//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Union Goes on Strike // Story: Daring Do & The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well: Canterlot Crisis // by Canon Fodder //------------------------------// Spectrum Incorporated: Cloudsdale HQ Factory, 4:19 am, September 29th Like a charging bull, Union Jack pounced at the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, spearing her to the ground as they engaged in combat. The two rolled around, shaking each other vigorously as one attempted to gain advantage over the other. Eventually Union was able to stay on top of the masked mare and laid two hits in on her before she slipped between his legs. As she rose to her hooves, the mare elbowed the other unicorn in the back of the head, knocking him down. Mare-Do-Well went to drive a kick into the side of the stallion but Union swiftly rolled out of harm's way and sprang to his hooves. The two began to circle like boxers, eyeing one another down and preparing to strike. Mare-Do-Well's magical exhaustion and Union's patched eye put them both at a particular disadvantage but both remained vigilant. Mare-Do-Well swung a punch and Union dodged. She followed up with roundhouse kick and Union ducked in which he followed-up with an uppercut, knocking the mare back as she stumbled against a piece of machinery. Union Jack attempted to crush the head of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well between his hooves and the metal structure. The dazed unicorn mare shielded her face just in time, blocking his hooves with hers. Both of them pushed on each other for a moment until Mare-Do-Well broke out and kicked Union in the stomach. Taking advantage of the situation, she drove his head against the machine then kicked him again, this time bringing him to the floor. The masked mare tried to catch her breath but her hooves were swept from underneath and she fell to her flank. Union had recovered, this time sporting a small gash upon his forehead. He wiped blood from his head and a look of unfathomable anger came over him. He clobbered her in the head, then the furious unicorn spit at her. "Do you know the price I pay to keep this face perfect!" he vented. With that he kicked her in the gut and started to look around the factory until he noticed a glass panel in the wall containing an axe. He smiled deviously as he began to make his way over. "You know, isn't it rather fitting we end off this way? I suppose that's the way it has to be. I mean nopony else, not even Shyster Stockholder could kill you, so I guess it comes down to me. A bloody yank you are, a bloody bloody BLOODY yank..." Union broke the glass with his hoof and removed the fire axe with his teeth. The fallen mare saw this and picked herself up quickly, ready for another attack, "Go ahead...Make my day..." With a spring, Union reared up and broke into a gallop, preparing to strike. He ran; acquiring his target, taking aim, cocking his head back as he drew close, then he swung around trying to impale the mare but fell short as she ducked under by a hair. The mad stallion took no time and immediately followed with a swing down, slicing through the cape of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well as she once again evaded harms' way. The mare rolled, knowing she had to get up before Union got lucky. Swiftly, she got to her hooves and backed away from another swing of the axe, flinching at its whistling sound. Before he could charge another swing, Mare-Do-Well grabbed a hold of the axe, struggling with Union to take possession, "What...Happened to the purity...Of unarmed...Combat?" "Honor means nothing to me," Union stated amid the struggle, "No. 1 will be pleased either way." Mare-Do-Well switched her game and kicked at the legs of Union, attempting to throw off the stallion, however he retaliated by bunting the mare in the head with the blunt end of the axe, bashing her away. Mare-Do-Well shook the stars from her head just before Union could wind another swing. Thinking on her hooves, she ran back at the stallion and jumped, landing a surprising attack on him with a kicking back-flip, smacking a hoof to the jaw. Jack's head cocked back and the axe flew from his mouth. Without giving him a chance to recover, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well continued her onslaught with a jab to the face, a chop to the chest and then a swift kick to the side that brought him to his flank. The stallion was beaten dizzy, unable to register his surroundings for the moment. This allowed the masked mare to take a strong advantage. When Union groggily locked eyes with the mare, she tauntingly waved good-bye to him then followed-up on the gesture with another agile roundhouse kick. This time the strike connected with a thunderous crack as a tooth ejected from Union's mouth as his head snapped to the side, unraveling his eye-patch at the same time. The bloodied Union Jack didn't even make a noise as he dropped to the floor, eyes shut and bleeding profusely from his wounded mouth. Finally Mare-Do-Well ceased to stand as she could take a break. Assuming Jack was beaten, she sat down and rested her head and back against what seemed to be the base to the demolished cloud maker as the soothing temperature of the overheated machinery felt heavenly on her muscles. After a short rest, she began to look around and saw a door on the other side of the factory where she discovered a short staircase that led to the factory chief's office which accompanied a large window overseeing the entire factory next to it. Curious, the mare made her way into the office. Meanwhile her leg had begun to ache again, reminding herself that she had kicked Union with her injured leg from the speargun shot earlier. It seemed the adrenaline forced the pain of her mind for a moment, but it was surely present now. The office was significantly messier compared to Union's. The papers that were strewn about the desk seemed to all pertain to the Parasprite Distributor, a majority of which were blueprints on its construction. But sticking out among the chaos was a yellow dossier titled Project Manual. At first, most of the information she skimmed through seemed unimportant, but then upon closer examination she came across a section titled Emergency Deactivation. She marked where the section began and ended and then proceeded to rip the pages out of the manual then stuffed them underneath her hat for later. She then glanced at a small metal cabinet hanging on the wall. Unfortunately it was locked, however that failed to stop her as Mare-Do-Well used what little magic she could to work the tumblers inside the lock. After it fell from the cabinet door, she opened it up to find, to her surprise, several different sizable bottles of drugs and narcotics, two of which seemed to be out of country given the fact the labels were written in languages the mare could not decipher. She knew not of what Hurricane's intentions were with such dangerous chemicals, but the most noticeable bottle was a sole, larger black and yellow striped canister that simply read PS-X Eradicator and nothing else. The top of the can had a long cone-like nozzle with ruts in it that allowed for the ability to screw into something...but what? She pondered for a few moments before she had a thought. The masked mare retrieved the notes she had just put into her hat quickly ran through them until she put her hoof on a diagram of the same canister. Without hesitating she snatched the can out of the cabinet and threw it into her wide-brimmed hat along with the notes on the distributor. Hanging above the desk was a layout of the entire facility that highlighted the factory as the current location of anypony looking at it. She made a mental imaging of what route she’d have to take to lead towards the closest exit, but the whereabouts of her partner-in-action was unknown and the only rendezvous point she could think of was the gyrocopter they landed in. Looking out of the window, she could see one of the closed gates she had to open in order to escape. However that seemed to be the least of her worries as something felt out of place as she continued to stare out of the office window; it didn't feel right. All of a sudden it was almost as if there was something missing in the factory. It took her a second to figure it out but then it hit her...Union’s body was no longer on the ground. Suddenly her ears perked to the sound of fast hooves, and on a judgment call the mare leaped out of the way of a heavy axe penetrating the wooden desk like a hot knife through butter, and a crazed Union Jack wielding it. "You won't make it out of here alive!" he announced as he let go of the axe stuck in the unrepairable desk. Mare-Do-Well got to her hooves and the first thing she noticed was his now exposed, damaged eye. She grimaced, it’s appearance was completely white and disfigured. Union replied to the off-putting stare: "This is the momento you left me when we first met, Ms. Mare-Do-Well. A late allergic reaction from my rose has cost me my sight in that eye...Thanks to you." "And I'm supposed to feel sorry for you?" she retorted smirking. "Oh no, no, no," he chuckled, lighting an aura of magic around his horn, "You're supposed to DIE!" The masked mare had but a moment to react before she saw one of those same roses launch from his lapel and head straight towards her neck with the poison-laced tip set to kill. She managed to roll out of the way, but Union thrust it at her again, prompting her to spear the stallion in an attempt to drop it from his magical grasp. The two collided and both of them crashed through the office window and tumbled to the factory floor outside. Both landed with a painful grunt with glass still falling from above, accompanied by a red rose. The height of the fall left both ponies struggling to get to their hooves, with both suffering from lacerations due to the glass. Mare-Do-Well's leg was hurting more than ever with a throbbing pain coming from the origin of the wound. Upon a quick look, she found out she had cut it open and it was bleeding through the tourniquet. However it was the least of her concerns as her eyes came across sight of the rose. She made a dive for it immediately however it was already caught in the clairvoyant grip of Union's horn once again. Jack levitated it in front of him as he continued to stare down at the mare trying to gain her ground. He smiled pompously, "I thought every filly liked the smell and look of a fine rose. Sure they have thorns, but sometimes the aroma can be…Quite intoxicating.” The exhausted Mare-Do-Well finally stood up and scowled at the stallion, "What's your point?" she asked. Another sinister grin came over the corporate extortionist. Without saying another word levitated the rose between him and the heroine. The toxic tip was poised to strike her. Then finally Union’s eyes widened as he used his magic to thrust the rose forward, only to be caught in a telekinetic struggle as Mare-Do-Well used her own magic to catch attempt to resist the push. But initiating that strength of magic prompted a horrendous, agonizing pain in her head. Unable to stifle the pain, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well hollered relentlessly, using all her might not to break her spell. "My point is..." Union paused to laugh, "you've hardly used any magic, and I'd like to know why. A little exhausted are we?" The maniacal Union Jack burst out laughing, practically tasting the victory soon to come and enjoying every last bit of her pain. "Suffering from a little migraine hmm!" he toyed. The crippling headache was overwhelming, and Mare-Do-Well could already feel her grip begin to weaken, but she pushed, letting out another scream as she could do nothing but hope for a miracle. "Just remember, Union!" she yelled with a painful and beaten tone, "This doesn't end with me...There will be others." "Your luck has run out, Mysterious Mare-Do-Well!" he boasted, "And as for the others, if you’re the best chance Equestria’s had, then I welcome their feeble attempts." As time went on, Mare-Do-Well let out another vile scream, finally succumbing to the idea of her defeat, unable to hold off Union's push any longer with her resistance failing. The venomous weapon slowly inched closer to the defenseless mare. Her magic was failing and the magical exhaustion significantly tired her out as she was backed against a wall, still wincing in tremendous agony. Union Jack held his nose up high, finding incredible pleasure out of the suffering mare, "Take one more look at greatness, Ms. Mare-Do-Well. If you think this big plan is where it ends, you are dead wrong! After we successfully complete our mission, Hurricane will establish a new world order. We hold the key to this land and we shall brandish the name of the Hierarchy all across the kingdom of Equestria. All will fear us and anypony that opposes us will be destroyed. We'll go down in the history books as the most vicious syndicate to have ever EXISTED! And in the end everypony will know us, fear us, and OBEY US!” "Oh would you just SHADDUP already!" came a familiar voice. The new voice immediately got the attention of Union. He went to look up at the newcomer but instead caught glimpse of a silver projectile rocket across the room and bury its sharp head into the hind leg of the stallion. The pain was instantaneous and radiated throughout his body like a clash of chain-lightning, forcing every muscle in his body to momentarily freeze as he cringed and screamed...And then seconds later, he felt a cold sensation strike the side of his neck. He put his hoof to it and felt the soft petals of a red rose. The spontaneous bolt had startled him, stopping his magic and allowing the masked mare to seal his fate unexpectedly. He looked back at Mare-Do-Well to find her panting heavily, but no longer in pain but instead with a satisfied grin across her face. Shortly after shaking his head at her in silence he fell on his stomach, holding himself up with his front hooves. Several seconds later he began to cough violently as the poison worked fast. His eyes caught sight of brownish hooves trot towards him with an olive shirt and a pith-helmet shadowing the face of an archaeologist who was just as pleased. “No,” Union uttered painfully, “After all my progress…” Daring Do knelled down and spoke to him sternly: "Where is the Prince, Union? Where is Prince Blueblood!" Despite his determined fate, the stallion looked up at her and spit at her question, and through his suffering he forced a smirk. "I would rather perish than assist the likes of you, Professor Do...But remember this..." With great effort, Union grabbed the shirt of Daring and hauled her in closer, "There are many of us. The hurricane of damnation is far larger than anything you can possibly imagine. Killing me won’t solve your problem, and in time my brethren will rise to the challenge and take this kingdom into a new era of leadership, and I can assure that you and your little friend shall meet a fate far worse than mere death, you bloody-“ “Yank?” she assumed. “…Bitch,” the pitiful Union corrected with a cringed frown of hatred.” ...Evil has many faces and holds no boundaries, Daring Do...Remember that...Remember that...Evil...has many...faces..." With that Daring Do watched the eyes of the stallion shut and his grip abruptly loosen as he fell to the ground at last. Union Jack was no more... “…Thanks,” said the appreciative Mare-Do-Well. “No problem, partner,” Daring returned, quickly rushing to her friend’s aid. She removed the hat and felt the hot, sweltering forehead of the unicorn, “You’re burning up; we have to get you to a hospital.” The mare shook her head, “No hospitals. We have to get back to my HQ to regroup.” “Well we have to do something, you’re bleeding to death!” the adventuress retorted, growing more worried of her condition. Mare-Do-Well pointed to the office of the factory chief, “Up there…I saw a cabinet with some drugs in it. There’s got to be something in there to hold off the migraine long enough for me to fly us out of here.” The puzzled Daring glanced at the office and then back at the masked mare with a quirked eyebrow, “Do I look like a doctor to you?” “Just help me up walk me up there!”, Mare-Do-Well snapped back, rubbing her temples.” “Okay, okay!” Daring jumped, rolling her eyes as she started to assist the injured mare. Spectrum Zephyrus, 7:29 am, September 29th As the sun began to rise farther above the horizon, the crisp autumn wind brushed frivolously throughout the city of Canterlot. The sky was clear save for a few roaming clouds, but unbeknownst to the public, a dark shadow was beginning to cast over the kingdom. In the skies above, the Spectrum flagship: Zephyrus, hummed over the outskirts of the city. Inside it, an eager Shyster Stockholder viewed the morning sky from his desk, grinning proudly as he lavished in the thoughts of his grand scheme. Soon the land he coveted to claim would come closer to his hooves. Giovanni D'Angelo was reading quietly to himself from across the room, periodically poking his head up from his book to check his watch. "The princesses have thirty more minutes to answer." He pointed out. Stockholder reached across the desk and picked up his fedora, placing it on his head as he chuckled and glanced over. "I already know their answer." "How can you be so sure?" D'Angelo replied. No.1 fixed his sights back on the morning view. "Celestia tried to call the bluff of Hurricane once before," he said. "My predecessor, High Roller was ruthless when it came to extortion. Decades ago, before the initial Canterlot Crisis operation, Roller sent his henchmen to kidnap several high-ranking government officials, including the Vice-captain of the Royal Guard. They had gathered intel from a stallion on the inside, obtaining all the necessary information for their capture. For their release, Roller ordered Princess Celestia to hoofover the same 500 million bits that we ask for today. The fool tried to test us by refusing to pay-up...And in that very same week, seven severed heads were delivered to the families, and the seven beheaded corpses were sent to Canterlot Castle. If she wishes for history to stay history, they will pay us our money." No. 2 took a moment to digest his boss's story, then grinned back. "And yet, this is all a preliminary plot leading up to an even bigger payout." "Precisely!" Stockholder remarked. Moments later the two were interrupted by the flash of a white spark, then a rolled scroll falling before Shyster, landing on his desk. He stood, beginning to laugh maniacally. "They're early," Giovanni said as he walked over. Shyster grasped the scroll in his hooves, glancing at D'Angelo with a premature victorious smile as he started to unravel the scroll. But just as he was about to read the first words, the two were abruptly startled by banging on the door. Stockholder sighed and lowered the scroll as he let D'Angelo answer it. The griffon reached out and pulled the handle, allowing one of the guards to cross the threshold. "What is it?" Stockholder asked hastily, "I haven't the time for interruptions." The guard bowed in apologies and hoofed over a clipboard to his superior. "Forgive me, Sir, but I think this warrants an interruption." He said with an informative tone. "First and foremost, No. 7 and 12 will be arriving in Canterlot in approximately fifteen minutes, with operative Jet Stream and his Beta Team accompanying them.” A puzzled Stockholder glanced up. “Jet Stream and Beta Team? I had ordered No. 9 to accompany them.” “…That’s the other news, Sir,” the guard gravely followed, “a major situation transpired at the Cloudsdale Headquarters.” A look of worry and disbelief came over the villain. “Well? What happened!” “From the transmission we received from the Notus, we never got much.” He firmly stated. “But there’s been substantial damage done to the facility. No. 12 can tell you more when he’s landed, he wants both of you to meet him at the landing zon-“ “Get out of my way!” No. 1 barked as he shoved the clipboard back at the guard, pushing him aside. The infuriated unicorn stormed out of his office with D’Angelo close behind. The two marched down the corridor and toward the rear of the airship, travelling down flights of stairs shortly after to reach the hangar of Stockholder’s personal gyrocopter. The gyrocopter was far superior to its common blue and white-striped counterpart. The cockpit seated two bodies instead of one and featured a glass windshield to protect the pilot from the elements. Its propellers were larger to accommodate the added weight and its body was painted black with the Spectrum logo adorning the front and sides. And to complete upon its superiority, two wings protruded from each respective side and were both equipped with state-of-the-art speargun turrets. No. 1 and 2 entered the vehicle, preparing to take off. Meanwhile, guards boarded three other gyrocopters behind them in order to accompany the Hurricane leaders. Shyster removed his fedora in favor of the machine’s communication headset. He flicked various switches to activate the complicated machine and then roared the engine and propellers to life with a spark of his magic. Then he flicked on an intercom switch and addressed a guard standing beside the airship’s hangar doors: “Open the gate!” The guard saluted and pulled on a lever to activate the hydraulic mechanism, allowing the doors to open and the morning wind to infiltrate the ship’s hull. Stockholder, D’Angelo and company then took off, flying their gyrocopters out of the Zephyrus and out into the skies above the Canterlot Mountain. After taking a moment to check their conditions, the four machines were put on a course for the Canterlot Spectrum HQ, with Zephyrus’ sister airship, Notus, now visible and drawing closer to the city. To be continued...