Daring Do and the Agents of F.O.A.L.E

by PONYMARTYR

Astonishing Third Chapter

Daring Do stood on the front stoop of her spacious mansion, built on a smaller cliff to overlook the rest of Canterlot and be elevated away from enemies and annoying unicorns. To think some unicorns took offense, believing such an act was a declaration she was equal or better than the Princess.

If only they knew.

The moon hung low in the sky, amplified by the rain clouds that had given Daring an excuse to explore the intimate side of her new employers. Not that she didn’t like Madame le Fleur, it was just too soon to dive into another professional relationship for her tastes. She hoped the unicorn understood it was nothing personal.

After fumbling for her keys in her coat pocket, then dropping them on the ground, Daring paused and winked in the direction she assumed the surveillance camera was pointing at her front door. No doubt Pokey was laughing his ass off at the flustered way she looked right now. Not that he would know what sleeping with a mare would feel like.

She pressed the key to the lock and the door slowly creaked open, sending Daring' s wings upright on high alert. The door was always locked. No excuses. She examined the frame and door for any signs of entry and found none. The wood remained intact and the chains were still attached to the door. Even the alarm system wasn’t armed.

Having a study full of artifacts from around the world always held the possibility some less than scrupulous treasure hunters would, in fact, try to raid her home as if it were a temple. Between potential thieves, nosy museum ponies, and the occasional stolen artifact that she shouldn’t have kept; it paid to have a fancy security system in place.

Daring crept into the entrance hall, feeling like a stranger in her own home. All the lights were on, and a few chairs at the dining table were misplaced. She ventured further in and approached her study. No doubt any burglar would be drawn to there. Ancient Zanzebrian wooden masks leered down at her from one of the walls, while her desk was crammed with documents and books that painted a less than stellar history of Equestria. In the far corner stood a giant globe, covered in markings and coordinates. Little flags marked the places she had been.

She walked up to the globe and frowned. Every day the number of places to explore seemed to get smaller.

A rattle in the distance made her ear twitch, and she spun on her hooves to face the hallway. "Hello?" she called out into the foyer, her voice a flat echo against faux-leather chairs and wooden tables. She used her teeth to grab a baton from the nearby umbrella stand, stashed there for such emergencies, and crept around the corner to the rest of the hallway.

Shuffling could be heard from the downstairs bedroom. She tip-hoofed towards the open door, where light spilled out into the darkened hallway and reflected off of various photos of her journeys. Daring pressed herself against the wall, her teeth biting hard on the cool metal. Sweat dripped down her brow as she prepared a means of attack. After a few agonizing seconds, the pony intruder walked out into the hall, and in one deft motion, the baton came crashing down into his side.

"OW! WHAT IN THE NAME OF..." The brown stallion jerked around and glared at Daring, who wore a nervous smile around the baton. "The name of Tirek is your problem?!"

Daring spat the baton on the floor and she flinched at the loud clang. "The front door was open! I thought you were in trouble!"

"From who?!"

"Uh... that's classified..."

******

"Daring," Winston began, resting his head on a hoof. "I know you have a job to do and you make enemies doing it, but why in Celestia' s name would you beat this old stallion half to death?"

The pegasus rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, Dad.” She knew she had to treat Winston right, as he was the only father figure she had in her life. The only parent in her life. After she discovered his own skeletons, she respected him even more.

The unicorn frowned. “Where were you?”

“I was out with a new employer. Nothing special.”

Winston sighed and went back to picking at his salad with the fork held in his magic. “You know I support you wanting to live your dreams, but I can’t help but notice things getting more and more dangerous as time wears on.”

“And I appreciate you being worried about my safety,” Daring countered, her own salad crammed into her mouth. “But I got bills to pay too, and you always wanted that nice retirement.”

“That’s just the problem!" Winston slammed his hooves on the table causing the plates and forks to rattle. "These jobs you take barely pay enough for anything! What you can sell you keep locked up in trophy cases!”

Daring blinked. “Is there something wrong, Dad?”

Winston slumped in his chair. “It’s Elle... she... I got word she died yesterday...”

Daring held her breath, and she could swear the air around her grew colder. “Oh... I’m sorry to hear that.”

Few things in life were worth fighting for. Even fewer worth fighting your own country for. Daring remembered Elle from what she learned about her foster father, and why he adopted her in the first place. Love may conquer all, but it certainly didn’t win wars.

“I... I’d like to go back to the Gryphon Lands and pay my respects... but...”

Daring fidgeted in her chair. “I could... sell some of my things... if you...”

“I don’t want to lose you too...”

Daring swallowed. "Dad, we've been over this. I'm fine, everything is fine. I can scrape together a few bits to help you out and..." She didn't know what else to say. What could she say? What could he do if she defied him?

"You would've loved her," Winston whispered, staring at the table. "You act so much like her sometimes I just..."
"I know, Dad... I know..."

The rest of their meal went by in heavy silence. When everything was finished Daring stood from her seat and walked over to give Winston a hug.

"I love you, Dad."

"You too, Daring."

With that, she sulked off to her bedroom, leaving the unicorn to his thoughts. Her wings bristled at the sudden realization that one day, he wouldn't be around anymore. Even worse, it would happen while she was gone.

She slid out of her clothes and into her bed, a strange mix of thoughts featuring Winston and Fleur swirled in her head, making her stomach churn. The bits she would no doubt rake in from this job would be more than enough to help her dad and then some. She rolled over and her eyes landed on a painting she obtained from an adventure in Prance. Surely some pony would buy it?

All those comic book hero motivations suddenly made sense. With great power and all the other mantras. Could she honestly live with herself if she left Winston in his time of need? No answer came, and Daring shoved her face into her pillow. With no pony around to hear, she began to cry.

*****

Daring slowly opened her eyes. The sound of hoofsteps thundering through the mansion grew louder which forced her to sit upright.

"Holly Hooves, is that you?"

She looked up at the ceiling, watching small flecks of paint and plaster fall to the floor with each thump. Daring bolted out of bed just in time for a pony in a white hood to crash through the window, swinging on a rope.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you're pissing me off," Daring growled.

The pony in white said nothing, a blade slid from his sleeve and he dove forward, narrowly missing her snout. Daring reared back and threw her hooves up in a fighting stance, catching the attacker in the jaw.

"The MoonDreamers do not tolerate meddlers."

Another lunge forward and Daring wrapped her hooves around his neck, guiding his momentum into the wall. His horn pierced the drywall and Daring let go when he crumpled into an unconscious heap.

Her ears immediately perked up when she realized all the noise didn't wake Winston. She tore off down the hallway and kicked open his bedroom door, only to find an empty bed and an open window. She quickly darted through the window and swooped like a gryphon onto the lone retreating pony, obviously tripped up by his white robe. He glanced over his shoulder to see a wall of golden fur black out his vision, and the sound of a hoof crushing against his skull was the last thing to register.

The assassin pony opened his eyes and groaned. He shook his head to clear away the dizziness, only to realize that it came not from the blow to his head, but the blood rushing to it. He glanced up, or down to be more precise, and gasped when he realized he was swinging upside down over an open field.

He grit his teeth. Assassins weren’t afraid of heights. But a fall from even the meager height Daring was able to carry him would be enough to at least break every bone in his body. His body jerked left and right, alerting him to the hooves clasped around his hind leg. He bent his head upwards to lock eyes with Daring Do.

"Better start talking, scumbag. My wings are getting tired."

"You do not frighten me," his voice was deep and forced. Daring smirked at the false display and loosened her grip. The unicorn cried out in terror, his hood slipping away to show a dull grey stallion with white hair. "You were wrong to cross us! We have spies everywhere! None of you are safe!"

Daring let him slide a bit more. "Where's the unicorn you kidnapped?"

"I will never tell!"

"Then we're done here." Daring flew low and dropped him on his head, knocking him out once more right in front of the royal guards. "Make him comfortable."

The guards smirked and nodded.

*****

Fleur de Lis dropped the cup of coffee she held in her magic and let out a startled gasp that caught in her throat when Daring Do shoved her against the wall. The pain in Daring’s eyes so different from the tenderness she saw not more than a few hours ago.

"You're little adventure just got my father kidnapped!" Daring hissed through teeth clenched so hard Fleur could hear them grinding. Tears formed in the corners of those raspberry eyes, and Fleur could feel tears forming in her own.

"So we've heard..." Fleur struggled under the weight pressed against her. She didn’t feel that heavy in bed. That thought quickly dissipated when she felt a hoof press against her neck. In an attempt to play off the sweat forming on her forehead from sheer terror, Fleur tried to reason with the Daring she knew before. "Don't... don't you want to get him back...?"

"He wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you!" Daring snapped. Tears of hot anger were visibly streaming now, staining her red cheeks. “How did they even know I was a part of your getup?!”

"You are pretty well known, Ms. Do," Coltson finally spoke up. "Rest assured we will help you rescue him."

Daring jerked away from Fleur and in a blink, planted her hoof right into Coltson' s snout. "With all due respect, you can go fuck yourselves."

Fancypants walked in at the commotion and froze at the sight of a frightened Fleur huddled against the wall and Coltson crumpled on the floor cradling a bloody nose. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Daring marched up to Fancypants, hemming on her hooves to look him in the eye. "The MoonDreamers are the meaning of this! If what happened is any indication, you have a rat problem! I want no part of it!"

"If you are questioning the credibility of my employees, I assure you—"

"Save it! They knew I was with you and now my father is being held ransom! I don't want anymore family hurt..." With those last words, Daring spun on her hooves and stormed out into the bakery.

Fancypants stood in silence, and set his jaw. He watched Coltson pick himself off the floor and grab a hoofful of napkins to shove into his nose.

“What are we going to do now?” Fleur managed to find her voice. She slowly inched herself off the wall she was up against, keeping her eyes fixed on his blank expression.

Fancypants stood in silence. Memories of his own lost parents coming back to haunt him. The whole reason he donned a costume and sought revenge hinged on a fateful night he had repressed for so long under comic book fantasy and imagination. The thought of putting others in danger always ate at him, but his capable hooves always picked the best and brightest to prevent anything from happening.

“I’ve gotten to confident in this game,” he whispered. “It was my mistake to think I could ever protect all of you at all times. Clearly we are dealing with an enemy beyond our standard protocols.”

“Are we going to try to get her back?” Fleur asked, her eyes wide and hopeful. It wasn’t any of their business why she liked Daring so much, if only to break the monotony of too many stallions around the base.

“We assume the worst,” Fancypants replied. “I understand the pain she is in right now, and such pain leads to irrational behavior.”

Fleur recoiled. “You’re not saying—”

Coltson trotted up, his air of professionalism ruined by the gobs of bloody tissues in his nostrils. “I can dispatch the squad to apprehend her.”

Fleur felt herself begin to cry, but bit back the tears by focusing more on the pit in her stomach. Somehow she knew all of this was her fault, and yet refused to accept that fact. Her eyes wandered over to the pile of comics, and on top of the pile-almost serendipitously-laid Power Ponies Annual #1. All the doubts about her namesake began swirling in her mind. “You’re not going to hurt her... are you?”

“Depends on how much of a fight she wants to put up,” Fancypants replied sternly. He walked over and looked Fleur in the eyes. “This is why you don’t get attached to your quarry.”

Fancypants and Coltson walked off, leaving Fleur to gather her thoughts. She glanced over at the bank of monitors and saw Daring hailing a taxi. How clever she thought to herself, already staying under the radar. She bit her lip and looked around to make sure no others could see her. Forgive me Fancypants, but I know I didn’t make a mistake choosing her!

****

“Well, well! What a surprise! I thought you pegasi liked to fly around all the time!” the taxi pulling pony spoke as she tried not to laugh. Her bright yellow coat almost blinded Daring when she emerged from the dimly lit bakery.

“Shouldn’t you be digging a hole somewhere?” Daring fired back, a smirk across her face.

The yellow mare fumed and pushed her black and white checkered hat over her eyes. “Now that’s just offensive!”

Daring laughed and climbed into the carriage seat. It helped to have connections, and the self named Taxi Brooklyn was her go-to get away driver when she needed a low profile. Earth ponies were even more a rare sight in Canterlot than pegasi, which lead Daring to form a fast friendship with the driver over their mutual alienation.

“You never call on me unless you did something wrong! What did you do, and will you pay for the damages?”

Daring slumped back into the soft cushions. “I hope I don’t.”

“Where to?”

“Anywhere but home, I have a feeling they’ll be waiting for me.” Daring’s eyes widened at the idea that sparked in her head. “Take me to the correctional center.”

“One of your friends get in trouble?” Taxi shook her head, her curly purple and white dyed mane bouncing around. “The company you keep sometimes.” She perked up and pointed at herself. “Present company excluded!”

“He’s no friend of mine,” Daring grumbled. “Wake me up when we get there. I’ve had a rough night.” She pulled her hat over her eyes and settled into the seat. The gentle motion of the rocking carriage enough to lull her back to sleep like a foal.

“Psst!” A voice whispered into her ear. “You might want to wake up. This is important!”

Daring grumbled and pulled the hat from over her eyes, only to come face to face with a red and black mask. She jolted back and punched it right in the nose, but to her shock it didn’t flinch.

“Yeah, I get that a lot from the mares.” It spoke. Once Daring got her senses, she could see it was a pony in a red and black skintight uniform, and a matching red mask with black around the eyes. The clatter of all his needless belts and buckles was proof enough he was real. “Names Deadfoal, and I’m here to take you in.”

“On what charges?”

“Whoa, hey! I’m not a royal guard or anything but...” He got up closer and Daring could see his bouncing eyebrows through the mask. “I’m sure we can work out some kind of agreement.”

Daring shoved him off. “What’s wrong with you?!” She noticed the odd smell of cherry pastries on his breath.

“Oh, I see. Heart belongs to another, eh? I saw what you and Fleur did in chapter two!”

“Excuse me?!”

“So, yeah. Better let me take you in, or else you’ll have to deal with the big guy.”

“Oh, like I’m really scared of Fancypants,” Daring mumbled.

“Not that big guy.” Deadfoal pointed out the window. “THAT big guy!”

Daring only had a few seconds to see a wall of black muscle slam into the side of the carriage. Deadfoal was bouncing around with her, giggling like a foal as the housing became ripped from its wheels and rolled across the ground.

Taxi picked herself up off the ground and shook the dust away. “AY! You crazy cracker ponies better have insurance before I—” she clammed up when she saw the commotion.

The huge black crystal pony jerked his head up and leveled his piercing green eyes at the mare. In a voice as loud as thunder, but just as relaxing, the stallion spoke. “Terribly sorry, ma’m. We’ll be done in a minute.”

“Don’t apologize, you idiot! We’re here to un-alive her!” Deadfoal grumbled from beneath the wreckage.

Daring wrenched her pinned wing free from the debris and looked up at her assailant. A wall of shiny black.crystaline flesh accuentated with stark white hair. "And who might you be, handsome?”

“My code name is Obsidian. That’s all you need to know, traitor.”

“Traitor?!” Daring tried to fly but a sharp pain shot through her wing. “I’m not even gone five minutes and you psychos already want to kill me?!”

“We’re just here to make sure you keep your pretty mouth shut,” Deadfoal spoke up as he emerged from the wreckage. Daring watched with morbid fascination as he pulled a few spikes of wood from his side and twisted his front leg back to normal without any cries of pain. “Of course, I know something you can put in your pretty mouth!”

Daring rolled her eyes. No wonder Fancypants needed her so badly. All he had were perverted idiots and pansies! Deadfoal managed to get uncomfortably close again, giving Daring a window of opportunity to plant a hind hoof right between his haunches. With him out of the way, she galloped off towards any place that could provide safety. Canterlot may have impressive architecture, but the wide streets and nonexistent alleyways made it difficult to hide.

Unfortunately, her rumination over deliberate design to accommodate militant guard ponies had been interrupted by a sharp pain in her back. The impact of something heavy slammed against her spine and sent her falling to the ground.

Daring glanced up through eyes bleary with pain to see a pink unicorn standing before her, a huge mallet in her magic grip. "Looks like I got to razzle the Dazzle!"

"Don't call me that..." Daring moaned. She could still feel her hind legs, so she drug herself towards a dumpster to lift herself off the ground. Once her eyes refocused she could see the unicorn dancing around and swinging her mallet. Her blonde mane and tail stood out from the bright pink of her body. The frilly white jabot around her neck and black domino mask were her only clothing.

The mare paused her dancing and glanced at Daring, who managed to upright herself. "Ready for more, eh? Okie dokie!" Daring crushed her eyes shut and braced for impact, but nothing came. She opened her eyes to see Fleur in a magic wrestling match with the pink mare over the weapon. Fleur pumped more magic into her horn, and wrenched the hammer away. The unicorn got her balance back from the sudden pull, only to receive a kick to the stomach, a few blows to the chin, and finally a faceful of dumpster.

"No need to thank me," Fleur spoke, dusting her hooves.

"Wasn't going... to..."

Obsidan crashed through the brick wall. Fleur shoved Daring out of the way and dropped to the ground, sliding under the charging mass. Her horn lit up and engulfed the stallion in a bright glow. Daring shielded her eyes and watched as the crystal transformation spell was undone, leaving a hapless grey stallion to fall on his face.

"Aw! You guys never play fair!" Deadfoal leveled his gun at the pair, specially made to be operated with his mouth. Fleur reached into her saddlebags and produced a cherry pastery fresh from the donut shop. She tossed it with her magic a good distance away. Deadfoal dropped his gun and took off towards the treat.

"What was that about?"

"What?" Fleur smiled. "You never had Pony Joe's famous cherry-chongas?"

Comments

[ShadowLDrago]

Cherrychongas, of course.

[Iroh Legoman]

Deadfoal

really?