Daring Do & The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well: Canterlot Crisis

by Canon Fodder

Chapter 4: Every Rose Has Its Thorns

Spectrum Incorporated: Canterlot Headquarters, 11:43 am, September 27th

Daring felt her blood pumping as she walked through the bright lobby of the Spectrum headquarters. Even though nopony knew she was working as an informant for the Royal Guard, she herself always had a thing for adventure and adrenaline. But it was her responsibility not to give away anything that could blow her cover. She had chosen to wear her olive-green pocketed shirt she had worn on so many occasions. Then to complete the look Daring had on her aged pith-helmet. It may had been through a life time bumps and bruises, but Daring still felt pride adorning it.

Trotting up to the front desk of the lobby, Daring noticed almost every pony she passed was a stallion. Being a pegasus herself, she knew working with weather was normally half and half of mares and stallions. But she shrugged it off when she concluded that this was one of the few weather career opportunities unicorns and earth ponies could participate in. "I guess there were just more stallions interested in the job." She thought.

She rang the bell on the counter when she arrived. Then one of the two secretaries greeted the archaeologist with a curious eyebrow raised. "Good morning, welcome to Spectrum Incorporated. How can I help you?"

"Good morning," she smiled back. "I'm looking to talk business and I was hoping to speak with Mr. Jack."

The secretary glanced up at the clock and shook her head. "I'm terribly sorry, but Union will be taking his lunch break momentarily and he doesn't like to be interrupted at this time. Can I reschedule you for another time? Maybe I could set you up with our vice president?"

Daring sighed. "No, that's fine. I'll just wait for Mr. Jack, then. Are you sure there's no way I can speak with him now?"

"I'm sure." She said, shaking her head again. "But I can schedule you for a meeting tomorrow, perhaps?"

"Nonsense!" shouted an echoing voice. Daring Do turned around and took immediate notice of the red coated unicorn approaching her. His suit looked tailored and he wore a rose in his lapel. But standing out to Daring beyond his gold mane and charming exterior, was an eye patch wrapped over his left eye. The two shook hooves and the stallion followed it up with a humble laugh. "Good morning, Miss. I am Union Jack, president of this up and coming company. Did I hear you right? You wanted to speak with me?"

"Yes!" Do smiled. "I am here conducting a study for the University of Canterlot. I am Professor Daring Do, filling in for our usual school journalist. We're doing a segment in our school newspaper on the weather in Equestria and we thought this would be a good starting point."

Union nodded enthusiastically with an eager smile that Daring questioned over the suspicious eye patch. "But of course! If there's anything I take no greater pleasure in doing, it's helping out a school."

"Excellent." She beamed. "Then let us get started shall we?"

"Come this way, my dear." Union offered. He lead Daring down one of the many branching corridors.

"Well this was easy." Daring thought. Not even two minutes into her investigation and she had already made contact with her first suspect. As they walked, Daring tried to make petty conversation with the dashing unicorn. "So, your accent. Manechester?"

"Trottingham." He replied. "Lived there until I was about nineteen, then came here to Canterlot with a scholarship to attend Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns."

"You must've been quite the egghead." Daring joked, sporting a grin.

Union Jack laughed back with his own grin. "If you're implying that I was one of the bookworms and brainiacs then yes. Graduated with honors at that! Hard work and study pay off in time."

"I suppose you're right, Mr. Jack." She chuckled. "How long have you been working with Spectrum?"

He pondered for a moment before answering, bringing a fetlock to his chin. "Now that's a good question, my dear. I mean I know I've been here since we've began but I was actually working with the owners months before we were established. So I say a good six years."

"Well I guess the pay must be good."

He glanced back at her with an eyebrow raised proudly. "Does six figures a year sound good? But I am not an egocentric pony as one may think. I donate thousands to charities all over Equestria, because I know the value of hard work and having to help somepony else on the side."

Daring was impressed with his generosity, suddenly having doubts about Shining Armor's suspicious. "This pony is charming, sweet, considerate, no wonder why his record was clean." She thought. But putting personal feelings aside, she finally questioned his eye patch. "Not to be rude, but do you mind me asking how you got that eye patch?"

"Not at all." He replied, coming to a stop in front of a set of double doors. Union Jack looked at her, assuring that she got full perspective of the accessory. "Occupational hazard. Happened while I was doing some field work. But getting back on the subject at hoof, welcome to our cubicles."

Union Jack flung the doors open and lead Daring inside to the maze-like atmosphere of the office room. The cubicles themselves were just barely short enough to look over and again, most of the employees were stallions. Jack went along and guided her through the room, and Daring began taking down notes, holding the notebook on her wing and using her mouth to write with the quill. "Each scientist here at Spectrum gets their own cubicle to conduct their research. But formally, we refer to them as agents, not scientists. They work eight to five, every weekday. And when they're not out in the field, they're here, analyzing their reports for me to stamp and sign."

"Quite interesting." Daring acknowledged, slipping the words through her teeth as she held the quill. "And what do your actually agents do out in the field?"

"An excellent question, Miss Do. Our league of highly trained scholars are sent all over Equestria to test the condition of the land, so to speak. The geographic analysts test the richness of the soil, humidity, inspect population size, measure average climate temperature, drought conditions, study the overall landscape, and pretty much any other viable information we can use in the reports. What are the reports for, you may ask? Well, after the agent has written their summary and sent the document to me, I read the report, stamp the Spectrum logo in the top corner, sign off my name on the bottom, and then pass along the dossier to our primary headquarters in Cloudsdale."

"Cloudsdale? What happens up there?" The acquisitive pegasus asked.

"Each and every one of these reports goes through a team of reviewers then is finalized and approved by our head GISA Agent. Then he or she is responsible for delivering the documents to the Weather Factory where the chief factory supervisor is informed by the report to deliver what ever specified weather suggestion is determined on the report for the area of subject. But in shorter terms of all this mumbo-jumbo, reports are conducted, they are signed and reviewed, then they are sent as requisition forms to the Weather Factory. And if I may, Spectrum has been quite successful and has improved the functions of the weather in Equestria for the last five years."

Daring Do nodded through the entire tour of the office, making it seem like she was taking notes for the school. But really, she was taking note of Union's character and the company itself. Something told her inside that the population size of the agents seemed a little large for something like this. But she looked up from her paper and noticed they had left the room and entered into a much, much louder and larger room. "Where are we now?" She asked, shouting through the abundance of machinery at work.

"This is our manufacturing department!" he answered. He took Daring down the assembly line and stopped at a conveyor belt where ponies stood inspecting the product for imperfections. "We have our machines programmed and run by our tech ponies in the upper level of this room. Down here, however, we have our stallions looking for any signs of mistakes, misprints or any malfeasance."

The puzzled mare picked one of the funny dials and placed it in her hoof. "What is this?"

"It is a barometer, my dear! If you look across the room you can see we have several different weather components that any family in Equestria can purchase and use with ease. But of course we do carry and pack instructions with all of our products. It may not bring as many funds into the business as our main tasks do, but they have gained popularity among those who are not as educated in the weather. Makes it easier for ponies to understand meteorology...How is that report of your's coming?"

"It coming along great!" Daring smiled. "I think the students will really love it."

Union Jack chuckled. "That's wonderful. It's comforting to know that the kids today are so in tune with the real world."

Now Daring Do was convinced he wasn't hiding anything. "This guy has been nothing but courteous and kind ever since I got here." She thought. "Maybe I'll stick along just a little bit longer. But I don't see what's wrong with him."

Spectrum Incorporated: Canterlot Headquarters, 12:12 pm, September 27th

Later, lost in her thoughts, the adventuress discovered she was now trotting down a hallway. Jack had lead her out of the nuisance of deafening machinery and into the upper levels of the building where she found herself in the silent atmosphere of the corridors with nothing more than the sound of the air exchange. "So now where're we going?" Daring questioned.

The red unicorn held his answer until they had arrived at the door stationed at the end of the lengthy walk. "This is my office. In there I some very useful information for your little research paper." He opened the door and allowed her to walk through before closing it himself.

The room was magnificent. A blue carpet with white walls and ruby drapes to contrast the floor. There was a bookshelf and a desk, both made of oak with what looked like a vinyl finish coated over their surface. Daring was astonished, it was the best of the best of offices. On either side of the wall where the door stood, were two portraits of the princesses, Celestia and Luna. Then turning around to the wall behind the desk, Daring found the large Spectrum logo carved in the wall with fine detail. "Wow This room is just..."

"Amazing?" He inquired, flaunting a side smirk.

The adventuress huffed. "No. Expensive!"

Union Jack laughed at her sentiment. "Yes, yes, it did cost quite a few bites but who says a pony can't have it all?"

"Obviously not you." She grinned widely.

The charming Union made his way over to the bookshelf and illuminated his horn to levitate a green hardcover textbook from the top shelf. He made his way over to his desk and sat the book down in front of him. He lowered himself in the seat then used his magic to swivel the chair in front of his desk towards Daring. "Please, Miss Do. Do take a seat."

She rolled her eyes. "Like I haven't heard that one before." But she complied. Daring tucked her quill in the notebook, the notebook in her wing, then sat down in the chair, turning to face Union who had began looking through the heavy book. Looking around his desk, she could conclude that Union Jack was no average worker. He was loaded rich. The edge of his desk was lined with gold and a wine chalice next to him was made of real crystal. There was the state of the art computer system at his side. To Daring, it looked like it was the top of the line. But what really threw her off was his insane fascination with roses. They were everywhere in his office. Some were in a vase on the corner of the desk, another vase in the corner of the room on a white pedestal, the last vase adjacent to the room door and finally the last flower in his lapel. "Hey if you don't mind me asking, what's with all the roses?" The archaeologist asked in amazement.

He looked up from his book with a keen smirk. "Oh You mean all these? Well my mother was a florist and I wasn't allowed in her shop very often when I was just a colt. But every night when she got home from work, she always gave me one red rose." He lit the magical aura around his horn and embraced another around one of the roses in the vase on the desk. He brought it to his nose and wafted it, sighing with satisfaction. "They're wonderful. The petals, ever so delicately placed perfectly around the next. The thorns, sharp they may be, may act as a threat but placed there to protect the everlasting beauty from being harmed by other forces of nature. Then the aroma, so sweet, so soothing, so sensuous. I absolutely love roses."

"You should have been a poet. That was beautiful to hear." She remarked smiling. It occurred to her that such a kind-hearted stallion had nothing to hide. She stood, knowing that she could wipe the possibility of him being involved with the kidnapping away from her mind. "Well Mr. Jack, I think I've seen enough. I do thank you for your generous tour, but I really must get back to the University. I hope you'll consider visiting the school. We'd love to have you come speak to the students."

Union stood up as well and returned the rose to the vase. He trotted around his desk to take Daring's hoof and kiss it. Another bit of that Trottingham charm. "You're quite welcome, my dear. But before you should go, would you care to have a drink? I have all the fine wines from all over Equestria. I insist that you have one glass with me."

She pondered it for a moment. She knew she shouldn't mix work with pleasure but what could possibly go wrong? Daring was confident that this stallion was no bad news. "Well if you're offering, I don't see why not."

"Sit down, please." Union held her seat out for her then walked over to the wine cabinet perched on his wall. He reached in the very back, probably in search for the most aged. After blowing the dust off of his selected bottle, Jack wrapped one wine glass in a magical bind from the top of the cabinet and carried the bottle over to the oak desk in his teeth. As he lowered the glass in front of Daring, he held the bottle with his hooves and pulled the cork off using his teeth which reacted with a vibrant pop. He levitated the opened wine above and poured the cherry colored bubbly to the brim of her glass. He did the same with his chalice.

Finally he sat back down and placed the bottle on the desk to the side and raised his chalice with his magic. "Here's to education and adventure!"

"I'll drink to that!" the adventuress agreed happily, draining the contents of the glass and slamming it on the desk. Although she felt slightly embarrassed when she found Union Jack had only taken a sip. She blushed and smiled sheepishly but the unicorn simply laughed.

"You're quite the excitable one, Miss Do. That's something Giovanni failed to tell me about you." He said, returning the grail to it's spot on the table.

Daring Do grinned with a sense of pride. "Well I don't like to brag but archaeology ain't all dust and bones-"

Then it struck her and Daring stared back at the stallion whom once wore a welcoming smile, now bore a cunning one. "What...did you just say? Did you say, Giovanni?"

He never said anything, only continued to stare her down. His sole eye suddenly looked cold and ruthless, but that wasn't the only thing getting cold. Daring was feeling strange. She checked her forehead and discovered that she had developed a break of sweat. As the seconds rolled on, her breathing was getting heavier and whatever had happened had hit her so fast. Then her eyes fell on the empty glass before her. Feared for what it really was, Daring took to a quick flight across the desk and grabbed Union Jack by his collar. "What did you do?!"

But her words were still met with the constant curve of the unicorns lips. Then suddenly she felt her vision becoming blurred and time getting slower. Her wing power slowed and the sandstone pegasus collapsed on the desk, soon rolling over and further falling onto the floor. The last image she seen was the office door opening, and an aquatic-green blur crossing it's threshold.

Several hours later...

When the pegasus woke, she discovered that she was sitting up, yet sluggishly leaning over her chair. Her neck and back were killing her. The uncomfortable position Daring Do was in had kinked her neck. It was almost as if she had fallen twenty feet and she proceeded in cracking her joints in several places before taking in her surroundings. She looked to her left and seen Celestia's sun taking it's last couple hours over the western horizon, it was gleaming upon her sandstone coat and warmed her cold hooves. Her fixation on her Majesty's golden star was suddenly broke as she heard something flat plop onto the surface of the oak desk in front of her. It was her notebook, and Union Jack sitting behind it still sporting a grin. He sighed. "Bloody yank...Why good evening, Miss Daring Do. I hope you're not disgruntled for what I done."

Daring groaned and rolled her eyes. "Oh Of course not. It only put me at risk for partial nerve damage. On top of which I was put into this awkward position that my back and neck totally agree on."

"I'm afraid sarcasm won't get you very far." He snickered. "What you must understand is that we have to interrogate you."

"We?" She answered skeptically.

She heard hoofsteps from behind. Then Daring craned her to see a green pegasus walk up and stand next to Union Jack. As she studied his appearance, it became clear to her. It was the same green pegasus that took the life of the Dean. Her heart turned to stone and she locked eyes with the brute. "Nimble Stratus, I presume?"

"A funny turn of events isn't it? There I was just sitting in my desk when I get a message on my computer from my head of security informing me that Daring Do was spotted nearing the facility. After all, you were the only survivor from the raid. And knowing of your tenacious lifestyle, it was only a matter of time before you'd come after me and my administration. So I met you at the front desk and snagged you right into my hooves."

It was fascinating her that she could have been so foolish as to believe his convincing exterior. It wasn't like her to be so weak but the stallion just seemed so innocent. In her thoughts, she regrettably admitted she was wrong. "I guess every rose has it's thorns."

"Call it what you want, my dear." he replied. Stratus remained silent and allowed Jack to continue. He lit his horn a red glow and brought the notebook to him with his telekinesis. "Now back to the matter at hoof. Your little weather report here has a few interesting points in it. It's quite descriptive too. But I'm afraid I cannot let you file this report."

He tossed the book from his grip and the burly pegasus caught it with a hoof. Union acknowledged him. "Destroy it, No. 9."

"Number 9?" The adventuress repeated.

Union Jack disregarded her inquiring tone. "Who are you working for? The Royal Guard?"

The adventuress sat back and remained silent, refusing to answer the question. Union Jack nodded his head at Stratus. The aggressive stallion walked over to Daring and struck the mare across the face. Her head cocked to the side and she shot a resentful glare back at him. Union inquired further. "Speak up darling, I can't hear you. I'll ask again, who are you working for?"

Again, Daring kept to herself which triggered the unicorn to chuckle. "You wish to test me?" Nimble smacked her a second time, although this reaction met with a side smirk from the mare. "I shall not ask you a fourth time, who do you work for?"

This time it was Daring Do's turn to laugh. She shook her head. "You're wasting your time, Jack. The Royal Guard knows that I am here and if I don't report, they'll retaliate."

"So it is the Royal Guard," he smiled. He went on. "But not without reason, Miss Do. First they will send somepony to investigate, then they'll ask to speak with me. But if I open my doors and let them take notes, they will see no reason to arrest me. That is what you've come to do, aren't I correct? That is exactly why you have come and you were taken in by my innocence. These are the benefits of having a clean record and good reputation. You can manipulate the world at the tips of your hooves, and if anypony should try to talk, I have the finances to assure that they do not."

"Not necessarily, Union. Also, what do you do if they don't accept the bribe?" Daring returned. Her tone becoming more hostile.

The red stallion pointed at Nimble Stratus. "Then we do it the hard way, just like the Prince did!"

Daring's eyes open wide. "So you've killed him!" she exclaimed.

"Oh Don't be so melodramatic, my dear. We are simply holding him in cold storage. That was the original plan but No. 1 sought that extortion was a more rewarding factor."

"Extortion? Blackmail." For the first time, the adventuress felt sorry for the Prince. Kidnapped by thugs and held for ransom in exchange for his life. "How much?"

Her answer was found not by Union Jack or even Stratus, but instead the gruff stern voice of foreign dialect. "Five-hundred million bits will suffice..."

Daring turned her head toward the voice behind her but she didn't have to see the figure without already recognizing his accent. The owner of the voice came into view. He was a griffon. No doubt middle-aged and wearing glasses and a blue beret that matched his sapphire ascot tucked neatly inside his tan-colored pocketed coat that draped down his back and fell loosely at his rear. He stood proudly next to the desk and stared down his old nemesis. Daring took a heavy breath then acknowledged his name. "Dr. Giovanni D'Angelo..."

"Professor Daring Do," he grinned. "How long has it been? Two? Three years?"

"Eleven months." She returned with a suddenly perky grin of her own. "Our eyes met at the Archaeologist Convention in Coltorado. But I didn't want to rain on your parade that I was a much better archaeologist, so I stayed clear out of the way. I figured I'd give you a break just one time."

Her words were quickly followed by a thin baton being drawn from Giovanni's wing. He held it at her chin and huffed. "I see you haven't lost fine mental edge of yours. But don't get any foolish notions, we both know who the real archaeologist is."

"You really don't want me to answer that, do you?" Daring chuckled, almost feeling the compelled to insult the griffon any further.

D'Angelo pulled his baton away and merely snapped his claws, signalling Nimble to deliver another shot, this time driving the air out of her as he shot her a blow to the stomach. Her grin was wiped clean from her face, Daring heaved and tried to catch her breath. "And I see you are still getting others to do your dirty work." She replied hoarsely.

"Well being in second command of a dominating organization has it's benefits." He answered, parading around the office and staring out into the west where the sun was setting.

She scoffed at him. "I find it hard to believe that Spectrum is a dominating organization. It's nothing more than a third party to the weather factories in Cloudsdale."

Giovanni turned around slowly, perplexed over her statement. "Spectrum? No. 4 have you told her yet?"

"I was just about to get to it, No. 2." Union answered.

Now Daring was completely lost. She had no idea why she was being restrained, no idea what they wanted the 500 million bit for, no clue to where the Prince was, and now in wonder of what syndicate these three were a part of. "Would somepony care to tell me what I'm missing out on? What do these numbers mean?"

Union Jack turned to Daring and answered her question in a serious tone. "They are ranks, Daring Do."

"Ranks?"

He nodded. "Yes, ranks. You see, we three are specialized superiors of a much higher authority...An authority that we believe extends higher than the Royal Guard-"

The adventuress expressed a humorous laughed which caught the rose-coated unicorn off guard. "Something funny?"

"Yeah. You make it sound like you're part of a mafia or something."

Union returned her laugh with a brief chuckle of his own. "That's a cute assumption but I am being quite truthful. What the Royal Guard doesn't take care of, we do"

"So you're telling me you're anarchists?"

"Not exactly anarchy specifically, my dear. But it is part of our job description. We represent the four cornerstones of effective power. Metaphorically we consider ourselves an administration that carries itself through the winds, circling around the land like a progressive storm that will eventually succeed in it's goal of smothering the land in a total overcast of domination."

"Sort of like a hurricane." Daring Do replied.

Union smiled at her answer, them being the exact words he was expecting to hear. "Correct, Miss Do. A hurricane. That is the precise answer, for we represent the Hierarchy of the United Ranked Revolutionaries In Chaos, Atrocity, Nationalism, and Extortion...H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E."

Daring was impressed with what progress they had made but found it a little far-fetched. "Cool. How long did it take to come up a name like that?"

Giovanni the griffon was getting annoyed with her attitude. "You laugh now but in a matter of days, the face of Canterlot will be changed forever. Do you have any idea how foolish you sound in this position?"

"Do you have any idea how ridiculous your entire scheme is?" She snapped back. "Princess Celestia won't come anywhere near to five-hundred million. And even if they do pay the ransom, it only takes one measly mistake for somepony to blow the whistle. Do you honestly think everypony in this hierarchy of your's is going to keep their mouths shut? Extortion of this caliber will only lead to more criminals wanting a bigger slice of the pie. Eventually your empire will crumble and implode on top of itself."

Daring's words only brought on a keen smirk from the griffon, indicating that he wasn't buying her warning. "That is why we have included 'Nationalism' in our name. You see in short-term, it is the extreme devotion of one's belief or nation. In this case it is a belief. We believe in control. We believe in the extermination of corruption. We believe in fate and destiny, which ever term you prefer. And finally, we believe in an ordered society. With this tool that is 'Nationalism', I and many of the H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. agents have been able to recruit unrecognized visionaries, lost ponies, struggling business owners, and even griffons in the same situation."

"Ah I see," Daring nodded affirmatively, retorting with another sarcastic tone. "You mean the scum, scoundrels, and slime-bags of society."

Giovanni scoffed at her sentiment. "It's a shame you won't live long enough to see the genesis of our new era. A new time has come-"

His passionate statement was abruptly interrupted by a burst of laughter the adventuress failed to hold back. "Would you listen to yourself, Giovanni? You think you are some sort of philosopher but in reality, you're nothing more than I am; an archaeologist. So why don't you just drop the act and talk serious?"

The feathers on D'Angelo's back were standing on end. He had had enough. The half-lion half-bird creature lurched forward and wrapped one of his talons around the mare's neck, on the verge of choking the helpless archaeologist to death. "What is it about me that compels you take me as a joke? I did not spend twelve years of my life studying just to be talked down to a second-rate, no class, obnoxious, sorry excuse for an archaeologist. What makes you so much better than me?" He released his grip and shoved her back at her seat before turning to the burly pegasus next to him. "Stand aside..."

"Not enough air for your ego?" Daring Do said, agitating her adversary to no end.

Nimble Stratus went back to his place next to Union as Giovanni began to circle his nemesis. He pretty much gave off a radiant aura of pure resentment towards Daring Do. But despite his fighting feeling to put an end to the mare, he swallowed his anger and looked at her with passive eyes. "I will only ask you this one time, so please take some thought into choosing your words for once...Being the head of Nationalism, I have the duty of recruitment and it just so happens that there will be an opening very soon. I am offering you a seat in H.U.R.R.I.C.A.N.E. . For once we could work side by side. I can let everything that has happened between us go, if and only if you take this offer."

At this point, Daring let her head hang over her seat. She thought of all the times she was stuck in this kind of predicament. An airhead shooting his mouth off, strapped to a seat, tortured for information, and still working her never back down attitude. She sighed and lifted her head, facing back at the griffon. Of course she had to refuse. "Are you joking? D'Angelo, you know me better than anypony and you know for a fact you'd be the last I'd ever join...I wouldn't let myself succumb to such a disgraceful group so you're just going to have to deal with it."

The psychotic griffon gripped the hilt of his baton and placed his other talon around it's small shaft, pulling away from himself and slowly unsheathing a small blade from the detaching hilt. "Then we have nothing more to discuss. Good evening, Daring D-"

With tremendous force, the massive window shattered inward and the propelled everything in the shock wave's path the opposing way. Union Jack and Daring were shoved down in their chairs while the standing Stratus and Giovanni hit the wall like rag dolls. Smoke filled the now devastated room, and several small fires had started. All four, ponies and griffon, were shaken from the blast and coughed up the dust along with any other uninviting molecular objects. Shards of glass, dozens of papers, books that flew off the bookcase, and many roses now littered the filthy carpet. The majestic office had been demolished in a matter of seconds.

The livid Union Jack was the first to react, wiping the dirt from his remaining eye and scanning the room for an intruder. "Dammit! My blooming office! Show your bloody self! You ever hear of a door, you gormless wench?"

The unicorn stood, quickly recognizing the shadow in the smoke that formed into the figure of a mare wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a cape draping down it's body. It's eyes and iconic crest illuminated through the smoke. The unicorn cringed. "No...Not again."

"Union, Union, Union," it said in a humored tone, revealing the voice of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. "We really do have to stop meeting like this."

But before he could retort, Mare-Do-Well shot through the smoke and met the well-groomed stallion with a leaping kick, knocking him back against the wall. Knowing her time was limited, she scampered over the dazed Daring and lifted her right-side up again. Mare-Do-Well slapped the adventuress and shook by the shoulders lightly enough to knock the stars away. "We don't have much time. Can you fight?"

Her vision was blurry and her total state of mind hadn't yet returned to the sandstone pegasus. "W-w-what?"

"Can you fight!" she yelled. This time sending an auditory shock through Daring's head.

"Yes, yes, I can!" Daring scowled. Before she knew it, the archaeologist was freed as the ropes drooped to the legs of the chair. She got to her hooves and shook the remaining stars away before acknowledging her savior. "Thank you, who ever you are."

The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well cracked a wide grin and took her stance before Union, Giovanni, and Nimble Stratus who were beginning to stir. "You can thank me when we're out of here."

All three of the anarchists eventually made it back into a standing position after a long struggle to get up. The explosion had knocked the living daylights out of them and they were still very groggy. The vindictive unicorn came into focus again and pointed out the caped crusader. "Get her! She's the mare that tried to intercept the package in Manehatten!"

Then in a simultaneous motion they began moving towards the mares. Without hesitation, Mare-Do-Well made her move, diving for Jack while Daring Do was still puzzled with entire affair. Just a minute ago she was tied to a chair, about to be killed. Now, she was in the fight of her life, something of which that hadn't happened since her last journey. But that thought didn't stop her. The adventuress sported a grin of her own and took flight, spreading her forehooves out and spearing into the guts of D'Angelo and the brawny pegasus mercenary.

The angered unicorn caught Mare-Do-Well, both landing on the floor. It was round two. They went back and forth exchanging blows but Union's faulty eye put him at a disadvantage. They rolled over several times before the stallion launched her off with his back legs.

Meanwhile Daring was having complete control despite her handicap. If one tried to get up, she'd kick him back down and vice versa. But the cycle never lasted long. Nimble broke the chain and kicked the back of her legs as he was down, forcing her on her haunches. She expected an attack from Giovanni but was surprised to discover him fleeing the office from the corner of her view, distracting her long enough for the other pegasus to take her from behind, restraining her in a full nelson. He stood solid and expressed his excessive strength, lifting her above his shoulders in the painful lock.

The agile Mare-Do-Well landed on her hooves, just noticing that her newly acquired ally was in trouble. It only took her a second to project her next move when she seen Union Jack charging at her. In one swift motion she leaped into the air and double jumped off the head of Union. Travelling through the air with one of her backhooves forward, she connected with Nimble's right shoulder, breaking his grip on Daring and knocking him back down.

Lighting the magical aura around his horn, the rose-red unicorn grasped a large shard of broke glass and ran towards Daring Do. She looked back at the sound of galloping hooves and caught herself in a grapple with Union who had returned to the fight trying to shove the shank into her neck, but Daring made an effort to push his head away, weakening the push on his magic.

The anonymous hero stepped towards a seemingly unconscious Nimble Stratus but was met with his backhoof kicking her in the jaw. Then with martial art expertise, he sprang up and continued his onslaught with a falling dropkick which Mare-Do-Well was struck by when she tried to get back up. Dazed and confused, she wasn't all there to counter when Stratus lifted her up from the ground and locked her in a tight bear hug.

Daring Do however, was still trapped in her grapple frenzy with Union Jack. But pushing each other back and forth became tiresome to the archaeologist and she shook things up with a kick to his lower torso, forcibly driving some of the air out of the cocky unicorn. Then Daring finished her combo with a fast uppercut. This once again gave her the advantage as she pinned the stallion to the surface of his desk, trying to paralyze his now flailing hooves in which he was attempting to strike the mare in anyway. Little did Do know that he had dropped the glass and lit a new magical bind around the rose in his lapel. With her anticipation riding low, Union Jack held the rose in her face and used his telekinesis to pinch the middle of the flower, activating its anthers to spray a nerve gas up through the nose and into the eyes of Daring. Almost instantaneously, she repelled and fell to the floor clenching her face in distraught. With the tables turned once more, Jack threw her a devious side smirk.

As hard as she could, Mare-Do-Well smacked her into Stratus' back but the muscular pegasus endured her shots like wall. And the harder she hit, the tighter his hug became. She could feel her ribs compress and her back cracked, forcing her to let out a painful yelp. She had to do something now. Using much of her strength she pushed her upper body away, creating a small enough gap between them for her to take a shot. She clobbered him five times but they never even made him blink, even his pine mane appeared to be absorbing the jabs. Her time was thinning as her breaths were getting more rapid by the second. But then suddenly something very clear struck the mind of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well. In fact she was momentarily dumbfounded by it. Her backhooves were free to move as they pleased, and Nimble was a stallion after all. With a hoarse tone, she apologize in advance. "I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this. It goes against everything I believe in honorable combat, but..."

The green pegasus looked puzzled, not knowing what she meant. With a winded up kick, she drove her left backhoof between the stallion's legs, striking an unbelievably high amount of pain that spiked his strength and allowed Mare-Do-Well the opening for escape. She slithered away from his clutches as he held his forehooves very close to his lower body, grovelling in agony. Feeling nothing but the up most sorrow for the suffering stallion, she gladly did him a favor. Lifting the hat from her head, she lit her horn and lifted the opened bottle of wine from the table. She turned away from him to sip it. "Mmmm. A Manehatten classic. Le plaisir d'orange: Numéro Cinq. Maybe I'm wrong. Who ever drinks a fine wine like this can't be all bad." She smirked, spinning around and smashing the bottle over Stratus' head, knocking him out cold.

She replaced her violet wide-brimmed hat over her horn and turned around to face Union Jack on the other side of the room, who held Daring by the neck, the end of his rose positioned over her jugular, a hardly visible spike protruding from it. "Don't come any closer! Who do you think you are and why do you keep barging in on affairs that are none of your concern?"

"You're right there." She admitted. "This really shouldn't be a problem of mine but when the Royal Guard is too idiotic to listen to reason, I take matters into my own hooves. And to answer the 'who are you' question, it's very simple. But I don't think you'll be around long enough to find out."

"What are you babbling about?" He inquired, merely being answered by the mare below him, striking him with another fierce jab as he was distracted. He dropped the rose and Daring Do finished the job, whipping the dizzy stallion to her partner who returned the gesture with a final buck, giving him a short amount of air time before he landed before the desk and smacked the back of his head off it, ruining the desk's perfectly vinyl finish.

Finally able to catch her breath, Daring fell against the wall, sliding down to rest while she watched her mysterious liberator dump out almost every piece of paper within the desk drawers and filing cabinet in the corner of the room. "You're not tired?" She asked. But when she received no answer, Daring examined her head and noticed that a certain something was missing. Worried, she stood up and started scavenging the tattered room. "Where's my helmet?"

Oddly enough, Mare-Do-Well had an answer to that as she uncovered it from underneath an abundance of papers. "Here." She said, tossing it over. Falling silent again, the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was visibly becoming discouraged. She ripped through the files as fast as she could, knowing that security would no doubt arrive. "It's gotta be here. It's the only logical answer."

"Would you answer my questions and tell me what you are doing?" The adventuress asked, wiping off her pith-helmet and returning it on top of her head. "I'd like to be filled in on a little bit of information if that's not too much to ask for."

Suddenly the hooded mare's ears twitched. She brought her head up from the ocean of documents and listened carefully. There was galloping coming from the hallway just outside the door. Wasting no time, Mare-Do-Well fetched one of the random folders and quickly hid it in her hat before nudging Daring Do towards the window. "Come on. There's more of them coming."

The pegasus mare was frustrated with Mare-Do-Well's secretive plan, now wondering to Celestia of all the ponies that could've rescued her, why did it have to be the oddest and most mysterious one of them all. "Watch it! What are you doing? You can't fly, you got none of these." She emphasized her sentiment with the flap of her wings. But the caped crusader simply laughed it off and stood at the edge of the window, facing the outside on her haunches. She spread out her forehooves like a bird would span it's wings just before it dove. Do stared at her in disbelief, shaking her head. "You're not..."

"If you want to get out of here alive, I suggest you follow me." And with that she leaned forward and nose dived from the seven-story building.

In shock, Daring rushed to the edge, expecting the worse until she seen something that a pony would never expect. Mare-Do-Well's cape detached itself and two artificial violet wings burst open from underneath it, spreading out and allowing the hooded mare to glide her way to safety. "Down this way!" somepony shouted. But it wasn't no pony. Daring Do recognized Giovanni's deep voice. With no time to lose she dove out the window as well, catching up and gliding along side the mysterious one as she readied her hooves for landing. Daring landed with ease but being that her ally was using pony-made wings, they couldn't exactly tuck themselves in for easy descent.

Mare-Do-Well used the length of the lot in front of the Spectrum building as a runway, coming ever so close to the gate until she finally got her hooves at a controlling motion. Still unable to stop though, she turned away from the fence so she would not injure herself. After finally coming to a halt, she detached the wings from her back and gestured her hoof to the front gate at Daring. "Hurry up! My coach is just down the road!"

The adventuress galloped as fast as she could. She went to follow the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well who had already went around the gate. Daring took a glance at the window billowing smoke and couldn't help but smile. Once again she had cheated death, defeated her foes, and laughed in the face of adversity. "Another day, another dun- I mean...Office? No that don't work-"

"Hey! Are you coming or not?" Mare-Do-Well shouted up ahead.

The archaeologist complied, taking a quick pace in her hooves. When she rounded the corner of Spectrum's brick fencing, Do was relieved to see a stagecoach but became puzzled when she approached it and seen no ponies at the front. "Hey how are we going to get out of here whe-"

The door to the carrier flew open and Mare-Do-Well pulled her inside. Without giving her a chance to retort, she shut the door and rushed to the front of the vehicle, plopping down in the swiveling armchair in front of an entire control board which bewildered Daring beyond belief. The mare sat at the high-tech desk flicking multiple switches and flicking on four other monitors that appeared to be cameras outside the coach itself. Then there was one final monitor in the center that she turned on, revealing the green line that voiced her computer system. Daring tried to take in her amazing surroundings and sat at the very back of the coach where it was just a normal, low-tech, plush seat stagecoach. All she could hear was the numerous beeps and blips coming from the confusing machinery that Mare-Do-Well continued to fiddle with. Eventually she began talking to it. "Computer, take me home!"

The computer replied. "Processing 'home'...Processing complete. Speed verification?" At this point Daring gave up trying to fight it. There was something about this mare that she had to know. The over dramatic entrance, experienced combat, spy-like instincts, surprising gadgets, and now this state-of-the-art stagecoach that only a very rich Equestrian could afford.

"Speed six, Computer! Get us out of here!" Mare-Do-Well ordered. After a few more beeps and a deep humming and rumbling coming from the front of the computer's hard drive, the carrier jolted forward and Daring almost fell out of her seat as they accelerated at a fast rate. The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well looked at the rear-view monitor and watched the Spectrum building get smaller and smaller. They had escaped and could finally take a breather.

The sides were switched. Mare-Do-Well insisted on resting but and it was now Daring who decided to become the persistent one. "Can you tell me what just happened? Who are you? What were you doing here? Who do you work for? And more importantly, where are you taking me?"

"Relax," the anonymous mare said, dismissively waving a hoof. "All your questions will be answered soon enough."

Daring Do sighed while rolling her eyes. "Well can you at least introduce yourself?"

The mare turned around in her chair and removed her violet hat, placing it on the rack next to the door, then continued around to face her unanticipated guest of honor. "Gladly. First I'll tell you that I wasn't lying when I said I step in when the Guard doesn't listen to reason. I'm a watcher over this entire land. I monitor the kingdom to put it in shorter terms. I try to ensure the safety of everypony in this city as well for the rest of Equestria. I will not reveal my real name to you but you can refer to me as the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well which I have been known as to others who have witnessed me."

"So you're a superhero? That's a little foalish isn't it? I think you've been reading too many comic books" Daring mused, cracking a witty side grin.

The hooded mare chuckled with her. "I wouldn't call myself a superhero exactly. That's something that foals would say. No, I like to consider myself a crusader, a bodyguard for Equestria, a-"

"A vigilante?" Daring interrupted.

"No, a guardian." Mare-Do-Well returned swiftly. "Vigilante makes my line of work sound harsh. Guardian suits it more positively, don't you think?"

The adventuress merely shrugged, stretching out on the long comfy seat as she shut her eyes. "Call it whatever you want. I'll just stick to archaeology."

"You call this, archaeology? Just sit back and enjoy the ride, Daring Do." Mare-Do-Well laughed, turning back to her computer. "We'll discuss what needs to be discussed at my place."

Daring nodded, yawning with her forehooves folded behind her head. At least they were out of there. She didn't know this Mysterious Mare-Do-Well was, but she did save her life and she had to trust her...for now. But then something Mare-Do-Well said made her open her eyes, and she sat back up for a second to acknowledge it. "How did you know my name?"

That cracked yet another amused laugh from the hooded mare. "I know quite a lot about you as of late. Where you were born, your age, your occupation, and even your closest friends and enemies. But don't let that creep you out. It's all for the investigation. When I heard you were the only survivor following the Prince Blueblood kidnapping, I just had to learn more about you...Like I said, I monitor the entire kingdom."

To be continued

Comments

[Canon Fodder]

Really sorry for the long wait, guys. Trying to keep up with this as well as mid-terms. Hope you enjoy!

[BenRG]

So, a bit of a Bond villain there, with a recreation of SPECTRE - Global anarchy for fun and profit. The big question, of course is... who is Number One? And will he let his subordinates survive their failure? I can see Giovanni turning up dead, mostly as a "incentive" for Jack and Stratus to try harder.