Daring Do and the Hand of Doom

by Unwhole Hole

Chapter 16: Spear of Extinction

The central collection was breathtaking. It was not stored in a warehouse, or in anything so primitive as a simple storage facility. Rather, the entire lower area that housed Wun Perr-Synt’s collection had been arranged like the halls of an exquisite museum. The walls were covered in hardwood, and the molding had been inlaid with gold and silver. The ceilings had low vaults that were often painted with various stylized scenes in the style of the ancient eastern unicorns, and the carpet alone cost more than most pony’s yearly earnings. Per square foot.

Along both sides of the curving, complicated hallways were glass cases filled with every sort of relic and artifact imaginable. They were roughly organized, but not by any system that Caballeron could understand. There were fragments of ruined armor, cursed weapons, numerous bones, grotesquely decorated pottery, sculptures of strange archaic beings, and beautiful gemstones wrought into strange and ominous jewelry. Caballeron himself did like the idea of collecting such old and useless things, especially the more active items that Perr-Synt preferred. Despite this, he knew many of these items well. He had supplied Wun with many of them.

Argiopé stared wide-eyed. “It’s…it’s beautiful.”

“So you could say,” said Zel, staring into a glass case filled with a number of zebra masks. “And yet this place reeks of dismay.”

“Because almost everything in here either has a horrific history or is trying to create horrors of its own,” mused Caballeron. “Which means it should be self-explanatory that we touch ABSOLUTLY NOTHING.”

He glared at Oxford, who was preparing a lock-picking spell at a tall case filled with a number of gleaming horn rings.

“Oh, come on,” he protested, “we’re already stealing from her. Look at these jewels! Just one of these could let me retire! And that pink one there? Or maybe the white? I have a mare in mind who would look smashing with that over her thin little horn…” He continued with his spell as Caballeron walked up and stared into the case.

“That one,” said Caballeron, pointing at a random ring, “Causes spontaneous combustion. That one will slowly turn the user into plant. The purple one makes the wearer unable to breath anything except cider. The one next to it changes your gender, and the one under that your gender preference. The blue one is known as the Deboner, for obvious reasons. I’ve seen the effects, they’re actually quite spectacular.” He pointed at the pink ring. “And that one, that one I sold to her. It’s called ‘The Quartz of Quartering’. The white is its sister, ‘The Diopside of Drawing’.”

Oxford grew pale and took a large step back.

“On second thought, perhaps it is best not to disturb these things,” he said shakily.

“My thoughts exactly,” said Caballeron. “We are looking for one specific artifact, one that I know will not harm us.”

“And what exactly are we looking for?”

“You? Nothing. I am looking for it. You couldn’t even identify the Quartz of Quartering.”

Oxford looked sheepish, and Caballeron pushed past him. The group then continued onward into the labyrinthine system of lavish hallways and the numerous artifacts within them. Argiopé led, paying little attention to much. Rogue followed, not straying far from Caballeron. He did not even look at the artifacts and jewels; he had worked for Caballeron long enough to know that when his boss said not to touch specific loot, it was best to stay as far away from it as possible.

Zel and the black stallion took the rear. The black stallion did not say much, although he took a passing interest in the things that he passed. He seemed at best mildly amused. Zel, however, grew more anxious and quiet as they moved deeper into the central collection. Many of the artifacts he saw had been pillaged from his homeland. Instead of regret and looted treasures, though, Zel felt the opposite. He was overjoyed that these particular artifacts had been removed from his native continent. Unlike the others, he understood their significance- -and if Wun Perr-Synt knew even a quarter of it, he began to doubt her sanity.

This continued for some time until Caballeron suddenly stopped. He had arrived in front of a tall, narrow glass case. It was not set apart from the others, and seemed to be no more relevant than any of the other displays throughout the collection apart from how high it was- -and that the large case only contained a single item.

Caballeron smiled. “This is it,” he said, gesturing toward the case. It contained a long object, an elegantly but geometrically wrought haft met with a narrow and vicious blade flanked by two curving guards.

Argiopé stared up at it. “A spear?”

“Not just a spear!” corrected Caballeron, almost angrily. “Don’t you know what this is?” None of the others responded. Caballeron sighed, distressed that they were not able to realize what a culturally significant piece of history this was. “This is the Hurricane Spear,” he said. “Also known as the Spear of Extinction.”

“Why is it called that?” asked Rogue, nearly in a whisper.

“Because it is said that Commander Hurricane herself used the spear to slay the last living Exmoor pony.”

There was little response from the group. They did not seem to recognize the word “Exmoor”, which was both a relief and expected. After all, none of them had been able to identify the spear as Commander Hurricane’s personal weapon. It was unlikely any of them would be familiar with something as obscure as the Exmoori.

“I’ve known many a spear,” said Zel, quietly, “and yet this one instils me with such fear…”

“They say,” said Caballeron, “that there is nothing that its blade cannot cut. Legend even speaks of a Mighty Helm warrior by the name of Rockhead who once challenged Hurricane to single combat. He arrived wearing armor wrought from a single piece of solid diamond by stone-worshippers. Hurricane cleaved his diamond helmet with a single blow, and would have cut further were she not remarkably merciful.”

Caballeron reached up and opened the case. It was neither alarmed nor locked. There was no reason why it needed to be. Under normal circumstances only Wun Perr-Synt herself and her most beloved of guests would be allowed here. Even Caballeron would never normally have even the slightest glimmer of hope at entering. Now, though, he reached up with a shaking hoof and took down the spear. It felt strangely warm, but only for a moment; then its temperature became oddly cold.

The metal was strange. Caballeron did not recognize it, and was astounded by how light the spear was. The workmanship on it was strange; no other Pegasus weapon he had ever encountered looked quite like this one did.

“So, what?” said Oxford. “We need to cut something?”

“No,” replied Caballeron. “I have been translating a certain text, and have come to the conclusion that it is meant as instructions. Instructions meant to open something I would rather like to obtain. One of the elements of this texts claims that the temple will ‘ask for the blood of a child of Exmoor’. Of course none of them exist anymore. This spear removed the last one from existence.”

“But his blood is still on the blade,” said Rogue, suddenly realizing what Caballeron is planning. “You want to use the spear like a big key.”

Caballeron tilted the spear just slightly. Despite his tiny motion, the blade of it swung to within an inch of Rogues nose. “You know,” he said. “I preferred when you were far less smart.”

“Y- -yeah, right boss!”

Caballeron paused for effect, and then retracted the spear. He gave it to Argiopé to hold. Despite her having nearly cost them the mission earlier by not simply slithering under the laser beams, she was still remarkably loyal, almost to a fault. Although Caballeron could never admit it, he did in fact tend to trust her. At least as much as he trusted any of his lackeys, which was not very much.

“Hold this carefully,” he said.

“Of course, herr doktor.”

“Now. All we need to do is get this out of here.”

“But the security system is already down,” said Oxford. “And the spells have all been removed.”

“I know. It’s not the system I’m worried about, nor the spells.” He sighed. “Well, you’ll understand soon enough. Let’s go.”

Both Daring Do and Rainbow Dash had been waylaid. Mainly because the instant they arrived in the large dark entryway where they had first met the elderly “guard”, they found that the lights had come back on- -and that the room was full of numerous thugs.

Dealing with said thugs had been a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. It was clear that Caballeron had not left his best henchponies to guard the entryway. Daring Do, despite her age, was highly experienced at fighting goons, to the point where it was nearly humdrum. Rainbow Dash, likewise, also had a good deal of experience despite her young age. In addition, her youth gave her a great advantage in that she was far swifter and limber than Daring Do had been in decades.

That was not what took most of their time, though. Once the various henchponies had been defeated and bound, Rainbow Dash had discovered a separate group of ponies held captive in one of the offices. They had been the original guards. Some of them were still unconscious, and all were injured, although none of them severely. Daring Do had taken time to unbind them, easily recognizing Rogue’s knotting skills as she did so. Unfortunately, her work was slowed by the fact that she was extremely unfamiliar with the idea of untying ropes when she herself was not the one bound in them.

After untying the injured and still largely groggy guards, Daring Do and Rainbow Dash proceeded toward the door to the inner complex. Rainbow Dash swiftly crossed the span and found that the door was still open, although only slightly. She put her hooves against the gap and strained.

“UGH!” she cried. “There’s no way I can get this open!”

“Not by brute strength, no,” said Daring Do. She was not focusing on the gap; rather, she was staring at a poem placed over a keypad.

Rainbow Dash landed and stared at the poem. “To ride from the waves/at times calm, at times stormy/So fair, yet fate grim,” she read. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Daring Do removed a pencil from her shirt and began poking the deep-set mechanical switches that made up the keypad. “Utsukushi Umi,” she said through the pencil in her mouth.

“What? What’s that?”

“Not what. Who. That’s the solution to the poem. Beautiful Ocean. Wun had his armor on display during the party.”

The door suddenly shuddered and shifted before pulling apart with some difficulty. Daring Do had been correct. Rainbow Dash almost rejoiced loudly until she saw a rather confused looking female minotaur turn around to face them. Then, instead, she rejoiced quietly.

“Huh?” said the minotaur. “Who the heck are you?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” said Daring Do.

“I wasn’t,” said Rainbow Dash. “Actually, I’m just really surprised that…you know…you’re a girl.”

“I’m a woman!” cried the minotaur, flexing strenuously. “And, what, there can’t be she-minotaurs? How do you think we have our little minotaur families, huh?”

“I don’t know! I thought a female minotaur was, like, you know. A satyr.”

The female minotaur gasped as though she was dealt the most deadly of insults. “THEY ARE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SPECIES!”

“She’s right,” said Daring Do. “Dash, come on. You’re embarrassing me.”

Rainbow Dash blushed. “S- -sorry. I didn’t mean- -”

“Just because you didn’t mean it doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt my feelings,” snorted the minotaur. “How would you like it if I called you a griffon, huh?”

“What’s wrong with being a griffon?”

The minotaur’s eyes widened. “Well, nothing, I’m just saying- -”

“That you’re speciesist against griffons?” said Daring Do, raising an eyebrow.

“What? NO! One of my best friends is a griffon! She spots me at the gym!”

“Oh really? Then what’s her name?”

“Uh- -um- -it…starts with a ‘G’?”

Daring Do sighed and turned to Rainbow Dash. “Have you ever heard anything so insulting?” She then winked, and Rainbow Dash understood.

“No, I haven’t! I really DO have a friend who’s a griffon. And if she wasn’t, you know, a hen? A…oh, what is a male griffon called?”

“A cock?” suggested the minotaur.

Daring Do and Rainbow Dash both released exaggerated gasps. “How dare you!” cried Daring Do. “If you’re going to be that insulting, you should go home and reconsider your life!”

The minotaur blushed. “Um…yeah.” She started to step past them. “Sorry about that. I…I think I’m just having a bad day. Maybe my boss can put me through some sensitivity training?”

“I will NOT pay for additional classes!” cried a shrill voice from the hallways the minotaur had been guarding. “It’s in your contract, get some glasses!”

Daring Do looked past the minotaur and saw a group of ponies approaching them. The one who had spoken was a zebra in green fatigues. Beside him was a tall, tattooed unicorn who stood next to Rogue. In front of Rogue walked a young-looking thestral holding a long, strange spear over her back; her blue-green eyes betrayed her as the changeling in the group. A black stallion stood apart from the rest of the group. When Rainbow Dash saw him, she gasped and took a panicked step back. The stallion noticed, but did not take his unwavering, unblinking gaze away from her.

Then, there was Caballeron. The others paused while he took a step forward, grinning smugly.

“Daring Do,” he said, almost chuckling to himself. “You do seem to be slipping a bit in your old age, don’t you?” He looked at his watch. “I was expecting you to interrupt me at least twenty minutes ago. Twenty years ago, you might even have been able to stop me.” He paused and smiled cruelly. “But now? You’re too late, Daring Do!”

“It looks to me like I’m right on time, Caballeron. What is this?” She gestured toward the thestral/changeling holding the spear. “What are you doing? Even I didn’t think you could sink this low. Stealing priceless artifacts from tombs is one thing, but from a private collection? Are you insane?!”

“Quite the opposite! I am a businesspony. And I understand that to make money, sometimes certain sacrifices need to be made. Including to my own dignity.”

“That’s not hard for you. You never had any dignity in the first place.”

Caballeron’s eyes narrowed. “Zel?”

“Brass Knuckles, if you would please/break this pair of ponies.”

The minotaur smiled and suddenly turned, striking at Daring Do and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash dodged easily, but Daring Do was nearly crushed; her only recourse was to tumble backward into the room that she had come through, landing on her wings in the process.

There was not even a moment of respite to right herself. A blade flashed, and Daring Do moved one of her wings out of the way just in time to avoid having it skewered to the ground. The blade struck the empty tile instead, sparking and leaving a deep gouge in the granite.

For a moment, Daring Do wondered if they were using the strange spear to attack her- -but she quickly realized that the spear that had struck at her was smaller and, somehow, vastly inferior to the one the changeling carried on her back. It belonged to the zebra.

“A svelte body and nice hair?” rhymed the Zebra, “you look quite good for an older mare!”

He swung the spear sideways, nearly drawing it across Daring Do’s chest. She slid back and rolled, landing in a standing position. A button popped off her vest. She smiled.

“Not so bad yourself. You’re a mercenary.”

“To that, I have to say yes. No more, and no- -” Daring Do pirouetted and attempted to punch him in the stomach. He parried with the side of his blade and was knocked back but not off balance. “There is no crime/like interrupting a zebra during his rhyme!” he cried, annoyed.

“Maybe if you would stop rhyming and start fighting, we could do this properly?”

The zebra smiled. “I see. So let it be.”

He struck again. This time Daring Do dodged, but not quickly enough. Several of her flight feathers were severed on her left wing. She swore to Cadence’s rear under her breath; the zebra was toying with her, but doing it very effectively.

A snap rang through the air, and the zebra- -in the process of pirouetting for another strike- -stumbled and nearly fell. He looked down to see Daring Do’s whip wrapped around his ankle. With a cry, he drove his spear through it- -only for the blade to nick in a plume of sparks.

His eyes went wide, and he laughed. “A whip made from finest dragon leather!/ Indeed, this is quite a tether!”

Before Daring Do could respond, he jumped and rolled in midair, wrapping the whip around himself- -and in the process pulling Daring Do toward him.

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, had joined her own portion of the fight. Specifically, with the she-minotaur. The minotaur reached out and struck at her, missing and instead painfully striking the tile below. Rainbow Dash almost appeared not to have moved, and was pretending to polish her hoof half a meter from where the minotaur had struck.

“Hold- -STIL!” cried the minotaur, striking- -and missing- -once again.

“I wouldn’t have to if you weren’t so slow,” said Rainbow Dash, now sitting on the minotaur’s shoulder. “I mean, I’ve literally seen a pregnant cow covered in molasses moving faster. Long story as to how she got so sticky. Pinkie Pie was making this new type of cookie- -”

“I am NOT A COW!” screamed the minotaur. She reached for Rainbow Dash, only to find to her dismay that her enormous biceps kept her arms from reaching that high. When she finally did figure it out, she slammed her fist into her own shoulder. Rainbow Dash had already moved to the opposite.

“GAH! My trapezius!”

“Hey, what is this thing?” Rainbow Dash poked at the complicated metal device that the minotaur was holding on her back. “It looks really fancy. You know, you’d probably move faster if you didn’t have this.”

“GET OFF ME you little WEASEL!” The minotaur tried to punch Rainbow Dash again, this time striking her other shoulder. Her arm went numb. “GAH!” she cried. “My OTHER trapezius!”

“Weasel,” said Rainbow Dash, now reposing between the minotaur’s small horns. “That’s a new one. And I’ve been called a LOT of things in my life. But never a weasel, and never by a satyr.”

The minotaur’s face shifted in color to a deep shade of burgundy. She screamed in rage and charged at a wall, intending to squeeze Rainbow Dash between the heavy concrete and her horns. Rainbow Dash simply flipped off, allowing the impact to occur exactly as planned, except without her in the center of the sandwich.

The report of the impact was immense, even in the poor acoustics of the deep basement. The minotaur stood up, clearly tipsy from having just concussed herself, and then dropped to the ground.

“Ha,” said Rainbow Dash. “That’s what you get for messing with Daring Do and her partner Rainbow Da- -”

She did not get a chance to finish. Strange crimson bands suddenly shot from the granite tile below her, wrapping themselves around her body and forcing her to her knees. She tried to cry out, but one had already filled her mouth. Rainbow Dash recognized the flavor. It tasted distinctly of magic.

A tattooed unicorn appeared beside her. “Look at that!” he cried, laughing. “One Pegasus cutie, gift-wrapped and ready for shipping. You know, with a mane like that, you would fetch a pretty penny at the pony markets out in the badlands. Oh, if only I had the time for a good artifact compression spell…” He shrugged. “But, hey. Maybe I can sell TWO cuties. Even if one’s an old prune.”

He turned his attention toward the fight, moving quickly in a wide crescent, attempting to find vantage where he could not be seen so that the could strike without fear of repercussions.

A different presence appeared beside Rainbow Dash. She expected to look up to see Caballeron standing over her, perhaps ready to foalnap her and hold her for ransom. When she looked up- -prepared to offer a few choice words through her magical gag- -her eyes went wide instead, as the pony beside her was not Caballeron. Instead, it was an inky black stallion who stared with strange yellow eyes.

“So you can listen,” he said. “Huh.”

Daring Do stood up, coughing. She had just taken a zebra hoof to the chest, and it had knocked the wind out of her. The zebra lunged again, and Daring Do snapped her whip just to the right of his face. The zebra barely reacted, instead twisting and swinging his spear at Daring Do’s belly. Daring Do jumped back, which seemed to be exactly what he was expecting. He turned and struck Daring Do in the chest with the butt of his spear, once again knocking the wind out of her. She was also put off balance and fell rearward, striking her head on one of the display cases that the guards must have been moving back into the main collection. The glass shifted in response to the impact, rippling with strange runes. Daring Do realized that this was the case housing the Masque of Red Death.

Even before she was able to try and stand, crimson-colored bands shot out from around her, entrapping her lower body and moving upward. Daring Do immediately pressed her hooves together and rapidly recited a couplet in ancient zebric. She felt a sensation of heat and being drained, and the bands shattered before they could cover her mouth.

The zebra had been preparing for an attack, but upon hearing Daring Do perform a zebra spell- -even a minor one- -he halted awkwardly, unaware of what to do next. Unfortunately, the unicorn beside him- -the one who had cast the bands- - had no qualms about attacking. He cried out and charged forward, covering his body in magical armor and projecting a powerful pain spell around her horn.

Daring Do stood up quickly but did not dodge- -at least not at first. She waited until she could feel the warmth of the unicorn’s horn magic, and then suddenly shifted to the side, grabbing his shoulder. His armor was reactive, and the pain was searing, but she still held on long enough to ram him horn-first into the magical protection barrier that secured the Masque of Red Death.

His horn penetrated deep into the shielding and the runes immediately darkened to sickly black. The unicorn’s eyes bulged and he began to scream horribly as his body convulsed. After a few seconds, Daring Do and the zebra were thrown back by a resounding explosion as the shield collapsed. The unicorn stumbled backward, his horn blackened and sparking, and then fell to the floor in a heap.

As he fell, the binding spell over Rainbow Dash shattered. Caballeron saw this, and immediately understood that the tides had turned against him. Oxford had just been taken out, and Brass Knuckles was still struggling to stand. The black stallion was nowhere in sight; he had apparently elected to hide somewhere rather than fight. Rogue, as per his training, elected to stay behind to ensure that Caballeron and the Spear were protected. That left only Argiopé, Zel, and himself. The first of which would be more than enough to ensure a successful escape.

“Argiopé,” he said. “Give me the spear. It looks to me like I cannot count on anypony except you. I apologize for my behavior toward you, but I need you.”

Argiopé blushed. “It’s okay,” she said. “I don’t mind if you hit me. Next time do it on my rump.” She held out the spear, but did not give it to Caballeron. A vicious, toothy smile crossed her face.

“Argiopé…”

“I know a better use for this.”

Before Caballeron could stop her, Argiopé shifted into the form of a powerful Pegasus. She shot forward, past Zel, just as Daring Do was recovering from the magical attack. Daring Do had no chance to dodge: Argiopé plunged the end of the spear into her chest.

“NO!” cried Caballeron.

Daring Do felt something snap inside her. There was incredible pain as she was thrown back onto the floor. She had seen the glint of the spear blade, and the world seemed to slow as it approached her. She recognized what it was. It was the Hurricane Spear, and it bore a blade that could cut through any substance without hindrance- -her included

She looked down at her chest, expecting it to be the last thing she would ever see. Instead, though, much to her surprise she found that her shirt was completely intact. The blade had not even left an imprint on the fabric.

“What?!” cried Argiopé, staring at the blade. “This spear is BLUNT!”

“Who’d have thought?” wheezed Daring Do, slowly rising to her feet. She had definitely broken at least one rib. She was out of the fight, but had to at least try to keep going on.

“ARGIOPÉ!” cried Caballeron. “The spear!”

Argiopé glowered and threw the spear to Zel. “Take it,” she said. “I don’t need weapons to deal with this horse!”

Rainbow Dash landed behind Argiopé, effectively cutting off her retreat. Argiopé hardly seemed to care. Her green eyes did not depart from Daring Do, nor did they at any point cease to seethe with absolute hatred.

“We don’t have to do this,” said Daring Do. “You’re outnumbered.”

Argiopé laughed sardonically. “The pony who loves me told me to stop you. So I WILL.”

Her body shifted. Argiopé, like many of her kind, had a host of forms that she could take, but one among them was her favorite. It was the form that she took her name from, and in her opinion her true self.

The ground shook as she finished materializing. The creature standing between Daring Do and Rainbow Dash was no longer a pony. Instead, Argiopé had taken the form of a massive, obese spider with an orange and black striped abdomen and a vicious white head. Her many blue-green eyes continued to stare at Daring Do, and her long fangs dripped with venom.

Zel took a step back. “S- -spider! Her!”

Argiopé glared at him and struck him hard with one of her long striped legs. He was hit in the side and went flying. Several things were dislodged from his person, including his personal spear as well as some things that had been in his pockets- -including a small package wrapped carefully in a leaf. Argiopé neither noticed nor cared, as he had remained in possession of the artifact that Caballeron had come to collect.

Then she charged, scuttling across the ground toward Daring Do.

“You look so tiny!” she boomed, trying to swipe at Daring Do with her legs and strike her down with her fangs. “A little pony snack!”

Daring Do dodged, crying out form pain as she did so. She rolled and tilted, and Argiopé shattered several display cases as she pursued.

“Rainbow Dash!” cried Daring Do, pointing toward the effects left behind when the zebra had gone flying.

Rainbow Dash stared at the pile, and lunged for it. Argiopé saw this and tilted her rear toward him. A stream of silk shot out, immediately covering Rainbow Dash and ensnaring her.

Rainbow Dash looked down at herself wide-eyed and dry-heaved. “Wh- -what IS THIS?!” she cried. “Where did- -did this come out of your- -EW EWW EEWWW!”

“It’s silk you prude,” said Argiopé, looming toward Rainbow Dash and momentarily ignoring Daring Do. “If you were to weave that into a scarf it would cost more than your whole Wonderbolt pension.”

“But it’s so GROSS!”

“But effective. As you can see,” she looked to Daring Do, “your daughter cannot move. And neither can you, for much longer. That’s the problem with an internal skeleton. Bones break far easier than chitin.” She turned toward Rainbow Dash. “So…perhaps I will suck the fluid from your daughter while you watch. Call it an appetizer.”

“Nobody touches my FLUID!” cried Rainbow Dash. She tore at the silk with all her strength and managed to free one front leg. Even with it free, though, the best she could do was crawl toward the fallen spear.

“That explains why you’re so uptight,” said the massive spider, laughing sinisterly. She kicked Rainbow Dash hard with one of her legs, turning her belly-up so that the softest parts were exposed. “Needless to say, as a changeling, I don’t need to eat. I can, but it serves no biological purpose. It’s just for flavor.” She brushed the tip of one of her hairy legs through Rainbow Dash’s mane. “And I’d bet that you taste like fruit…”

Her fangs extended, and Rainbow Dash suddenly rolled. She picked up Zel’s spear in one hoof and rolled directly under Argiopé’s abdomen. As she did, she braced the spear against the ground, holding it with the end pointed up.

Nothing happened. The tip of the spear was still several feet below Argiopé’s soft spider underbelly. “Really?” she said, turning her hideous spider head to look under herself. “Is your name Sam? Are you some sort of shoeless halflinger? That isn’t how it works in real life!”

“Maybe not,” said Rainbow Dash, smiling, “but if you weren’t such an egghead, you probably wouldn’t have gotten so distracted!”

“What?”

At that moment Daring Do descended on Argiopé’s back. The changeling screamed and reared, but Daring Do wrapped her whip around Argiopé’s neck, using it like a set of reigns. The spider cried and bucked and tried to strike Daring Do with her long legs. With Daring Do lodged between her head and abdomen, though, it was impossible to remove her.

“GET OFF!” she cried.

“MAKE ME!”

Argiopé screamed one more time and shifted, taking a smaller shape. Rainbow Dash flipped the spear, cutting through the silk binding her, and then turned it toward Argiopé. As she did, though, she felt a strange warm sensation behind her eyes. Something was moving through her mind.

Suddenly, a pony screamed. Rainbow Dash recognized the scream and stumbled, lowering the spear, having nearly skewered a now teary-eyed Fluttershy.

“P- -please, Rainbow Dash!” wept Fluttershy. Her eyes darted around the room. “I- -I don’t know where I am! D- -don’t hurt me!”

“Flutter- -”

Rainbow Dash understood what was happening, but it was already too late. The changeling leapt onto her, still in Fluttershy’s form, and sunk her long needle-like teeth into Rainbow Dash’s into Rainbow Dash’s shoulder.

“MY TRAPEZIUS!” cried Rainbow Dash.

“It’s what you get for helping that horse!” screamed Argiopé through a mouthful of Rainbow Dash.

“Hey, changeling!” cried Daring Do. Argiopé’s eyes turned toward Daring Do and realized all-too late what her plan was. Daring Do had never intended to use Zel’s spear; instead, she had picked up the small leaf-wrapped package.

With one swift motion, Daring Do threw it. Argiopé tried to dodge, but Rainbow Dash wrapped her in a hug that prevented her from moving. The package struck her, exploding in a plume of greenish-brown mud.

Argiopé screamed and tore herself free from Rainbow Dash. She writhed in confusion and surprise as her form destabilized. She shifted between several forms- -an unshaven Pegasus stallion, an elderly guard, a black earth-pony- -before the illusion finally collapsed completely. All that was left was her as a dark-colored changeling, a generic drone identical to the ones that had served under Queen Chrysalis.

“You- -you HORSE!” she cried. She began to crawl away, crying as she did so. “Doktor! My doktor! Please- -please don’t look at me! I’m hideous!”

Caballeron stared at her, and took a step back, grimacing at the sight of a flailing, blubbering insect. Heartbreak crossed Argiopé’s face, and Daring Do immediately found herself feeling profound pity for the girl.

“You still have wings!” snapped Caballeron. “USE THEM!”

Argiopé sniffled and her thin wings buzzed. She took flight, joining Caballeron. Zel was with him, and he was helping Rogue with the minotaur, who could still barely stand. The black stallion had also rematerialized, apparently believing that the fight was over.

“Move!” cried Rogue. “This way!”

Daring Do started to follow them, but then heard Rainbow Dash’s pained groans. She paused, then against her better judgement ran to Rainbow Dash’s side.

“She- -she bit me!” cried Rainbow Dash.

“Of course she did. Hold still!” Daring Do removed a package of ointment from her jacket and began putting it on the bites.

“But what if- -what if she’s venomous?!”

“She’s a weaver! Only the royal changelings are venomous! You’re going to be fine!” She helped Rainbow Dash up. “Come on! They’re headed for the catacombs! If they get out there, we’ll never be able to track them down!”

Rainbow Dash groaned but then nodded. She took flight and raced forward, with Daring Do following on foot. Both of them ignored their pain for the sake of their perception by the other.

They were both slowed by their injuries and by the exertion of the fight, but they still managed to stay on Caballeron’s tail as he moved through the bowels of the facility. Eventually, they found themselves in a long tubular hallway which appeared to serve as the main drainage point for the underground system. Daring Do’s hooves splashed in the water as she ran, and the sound of her footsteps and those of her quarry echoed off the walls.

“Caballeron!” she cried. There was no more to her cry, because no more needed to be said. She had only spoken to remind him that there was no way he could escape. He was simply not fast enough.

Caballeron heard her. He turned to the still woozy minotaur. “Brass Knuckles, was it?”

“Uh…I don’t know. I got hit pretty hard.”

“Do I look like I care? I don’t. It’s time to use it.”

The minotaur stared at him, confused for a moment, and then a smile crossed her face. She reached for her back and unbuckled the metallic object from her back and began to set it on the ground.

“Withers,” said Caballeron, just as Daring Do and her daughter came around the corner. “Send out the activation code, then pack up and get out of there!”

“Right. Let’s sanctify some nubs!”

The metal object suddenly shuddered. It began to unfold. Four projections extended, and then shifted themselves into a pair of legs. A head rose up, and the metal plating changed orientation to form armor. Daring Do, on seeing it, skidded to a stop. Her daughter stared wide-eyed.

“A little present!” laughed Caballeron. “I hope you enjoy it as much as it enjoys you! Adios, Daring Do!”

He then turned and ran with what was left of his team.

“They’re getting away!” cried Rainbow Dash, racing after them.

“DASH!” cried Daring Do. “WAIT!”

The red eye of the mechanical pony suddenly turned to face Rainbow Dash. It sprung into the air with absurd speed, rebounding off the curved walls of the tunnel and striking Rainbow Dash in the gut. Rainbow Dash cried out and spiraled into the water below, splashing and skidding to a stop.

The machine then turned its attention to Daring Do. It advanced with the same speed it had used on Rainbow Dash; despite being thin and lightly-built, it was incredibly quick. Daring Do tried to dodge but was struck in the chest. Her vision went black from the pain, but she tried to stay conscious. The next thing she felt was her back slamming into the concrete of the tunnel and the sickening sensation of her arthritic wing joints being pushed out of place.

“Daring!” cried Rainbow Dash. She flew upward and then around the tunnel in a tight coil, gaining speed and momentum. She struck the side of the machine, causing it to momentarily tilt before compensating strangely on its metal legs. It did not allow Rainbow Dash to come by for a second pass: several missiles flew from an aperture on its back. They exploded with blinding light. Rainbow Dash screamed in surprise and deviated from her course. The machine stepped to the side, allowing Rainbow Dash to strike concrete. Then it turned back to Daring Do.

It struck, but Daring Do was marginally quick enough to dodge. She slid between its legs, moving through the slippery water beneath it. The water was salty, and a thick layer of red algae had grown beneath it. Sliding was easy, but as she did, Daring Do found herself looking upward. This thing had internal mechanical components: gears, cogs, motors and wire. She realized that it was not a golem- -and that she had seen something very similar before.

Daring Do stood up, holding a hoof full of red algae as she did so. “Rainbow,” she said. Rainbow Dash, still partially blinded, stood up. “I have an idea. But I need you to distract it!”

“Distract it? How the heck am I supposed to- -OOP!”

The machine took a swing at her. Any other pony would have had a wing broken by the blow, but Rainbow Dash was fast enough to dodge and strike the machine in the face. Its head moved back slightly, and Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened.

“Celestia’s BUTT!” she screamed, holding her fist. “This thing is HARD!” She was then promptly grabbed by one hoof and thrown to the ground. “And STRONG! What even is this thing?!”

“You’re doing a great job, Dash,” said Daring Do. She was hardly paying attention; instead, she had rolled up one of her shirt’s sleeves to reveal the white t-shirt sleeve underneath. “Don’t let it get near me!”

“Right!” said Rainbow Dash. She kicked the machine in the chest. It did not respond, except by grabbing her by the hoof and throwing her back.

“NO YOU DON’T!” cried Rainbow Dash, catching herself in the air and swooping around the machine, going after its thin, angular legs. The machine saw her and jumped back away from Daring Do. In the process, it fired another barrage of missiles; this time, though, Rainbow Dash turned her back and let the missiles explode right in front of the machine’s face. It took another step back as its optic cells reconfigured themselves to compensate for the blast.

“Come on,” muttered Daring Do, “just a little bit more…”

“Daring!” cried Rainbow Dash. Daring Do looked up to see her clinging to the machine’s rear leg. It was walking forward regardless, coming toward Daring Do. Its single red eye was locked onto her. It had no real face, apart from the most abstract semblance of one- -just that single, red eye.

It kicked Rainbow Dash free and lunged, its metal hooves aiming for Daring Do’s neck. As it did, Daring Do turned her body so that her sleeve was facing the machine- -and the image drawn onto it in red algae.

The machine immediately froze. It’s eye turned downward, staring at the symbol: the one that Daring Do had copied as perfectly as she could from her memory of the red and white Questlord insignia that she had seen before on the power-suited pony who had attacked her in Southern Equestria.

For a tense moment, she was not sure if it would work. Then the machine moved, not to attack but to stand at attention.

“Questlord identified,” it said in a surprisingly pony-like voice. “Your orders, Lord Knight?”

“Cease attack and shut down.”

The machine paused for a moment. “Orders acknowledged. Executing. Please wait.”

Then, as though every bolt and screw in the machine’s body had come out at once, it collapsed into thousands of individual pieces. Seconds before, it had been attacking them and resisting their efforts as though it were completely immune to damage; now it was a pile of scrap metal rusting quietly in a flow of salt water in the tunnel far below the streets of Singapone.

Daring Do breathed a long sigh. There was silence for a moment, and then Rainbow Dash began to cheer.

“You- -you DID IT! I can’t believe it! How did you know?!”

“A lucky guess,” replied Daring Do. She dropped to her knees, and concern suddenly crossed Rainbow Dash’s face.

“Daring!”

“I’m fine, Dash, I’m fine,” she said. “Just…I’m getting way too old for this.”
 

Comments

[FloydienSlip]

Hot damn, what a chapter. It's always a pleasure to read your action sequences.