lifted onto a large cart and pulled onto the Sky Master by a team of a dozen workers.
Daring Do smiled, this was going better than she could have hoped. She looked out through the knothole again and found she was back in the cargo bay. The situation couldn't have been more different, the ponies around her were not her friends this time. All she needed to do was wait for a day or so and sneak out in the night while no pony was looking. Then it was just a matter of getting through the ship to Gold Bar’s stateroom, stealing the box, and making her escape. Just as soon as-
YAHHHHHHH
Ahuizotl landed right in front of her along with his entourage. There was a moment of shock for every pony involved and then all of Tartarus broke loose. Ponies started shouting, scrambling every which way trying to get out of Ahuizotl’s way. Or perhaps it was the vicious predatory jungle cats that were with him that caused the panic. Daring Do could hear alarms being raised throughout the ship, blaring klaxons that warned of danger. Ahuizotl slowly walked forward, smiling the entire time at the waves of terror he invoked. The little white cat stopped in front of the crate and sniffed the air.
Gulp
Daring Do shrank back into the scratchy burlap sack, her back and mane itched but she dared not move or even breathe. The little white feline sniffed the air, slowly moving towards the crate, trying to catch a whiff of Daring Do. Just go away, please!
The last thing Daring Do wanted was to be caught stuffed into a box with Ahuizotl and his cats surrounding her. She was fairly certain he wouldn’t take any chances and just have her ripped to shreds. The box would become her coffin. Ahuizotl’s tail snatched the little cat by the scruff of its neck and Daring Do could see him petting the cat with a massive grin on his face. In less than a minute the cargo bay was clear of every living creature aside from Daring Do herself. Ahuizotl disappeared deeper into the bowels of the ship.
Whew
Daring Do let out a breath she had been holding in for that long minute, too scared to even breathe. Sweat beaded on her brow and now trickled down her face making cold rivulets in her fur. She was glad to be out of the cold, but now everything had become complicated. I have to get that box away from here. But how? Ahuizotl and Gold Bar are going to try and stop me. This is Gold Bar’s home turf. He has that hulking brute Hard Hoof, Lieutenant Compass Rose, not to mention the rest of the crew on his side. And…
Daring Do smiled, pushed the lid of the crate aside, and climbed out. Looks like it’s just me versus a horde of well-equipped ponies and their mad CEO. Plus a violent archaeologist with a number of dangerous animals under his command. Another day, another dungeon. Now where was it again? Oh yeah, forward!
=====*****=====
AHHHHH-
The cook screamed as the tiger barreled into him and came nose to nose. The striped face opened, hot breath washing over the greasy cook, bringing with it a wave of mind crushing terror. An acrid puddle of liquid formed underneath his hind hooves. Ahuizotl glanced at it for a moment before laughing before he brought the whistle to his lips again and blew a short tone. The tiger closed its maw, but still pinned the hapless cook to the ground. “Where is your master?”
The cook was shaking so much his vision blurred. The others in the galley had left him to die. This morning he woke up as he always did and cooked breakfast. He had a wife and a foal on the way back in Manehatten, he thought of them now. Gold Bar paid poorly but he took the job to support them. Everything was fine until the klaxons started to blare and he wondered what was wrong. Then the tiger appeared, and his day went from normal to deadly and surreal in one second flat. He opened his mouth and stammered an answer. The tiger just flicked its ears.
“Perdon? What did you say?” Ahuizotl’s grin grew wider as he leaned in closer still petting his white cat.
“T-T-The bridge is all the way f-f-forward at the front of the ship. G-G-Gold Bar is usually there. The p-p-parachutes and Gold Bar’s personal escape ship are in the cargo bay. P-P-Please don’t kill me.” Ahuizotl grinned showing a row of razor sharp teeth.
“Perhaps I will not have my tiger tear your face off.” He stroked the white cat again. “Tell me more about this escape ship…”
=====*****=====
Daring Do winced at every hoof fall she made. The metal of the ship made being stealthy difficult, but there were many sounds the ship itself made to mask her presence. She made her way down the passageway, the sounds of alarm echoing everywhere. Luckily for Daring Do, Ahuizotl was drawing massive amounts of attention to himself making the rest of the ship empty. Daring Do had already passed a number of air tight hatches that were closed from the other side. She was sure that frightened workers were barricading themselves inside, but the passageways themselves were still open.
She arrived at her destination, right back at the beginning actually. She stood in front of the door, a red cross on a white background was plastered on it. There was frantic movement inside, mare luck is smiling on me today Daring thought. Daring Do swiftly pushed the door open and entered the ship’s medical facility.
Nurse Snow Heart was stuffing medical supplies into a large black bag doctor’s bag. The floor was a mess of medical supplies. Tape, bandages, and various bottles were scattered across the floor, torn out of their cabinets which were now mostly bare. A box of small yellow darts had spilled off the counter into the corner of the room, they rolled around as the ship gently rocked side to side. A familiar set of firearms sat in a small crate sat on the counter, but nurse Snow Heart didn't seem to be interested in them at the moment. Her normally crisp uniform was creased in the wrong places and sweat stains were beginning to appear around the collar. She froze when Daring Do entered, her eyes going wide at the sight of Daring Do alive and standing there as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Her wide eyes followed Daring Do, her mouth hanging open and her body frozen in place. Daring Do calmly trotted over to the cabinet which still held syringes and picked one out after reading the label, “Ketamine/diazepam, just what the doctor ordered.” Daring Do walked to Snow Heart and jammed the needle into her neck. Snow Heart reacted as if she had been shot.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” She slapped a hoof over her neck, while Daring Do glanced at the empty syringe. Daring Do just smiled.
“I needed a tranquilizer to use on Gold Bar. And I can’t have you warning him now can I?” Daring Do said with a smug smile. She trotted over to the crate and took out one of the guns. She swiped a still closed box of the little yellow darts as well.
Thump
Daring Do loaded her new toy and turned to see Snow Heart slumped on the ground, her eyes glassy. “Don’t worry it wears off after like, twenty hours. Don’t worry about the nasty taste in your mouth either, it goes away pretty quick. I just need you out of my mane.” Snow Heart glared at her from the floor, but it was an impotent expression, her eyes closed and she started to snore softly. Daring Do adjusted her hat, and sighed. She dragged Snow Heart onto a gurney and left her there. No matter how evil these ponies were she just couldn't make them suffer needlessly. She trotted off down the passageway towards the bridge. I’m coming for you Gold Bar!
=====*****=====
Clink Clink Clink
Gold Bar stopped mid command, he could hear what sounded like glass bottles clinking together in a steady rhythm. “Gold Bar, come out and play!” He was surrounded by his command staff furiously issuing orders to lock down the ship for the past hour. Steady reports of a group of vicious felines kept filtering in from progressively closer portions of the ship. He clutched the box in his hoof tightly. The hatched creaked open and Ahuizotl stepped on the bridge. “Ahh, there you are. I have been looking all over for you.” He held the cat whistle with his tail very near his head.
“Hard Hoof, Lieutenant Rose.” The two of them snapped to attention at Gold Bar’s words. “Kill him.”
They all exploded into action. Hard Hoof charged at Ahuizotl brandishing a serrated combat knife in his mouth. Lieutenant Rose unsnapped the holster at her flank and was about to draw her revolver when Ahuizotl used his whistle yet again. Gold Bar darted behind the captain’s chair and began to rummage around for something in a metal storage container bolted to the floor near the console. The only other pony in the room was the ensign who continued to keep the ship on course, but sweat was beading on his brow.
GRRRROWL
AHHHHH
The lynx slammed into Lieutenant Rose knocking the revolver away. It spun on the metal floor and came to a rest just behind the ensign and the ship’s wheel. Compass Rose looked up into the face of the snarling lynx and saw two more big cats creeping along the rafters and pipes of the bridge just as they would the branches of a jungle. “Ensign, look out!” She screamed as she used her hind hooves to buck the lynx off of her. The lynx didn't go quietly but snarled and left a pair bleeding claw marks on her sides as it tumbled through the air. It landed upside down against the massive window near the edge of the bridge. Its eyes became crossed and rolled wildly in their sockets. That was when the panther leapt onto the ensign, causing him to scream in pain as its claws dug into him. They tumbled to the right towards the lynx. Without the ensign’s steady hoof the ship’s wheel spun out of control to the right.
Whoa
The entire ship suddenly lurched starboard, everyone and everything not bolted down slid down the now unleveled floor. The panther and the ensign slammed into the lynx.
Crack
Rose was hanging onto the base of ship’s wheel to keep herself from falling any further. She watched in horror as one of the panels of the main window cracked under the combined weight of the panther, ensign, and lynx. She heard another crack and the tinkling of glass then shut her eyes against the howling wind. She could hear the ensign’s yell as he was sucked away.
Gold Bar clutched the box with one hoof and the captain’s chair with the other. The contents of the metal container spilled out and slid towards the shattered window. The howling wind tore at his mane and threatened to pull his prize out of his grasp. He held on and saw Hard Hoof and Ahuizotl tumble past in him in a deadly embrace. Hard Hoof’s knife flashed out, Ahuizotl parried it with a kitchen knife. They both stumbled towards the horizon visible through the shattered window. Hard Hoof growled and tackled Ahuizotl with a powerful kick of his hind legs. He slammed into Ahuizotl in the same place he had bucked him earlier, causing Ahuizotl to bellow in pain. “Hard Hoof, look out! Grab onto something.”
Gold Bar’s warning was too late, the tiger leapt to the defense of its master. The three of them were even closer to the edge now, Ahuizotl’s tail was dangling in space. Hard Hoof’s ears went flat against his head and his eyes squeezed shut with pain as the tiger’s claws sank into his back through his security barding. The rushing wind pulled Ahuizotl out of the window but Ahuizotl and the tiger refused to let go of Hard Hoof. Hard Hoof reached down and unsnapped the short coil of rope on his barding and tossed it before they were all sucked into space.
=====*****=====
Daring Do was nearing the bridge, she passed a hatch labeled “starboard engine maintenance,” when her balanced suddenly threw her to the right. She didn't understand what had happened, one moment the passageway was straight, the next the entire world tilted. She crashed into the hatch and it blew open, she tumbled into the engine room and hung onto the hatch for dear life. She was almost floating, the hatch’s handle was the only thing that kept her from falling to the other side of the room. A deafening whir of the engine could be heard in here. At the opposite end of this compartment was another hatch and through the porthole she could see daylight.
SLAM
The daylight through the porthole was gone, something obscured the daylight. The hatch opened and a pony and two angry felines stumbled into the room! The pony had a flight uniform on but that was the most dignified thing about him. He shrieked and half ran, half stumbled away from the lynx and panther behind him. He managed to get around Daring Do without slowing down and started to climb Daring Do like a ladder. “Get off of me.” Daring Do bucked him, but he continued to scramble forward, fear driving his strength. The two cats were unsteady on their paws, but crept closer, their tails twitching.
SLAM
Daring Do looked past the furry death creeping closer to the open hatch at the other end of the corridor. Hard Hoof, Ahuizotl, and an angry looking tiger landed on a small weather deck just outside. The howl of the wind followed them into the passage way.
The entire ship righted itself so fast every creature in the room was thrown the opposite way. Daring Do ended up on the floor with the hatch closed. The cats slammed into the opposite wall and howled. Hard Hoof and Ahuizotl did as well and each grunted. The first to recover was the ensign, he walked on Daring Do, leaving a few scuffs and dirty hoof prints. He opened the hatch and was out of her mane by the time she stood.
“Why won’t you just die!” Ahuizotl snarled as he swiped at Hard Hoof. Hard Hoof easily dodged away into a crouch with his combat knife still in his mouth. Daring Do realized that Ahuizotl was referring to her and not Hard Hoof. Ahuizotl paused from his deadly game for a moment to blow on his whistle again. “Kill them both.”
Daring Do backed away from the lynx and the panther that growled and approached her in a low crouch. Their sinewy feline shoulders poked upwards as they crept closer, their slit like pupils fixated on her. Her flank bumped against the back wall, it was nothing more than cold metal. She did the only thing she could think of.
Ahuizotl and Hard Hoof continued their duel, it was difficult for Hard Hoof as it was two against one and he couldn't disarm the tiger. The environment helped him however, it prevented either of them from circling around him and attacking from two directions at once. He smiled, this was the sort of danger he lived for. Ahuizotl swiped again at him, but he was much too fast for such a lazy slice. He fended off the tiger with a swipe of his own knife. He had to keep it at bay or else it was the more likely of the two to tear him apart. The shallow claw marks through his security barding attested to the sharpness of the tiger’s claws. He glanced around and saw an open hatch on his left side. The ensign had left it open but unlatched. The tiger lunged at him again.
Clang
With a swift motion Hard Hoof opened the hatch just as the tiger was about to tear his throat out. It hit the other side of the metal hatch and sank to the floor, its eyes rolling around unfocused. Now was his chance, he grinned as he raised the knife to finish off his first opponent today. Ahuizotl snarled and parried his downward stab. They locked eyes and glared at each other beyond their blades. Ahuizotl pushed with frightening strength and Hard Hoof danced out of the hatch with Ahuizotl following, a murderous look in his eye. “You will pay for that,” he said coldly.
Thump thud
Something soft and heavy hit the deck, but Hard Hoof couldn't tell what it was. Nor did he care, all he cared about now was his fight with Ahuizotl and the wonderful adrenaline coursing through him.
Daring Do stood over the slumped forms of the two cats, a yellow dart buried in each of them. She tried to calm her breathing and figure out a way to get to the bridge without going through that hatch again. She slammed it shut and latched it, hoping it would at the very least delay them if Hard Hoof or Ahuizotl returned. She shot a yellow dart into the tiger as well for good measure. She breathed out trying to relax, but her heart just kept hammering away. Frigid air blew into the hall from the open hatch at the other end. She looked around and found a number of small objects on the weather deck outside, likely they had fallen there along with the other crazy things raining down on her. She wondered for a moment how they had gotten there when she saw it. She quickly formulated a plan, there were many unknowns and risks, but she was Daring Do. She would make it work.
=====*****=====
Lieutenant Rose caught the rope and tied it to the base of the ship’s wheel. She hoped that Hard Hoof hadn't fallen to his death. She stood and had to lean sideways to balance against the ship’s dangerous angle and turned the ship’s wheel. The ship righted itself with a crunch, several objects both here and elsewhere in the ship returning to their previous state in a less than graceful manner. I’ll have to talk to the crew about proper stowage after this is over, she thought.
Gold Bar breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, that was exciting,” he said as he brushed himself off. The lieutenant looked around at the devastation. The ensign was gone, along with the emergency supplies in the tool kit Gold Bar was rummaging through. Her revolver was gone as well, making her feel naked in her security barding. Gold Bar still held onto the box with a death grip, but she didn't think it would prove anything other than a bargaining chip at this point. And she doubted that Gold Bar would allow such a thing in any event. “Lieutenant, I want a damage report and I want that intruder found YESTERDAY!” She saluted and began to return order to the bridge. “What are you doing?”
Lieutenant Rose momentarily forgot that Gold Bar was the captain of the ship in name only. He knew only the rudiments of how the ship actually ran. That was her job. “Sir, if we don’t get the ship under control here, it won’t matter what happens to the rest of it. Can you hold the wheel steady?” Gold Bar furrowed his brow at the request but trotted up to the ship’s wheel to hold it steady. He still held the box however. “It would be easier with two hooves sir.”
Gold Bar fixed her with a stare and said in a low, cool voice, “I want this ship locked down, the intruder found, and I WANT HIS SKINNED HIDE IN MY OFFICE BY DINNER!” His sudden shout and the wild look in his eyes caused a flicker of fear to run through Compass Rose. She saluted and was about to hoof over control of the wheel when she noticed the rope was wiggling.
“Sir, look!” she felt relief, “it must be Hard Hoof.” Gold Bar trotted over to the edge and held the rope with one hoof pulling up whoever was on the other end.
“Hard Hoof, you’d better be bringing me good news. I want that freak’s head on a platter. I also want the escape ship in the cargo bay prepped and ready for takeoff. It’s faster than the Sky Master and I don’t want-“ he stopped and made an ulp sound. Compass Rose tore her eyes away from the horizon and looked at Gold Bar, he was standing stock still.
“Sir?”
With a crash he fell to his side, and standing in his place was Daring Do! She had a dart gun with the most recent discharge lodged firmly in Gold Bar’s chest. Gold Bar wheezed as he looked at her, she held the box with one hoof, smiling. “No, give it back...,” his voice became quiet and sleepy, the drugs were already taking him from the realm of the conscious.
Daring Do shrugged, “This belongs in a museum, not in the greedy hooves of somepony like you.” She glanced at Compass Rose and gave a mock salute as she spread her wings. “It’s so nice of you to drop altitude and get us some warmer, thicker air. I hate not being able to fly.” And with that she fell out of the opening into the sky.
=====*****=====
Ahuizotl and Hard Hoof were covered in small cuts and nicks. Nether was willing to give in to the other as they fought through the ship. They were drawing near the cargo bay. Ahuizotl planned to steal the escape vessel, but he had to somehow get rid of Hard Hoof first. The task was growing steadily more difficult. He was bleeding from a dozen shallow wounds and the blood loss was making him slower. Hard Hoof didn't seem to slow down at all, if anything the fight seemed to invigorate him. Ahuizotl’s mind searched for a solution but he couldn't find any.
Hard Hoof bucked the hatch open into the cargo bay as Ahuizotl pressed the attack. Hard Hoof parried again and snapped his knife around in a vicious arc. Ahuizotl leaned back to dodge it but it still left yet another scratch on him, this time on his cheek. He was lucky, it could have closed one of his eyes. Breathing hard he wiped his cheek with one paw. “I’m going to kill you little pony. And then I am going to feed you to my cats!” Hard Hoof’s grin didn't falter, he was immune to intimidation. They circled each other in the cargo bay, each looking for an opening.
The speakers set throughout the ship crackled and popped to life. “Attention, this is ensign Lâche, abandon ship, I repeat, abandon ship. This is not a drill.” Judging by the number of missing parachutes in the cargo bay, it was obvious that the ensign was not the first with this idea. It seemed no pony wanted to share a ship with several dangerous cats. Not to mention the intruders. Or perhaps Gold Bar didn't pay all that well.
Creak
Hard Hoof and Ahuizotl’s ears swiveled towards the cargo bay doors but they kept their eyes on each other. The cargo bay doors opened slowly with a grinding of metal on metal.
=====*****=====
Daring Do flew along the side of the great air frame, her hoofs running along the ridged structure with the aid of her wings. She could only guess as to why they were trying to abandon ship now, but the crew had plenty of good reasons. She could still see snow on the landscape below her, but the Dragon’s Tooth was fading away on the horizon. She reached the back of the airframe and flapped her wings to keep herself aloft. She flew towards the cargo bay doors, hoping there was some way she could open them without-
With a sound of metal on metal, the cargo bay doors opened. Mare luck really is smiling on me today! She flew level with the cargo bay and gasped at the sight. It was far from empty.
Ahuizotl and Hard Hoof were engaged in a knife fight surrounded by crates and the escape vessel. The escape vessel itself was a miniature Sky Master. The hydrogen cell was deflated at the moment however, making escape with it less than ideal. Several ponies stood along the catwalks in the cargo bay. They glanced furtively at the parachutes along the walls, but none would dare get close to Hard Hoof or Ahuizotl and their whirling blades.
Just then, Hard Hoof turned and bucked Ahuizotl right in the chest, for the third time in the same spot. Ahuizotl howled and collapsed, the knife clattering against the metal floor of the cargo hold. The ponies on the cat walks cheered. “Hey Hard Hoof,” he stopped with his knife raised above Ahuizotl to deliver the final blow. He looked at Daring Do and smiled but his expression showed only bloodlust. “You might want to help your boss, I left him unconscious on the bridge, and I left Snow Heart knocked out in medical.”
At the mention of Snow Heart, Hard Hoof turned and he gave Daring Do a stare that nearly froze her in place. She gulped down a knot and tried to sound brave, “you gonna help them?” With a snort Hard Hoof shot down the passageway deeper into the ship, as soon as he closed the hatch behind him Daring Do and the rest of the ponies surged forward.
Daring Do landed on the gondola of the escape vessel and grinned when she saw the hydrogen tanks already stowed. The rest of the ponies grabbed parachutes and headed for the nearest patch of sky. More of the crew streamed in from different directions. Daring Do watched Ahuizotl as he rolled on the ground clutching his chest wheezing. He fixed one bloodshot eye on her. “Curse you Daring Do.”
“Yeah, so I guess I sort of saved your life, you’re welcome.” She flipped the lever just outside the gondola, the one on the track and the whole thing started to slide backwards. She waved to Ahuizotl showing off the box. She held onto her hat as the entire contraption tilted back and fell into the sky.
Ahuizotl watched as Daring Do disappeared out of sight. How he hated her. That feeling alone burned in his chest, it invigorated him. He rose and watched as another pony strapped on a parachute and jumped out of the yawning cargo bay doors. My friends! He swiped a few parachutes off of the wall and he dragged himself towards the interior of the ship, each breath a painful gasp. Another pony charged down the passage way and stopped short when he saw him. Ahuizotl hissed at him and the pony yelped and ran away with his tail between his legs.
It was perhaps the longest walk of Ahuizotl’s life. Every step caused a new stab of pain in his chest. He tried to rub the spot once and agony shot through him. He was quite sure at least one rib was broken. He found the engine maintenance room and hoped his friends were still there.
They were a sight for sore eyes, each one of them was sleeping soundly. Except for the little white cat, she was licking the tiger’s ear trying to awaken the beast. He plucked the darts out of them and stuffed each one into a parachute harness. Curse you Daring Do, curse you Gold Bar. He was sick of this ship, of its claustrophobic metal walls, of the faint smell of engine grease and stinking ponies. And I won’t get to find out if I was correct about that box. The thought irritated him to no end.
And I won’t get my revenge on Gold Bar. He dragged himself and his cats outside, the wind blowing the stench of the horrible ship away. He was about to jump off when he spied something near his feet. He smiled, perhaps I can make Gold Bar pay after all. He snatched up the item and pushed his friends off one by one after pulling the rip cords. He watched as each one floated limply to earth before he jumped off with the little cat in his grip.
Mew
The white one sank little claws into his harness once they began their free fall. He pulled the cord quickly, the jolt sending another stab of pain through his chest. He grimaced through the pain and aimed his new toy at the Sky Master.
=====*****=====
Daring Do hit the valves as soon as the vessel was clear of the ship. The tanks hissed and the limp hydrogen cell above her began to fill. She held on as the ship plummeted to the ground, the decent slowed and she could feel pressure on her hooves. Smiling, she began to laugh, I did it, I got away with the box!
She looked around the little vessel and found a seat with a set of pedals set into the floor. This would drive the airship forward. She would have preferred and engine, but it was still much faster and better than landing in the snow below and having to trot all the way back to civilization. She found a few crates stowed in the back and curiosity got the better of her. She pried one open and looked inside.
They were there, all of the treasures she had seen at the summit of the Dragon’s Tooth. It was a cache of relics that would make any archaeologist famous for finding even a single one, much less enough to stock a small museum. Her smile was so wide she could hardly contain herself. She closed the crate and sat in the main seat. She pulled out the box, and now for the cream of the crop. The box sat in her lap, bouncing softly in time with the ship. She reached down and curiosity burned in her. She reached for the white tile.
Foomp
She looked up still holding the box. She spied an angry red spark in the sky that left a trail of smoke. She recognized a flare fired from a flare gun but the source lead back to a speck with a parachute. And the flare’s trajectory was curious as well, it was aimed toward the Sky Master. She had only a scant moment to wonder what was going on when the flare tore into the great ship's hydrogen cells. Her eyes went wide, she clutched the box with both hooves and flattened her ears.
BOOM
The entire ship detonated with a low tone, fire blew out the structure sending flaming debris in all directions. Daring Do pedaled away from the expanding sphere of air. It looked like a lens beyond which everything was made of orange and red flames. She held onto the box as the wave engulfed her.
=====*****=====
Daring Do sat at home, drinking ice cold lemonade. The curator of the Manhattan ancient history museum, an older mare with a scroll for a cutie mark hung on her every word. She was bandaged so much she almost looked like a mummy, a testament to the many trials she had to endure on this journey.
“So what’s in the box?” The curator breathed with mounting excitement.
Daring Do had just finished her story and smiled at the curator. It had been a long journey home. Daring Do had grown tired and landed at the imperial guard post at the northern edge of Equrestria before she fell asleep from exhaustion. She didn't know where Ahuizotl was or Gold Bar for that matter. She wasn't even sure if they survived but something told her Ahuizotl was alive, she felt it in her gut. After telling the story to the imperial guard they had issued a warrant for Gold Bar’s arrest and his company dissolved so rapidly and spectacularly, the national newspapers could hardly keep the story up to date. She had an uneventful trip back to Manehatten. It might have been because the imperial guards were the ones to escort her back.
She set the box on her lap, “let’s find out, shall we?”
The curator leaned in so close she almost bumped Daring’s head. She couldn't help but smile as she pushed in the white and blue tiles.
Click
The curator gasped and looked from her to the box, shaking his head. “I just knew you were right, but still.” Daring Do nodded and slowly opened the box. It would have been such a shame to have gone so far only to find-
Nothing
Daring Do’s heart sank in her chest. NO this isn't fair! She had worked so hard to find the compass, it had to be here! Inside the lid she could see the vials of acid, their contents still sloshing about after so many years. The soft velvet interior of the box was faded and worn, but a circular depression could still be seen in the middle of the plush interior. However there was no compass in this depression, only a mote of dust.
“Oh dear, how disappointing,” the curator’s voice almost didn't register in Daring Do’s brain. “I suppose you will have to settle for the rest of the exhibit. Such a shame that, you only retrieved the biggest find in over a century.” The curator’s sarcasm and her smile tried to cheer Daring Do up, but the words fell on deaf ears that were flat against Daring’s head. “Buck up Ms. Do, you’re alive, you stopped Ahuizotl and Gold Bar, plus you found enough treasures to set up the museum and yourself for the rest of your life! How bad can it really be?”
Daring Do’s ears returned to their full upright position, “I guess you’re right, and in a way the compass did sort of work for me. I returned home with almost everything I wanted. And no thief came by in the night to steal the box before I could open it and show it to you. So I guess I really shouldn't complain.” She shifted deeper into the covers feeling their soft warmth take away more of her aches and pains. It would be a few weeks or months before she could start her next adventure, but for once she felt content. She had been nearly killed so many times she finally felt like she deserved to be home for a while.
Still I wish I could have found that compass.
And so, one again the world was saved thanks to Daring Do.
=====*****=====
The sun was rising, “aww what let down.”
“What’s a letdown?” Twilight was at the top landing of the stairs leading into the main hall. “And what are you doing on a cloud in the library? There better not be any rainwater in here.” She fixed Rainbow Dash with an icy stare.
“Chill out egghead, I just wanted to read the latest Daring Do novel without having to listen to construction outside my window.” She yawned, “What time is it?”
“Six o’clock.”
Rainbow Dash tilted her head, “Really? I thought it would be later than that.”
“In the morning.”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide, “WHAT! I have to get to work!” She gathered Tank and her book then kicked the cloud into vapor before darting out the balcony and into the sky. Twilight just shook her head before returning to her chalk board, the sounds of Spike’s snoring wafting down the stairs.
=====*****=====
Click
Fwoosh
A cone of light flickered into existence, then another, and another. Row after row of little cones shined their sterile light on the shelves. A vast warehouse, with row upon row of shelves stretched to the limits of vision.
CLOP-CLop-clop CLOP-CLop-clop CLOP-CLop-clop
The hoof falls echoed in this lonely place as a shadow closed the door behind it. The check list was massive, it held thousands, perhaps millions of entries. Each line corresponded to an item on the shelves.
And such wondrous, amazing, impossible items they were. Here there was an hourglass with sand that never filled the bottom bell and yet never stopped flowing. There was a tooth that hung above a shelf, it belonged to a creature so massive it could easily have devoured a city. A rolled carpet strapped to the shelf fluttered by itself as the shadow walked by, twitching at an errant thought. Another shelf held a sapphire the size of a robin’s egg, it glittered with an inner blue light that did not reflect from the light above. There was a puzzle box which both solved and rearranged itself into fantastic and insane forms. Yet another shelf held a bottle that fed into itself, water flowing endlessly through it. Each bore a plaque to label it, and each received a check mark next to its line.
Another shelf held a small round object, a chip of stone like a needled floated aimlessly inside of it. The shadow drew closer and the little needle spun wildly. It snapped to a particular direction and vibrated there, urging the shadow to go there.
tick
Another shelf, another check mark. Row after row, check mark after check mark, until every line was finished. The doors opened and the shadow trotted out. The sign above the door read:
Warning, top ponies only! Unauthorized ponies will be met with magical force including but not limited to: insomnia, insanity, boiling blood, halitosis, coma, banishment, infinite nightmares, asphyxiation, incurable hiccups, unending pain, torment, and death. Not necessarily in that order.
The door closed and the lights clicked off.