Cloudsdale Airspace (About 3 miles outside of city), 1:23 am, September 29th
"Okay, do you have a plan exactly?" The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well hollered, hanging on for dear life as Daring darted towards the gang of eight H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. thugs.
"Are you good at skydiving?" Daring shouted, ignoring her ally's query to ask her own.
The question seemed totally bizarre to the unicorn and she almost wanted to hit the pegasus on the back of the head when she said it. "Not in the strictest definition! What are you planning?"
"Okay, never mind the skydiving! It's a long shot but it's our only shot!" the adventuress exclaimed as they drew closer and closer to Union's security squad. "Listen carefully: you know plain and simple that you're not going to keep up with any pegasi, so I'll handle them. I see only five up ahead so it shouldn't be that difficult. I'll leave it to you to get aboard one of those gyrocopters; we could make use of one and get to Cloudsdale faster, because we should probably try to make it there before it gets any later than it already is. Now I'm going to fly by relatively fast, giving you just a split second to leap across on one, then I'll tackle one of the pegasus guards and attempt to take his spear gun...You got all that?"
It wasn't too complicated, but a plan of attack such as that was much more easily said than done. Although could they do anything else? Mare-Do-Well knew that Daring fought well, even when outnumbered. To her it was just another day at the office. Despite their lack of numbers, the hooded hero had faith in their teamwork. She took a deep breath and nodded proudly before she fastened her wide-brimmed hat. "You bet, let's do this!"
Daring knew this sort of scenario all too well. Her adrenaline ran wild, ready to take on anything Union Jack could throw at her. Sporting her famous smile and feeling the tenacity grow inside her; she also fastened her helmet and broke for a higher altitude. Mare-Do-Well held on, and Daring climbed higher into the heavens as if she was trying to reach for the moon. Within twenty seconds, they were already over two hundred feet from where they originally were, and it only perplexed the H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. henchmen as they looked on, watching the mares from below.
"That must be them!" one pegasi guard shouted.
Another guard reached to his back and pulled a spear from the quiver strapped to his uniform. He slipped it into the barrel of the spear gun and cocked the lever on the side of the weapon to arm it. The lever fell into place and the spear locked airtight into the barrel, ready to fire. The operative smirked, and pointed to the girls. "Alpha Team! Load’em' up! Move’em' out!"
The four other pegasi complied, each taking a spear and loading their weapon. Each of them, including the unicorns flying the gyros was dressed in a black and white-striped jacket, and a black hardhat. On the back of every jacket was a crest, an emblem that bore a yellow 'H' in its center while it was shrouded by swirling lines protruding from it. The lines came in many pale shades of blue, allowing all the other characteristics of the crest to form the symbolic hurricane insignia.
Meanwhile, Daring Do and the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well were finally reaching their apex, coming to the peak of their ascent and suspending in the air for but a few seconds. At that moment, everything fell silent. Everything they learned, all the bad guys they've encountered, it had come down to this point. Getting past those brutes was the last barrier keeping them from Union Jack and the parasprites. This fight would prove to be the beginning of the end. As their moment of suspension came to an end and Daring's wings froze, she started a slight glide, a meek descent from the sky. Little by little, their speed would gradually increase, their angle would curve downward, but not with any sort of quickness or haste whatsoever. It was Daring and Mare-Do-Well's last moment of solace before they'd be fighting, not only for their own lives, but for Princess Celestia and the rest of Equestria. Eventually they could hear the quiet hush of the wind again; whistling past their ears and almost singing a delightful tune that only gales could make, and it would be the one thing that soothed the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well's spirit. The sound of the dancing winds allowed the masked mare to find tranquility one last time.
As their final dive would take them to the Hierarchy's henchmen, the adventuress lifted her head up high to a gaze at the moon one last time. Staring into its divine aura of beauty and grace, Daring knew no matter what the situation, Princess Luna would be watching over; even after everything, the archaeologist still found the moon to be her one lifeline to peace. The innocent lives crushed, the chaos created by Stockholder, and the entire world stability was all riding on them defeating Union Jack and putting an end to the parasprites.
Finally their glide began to pick up speed, accelerating into a steady pace, then their angle steepened, and the pace turned into a cruise, now getting faster and faster with each second. Their angle dipped again and they went fast…Faster...Faster! Rocket fast! Bullet fast! As fast as gravity would let them drop! Daring aimed down her prey and acquired her target. The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well peered ahead, and she cracked her knees to prepare for the leap of faith. Meanwhile, the H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. guards took aim with the spear guns, ready to make their mark. Then on their leader’s command, the five pegasi fired off their shots. However, the distance was too far and their target was fast, allowing Daring to easily avoid all five spears.
Daring zipped past the first gyrocopter, feeling a big weight lift from her shoulders as Mare-Do-Well swallowed down the anxiety in her throat and jumped from the pegasus, extending her hooves out as far she possibly could, then just barely scraping the edge of the gyrocopter's right-wheel. She managed to coil her foreleg around it and clung on for her life. The pilot was dumbfounded and felt her substantial amount of weight pull down the front. The masked mare struggled to climb the cold and slippery leg of the flying machine while the sound of loud rotary propellers roared in her ears from above.
The two other gyrocopter pilots took immediate action, loading their respective weapons and firing at the masked mare. Struggling to stay on was one thing, but the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well had to use what little magic she could muster up, casting two lightning-fast spells at the two projectiles to deflect them away. When that attempt had failed, one pilot flew underneath the mare; forcing her to pull herself against the bottom of the aircraft to unsure she wasn’t shredded into bits. Then while that pilot had to make the turn around, the other pilot had loaded another spear, firing at will. Mare-Do-Well pulled up again, evading her third arrow. “You’ll have to try harder than that!” she shouted at them. Then without warning, she saw a white streak pass her line of sight. From above, the pilot of the gyrocopter she currently suspended from had shot at her, almost harpooning right through her skull. At her position, it forced the pilot to stand, craning over the side of the cockpit to fire a shot; this finally gave the hero the opening she so desperately needed. With a glow of magic, Mare-Do-Well tugged on the collar of the pilot reloading his spear gun; this took him by surprise and caused him to stumble, falling out of the cockpit, thus falling off the gyrocopter altogether. Luckily, Mare-Do-Well was able to catch his dropped spear gun in her magic before the ditched pilot fearfully screamed to his untimely death. The other pilots responded by firing off two more shots, coming nowhere close to hitting Mare-Do-Well as her newly acquired aircraft suddenly dipped down due to the lack of magic operating it. She took the advantage and scaled the metal contraption to climb into the cockpit, conjuring her magic as quickly as possible to regain altitude.
Meanwhile, the leading sentinel of the security squad kept directing his team to fire, shooting at the blur which flew circles around his team before making a sudden curve in direction and spearing into the guts of one guard. The tackle caused the stallion to inadvertently fire from his spear gun, launching a spear into the chest of one of his comrades. The fatal shot caused the dying guard to cough up blood before letting out an anguished gasp. Daring tumbled through the air, tussling with the tackled guard and both falling into a humongous dark cloud just below and quickly disappearing through the vapor.
The leader could do nothing but look on as he watched one of his team member’s lifeless body fall before his eyes. Then he cursed at the remaining two and pointed urgently at the cloud below. "She took him down into that cumulonimbus! Two of you follow them and I will remain here and follow Night Shade and Escapade to hunt down that Mare-Do-Wit, or whatever her name is. Go!"
"Yes, Sir!" his comrades saluted. The five of them broke off, two heading into the rain cloud and the three remainder of Alpha Team to pursue their hijacked gyrocopter.
Among the darkness and moistness of the dank rain cloud, Daring and the attacked guard flipped over and under each other, throwing lefts and rights. The guard lost his spear gun sometime during the plunge, reverting to alternative tactics. At first the stronger stallion had the upper hoof, but then Daring used her slick agility to her advantage, performing mid-air sidesteps and counter-striking his jabs. Desperate to get the mare off his back, he clapped his hooves together to reveal a hidden blade protruding from his right horseshoe. He stabbed forward, and not expecting the knife; it took her by surprise and tore through a part of her shirt, leaving a thin red line upon her coat.
When the baddie sliced through the fabric, he thought he had killed her, but the adventuress replied back with a clear shot to the jaw and quickly grabbed a hold of his right forehoof. She and the guard struggled back and forth, fighting to shove the sharp increment into each other’s throats. But just when the archaeologist thought she had it dialed in, her opponent changed the game, twisting around and suddenly appearing from behind as he now held the dagger at her neck, pulling back. However, Daring mustered all the power she could to keep the blade away. She knew she couldn’t last forever; she had to figure a way out of this, and fast. With every second she could feel her hoof weaken and the sharp blade draw closer to her; it wouldn't be long until she gave. The guard laughed maniacally. "You're not getting away this time, Daring Do!"
With desperation setting in, the seemingly helpless mare gave one more push, pressing against his own force, trying with all her might to break his hold. But to her dismay, she was simply beating herself out; this stallion was not about to let her go. What would Mare-Do-Well do?, she thought; her face showing strain while her last bit of strength was about to collapse. Then suddenly it was like a light bulb switched on in her head. Daring flailed her neck and thrashed about, trying to get her angle right. Then with forcefulness, she lifted her hind leg up and kicked back as hard as she could, driving between the stallion's legs. He released his grip within seconds, writhing in pain and shouting from the top of his lungs. The archaeologist acted quickly, elbowing her opposition in his nose, leaving him dazed enough to take his hoof and stab him in the stomach with his own weapon. His beating wings froze almost instantaneously, his breathing halted, and his eyes were filled with shock. Then moments later, he dropped down and landed lifeless on the cloud floor. Daring waited until he was completely motionless then took a deep breath and sighed of relief. She closed her eyes, and then opened them again. Now that she had a chance to stop and rest, she looked around. It was nearly as dark as the Everfree Forest was itself, yet nothing could be heard, just the drips of collecting rain water and Daring Do’s own beating heart. It was relieving for that one moment.
To her regret, the solace was soon over. Through the thickness of the cloud, Daring brought a hoof to her ear and heard the muffled sounds of another voice. "I think I heard something over here. This way!"
"Seriously?" Daring groaned, her tone filled with annoyance. "I swear, Union Jack has messed with the wrong pegasus."
From far above, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well thought quickly on what she could do; Alpha’s Commander and two gyrocopters were following close behind. She decided she had to come up with some sort of way to either lose them completely or devise a plan to eliminate her predators, and with a mostly clear sky the latter seemed more logical. Even though the gyrocopter took little magic to operate, Mare-Do-Well was still not at full capacity; however, she made an effort to get away from the dangerous criminals. But despite the chase, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well felt an adrenaline rush like she'd never had before. Just being able to fly on her own made her feel reinvigorated, it was an amazing experience. It didn't have a natural feel like a pegasus would, but it still impressed the mare to no end.
As she went to make a loop around to keep in the vicinity of Daring's location, she felt something prod her hind leg. The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well took a swift glance on the floor of the cockpit and right next to her was the previous pilot's quiver to his spear gun. She then knew that it was the only way she was going to have a chance of getting away in one piece, but she would have to have the right angle. Hauling the control stick to the side, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well rotated and faced the incoming H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. slime. As quick as she could, the masked mare fastened her obtained spear gun in her hooves and levitated one of the bolts into the barrel. Then with a quick pull of the lever, it was locked and loaded.
The gyrocopters in front of her were beginning to close in, drawing nearer and nearer while her heart felt like it beat faster than the propellers spun. She tried to concentrate. Killing one of the pilots was mandatory; the size of the cockpit only gave her enough room to evade one spear, not two. With that in mind, she lifted the gun's attached scope to eye-level and took aim at the left-bound pilot. Daring had made it look easy when she shot it back aboard Shyster’s airship, but Mare-Do-Well herself was finding difficulty in keeping her hooves still. She couldn't let doubt cloud her thoughts. She shook her head clean, but the risk of missing her target was impossible to get out of her mind. "Keep it together, girl," she told herself, "take it easy..." Finally she took a deep inhale and held herself steady, watching her predators come in for the kill. It was like waiting to get hit by a speeding train.
Meanwhile the other pilots were taking aim with their spear guns, as well as maintaining a wicked speed of flight. With the pilot on her right seeming to draw in first, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well made a split second decision and changed her target, getting only just one chance to make her mark. At last, she fired, and the long spear burst from the barrel of the gun and whistled across the sky. Time slowed, and the unicorn mare could only watch. At first it did not look like a clean hit and it appeared as if it was going to pass the opposing gyrocopter, but then it began to curve, its fins steering its path. Her shed of hope was beginning to ring true but dropped dead when she heard the sound of metal on metal as he zipped past. Mare-Do-Well cursed under her breath when she realized she had missed. Suddenly she took a slight glance to the left and felt the sharp pain spike her left hind leg as the second pilot flew past moments later. The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well screamed while the painful sensation cascaded throughout her nerves. Her breaths were reduced to quickened whimpers as she tried to build the courage to look down. However, with her enemies still on her tail, she decided to escape across the sky once more before doing so. She pushed the throttle forward and the gyro dipped forward as well, trying to gain speed while the other pilots had to make the U-turn. When the machine was flying at a good pace again, she took a deep breath and examined her leg. The spear had managed to pierce through the thin metal of the cockpit, stabbing in far enough to give the mare an ugly gash in her lower thigh. She quickly used her magic to pull the spear out of the metal. Then she looked at the injury again, noticing that it never struck bone; and she still had feeling below the wound so she assumed nothing was broken, but the pain was surely present and blood was soaking through her suit and running down past her knees. Judging by the severity, she determined if the fight didn't end in time, she would most certainly die from loss of blood.
Up ahead, the Commander was in sight of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, smirking deviously as he went to load a spear into his gun. “I got you now, you little pest.”
Mare-Do-Well noticed the pegasus guard holding his place, readying his aim. Despite her injury, she grinned and fastened her hat, putting both hooves on the control stick. “So you wanna play games? I’m down!” she hollered.
Alpha’s leader watched her gain speed, but remained steady and fired off a shot at her. He quickly reloaded, firing again, coming within a smaller radius of hitting his target. Less than a hundred feet away, he was only given enough time to load one more time. He carefully aimed, held his breath and shot; it looked like it was going to hit. However, Mare-Do-Well ducked her head in time before it picked her off. Eventually the gyrocopter became too close for the Commander to evade it. His eyes widened and he made an attempt to flee before getting clipped side-on and the wind knocked out of him as he tumbled mid-air then spiralled onto a nearby cloud. The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well peeked back to watch her enemy’s body toss all about and feathers fly in a disarray, laughing at what she accomplished. But soon she turned back around, knowing that she still had to lose two more H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. operatives. The fight was far from over.
Meanwhile, Daring Do had her own hooves full. She had remained still for the majority of the time, waiting for the two other guards to fly past. The voices were getting louder by the minute, and sounding more frustrated at that. The adventuress silenced her breathing and tried to stay still while keeping her wings flapping. Timing was of the essence and key in the element of surprise. Daring had to lay low and wait until she saw one of the two remaining pegasus guards go pass. The darkness of the cloud made the mare appear invisible and he kept on going, giving Daring one shot. Very slowly, she kept the pace of her wings to a dull flutter and crept up on the guard. "Be with me, Princess..." With a winding swing of her leg, Daring gave the creep a vicious roundhouse kick to the back of the head. He immediately fumbled his flight and crashed against the cloud wall, breaking through to another segment of the cumulonimbus. The archaeologist was about to climb through his body-shaped crevice when she was met with a surprising retaliation. On the other side of the hole, the guard grabbed Do by the hoof and dragged her through. When she forcefully crossed the threshold, the guard whipped the mare with a kick to her stomach and shoved her back. Daring recovered quickly and used agility to her advantage. The sentry tried tackling the mare, but Daring sidestepped his attempts, showing up the guard with her speed and kicking at him whenever she had the chance. The adventuress had learned to fight her way out of many situations over the years, no matter how big the enemy; she always found a way to avoid being beaten to death.
But to her dismay, the darkness would be her greatest downfall in this fight. Unbeknownst to Daring, and even her attacker, the other H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. operative had finally arrived, restraining Daring Do from behind by surprise and locking her forehooves behind her back. She immediately struggled and wiggled every which way she could in order to escape. But this stallion's strength was again too much for a mere mare to handle. "Let me go, you creep!"
"Shoot her..." Her restrainer ordered, using every ounce of his power to hold her back while his partner tried to catch his breath. "Shoot her!" he barked again, growing impatient.
Daring tried to kick her enemy in his groin like she had done to her first attacker, but she failed to make her mark as her opponent seemed to be protecting himself. Soon enough the other guard regained his composure and reached for his back to retrieve the spear gun. But to his regret it was gone, lost during his and Daring's combat. So he instead clapped his hooves and Daring watched on as this guard also had a blade contraption in his shoe, charging at Daring with a feral battle cry. With a matter of life and death on her shoulders, Daring's body kicked into overdrive, giving her a sudden burst of strength to overpower her captor. She gave her restrainer a swift elbow to the head then tossed him to the side with a hip throw, able to fly up from the knife just in time. While in the perfect position, Daring drove her hind leg across the temple of the charging stallion diving for her, snapping his head farther than one's head should probably go and knocking him out with a sickening crack.
With another enemy compromised, Daring was down to one more guard, staring at her with a crazed expression of fury ready to explode. Both ponies were breathing hard; the length of the battle was taking a toll on their bodies. The rain cloud had Daring's coat drenched in a mix of both dew and perspiration. She felt the cool particles of water hit her back as she flapped her wings, relieved they were not only keeping her airborne and agile, but preventing a heat stroke from the oppressive atmosphere. Finally the guard addressed the persistent pegasus: "You're much more than the report said you were." He said in an irritated tone.
"Why, thank you," Daring smirked widely, "I aim to please."
Ignoring that quell of annoyance, the stallion launched forward and dove for the adventuress, but being put back to a one on one battle gave her the upper hoof again. She swiftly side-swerved the guard and caught him in the back with a kick. He absorbed the shot with the grunt, spinning back around with a backhoof, but Daring ducked. He went to kick her but she caught his leg then delivered a head-butt. The adrenaline-pumped archaeologist laughed at him. “Is that all you’ve got? Jeez, you henchmen are all the same, slow and predictable.”
The guard was taken aback, shaking the stars from around his head. He knew the adventuress was urging him to come at her again, but he had had enough. The guard reached behind himself and unsheathed his gun, with a spear already locked in place. He took aim, wrenching his hoof around the trigger. “Try this on for size, you runt!”
Then with only a second to think, Daring contemplated the situation and let her wings stop. The split-second decision would pay off as the adventuress dropped from the guard’s line of fire, allowing the spear to instead graze off her pith-helmet, coming ever so close to the jaws of defeat. She disappeared into the darkness below, puzzling the guard.
“Where the hay did she go?” Acting quickly, the sole guard reached into his cylindrical satchel and hauled out another spear. He loaded it into the barrel, racked the action lever, and then it was ready to fire once more. He was vigilant, turning around frantically, waiting for signs of her returning. He concentrated on the cloud floor below, but he could only see his fallen comrades amidst the darkness. Nearly thirty seconds had gone by before he considered she might have fled. “Come out, come out, wherever you-“
“SURPRISE!” somepony shouted as a dark blur shot like lightning from the side, catching its prey off guard, forcefully driving its hindhoof into his skull as hard as she could. Daring Do had ultimately vanquished her enemy’s consciousness in an instant. The guard went head over heels, tumbling over and over again, hitting the wall and then falling to the ground of the nimbus. Having finally a good moment to think, Daring considered what possible danger her ally could be in and had a sudden idea come to mind. In a flash, the pegasus mare flew down and took the guard’s spear gun and quiver. Then it reminded her that her oldest friend had taken a spear for her; the pith-helmet, which now bore a new scar across its top. She took it in her hooves and scanned it over. Seeming relatively fine, she kissed it and perched it proudly atop her head.
Meanwhile, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was still being pursued by the two H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. pilots. She learned earlier that the spear she fired only connected into the side of the first aircraft. In combination with her injuries, her adrenaline was shot and she was beginning to feel her head throb from her previous state of magical exhaustion. She needed to secure a way to escape, and quickly. The hooded heroine gazed over and across the vast rain cloud, Daring was still nowhere to be seen. She began to think that maybe the guards may have seized or killed her, but after everything they’ve been through, it would seem illogical for such an avid adventuress to die by three amateur criminals. Suddenly her mind was driven to another concern when another shot of pain cascaded from her left leg, bringing her eyes to her still bleeding wound. The stench of her blood was beginning to travel through her nostrils, emitting a nauseous urge. However, she immediately threw the idea of vomiting out of her head when she remembered the predicament. I have to focus, she thought, we’re so close! We have to beat these guys.
As Mare-Do-Well pulled the control stick to the side, the gyrocopter started another loop around, giving her a moment to think. “I need to lose these guys, now! But I can’t get close enough without getting shot, and in my state, there’s no way I can maintain both a protective shield and this damn aircraft…However, I can alternate between the two...Hmm…It’s worth a shot.” Coming around 180 degrees, the mare was face to face yet again with the two pilots who were flying at a pace faster than before. She contemplated only one chance for her plan to work. Mare-Do-Well locked eyes with the pilot to her right, giving him a focused glare. She took a deep breath, finding the faith in herself, and then she pushed forward. The gyrocopter dipped forward again, picking up speed. The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well had her sights set on the right-bound pilot, contemplating her next move.
As that pilot began putting the pieces together, he couldn’t help but laugh maniacally. “Hey Night Shade, check this out! This broad wants to play a game of chicken. Let’s see how far she’s willing to go!” Then Escapade threw his own stick forward to accelerate, accepting the challenge with a mad glint in his eye.
Then as they were drawing closer and closer; accelerating faster and faster, the friction of the wind was starting to press against the mare’s form, almost immobilizing her. She took one more glance at her leg; she prayed she would have the strength to combat these guards. It’s all or nothing now…
Finally as the moment of truth drew nigh, Escapade’s crazed expression slowly dissipated as he realized she wasn’t pulling away. There was not enough for either of them to escape, the crash was inevitable. Night Shade could only watch as both his ally and enemy were about to collide. But at the last two seconds before impact, the masked mare burst into a flash of white light, disappearing mere moments prior to impact.
The witnessing pilot called after his partner: “Escapade, pull out! Quick!”
It was useless. The doomed pilot pulled his controls to the side in vain, but the flying, inoperative gyro was too fast and heavy, slamming into the propellers of the other with a thunderous boom, snapping the rotary blades clean off. Escapade could nothing but watch on as his aircraft was destroyed, rolling over and over before his panic took hold when the gyrocopter no longer responded to his magic. Within seconds, he lost ability to maintain altitude, and plunged to the ground in a hollering panic. This left the remaining pilot, Night Shade, with one thought in mind; where was the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well? He spun the gyro around, searching for the mare, but a dreaded feeling took hold once the unicorn pilot realized the spell she casted. ”…That was teleportation.” He muttered.
Then just as his epiphany came to him, the H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. thug received a revolving kick from the side, connecting to his jaw. His head cocked to the side, incapacitating him and thus ending his control over the gyrocopter. However, it did not falter. Instead, the magic was picked up by the wide-smirking mare clinging to the side of the machine. “Not tonight.”
With victory at last, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well allowed herself a moment to breathe. She took a look the unconscious stallion and wondered what she could do. She couldn’t simply throw him over the edge. She put a hoof to her chin to think then noticed another cloud floating beneath them. An idea came to mind and hurriedly, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well focused her horn on the unconscious guard; a string of sparkles emanated from the tip and wrapped around the stallion. They coiled round and round, tightly knit until they eventually fused into his body. After that, Mare-Do-Well took his spear gun and the quiver strapped to his back and tossed the limp body his from the seat, allowing him to fall onto the soft cloud. The spell she had casted could allow a non-pegasi pony to remain on a cloud without falling through. Since the cloud was so small, the weight and mass of the stallion slowly forced it to descend. Mare-Do-Well could only guess that he would eventually make to the ground, safe and unharmed. So she climbed in and took control of the flight. She took a look around, remembering there was still one more member involved in the attack, their squad leader. However, the remaining stallion was nowhere to be found. She could guess that he either fled or dove into the cumulonimbus below to scout out Daring. Then Mare-Do Well remembered: she hadn’t seen Daring since they split up to fight. She headed back towards the cumulonimbus cloud she saw Daring dive into.
Concerned for her partner, she hovered over the surface of the thick black cloud and called out to her. “Daring! Daring Do! Can you hear me?...Daring…”
After about a minute waiting for something to happen, Mare-Do-Well began to think the worst. Perhaps Union’s thugs were able to kill her; maybe it was the Commander who finished her off. She suddenly recalled the kind words Daring spoke to her before the escalation, the sincerity in her voice when she referred to friendship. She was at a loss of hope, taking her hat off in respect. “She’s really gone…I don’t believe it. I did it again; I’ve dragged another pony into my own mess and killed her. And to think, I thought she was the one doing me a favor…I’ll certainly miss you…Friend.” The heroine allowed a moment of silence over the loss of her partner. She shut her eyes and lowered her head to grieve.
“…Well it’s certainly not the best eulogy I’ve ever heard, but I guess it should suffice.”
The outburst made Mare-Do-Well jump, almost forcing her to cough up a lung and nearly sending the gyro out of control. When she regained herself, Mare-Do-Well turned the gyrocopter around and sure enough, there was a sandstone pegasus with a maliciously playful smile gleaming from her face. She could almost see the red cheeks show through Mare-Do-Well’s veil. “DARING!” she angrily exclaimed. “I thought you were dead!”
Daring Do struggled to stifle a laugh. “And I thought we weren’t friends, either! You sure fooled me.”
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well slammed her wide-brimmed hat back on her head. She pressed a hoof to her chest, feeling her heart racing. “Why’d you sneak up on me like that?” She asked.
Her question was met with a careless shrug. “I thought it’d be kind of funny. I find it loosens the tension after a fight. Don’t you agree?”
Mare-Do-Well could have snapped the mare’s neck right there. “I…Well…You…Daring…Don’t do that ever again. Did you lose them?”
“Who?”
“The guards.”
“Oh, them! Yeah, they’re long gone now.” Daring said, winking at her. “How about you? You alright?”
Her partner nodded. “For the most part, I’m fine, but one of them managed to shoot me in the leg…Look.”
Daring flew in closer to examine the wound. She prodded at it and looked it over. She could tell by the dried blood caked to her lower leg that she received the spear a while ago, not to mention it was still bleeding from the origin. Daring shook her head, now speaking with a much more serious tone of voice, obviously concerned with what could arise from the severe gash. “Ooooh, that’s not good. When we land when better take care of that. Is there anything we can use to stop the bleeding? The best thing we can do now is apply pressure to the wound and halt some of the bleeding...Oh, I know!”
Without asking, Daring Do took a piece of Mare-Do-Well’s cape in her teeth and pulled, tearing off a length of the fabric. “Hey, watch it!” Mare-Do-Well scolded.
“Oh, calm down, I only took off a tiny piece.” The pegasus answered in a muffle, the fabric still between her teeth. After she spit it out, Daring wrapped the piece of her cape around her thigh and tied it down tight, turning it into a makeshift tourniquet. “There we go! How’s that?”
Despite her pained expression, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well nodded. “Yeah, I think I’ll manage. C’mon, with this machine we should make it in no time. Also, I see you have some new equipment to add to your arsenal.”
At first Daring was somewhat boggled by the statement, then she took a glance behind her and discovered she was still carrying the sheathed spear gun and small supply of ammunition. “Yes! It wasn’t easy getting this spear gun, but it’ll certainly come in handy. The quiver still has like, seven spears. But that’s beside the point; we have a weapon other than magic and our fighting experience. Now, enough chit chat, we have a nation to save. Fly on, friend.”
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well went to say something but immediately stammered in light of the archaeologist’s last word. She chewed on it for a moment before letting a smile grow across her face. Then with a proud salute, she tipped her hat. “Right!”
However, as they were taking off for the city of clouds once again, Daring suddenly recalled an interesting statement Mare-Do-Well made. “I almost forgot, what did you say about another pony getting dragged into your work?”
Her friend let the gyro come to a stop. She turned her head and stared at her for a few moments, then silently looked back ahead. The sudden burst of enthusiasm was zapped from her body, just like that. “That’s nothing you need to concern yourself with, Daring Do. It was a long time ago. Let’s just worry about the here and now.”
“If you say so,” Daring replied, cocking a brow at the mare. The surprising response brought on a concerned frown from the adventuress; she’d come to know that this new friend of hers could be very inscrutable at times.
Meanwhile, as the girls finally continued along their way, a head that peeped up from the cloud behind them. It was the Commander, hiding away and astonished by the outcome of him and his stallions’ efforts. He grimaced in fear, knowing he had to return to the base with the bad news. “How in Tartarus did those two manage to take out the entire Alpha Team? They’re more dangerous than I anticipated. I have to get back and warn No. 4.”
To be continued