Cloudsdale Airspace (About 5 miles outside of city), 1:08 am, September 29th
The wind was getting stronger, and the girls were steadily approaching the bustling city of Cloudsdale. The stench of factory work was present for miles. Just another half hour and they would arrive just outside of the complex. The massive Spectrum Incorporated facility was on the very edge of the city, stationed on its own cloud and baring its coat of arms-like logo highlighted on the back face of the building. Though it was small to the eye and five miles away, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well recognized the logo from her research. "That's it. That's their headquarters."
"Not very far, now." Said Daring through a long yawn.
Mare-Do-Well sported a cheeky smirk. "Are you getting tired? We're just getting to the good part."
The archaeologist wiped her eyes and chuckled back at her. "Just been a long day. Getting into that factory will get my blood pumping again. A good fight always wakes me up."
Her ally joined in the laughter, although still feeling the after effect of the magical migraine as the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well felt the throbbing in her head pound constantly. But the mare shook the stars away and tried to concentrate on the mission. She needed to be on the top of her game in order to thrive, and they were far too close to the end to implode. There was nothing left to do, or to contemplate. All that Mare-Do-Well could do is count the minutes away while Daring did the same as her wings flapped on, flying to their final destination. It was strange, she was no longer alone. For once, the masked mare had a partner to face it all. Up till this point in her life, work was nothing short of strictly business. But now she felt a solemn duty to assure the safety of Daring. Though she was experienced in combat, it wasn't her fight in the first place, her vengeance for White Collar wouldn't bring him back.
When Daring soon pushed the thought of sleep out of her mind, it filled with another curious notion. "Hey, Mare-Do-Well?"
"Yes?"
"That factory looks sort of big, how are we going to navigate in a huge place like that?"
"You're an archaeologist!" Mare-Do-Well pointed out teasingly. "You've traveled through the largest temples, most perplexing puzzles and dangerous dungeons. Are you telling me you can't find your way around a simple Cloudsdale factory?"
Daring Do rolled her eyes at the insulting query. "Hey, I've deciphered ancient hieroglyphics to escape those temples, and each puzzle was the product of time, effort, and logic. As for dangerous dungeons, I never set hoof into one of those places without the proper research and essentials. I didn't study eight years for nothing. Now answer me this, do you see historical writings anywhere near Cloudsdale? Do you need a U of C degree in ancient languages and mathematics to solve a basic workplace directory? And do expect those dangerous industrial buildings to be riddled to the rafters with booby-traps? Don't banter me on my field of work, I could walk circles around you in my profession."
"Take it easy, Daring!" the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well interjected amusingly. "I didn't mean to insult your work. You must love it to feel so passionate."
"Well yes, I do." She chuckled back, trying to cool down from her brief fit. "I can't describe it anymore than I already have. It's just the work we're born to do. It's what my father lived for and it's what I live for...I tried being a weather pony once, like my mom. Although, I didn't like it at all. Just day-in and day-out of constant kicking and flying. Don't get me wrong, I love to spread my wings but having to work on a schedule all my life just wouldn't cut it. Archaeology gives me a lease to do it my own way. Make my own risks without consequence...Well maybe a little bit of consequence, but the fact of the matter is, and bottom line, I'd give up my wings for the job."
The strong emotion Daring had for her life was overwhelming to the secretive unicorn. She hadn't witnessed a pony so devoted to ones occupation. "Well I'm glad you're so enthusiastic, but in light of your ecstasy, it's been picking at my brain to find out where and when you and No. 2 met."
Daring's ears perked and it brought a cunning smile to the archaeologist's lips immediately after. "Giovanni? Wow, it's been a long time. It's going on nearly ten years. I met him at an archaeological dig in the San Palomino Desert. There was actually a point and time I found him to be a decent archaeologist. My crew and his crew worked rather cooperatively. We conversed regularly, discussing our goals, our lives and normal trivial topics. I could almost consider him a friend. He was completely different from what he is now. We talked, we joked, we laughed, and we even went to his tent for drinks after the long days of digging. You see, up until that assignment, I had never come into contact with another archaeologist, so I was happy to make his acquaintance. After two weeks of digging and getting to know one another, he eventually offered a partnership between the two of us. Fortunately my job at the University of Canterlot kept me from falling into such a dirty deal."
"What were you digging for in the first place?" Mare-Do-Well asked suddenly, although showing great interest in the story.
"Oh Yeah. Six months prior to the dig, I received a letter from somepony named Santiago Palomino, a descendant of the famous Saint himself, St. Rio Hernandez Palomino. According to history, Saint Rio was a land rights activist for the buffalo herds, south of Los Pegasus. He spent years fighting for the buffaloes' claim to their stampeding grounds versus industrial bigwigs from the city just north. It was believed that before his death, he left behind his personal belongings to be distributed among his loved ones. To protect his possessions, he hid them in a chest, underground, somewhere in the desert we know today as the San Palomino. But somehow, his will was 'misplaced', with the location of the treasure gone with it. So it remained a mystery for decades until his great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandson sent me the request to find it, along with some information he dug up himself. Santiago gave me scriptures, maps, and even a diary authenticated to be the Saint's own. He wanted the treasure to bring some clarity into his family's history. So I spent my days teaching, and my nights deciphering the clues, and finally pinpointed to a local meditation ground once used by the abandoned village where he was raised. I believed I had enough evidence to conduct a dig so decided to make it a class assessment exam as well. But little did I know, Giovanni had the same interest in the search in the San Palomino."
Daring let out a short sigh, and a look of disappointment began to spread over her complexion that the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well couldn't see while she was on the pegasi's back, but she definitely heard the exhale. "Something wrong?" She asked.
"One night, I was working later than usual. I was in my tent, going over my notes and given research. It was going on three weeks and I soon had to have the students back for their finals and I was getting desperate. But just when I was ready throw in the towel and call it another night, I found a helpful quote in a diary entry where Saint Rio wrote that he liked to meditate near a round, red, almost volcanic-like rock where he could watch the sun rise and set. I couldn't believe I overlooked such an obvious hint and I leaped out of my chair and took the journal to show D'Angelo, but when I made my way through the cold of the desert night, I overheard chatter right before I walked through the tent door. I thought he was sleeping, he was usually the first one asleep and it puzzled me to learn why he was still up, and just who he was talking to. So I couldn't help myself but to eavesdrop on the conversation, and I'm glad I did. I peeked in the door and seen the griffon sitting at his desk with two glasses of wine. One for him, and one for his guest, a pony who Giovanni kept referring to as Mr. Palomino. I knew it couldn't be Santiago because I met with him before the dig, so at the time I could only hazard to guess that he was a relative. For the first couple minutes, it started off as a normal conversation, but then I learned, they were scheming something terrible..."
~~~~~
San Palomino Desert, Giovanni's Tent, 11:34 pm, Nine years earlier...
"I hope you know what you're doing, amigo. A lot of money is riding on this."
The griffon laughed and took off his beret before sipping on his wine. "There's no reason to worry yourself, Mr. Palomino. As soon as we find the treasure, I will initiate the plan to intercept it before your cousin can."
"What about that other archaeologist you're working with? Daring Do?"
"Amateur." He replied simply. "A young fool who I believe hardly knows anything. She may teach the course, but without that textbook of her's, I'm sure she wouldn't get far. She had her chance to work with me, but foolishly declined."
The hispanic stallion was doubtful, raising his eyebrow at the cocky Giovanni. "Don't underestimate her, Gringo. News does not travel fast down south, but I heard she was the one who made the discovery of the Sapphire Statue a couple years ago. She fought tooth and hoof to get that statuette. I don't want that same determination to ruin my chances of getting my hooves on that chest before Santiago can."
"Senor Carlos, I give you my word that you will have it. A Gryphonian's word is his honor. Professor Do and I will remain in Appleloosa to authenticate the treasure while we send our crews home ahead of time. Then the next day, me and her will board the eight o'clock evening train to Ponyville. Unfortunately for the Professor, a violent train robbery will ensue. Bandits will storm the cabins and kill four passengers, one of which will include Daring Do. Next they will proceed to hold me and a train conductor hostage. Then they will demand that I give them San Palomino's chest in exchange for the Conductor's life. Out of the goodness of my heart, I shall relinquish the precious valuables and they will make away while a small candlelight vigil will be held for the four victims of the robbery, and I will be praised by the Conductor as a hero and escape the scenario flawlessly. Of course, I will want my pay for this little operation."
Carlos Palomino nodded his head continuously with a pleasing grin, clapping his hooves. "Mi buen amigo. Good work. I made a wise decision trusting you. How does five million bits sound?" The stallion reached into his windbreaker jacket and held out a slip of paper, a check for the extensive lump-sum just offered.
At first he hesitated, but then Giovanni grabbed the check with one talon while he shook the hoof of Carlos with the other. "Sounds like a deal, Mr. Palomino."
~~~~~
"After that, Giovanni went on to explain the plan in further detail. I knew I had to think about this carefully, and it absolutely shocked me to learn about his deviant nature. He was deceiving me from the very beginning. If I had known he was working with Carlos Palomino, a Dodge City gangster, I probably would have sent for some backup. Any who, the two eventually grew intoxicated by the wine and I went back to my tent, then thought about my own murder going to bed. The next morning I woke up to Giovanni whistling at my door. I'm guessing Carlos must have taken off because he wasn't anywhere to be found when I got up."
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was certainly fascinated by the entire story. It seemed to take her mind completely away from her headache. "Interesting. So what did you do about this plan of his?"
"Well I did what he exactly wanted me to do, go along with it. I explained to him my discovery in Rio's diary and announced that everypony start looking for a volcanic-like rock that was red and round. At first it didn't give any results and after about two hours, I was about to give up on that theory. Until finally one of my students galloped over to me and practically shoved me and Giovanni to the spot. The Saint's supposed meditating area was overlooking a cliff with a dead tree behind him...and the red, very worn rock in front of it. On a whim, the three of us took our spades and started digging. We weren't even digging for two minutes until we struck something wooden. Two weeks, six days, and eleven hours of nonstop excavating finally paid off. The three of us lifted the earthy chest onto the leveled ground and we broke its rusty lock, flew the lid open and just gazed at the gleaming treasures within. Time had done nothing to damage the beauty. Twelve bars of gold, each inscribed with a name which was supposedly to be the names of the loved ones to be mentioned in Rio's will. Among other things, there were land permits, his sainthood medallion, a silver buffalo emblem, and several scrolls written by San Palomino himself. Priceless artifacts to later be stolen by Giovanni and his thugs. Not on my watch."
~~~~~
The Friendship Express, Appleloosa, 8:11 pm, Nine years earlier
"At last, we've departed from this scorching desert. Well Professor, we're finally heading back to Canterlot City. You must be quite relieved to have at last found Palomino's lost treasure."
Daring shut the door to their train cabin and hung up the pith-helmet just above her seat before she sat across from her associate with a glazed expression. "Oh You bet! Saint Palomino can finally rest knowing that his life treasures will be returned to the Palomino family. In fact I just finished getting the chest secured in cargo. All those wavers to sign, it's only gold and paper for ponies' sake."
"I've been there too, Miss Do." He laughed. "But that's the price you pay for the best security. Besides, we've worked unbelievably hard on this assignment, I think securing the valuables is the best choice for us...I'd still like to offer you one more chance to join me, Professor. We'd make quite the duo. Two brilliant archaeologists. One a veteran, one an up and comer."
With a sleepy yet assuring set of magenta eyes, Daring shook her head in gratitude. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I'm one of those ponies who works alone. My parents died when I was little, so I've gotten used to the lack of company. All I need is the love of my students to keep me happy, but thanks for the offer."
In his mind, D'Angelo anticipated that response. "As you wish, Daring Do. But the offer is on the table if you ever change your mind. I'll say that I'm highly impressed. I was skeptical when I first met you, and I'm glad to see I was wrong."
"I was sure wrong." She muttered underneath her breath.
Giovanni reached for his messenger bag and hauled out a book to pass the time. Meanwhile, all Daring could think about was the griffon's sadistic plot to kill her and three other innocent ponies. Her plan to get out of the mess was still in the dark, but for the sake of stalling for time and making small talk, the adventuress gestured to the novel. "What book are you reading?"
"Oh, nothing special." He sighed with his eyes fixed on the text. "Just an old war novel. I find them heavily detailed but they are a psychological thriller that tells how the tolls of war can affect the innocent mind. It's my preferred genre when I'm taking these train rides."
The opposing archaeologist didn't agree. She shook her head with a petty smirk. "That's not exactly my kind of story. Call it cliche if you wish but I like to read about action and adventure. Psychology and the mentally conflicted can be interesting but I like the plain action thrillers. I don't get much time to read like I did when I was studying at the University, but I can squeeze in one story from time to time."
"I figured you'd would read more, considering you're a professor and all." D'Angelo laughed.
The griffon's statement made the sandstone pegasus chuckle as well. "Dusty old textbooks are hardly worth calling a good read. Don't get me wrong, I do like reading them, but the literature isn't colorful enough. The relics I read about aren't expressed the way I make them in my lectures. Just once, I wish the board of education would let me write their next textbook."
"I have." Giovanni admitted with a proud tone. "For my home country in the mountains of Gryphonia. But that was about ten years ago. I'm sure the students are using something else at this point. I prefer to simply do what I do best, archaeology. During my long career, I have traveled all across the world to make my mark. My legacy. My history. It's what all us archaeologists must fulfill. Not because we want to, but because we need to. Our honor needs it. We want to make groundbreaking discoveries that shake the Earth with amazement. Each of us has that certain dream, a personal legend. It's what we strive for, the dream. Daring Do, though we may never cross paths ever again after this, always remember, hope can fade, but when you have a dream, the hope will never die, because dreams never die unless the hope is not there. You see, it's a paradox. No matter who you are or what you do, we all have a dream that keeps hope alive, and hope does just the same to the dream."
It took a moment, but his perplexing analogy somehow hit Daring Do to be true. Although that didn't change the future, she could see the deceit in his stone eyes. "I never thought about it like that...Let me show you something."
Giovanni decided to lay his book down while Daring went to retrieve something from her own bag. Her hoof seemed to have to stuck into the very bottom for her to find it. When she pulled out the item, Giovanni set his eyes on the dusty, rotten, and nearly destroyed condition of another book. And by looking at how the rumpled, stained pages lay in between their dark blue faded covers, he guessed it was used quite a lot. "What is that?"
Daring took another moment to examine the book. She held it in her fetlock like a piece of jewelry. It was that important to her. She looked up at D'Angelo for brief second before glancing back down at her book with a reminiscing grin. "I always carry this whenever I head out in the field. It's my journal from my first expedition. My sixty day scavenge for the Sapphire Statue. There have been times throughout my life where I felt like giving up, but then I take a glance from this journal, read a chapter, and remind myself of the hardships I had to overcome in that forsaken jungle. Then it brings me back into reality, a reality that screams at me to live by one motto, never back down."
Without request, Daring proceeded to open the pages of the aged and withered diary, skimming through the various entries until she stuck her hoof on entry number 60. The adventuress cleared her throat and read aloud. "Ahem...I feel like I hit the end of the line. Ahuizotl and my other predators are beginning to close in on me. I've been able to outlast them by two months. I have to ask myself, how much longer can I keep this up? Great Celestia, these mosquitoes are endless! Buzz, buzz, buzzing is all I can hear. I'm going insane. The hot, moist atmosphere of this jungle is starting to make my broken wing pain. The last bit of food I'm going on is a bit of dried bread, and a few berries I picked from the jungle. I've held off on eating on account that they may be poisonous. I think the bread should do just fine until I have to resort to them. Sigh...Listen to me complain, Journal. Here I am, Daring Do! The youngest mare from my high school graduating class and most outstanding scholar at the University of Canterlot. I'm not going to let myself succumb to insanity. I've come too far and wasted too much of my time here to go home empty-hoofed. If Ahuizotl wants me and the Sapphire Statuette, he'll have to come get it, from me. Smell that? That's the smell of adventure. I might be losing this fight, but I'm not dead. Suddenly I'm reminded of an old proverb my father told me: Hold on, hold fast, keep going, and never back down...I hear chatter. It must be those damn felines again. They know where I am, this is it. I have to move on. I see a hill just through the next opening, maybe I can lose them down there. Ah, there's a cliff! With a vine suspending between it and the other side of that cliff. What do I got to lose? Celestia be with me, and if the worse should come to pass, let it be a quick one."
Following the read excerpt, Daring slowly shut the book and caressed its tattered edges. Then she let out a long sigh before placing it on top of her opened bag. While the memories of her past splashed her face with troubling yet exciting times, Giovanni clapped briefly for her excellence and fascinating life. "That was very moving, Professor Do, but I'm afraid I am missing where this entry comes into play at this very moment."
It was time to get to the bottom of things. Daring looked up at the griffon and stared at him in a dark glare. "This journal has taught me so much about life and myself. Obviously you can see I survived that jungle. It wasn't easy." Then the adventuress lunged forward and latched onto his shoulders. Her voice became louder, seriousness being pounded out with every word. "That expedition taught me about patience, vigilance, and knowing when your own death may be near. I had to work my way out of those unavoidable situations. And like every obstacle Ahuizotl threw at me, I kept coming back. I'm no stranger to life on the edge, so why should now be any different?"
"What is your point, Professor?" D'Angelo asked with sudden hostility in his voice.
"My point?" Daring Do released her grip slowly, leaving the griffon disturbed by the incident. Reaching underneath her shirt, the adventuress gripped the hilt of something concealed inside a scabbard. Then with a quick whip of her hooves, Daring unsheathed a 12-inch survival knife, threatening Giovanni with its razor sharp point in his direction. "This is my point!"
Giovanni was surprised, to say the least. His face was emotionless at first. Then as the mare sat there with the same scowl painted against him, he wanted to know the reason behind holding him at knife point. He made sure to keep his limbs still, breathing carefully and not making any sudden moves. "What is the meaning of this?" He inquired peering.
Daring laughed through her nose and figured it was time to get to uncover the truth. "I'm not naive as all you other archaeologists may think. I may be young, but I come from the same blood of another archaeologist who could teach you a thing or two about honesty and integrity."
The griffon simply sighed and rolled his eyes. "I don't know what you are talking about."
"You and Carlos Palomino!" Daring shouted in retort. "Scheming to steal the treasure and murder me in the process. I never expected to be working with such an ingrate. On the other hoof, I should have anticipated this from someone native to Gryphonia. A place where corrupted business and politics thrive. An archaeologist not worthy of the dirt he's standing on."
The jig was up, and Giovanni D'Angelo knew it. With the validity of his true self revealed, he returned her glare with an egotistical one of his own, his deep and gruff Gryphonian dialect sounding with arrogance. "At last, you finally caught on. I was beginning to think you'd never guess."
"Wipe that smug look off your face." She wrenched. "Did you really think you'd get away with this?"
"I gave you the chance to work with me and you declined! Besides, you've put yourself in harm's way already. In the eyes of the law, I've committed no crime. All you've got to go on is your word and your word alone. So killing me will achieve nothing but a cold prison cell to spend in for the rest of your days. And even if do arrest me, you still don't have any witnesses. I will swear under oath that I didn't commit any fraudulent act whatsoever and any court will believe me so long as you have no other witnesses. So Miss Do, take your best shot. What have you got against me?"
"And just how do you plan getting out of this mess?" Daring asked, sporting a sneaky grin. She was no where near intimidated. "Because I've alerted the Conductor and before this train set off, he called in the sheriff and fifteen of his deputies disguised as plain passengers. That unfortunate incident you have planned out for me won't happen. The bad guys I've encountered in the last couple of years have almost given me sixth sense of this sort of thing. I know you're playing me for a fool. It's pathetic, really."
He couldn't believe it. How could he let such an oblivious mare get the best of him? That's all that was going through Giovanni's mind. What would happen now? Carlos already gave him the check. "You're bluffing."
"Try me."
To Daring's surprise, the griffon started to laugh, shaking his head at her. "Do you have any idea who I am? I'm Dr. Giovanni D'Angelo. World famous archaeologist from the mountain land of Gryphonia. Griffons and ponies like yourself pay to have me find lost relics. I am a very powerful griffon and if you kill me, my associates will find you and cut you up into little pieces then feed you to the fishes. You'd be digging yourself into an early grave,"
"I live with one hoof in the coffin, D'Angelo. Death is just a common hazard in my life." She stated with the knife still pointing down the half-lion half-bird. "You're going to stop tha-"
The talk was done. With one swift movement, Giovanni swatted the hunting knife out of her hooves and shoved the mare against the opposite wall. Knowing his plan was foiled indefinitely, the griffon decided to ditch the train, but not without a fight. Quickly he searched his bag and whipped out his long baton while Daring was dizzy from the impact. He went to strike with it but her instincts topped the griffon's intentions and she rolled out of the way and onto the train floor. With a barbaric growl, Daring latched onto the griffon's back leg and bit down, sending a sharp pain up through his nerves. He snapped his leg back to force the release, then picked up the comparably smaller opponent with ease, slamming her against the wall and holding her there. Giovanni aggressively slapped her and knocked her to the ground in another groggy daze.
As fast as the fight escalated, it was over in matter of seconds. Panting heavily, the griffon wiped a bead of sweat from his feathery brow and scurried around the ground to find his baton. When he retrieved it, he slipped it between the pit of his foreleg then stood up on top his seat to open the overhead compartment of the their train cabin. He reached in and pulled down a brown suitcase. He stepped down then walked over to the cabin's window and the size of it. Then with a winding motion, D'Angelo cranked his foreleg with the suitcase in his talon then thrashed it forward to break the glass, shattering the window and cascading the shards all of the carpeted floor. The wind blasted in and roared loudly, nearly deafening the griffon. He stumbled over the glass and stuck his head out the window to study the outside. He was sure no one would see him escape. With that in mind, he gripped the suitcase, stuffed his beret inside his jacket and lifted one hind-leg over the ledge of the window before shouting back at the beaten pegasus mare. "Count your blessings, Miss Do! I can assure you the next time we meet, I will not be so lenient!"
Her muscles ached, her head throbbed, and her lip was bleeding, but that didn't stop her from hearing the obnoxious and deep laughter of the nefarious Giovanni. If it was one thing she didn't like, it was letting the baddie get the last laugh. So as the griffon went to spread his wings, Daring caught the gleaming shine of the fallen survival knife and reached over to the corner of the room and held it in her teeth. The adventuress wasted no time. She jumped to her hooves and violently lashed her head forward, releasing the knife and sending it across the cabin like an arrow. An arrow that pierced Giovanni as he exited, slashing through his right wing and exerted a screaming holler from the villainous archaeologist as he could no longer gain flight.
Unfortunately for Daring's feathery enemy, he was too far out the window to stop himself from tumbling to the desert ground with the train rocketing over 50 mph. The adventuress never seen it, but she heard the griffon's cries while she could imagine the pain of his downfall. When the confrontation was officially over, Daring let herself droop into her seat, stretching over it to extend her tired limbs. Although she couldn't know he was gone for sure, she closed her eyes and grinned, she had won this fight...
~~~~~
"And that's it." Daring stated plainly. "That was my first contact with Giovanni D'Angelo. The only griffon I know that can transform into a snake within seconds. We did manage to get the treasure to Santiago, and luckily we were able to track down his cousin along with the evidence that he was in on the scam with Giovanni."
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was beyond captivated by the thrilling story, it was a classic tale of deception and lies being overthrown by the goodness and purity. Even though it was ended by a fluke of luck that the knife struck the griffon the way Daring told it. "Remarkable story, Daring. I haven't heard a good one like that in a long time. Perhaps I don't read enough. So I'm guessing you did encounter him a few more times than you or especially him intended to?"
"Ohhhh Yeah." She nodded extensively, chuckling at the same time. "Right up until this mission, I confronted him on several different occasions. He got a few hits in on me, but I took away the use of his right wing with that knife."
"Really?"
Daring nodded again. "Yup! Struck some part of his wing that gave him nerve damage and he hasn't been able to use it since. All he can do with it is keep it tucked in. These days, he normally uses it to conceal that baton of his, damn being whipped with that thing smarts."
"...Not as bad as this wind smarts." Mare-Do-Well replied. The shivering mare leaned down to wrap her hooves around Do's belly while the cold atmospheric September gales pierced their bodies like icy needles. "Daring, it's freezing, how much longer is it going to be?"
The adventuress peeked her head up and found themselves drawing closer to the sky city, but not as close as they'd like to be. "Maybe another three miles?" She sighed.
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well sighed as well, sitting up to stretch and crack her joints in a few places. "Well I hope we get there soon, I've been knocked out all day and my body's getting a little too used to the R&R."
"Well I don't know about you, but I could use some sleep." Daring humorously argued. "I've been flapping these wings for the last few hours and I'm getting exhausted."
"Well you haven't flown that far."
That retort invoked a choleric glare that the archaeologist shot back at her. "You're aren't exactly the lightest mare in Equestria, you know! I could have been to Cloudsdale and back to Canterlot in half the time it's taking us to get there if you weren't on my back."
"Oh Please, I'm not that heavy."
A roll of the eyes was all that was received by that remark. It was comments like that that made Daring wish the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was still unconscious. Although all and all, in the adventuress' mind, she enjoyed the company of another pony to venture with. There were seldom times her expeditions involved two or more ponies. Not being used to it, she figured that was why she was acting so repugnant towards the mare whenever Mare-Do-Well would strike a nerve. She felt sort of bad when she snapped back at her about archaeology, but she had a feeling Mare-Do-Well understood her passion for the job and had shrugged it off, because that's what friends do. She didn't want to admit it, but the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well knew they were friends. Daring knew it for sure, but it would take some more opening of the mind before the mare accompanying her would accept it.
"You hear that?" The masked mare asked suddenly, sitting up on her hindquarters and twitching her left ear.
Daring listened in, but could hear nothing except the brush of the wind. "Nope, I've been flying for so long, I've sort of tuned everything out except the wind and you. What does it sound like?"
An unknown whooshing sound continued to bewilder the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. It was strange and it gradually became louder and louder as the seconds rolled on. "I don't know.....It's getting louder, can't you hear it?"
The adventuress cupped her ear a second time, and this attempt was met with a different result, the whooshing was definitely audible, but now the girls could hear a slight and constant whipping to it. "Yeah now I can! Where is that coming from?"
With her curiosity at an all time high, Mare-Do-Well began to look around, gazing in every direction with her hoof over her forehead to shield her eyes from the bright moon. "Well I don't see anything to the north...How bizarre. Let's see if anypony's is behi-"
The abrupt cut-off of her sentence wasn't noticed by the archaeologist until several seconds later. "...Mare-Do-Well? Anything wrong?"
She waited for a response but the masked mare remained silent, beginning to worry that her partner may have experienced another migraine. Hastily, the archaeologist craned her neck to check on the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, but was confused when she found her staring in the 6 o'clock direction. "Hey, Mare-Do-Well. What's the matter?"
"Daring." She finally spoke with seriousness shrouding in her voice. "...Get ready."
"Ready for what?"
Off in the distance, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well could spot several pegasi along with three of the strangest flying machines she'd ever seen. But it only took her a mere few seconds to recognize the vehicle from Spectrum's schematics, three unicorns were in control of their own blue and white-striped, fully operational gyrocopter. As for the pegasi, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well noticed each of them wielding a grayish increment. She could only hazard to guess that the H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. thugs, including the pilots of the gyrocopters, were armed with spear guns. "Our biggest fight yet. Those are Spectrum gyrocopters, and they brought friends with them."
Do's eyes flew open. As fast as she could, the adventuress curved her angle of flight and turned around to learn that her partner was telling no lies. "They're coming this way?"
"Yes! We must have been seen flying over." Mare-Do-Well suggested. "Union knows we're coming, so those ponies are coming to kill us."
At first it seemed that way, but then all of a sudden, Daring could hear the sound of the Princess Celestia's voice. Her Majesty had put every ounce of faith into her, and she was positive she'd praise the same for Mare-Do-Well too. After all, they had cheated death time and time again. Just a few hours ago, faith helped them to break out of the devious capture of H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E.'s shadowy leader, Shyster Stockholder. No, Daring wasn't prepared to give up yet. It was time to stop Canterlot Crisis, and this fight, was definitely to be the first of many. Looking on with her blood beginning to heat up, Daring Do took a deep breath and reassured her ally. "Don't worry, we're going to kill them first. Like my father said, hold on, hold fast, keep going, and never back down."
To be continued