Daring Do and the Cask of Undeath

by PaddedCell

Chapter Six: Betrayal, and a Narrow Escape

As she clambered back out of the square hatch in the ceiling of the ruin, Desert Dust was met face-to-face with a rifle barrel. Or rather, quite a few of them. Looking up, she saw a group of the officers she had been working with, aiming directly at her. They sneered, rifles cocked and ready to fire. Laying on the ground around them, were the rest of the officers. She couldn't tell if they were unconscious, or worse. Among them was Fuse, slumped over a rifle. Staring around, she saw Roughneck. He looked solemnly on, a glimmer of malice in his eye.

"Um.. A little help here?" Dust hissed to him. He smirked a little, shaking his head.

"Sorry, Miss Dust. We're blowing off the expedition. My boys and I want to make off with that Casket of yours, and you'll be leading us to it." He explained, quite matter-of-factly. Dust gaped, shocked at this sudden turn of alliegences. She snarled indignantly.

"Why?.. Why, Roughneck? After we come all this way together?" Roughneck shrugged.

"The changelings are paying big for the Cask. Apparently Queen Chrysalis is gonna use it for some big plan of hers. Bring back her soldiers to fight over and over, or something." He replied. Looking around, Dust noticed the odd look to some of the officers, and noticed that some of them had shed their disguises and reverted to changeling form. "But anyway.. You're going to leave that snooty little captain behind, leave the airship where it is, and come with us." He declared, grasping a pistol in his talons and aiming it at her. "We have aircraft to get us to Tali, now that you've seen the map.. So we're on our way." Some of the changelings chittered and giggled, waving their rifles over the victory. Dust grudgingly followed the troop of traitors and changelings toward the parked convoy, passing inbetween the long rows of parked vehicles.

In a lightning-quick moment, Dust leapt out of line and dove behind an armoured car. Her captors called out in alarm, and began firing. Bullets ricocheted off the car's plating, as some of the changelings hovered unsurely into the air to peer over the top of the vehicle. Dust crouched up, firing off a few shots from her pistol. One changeling dropped dead.

"Come on, Miss Dust! You won't win, there are at least twenty of us and only one of-" Roughneck was cut off as Dust fired off a shot which missed him by an inch or so. The bullet punched a hole in a barrel which was loaded on the supply truck behind the griffin. Shaken, he just laughed. "Ya missed me!" He called out. Dust shook her head.

"No.. I hit what I aimed for!" She yelled back. A split-second later, the barrel of explosives on the truck behind Roughneck ignited, exploding outward in a spectacular explosion of sparks, fire, and plumes of thick black smoke. Roughneck was wrapped in the smoke and flames, screaming for a good few minutes as Dust stood, watching for any armed survivors of the blast before hopping into the bullet-riddled car and turning the ignition to fire up the engine. From somewhere behind her, she heard a familiar voice.

"Dusty! Hey, Dusty, wait up!" Out of the plumes of drifting smoke, Fuse shambled into view. He hobbled slowly, one hoof clutched over his shirt, which was soaked with crimson blood. Taking a chance, but still weilding her pistol, Dust reversed the car toward him.

"Hop in, and tell me what happened on the way!" Dust called. A grateful Fuse clambered into the back of the car, and settled down uncomfortably as Dust hit the accelerator, powering back down the road toward the airship. Fuse began to explain.

"So I'm just standing guard there, up next to the hole in the ground, and then half of the other guys around me turn their guns on us. Some of them are changelings, some of 'em just ponies.. They shot us all down. Most of us were killed, I reckon. Anyway, it was all Roughneck. He must have planned it out, so that some of the team would go mutineering on us and knock us all out of the picture, so he could get his hands on the Cask, and-"

"And sell it off to Chrysalis for a stupidly high price. I'm up to speed now, thank you." Dust cut him off, smiling. He collapsed back into his seat, convulsing with pain and holding his hoof tightly over the gunshot wound in his stomach.

"So what happened there? I came to after being shot, and there was a load of smoke, and-"

"I took care of the traitors, I think. Roughneck probably didn't survive." Dust stated coldly.

"That was you?!" Fuse asked, awe-struck. His eyes lit up. "Remind me to buy you a drink sometime, okay?" He joked, despite his injury. Dust simply smirked as the car drove on.

By the time they had raced back on-board the Daring, the sun was setting in the sky. The golden, fiery light reflected off the dark metallic surface of the ship's outer plating as the armoured car powered up the gangplank. Soon, Fuse and Dust burst onto the bridge.

"What is the meaning of this, Miss Dust?" The Captain asked, a little startled.

"We need to get into the air, now." Dust urged her. "Roughneck was a traitor, and we've just escaped an ambush, ma'am." The Captain looked from Dust to Fuse, who nodded vigorously, confirming Dust's view of events. Seeing Fuse's gunshot wound was enough proof.

"Right.. Raise the entry ramp, and get us into the air, helmsman. Someone get this officer seen to, he's bleeding badly. Miss Dust, with me." The Captain ordered, marching out and off the bridge, leaving the helmsman as de facto Bridge Captain. She and Dust entered the Captain's quarters, where she had Dust sit and talk over the situation. After a good ten minutes of explanation, she sat back and let out a long, weary sigh.

"Well, Roughneck had seemed like a dependable sort. But nopony is ever quite as they seem, really. Especially when money is involved." To this, Dust only nodded grimly. "Well, that's a bit of a shock to the system, I must say. Anyhow, that's enough complaining. We have work to do."

"Yes ma'am." Dust replied, nodding. "To business."

"You say that Tali is located in the Olenian Ocean, yes? And you noted its exact location in your mother's journal, I assume." The Captain queried, and Dust confirmed the fact. "Good. Then we shall travel toward the Crystal Empire, and disembark on the coastline of the Olenian, to continue onward toward Tali by watercraft." At this news, Dust could only grin.

"Yes, ma'am." She replied.

Hours later, Dust trotted slowly back toward her quarters. Passing Cistern's room, she knocked on the doorframe. Cistern's voice came, crackly as ever, from within.

"Go away, I'm busy here." Dust shied away, but called out.

"It's me, Dust.. Are you okay?"

"Oh, it's you.. Sure, come on in.." The old cleaning-mare replied. "I'm fine, just having a bad day, as all." Dust slipped into the closet, dropping down and sitting on the bench beside Cistern, who sipped at a mug of cocoa. She stared into space grimly.

"What's so bad about today?" Dust asked. Cistern sighed.

"Eh.. It wouldn't matter too much to you. You won't know what I feel like."

"Come on, Cistern.. Tell me." Dust smirked then. "If it's bad enough that you're drinking that much cocoa, your problem needs help getting rid of." There was a silence for some five minutes or so. Finally, looking down into her mug, Cistern spoke again.

"I been thinking. Thinking about my age." She let out a shuddering sigh, as if tired and a little afraid. "My sister, Dewshine.. She died ten years ago, as of today. It's been so long, and it feels like only yesterday I was face-to-face with her in that hospital room, smiling and laughing and sharing fond old memories." Dust shuffled a little in her seat, pity washing over her. "Dew was a great old gal. We'd sit for hours in the hospital room, and we'd.." A smile cracked across Cistern's face, and she laughed a dry laugh. "We'd try catching a look at one of the doctors when he had his back to us. Take turns tryin' to chat him up for a bet." her eyes grew wistful again. "Dew was very sick. She died suddenly in the night. They say her heart just stopped beating as she slept." By now, tears prickled at Dust's eyes. She turned away, wiping them from her cheeks. "So call it an irrational fear if you want, but.. I'm afraid I don't have much time left." Cistern concluded. Dust took it all in.

"Don't worry." She finally replied, after collecting herself for a while. A ghost of a smile now lay on her face. "You might be getting older, but you're not alone." She extended a hoof, taking Cistern's in her own and holding it warmly. "I'll be here when you need a friend, and I promise not to disappear like Dew, or your daughter." Cistern, at Dust's touch, raised her head and turned to look at her. Fresh tears rolled down the old mare's face. Crystal-clear, and shimmering. Like dewdrops.

"You know, having someone to talk to like you really takes the edge off things. Friends are what makes life worthwhile." Cistern smiled softly, almost tentatively. "Without friends, what's the point of it all?" Dust's eyes lit up, as she remembered. Fuse.

"You're right.. You're right, Cistern. I have a friend down in the infirmary, who was badly injured on the expedition. I'll have to see you later.. He's critically wounded, and I need to see if he's okay." Dust leapt to her hooves, and Cistern simply nodded.

"Thanks for the help, sweetie. I hope your friend's okay.. Give him my sympathy, won't ya?" Dust smiled, waved, and with that, she raced down toward the infirmary.

There was a tense twenty-minute wait outside the emergency room before the heavy door opened, and an orderly stepped out slowly, pushing a tray of instruments. Behind him, a doctor emerged. The doctor trotted toward her, stern look on his face.

"Mr Fuse is resting, but the operation was a success. The bullet was removed, and his heartrate and breathing are back to normal. You can visit, but make it quick." He stated, before heading down the corridor. Dust hurried in, looking around and finding Fuse alone, sitting up in his hospital bunk. He sipped at a cup of water, and smiled brightly as she entered.

"Dusty!" He called out, practically tossing his cup aside. "How are ya?"

"I think I should be asking you that. You were the one with a bullet put through your chest." Dust replied, chuckling. Fuse only shrugged it off, looking down at his bandaged abdomen.

"It'll take more than that to knock me down." He said simply, winking.

"Well, I'm glad to see you alive and looking well, anyway." Dust smirked. "I wasn't sure if you'd make it, after all. So, did you hear the good news?"

"What good news? Am I allowed cider instead of water now?" Fuse chuckled.

"No, no.. I found Tali. Under the Olenian Ocean.. I'm getting so close to finding my mother, Fuse. I'm rather excited." She grinned. Fuse smiled warmly, nodding his head in agreement.

"Olenian Ocean, huh? I sailed across that puddle once. Me and.. Well, that doesn't matter. It's a lovely place, anyway. The water's amazingly clear." He noted. Dust was curious as to who Fuse had shared his cruise with, but didn't want to go prying any further, so said nothing.

"Anyway.. you'd better get some rest if you want to heal soon." She ordered, turning to leave. "I'll see you soon, anyway." She smiled, waving. Fuse merely waved back, winking.

"See ya soon, Dusty." He called as she left the infirmary, shutting over the door.

Comments

[FluttaShift]

solid action. well paced. good developments and some nice emotion. solid chapter. great work.