• Published 14th Mar 2015
  • 1,626 Views, 110 Comments

Daring Do and the Tiny Tornado - Metool Bard



You just can't keep a good adventurer down. Not even by turning her into a breezie. In fact, that only serves to make her madder.

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Keep Them Breezies Rolling!

"Oh my. That sounds terrible. Is there anything else you two could add?"

"Cono mein. Tiddlywink, otanna."

"Ni ni ni, Tra-La-La. Yano mei motaro. Nu otanna."

"Um, it doesn't really matter which one of you says it, honestly..."

As Fluttershy coaxed the story out of the breezies bit by bit, Daring Do continued to practice gliding around in her new body. Occasionally, she tried flapping her wings to gain a higher altitude or to thrust herself forward. While she managed to successfully move them up and down, they didn't make that much of a difference to her trajectory.

"Remember, Professor Do. You're supposed to glide on the wind," said Windsday. "It'll be much easier once you realize that."

"Seriously, Bluster. If it's so easy, you do it," Daring griped. "Oh, right. You're not the one who's cursed here."

Windsday snorted. "Just because I'm not a breezie myself doesn't mean I don't know how they function, Professor Do. That is my area of expertise."

"I know, I know. I'm just saying this is a lot harder than it looks," said Daring, teetering back and forth in midair. "Hey, Fluttershy. Any intel from our indecisive friends over there?"

"Um, well, it's hard to say," said Fluttershy. "They say that this evil ape has been taking their friends away, but they don't know what it wants with them. All they know is that it managed to recruit Girimehkala, whoever that is."

Daring blinked. "Wait, they know about this Girimehkala guy?"

"Yes. And from what I can tell, they're terrified of him," said Fluttershy nervously. "Why? Do you know what they're talking about?"

"Let's just say he's the reason I'm like this," Daring huffed. "I don't suppose you could ask them any more about him, can you?"

Fluttershy swallowed. "Oh, I don't think that's wise. I'd hate to frighten the poor dears."

"They're really that scared of him, huh?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"Well, there goes that idea," Daring grumbled.

"With all due respect, Professor Do, I would not have tolerated interrogating these creatures," Windsday proclaimed brusquely. "Don't you think they're in enough trouble already?"

"Hey, we're dealing with a bipedal cyclops pachyderm with access to powerful magic, and he turned me into a breezie just by making eye contact. I'll take whatever I can get if it means I have a better shot at fighting this guy," Daring countered.

Windsday's eyes went wide. "Professor Do, you're not actually considering this, are you?"

"Of course I am," said Daring with a shrug. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Did you not listen to our friends here?" exclaimed Windsday. "They're afraid of this fellow, and probably for good reason! You can't take him on in your current state! You'd get killed!"

Daring deadpanned. "Bluster, a good portion of my life involves me almost getting killed. You've know me for a long time; you should be well aware of this."

"W-well, um... I, suppose that's true, but..."

"But what? What makes this scenario any more dangerous than the countless other scenarios I've been in?"

"Well, for starters, you barely have any control over your body."

"Hey, I'm learning! It's just very, difficult."

"Also, breezies have no way of attacking other organisms."

"What about that pheromone stuff you mentioned earlier?"

Windsday snorted. "I assure you, Professor Do. The combined magic of three breezies would not be enough to paralyze a bullfrog, let alone an elephant."

"Then I'll just have to think of something else then, won't I?"

"Um, can we please stop arguing like this?" Fluttershy asked meekly. "It's not really accomplishing anything."

Daring nodded. "She's right. We need to think up a plan. Fluttershy, do those breezies happen to know where Atotoztli II is hiding? She has to have some sort of base of operations out here."

Fluttershy turned to the breezies. "Well, little ones? Do you know where the evil ape took your friends?"

The breezies looked at each other before chittering back and forth. Windsday took a peek at his codex.

"Um, unless I'm mistaken, they seem to be quarreling about, potatoes, for some reason," he mused. "Wait, no, that can't be right... Ugh, blasted thing!"

"Actually, they're trying to decide whose information is more valuable," said Fluttershy.

"And let me guess. They both want the other guy to have the honors," said Daring.

"Um, yes."

Daring let out an exasperated groan and smacked her forehead. "Can the no-arguing rule apply to these guys, too? They're even less productive than me and Bluster."

"W-well, I'm trying," said Fluttershy sheepishly. "But they value their friendship too much to be rude to each other."

Daring rubbed her temples vigorously. "As if I didn't have enough to deal with right now. In fact, just saying that out loud means something else is going to happen."

"Oh, don't be such a pessimist, Ms. Daring. I'm sure everything will be just—"

A strong breeze cut across Fluttershy's train of thought as a tumbleweed rolled by. The tumbleweed spiraled into the air and snagged both Tra-La-La and Tiddlywink, carrying them away as it bounced across the desert.

"Yep, called it," said Daring, rolling her eyes.

"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy gasped. "Hold on, little breezies! I'll save you!"

Windsday held out his hoof. "Wait, Ms. Fluttershy! It's too—"

But he got no further. As quick as a wink, Fluttershy flew in front of the tumbleweed, trying to grab it with her hooves. However, the tumbleweed changed its trajectory mid-bounce and struck her in the face.

"I tried to warn you," Windsday sighed. "Breeze magic has a very adverse effect on tumbleweeds. It causes them to behave erratically should a breezie become trapped inside. In fact, it's for this reason that the tumbleweed is the breezie's greatest foe in the wild."

"Fascinating. Now how exactly do we stop that thing from pummeling our friends to death?" inquired Daring.

Windsday gulped as he used a handkerchief to wipe some sweat from his brow. "Well, see, there's a very delicate procedure to that. It require a pegasus to create breeze to counterbalance the breeze being created within the tumbleweed, and then—"

"It's getting away! Hang on, breezies!"

While Windsday was talking, the tumbleweed bounded off into the desert with Fluttershy following right behind it. Windsday snarled.

"Must she be so impatient?" he huffed. "I was just getting around to telling her how to handle the situation."

"Maybe if we weren't in the middle of said situation, she'd have more time to listen to your lecture, Bluster," said Daring. "Look, we should probably go after them. How about giving me some wind to work with?"

Windsday sighed. "For the record, Professor Do, I don't particularly care for your impatience, either."

"I'm patient when I have to be, Bluster. And right now, I don't have to be," said Daring, adjusting her pith helmet. "Now c'mon! Let's do this!"

Windsday let out another sigh. "Alright, alright."

He started flapping his wings, stirring the wind ever so slightly. Daring felt her wings bend and buckle as they absorbed the breeze created by Windsday. She took in a deep breath and nodded.

"Okay, Daring. Time to put this new body to the test," she said. With that, she glided after Fluttershy and the tumbleweed.

***

Fluttershy barely paid any mind to the harsh sun beating down on her from above as she chased the tumbleweed across the desert. As if she were Rainbow Dash herself, she zipped around at every angle, making sharp turns and drawing upon all the inner strength she had to keep her acceleration up. But every time she zigged, the tumbleweed zagged, flying just out of her reach. It was as if the plant had a mind of its own, and its goal was to hurt the breezies to spite Fluttershy. Every time it bounced along the ground, Fluttershy could hear Tra-La-La and Tiddlywink squeak in pain. She could feel her frustration boiling over.

"Let those breezies go, you big mean tumbleweed!" she shouted.

The tumbleweed said nothing, of course. Instead, it directly defied her command and continued bouncing on its merry way. With a growl, Fluttershy accelerated after it.

Not that far behind, Daring was having trouble of her own. She could see Fluttershy's form in the distance, but from her vantage point, it felt like she was miles away. She flapped her wings in a vain effort to gain more thrust, but all they did was change her trajectory slightly. This made it especially hard for her to keep herself level, but she wasn't as concerned about that.

"We're going too slowly, Bluster!" she complained. "We'll never catch them at this rate! Let's pick up the pace a little, yeah?"

"Professor Do, be reasonable!" Windsday yelled back. "This is as fast as you can go! Any faster, and you wouldn't be able to steer! You'd be in great danger!"

"Oh no! Heaven forbid that danger befall the great adventurer Daring Do!" Daring said sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Professor Do! Or have you forgotten that you're a breezie now?!" Bluster barked.

Daring turned her head and raised an eyebrow. "Really, Bluster? That's the problem you have with all this? You know I'm not an ordinary breezie, so don't treat me like one!"

"B-but it's against regulations! The ESPRC would have my head if they knew I was willfully endangering your life!" Windsday cried.

"You really think the ESPRC is going to care about that when we're trying to stop breezie poachers?!" Daring snapped. "Now c'mon! Give me all the breeze you've got! I can take it!"

Windsday sighed. "Stubborn as always, Professor Do. I can see why every villain you come across hates you with a passion."

Daring gave Windsday a bemused look. "Just shut up and make me go faster."

Windsday reluctantly complied, flapping his wings at a faster pace. Slowly but surely, Daring could feel the wind pushing her across the sky. The strong gusts swept across her back, sending tingles up and down her spine and more of her pheromones were released. Her wings bent back more and more, flailing about as though they were trying to send a message through semaphore. Soon enough, the gentle push became a massive shove, propelling Daring through the air at a great speed.

"Alright, now we're getting somewhere!" she cheered. "Hang on, guys! I'm coming!"

She started gaining ground rapidly as Fluttershy and the tumbleweed grew closer and closer. However, it wasn't long before Daring realized she couldn't keep her trajectory in a straight line. Her wings moved around at odd angles, desperately trying to account for the high-speed winds. She kept performing somersaults and barrel rolls without even trying. Her stomach churned as the random maneuvers made it impossible to differentiate up from down.

"Now I've got you, you troublemaker! Unhand those bree—"

Fluttershy made another lunge for the tumbleweed, only for it to leap out of her reach once again. As it came down, it snagged Daring Do, causing her to become even more dizzy as it bounded along.

"Okay *ow* that *oof* was *augh* not *nngh* one *ouch* of *mmph* my *gah* better *oopha* ideas!" Daring shouted, her voice distorted by the tumbleweed.

Suddenly, the tumbleweed sprung up high into the air. Fluttershy was about to take off after it when Windsday beat her to the punch.

"Don't worry, Ms. Fluttershy!" he hollered. "I'll handle this!"

He rose above the tumbleweed and fanned it with his wings. After a slight pause, the tumbleweed plummeted to earth, its movements no longer randomized. Without a second thought, Fluttershy dove into a slide, catching the tumbleweed just in the nick of time.

"Phew. Thank goodness," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Are you all okay in there?"

Tra-La-La and Tiddlywink moaned a bit, struggling against their plant prison. Daring took a few deep breaths and scrunched her eyes shut as she recovered from the experience. After a pause, she looked up at Fluttershy and smiled.

"Nothing broken, thank goodness," she said. "Thanks for the save. I owe you one."

"Oh, no need to thank me, Ms. Daring," said Fluttershy, blushing slightly. "H-here, let me help you out of there."

Ever so gently, she pulled the tumbleweed apart. Tra-La-La and Tiddlywink tumbled out along with Daring, falling right into Fluttershy's long pink tail. Windsday descended and cleared his throat.

"I hope this'll be a lesson to you, Professor Do," he said sternly.

"Consider the lesson learned, Bluster," Daring grunted, shaking herself. "Still not a fan of not being able to go as fast as I want, though."

Tra-La-La and Tiddywink slowly stirred within Fluttershy's tail as she picked themselves up.

"Are you two going to be okay?" asked Fluttershy. "Do you need anything? Water? Some bandages? My friend Applejack gave me some apples; I could mash them up for you."

Windsday leaned down and peered closely at the breezies. "Hmm. They don't appear to be too badly hurt, all things considered. It honestly could've been a lot worse."

"So, what? They're gonna be fine?" asked Daring.

"As fine as they can be," said Windsday, adjusting his glasses. "Now, what's say we get our bearings and figure out how we should proceed?"

"Maybe we can start by bringing our friends into that cave," suggested Fluttershy.

Daring arched an eyebrow. "What cave?"

Fluttershy pointed with her hoof, and Daring turned around. Sure enough, they were standing at the mouth of a large, dark cave.

"Huh. How'd I miss that?" she asked no one in particular.

"It shouldn't matter, Professor Do," said Windsday. "Ms. Fluttershy has the right idea. We could use some respite from this blasted heat, and—"

"Innu matalei cho, Tiddlywink?"

"Ay, ay, Tra-La-La. Innito kamaron ulesta dai, oto bene."

Slowly, the two breezies floated off of the ground and towards the cave.

"Translation?" asked Daring.

"Hmm? Oh, they said they smell their friends in, there..." As soon as Fluttershy spoke those words, an epiphany struck her. "Wait! This might be where the poachers are hiding!"

Daring snickered. "Heh, how convenient. I guess it's true what they say. Every cloud has its silver lining."

"Indeed, this does make things easier for us," said Windsday.

"Yeah, no kidding," said Daring, adjusting her pith helmet. "Well, shall we?"

Windsday flinched. "What? Professor Do, you aren't honestly suggesting—"

"You already know I am, Bluster. We're right at the bad guy's doorstep; the next course of action is to go in and rough 'em up!"

"No, the next course of action is to go to the ESPRC and report this affair to them!"

Daring scoffed. "Bluster, that's not gonna work. If it did, Ahui would've been behind bars a long time ago. No amount of legislation has ever worked on him; I doubt it would work on his mother. Which means we need to go in there and muck things up ourselves."

Windsday swallowed. "N-now look here, Professor Do. You almost died back there! You're in no condition to handle something of this magnitude."

"I hate being a broken record, Bluster, but I almost die on a consistent basis," said Daring, folding her forelegs. "If I can retrieve the Sapphire Stone with a broken wing, I can surely do this."

"Eetana marro! Faldera!" Tra-La-La proclaimed. She and Tiddlywink illuminated their antenna and ventured forward. Daring blinked.

"Um, how are they doing that?" she asked.

"It's simply a matter of flexing the right muscle," explained Windsday. "To the untrained eye, it appears to be part of their magic, but in actuality, it's no more mystical than an anglerfish's lantern."

Daring scrunched her eyes tight and furrowed her brow. Soon, her own antenna began to flicker a bit, providing some illumination.

"Okay, that felt weird," she said, floating after the breezies. She didn't get far before noticing that they were bickering again.

"Melto palma, Tra-La-La. Lalu lazu," said Tiddlywink with a bow.

"Ay ni, Tiddlywink. Lalu lazu," Tra-La-La responded.

Daring smacked her forehead. "You know what? I'm going first. We don't have time to wait around for the two of you."

She floated off into the cave with Tra-La-La and Tiddlywink at her heels. Fluttershy was about to follow when Windsday cleared his throat loudly.

"And just where do you think you're going?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"After them," said Fluttershy simply. "Those breezies need our help, Professor."

"What they need is a team of trained professionals who deal with this kind of thing," said Windsday.

Fluttershy tilted her head. "How is Daring Do not a trained professional?"

"N-not that kind! I mean somepony who knows how to deal with poachers! This is well outside our area of expertise!"

"Outside our area of expertise, or outside yours?" asked Fluttershy. "Professor Windsday, if you took your dedication to the breezies seriously, you'd realize that it doesn't matter how qualified you are for the task at hoof. I may not be a breezie expert like you are, but there are innocent creatures being hurt in that cave, and I can't simply ignore that."

"B-but aren't you afraid?" said Windsday.

Fluttershy sighed. "Well, yes. I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not. But I wouldn't be the pony I am today if I constantly let fear hold me back. Right now, my comfort is not as important as the lives of those cute little breezies."

Without another word, she turned around and timidly trotted into the cave. Windsday let out a great sigh.

"You forget that I'm not an adventurer like Professor Do," he muttered to himself, following Fluttershy. "I do so hope Ms. Hugger had some sense and informed the proper authorities. Otherwise, this expedition really is going to be the death of me..."