Daring Do and the Hand of Doom

by Unwhole Hole

Chapter 37: Pursuit

They moved swiftly, but in an unfortunate direction. Daring Do’s instinct was to move deeper into the forest where there was greater cover. She of course knew that doing so was incredibly foolish, especially if there were more Questlords already waiting with eyes like White’s. Her own night vision was good, but not nearly good enough to see silent Pegasi approaching from overhead. This fear was almost tangible as she moved through the forest, but the instinct to hide was still strong.

Rainbow Dash did not seem to share that instinct. Instead, she seemed more annoyed at the fact that she was not permitted to fight the Questlords head-on. Her demeanor was that of one who was greatly ashamed of herself.

As for the black stallion, he seemed to care little. Daring Do found that suspect and was growing increasingly nervous. He was leading them away from town- -and away from Sweetie Drops and White. Worse, he was taking them in the opposite direction of what instinct dictated: instead of deeper into the forest, he was leading them up the mountain to where the trees grew shorter and more sparse.

Then at once they broke free of any and all cover. The trees faded away until they were little more than spiny, ankle-high plants, and the landscape was instead dominated by short grasses, moss, and jagged rocks.

“The fissure should be nearby,” said the black stallion.

“Fissure?” Daring Do looked around. “Where?”

A high shout of surprise came from behind her, and she turned to see that Rainbow Dash had vanished down a narrow crack in the ground.

“Right there,” said the stallion. He leaned over and fell into the hole as well. Daring Do, with slight hesitation, also entered, although by flying rather than accidentally falling in.

It was a narrow hole, but surprisingly deep. It opened into a large cavern with a low ceiling. Rainbow Dash was picking herself up off the ground and rubbing her head.

“Dash, are you hurt?”

“Who the heck puts a hole just out in the middle of a field!” she exclaimed.

“No one ‘put it there’,” retorted the stallion. “It grew there naturally.”

“Well somepony should have put up a sign!”

“The elderly brown mare had no trouble with it.”

This seemed to anger Rainbow Dash even more greatly than the hole did. “She’s NOT ELDERLY!”

“Dash, please,” said Daring Do. She glared at the stallion. “Do you have to be antagonistic?”

The stallion did not answer. He instead turned toward the darkness of the cave and raised a hoof. An circular projection appeared in front of it, containing three runes. Light then emanated from the circle as it collapsed into a sphere and moved ahead of them.

“This way.”

He began walking. His motions were stiff and odd, as if he was unfamiliar with how to actually move. It made sense why he did not want to fight; Daring Do doubted he would be graceful enough to even gallop, let alone hold his own in hoof-to-hoof combat.

Daring Do followed him, although she left a considerable distance, both because of the unpleasant smell and the fact that she still did not trust him. Rainbow Dash followed her; it was apparent that her trust in Daring Do only slightly outweighed her distrust in the unicorn.

“Do you have a name?” she asked.

“Flock,” he said.

“You’ve only got one?” sneered Rainbow Dash. “That’s kind of pretentious.” She leaned close to Daring Do and whispered. “Don’t tell Rarity I said that. Or Fluttershy. Or Scootaloo. Or my boss…”

“Corvius Flock,” said Flock. “Sorcerer.”

“A biomancer,” noted Daring Do.

“I have many interests,” snapped Flock in return.

“And is one of them the Hand of Doom?”

Flock’s eyes flashed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You’re lying.”

“No. I’m allowing you to stay conscious. I don’t have to. But I am.” He pointed. “There’s an exit on the far side of the mountain through this one.” He took a corner. “If we can just get through- -”

“Hey, you!” called a voice. Daring Do looked up to see a pair of armored ponies standing at the entrance of a carved arcade. “What are you doing here?!”

“Great,” muttered Flock. “Now they’re in the tunnels too?”

The pair charged forward and Flock stepped backward, fully expecting Daring Do and Rainbow Dash to deal with it. Both were prepared to fight, but neither did. A strange sound came from behind the pair of ponies, like liquid being shot through a tight nozzle. Both of the armored ponies then stumbled and fell, their armor having been completely gummed by long threads of thick silk.

“What is this stuff?” demanded the male of the pair.

“Proof that I was right,” said the female.

“Don’t bother resisting,” said a third voice, one that was distinctly familiar. An earth-stallion stepped into view behind the immobilized Pegasi. “It is quite a bit stronger than steel. And makes excellent sweaters.”

“Caballeron!” cried Rainbow Dash.

“No,” said Daring Do. “That’s not him.”

The pony standing before them smiled. He really did look exactly like Caballeron, to the point where the illusion could more or less be described as perfect. Still, Daring Do somehow knew that he was not, and her suspicions were confirmed when his smile revealed long, pointed fangs.

“Of course, of course,” he said, stepping past the two Questlords. “You would know him better than I would, wouldn’t you? How to tell him and myself apart?” His eyes changed; the blue-green of his irises expanded until the entirety of both his eyes was one flat, murky color.

Then in an instant she shifted. The form of Caballeron vanished and was replaced by that of harsh-featured griffon. She flashed again, and took the form of a black unicorn. Then she flashed a final time, and resolved into a partial copy of Rainbow Dash, one that was taller with longer, fluffier wings, a long, excellent mane, and extensive makeup. Her eyes and fangs remained.

“Hmm,” she said. “Well. This form is uncomfortable.” She poked at her mane. “But I do like the mane.” She stared at Rainbow Dash and smiled viciously. “And I think the Doktor Caballeron will like playing with your wings, no?”

“NO HE WON’T!” cried Rainbow Dash, blushing profusely. “Gimme those back!”

“Rainbow Dash,” hissed Daring Do. “Please be quiet.”

Rainbow Dash was still fuming, but did as she was told. She backed away as Daring Do stepped forward to meet the changeling, but they did not fight. It had not yet come to that.

“They are invertebrates,” noted Flock. “Should I just pulp her?”

“Really? I’m the spineless one while you stand behind two mares for defense?”

“Ignore him,” said Daring Do. “But he is right. You’re outnumbered. Three to one. And you know who I am. And those two?” She pointed at the two Questlords who, though quiet, were still relentlessly struggling against their silken bindings, “when they manage to get up, they aren’t going to be too happy with you.”

“A calculated risk.”

“If you fight us, you’re going to get hurt.”

“Yeah!” agreed Rainbow Dash. “Bruised real hard!”

“Doubtful,” said the changeling. Her smile grew. “In fact, I can’t NOT fight you. You see, they left me behind. Because Caballeron wanted you. And no I have you. And when I give you to him, wrapped nicely in my soft, unbreakable silk, he will love me.”

“Doubtful. The only thing Caballeron loves is money.”

The changeling’s eyes flashed. “We both know that’s not true.”

“What?”

The changeling took a step forward, but Daring Do did not retreat. In a moment, their faces were inches apart. The changeling reeked of pheromones. They smelled like bad perfume.

“I hate you,” she whispered. “I hate you so much. Do you know why?”

“Because Caballeron hates me. So you do to.”

The changeling bared her teeth, but then laughed. There was no humor in her laughter. “No. No not at all. Quite the opposite. It’s because all I want in this world is to taste his sweet, tangy love. To have it given to me for who I am. Even if I’m a bug. And yet I can barely get a single squirt…” Her form changed again. This time Daring Do found herself staring into the eyes of an exact copy of herself. “…unless I look like this.”

Daring Do blushed as hard as Rainbow Dash had minutes prior. “He…he makes you change into ME?”

The changeling nodded. “You’ve taken the one thing I want. So now I’ll- -”

“You’ll what? Wrap me up and take me to Caballeron? And what exactly will that accomplish?”

“He’ll love me. He has to…”

“But if you’re not completely lying, then who he REALLY wants is me, right? If you give him me, then he has no use for you.”

The changeling gasped, and her eyes narrowed. “No- -no! I’m useful! I’m his top lieutenant! I’m smarter and stronger than any of his other dumkoffs!”

“But that’s not what you want to be, is it?”

The changeling roared and shifted again. This time her mass grew substantially, and she appeared as an enormous spider, just as she had in the Singapone vault.

“FINE!” she screamed, her fangs dripping with saliva and her numerous eyes flashing in the torchlight of the underground tunnel, “then I’ll just drain your JUICES!”

Rainbow Dash stepped back. “Daring, I don’t mean to doubt you, but, um…I think you messed up this speech-check.”

“I didn’t,” said Daring Do, calmly. She looked up at the changeling. “Fine,” she said. She sat down and spread her front hooves. “If you want my fluids, come take them.”

“Daring! NO!”

“Quiet, Dash, they’re my fluids to give!” Daring Do glared at the changeling. “So? Do it. I know you want it. To penetrate my soft, tender Pegasus skin with your long, hard fangs. To squeeze me dry of all my wetness. That’s what you want, isn’t it? That will make you feel better?”

The spider lumbered forward. “I’ll do it!” she said. “Don’t think I won’t!”

“Oh, I think you will. Trust me. I’m old. I lived a good life. Just do it.”

Rainbow Dash glared up at the spider. “If you’re going to suck her, you’re going to have to suck me too!”

“Stop this!” demanded the spider. “You’re both being idiots! Do you have any idea how much it would hurt?!”

“Nope,” said Daring Do. “How about you show us?”

The spider lurched forward, raising her fangs toward them and snapping them wildly. Neither Daring Do nor Rainbow Dash flinched as the dripping points came within inches of their faces.

“STOP!” cried the spider. “You’re supposed to run!”

“Why? You’re not going to hurt us. Admit it. Because you’re not actually a spider. You’re a changeling. You wouldn’t be able to live with yourself.” Daring Do pointed at her chest. “You broke my ribs with that spear. Back in Singapone. It hurts to move. And let me guess. You still have nightmares about what you almost did.”

“You don’t know that!”

“No. But I know that Caballeron is VERY careful about who he hires. I also know that holding that form takes a tremendous amount of magic. Without Caballeron around, it’s not me who’s running out of juices.”

The spider took a step back. She screamed. The sound of a spider screaming was horribly unpleasant, and it raised the hair on the neck of every pony present. Flock, meanwhile, thought it sounded hilariously pitiful.

“I still have enough…enough to stop you…”

“Probably. But I know one thing that you don’t.”

“Really?” The spider leaned forward, her obese striped abdomen dragging on the stone floor. Her eyes glared at Daring Do. “What?”

“That both of those two sent out distress signals the instant you silked them.”

The spider suddenly looked panicked. Hoofsteps could suddenly be heard echoing through the tunnels, which only drove her to rage. She leapt forward. This time, Daring Do knew that the attack was real.

Flock raised his hoof. A circle of light appeared, and he drove his hoof counterclockwise through several of the rooms. Daring Do closed her eyes only to find herself struck in the face by a green-eyed squirrel.

“Are we done here?” sighed Flock. “This is boring. Just step on her and be done with it.”

Daring Do looked down at the exceedingly surprised squirrel and then up at Flock. “You- -you morphed her!”

“Biomancy.” He pushed past her. “Believe me, it’s much easier to morph a changeling than it is to condense several hundred crows into one pony body.” He raised his hoof over the squirrel, preparing to bring it down. Daring Do shoved him away. Touching him was exceedingly unpleasant; it made the thrumming in her head grow even louder, and his body felt as though he had no muscles whatsoever.

His body gave way easily, and Daring Do saw one large yellow eye staring at her with absolute hatred. The changeling, meanwhile, managed to undo her shift, turning back into a default black changeling. She then ran toward the oncoming hoofsteps.

“We have to go!” cried Rainbow Dash.

Daring Do agreed. She leapt over the two silk-covered Questlords and into the arcade corridor. As she did, she extended her whip and wrapped it around one of the more fragile pillars.

“Dash! Help me!”

Rainbow Dash grabbed the whip and pulled. Together, they were able to shift the column. As it fell, the whole room shook and most of the ceiling came down with it. Just as the leader of the Questlords rounded the last corner and was visible on the other side, the debris fell and blocked off her path.

Part of the collapse crushed Flock. His body burst into crows and quickly reassembled itself further down the hallway. “A terrible idea,” he said. “Now I don’t know what path we’re on.”

“It’s still better than being captured,” retorted Daring Do. “Come on. We’ll find a way.”

They turned to leave, and although Daring Do and Flock quickly moved down the corridor, Rainbow Dash stopped when she heard a voice behind the rubble.

“Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash turned. “Absence?”

Absence’s face was visible through part of the wall. Rainbow Dash approached her, stomping over crushed stone and dust.

“Please!” said the white Pegasus. “Rainbow Dash. You have to listen to me.”

“Listen to YOU?! You’re working with Caballeron! AND you tried to off my idol! You’re a bad pony!”

“I’m not actually much of a pony to begin with, but that doesn’t matter. Please. You have to understand.”

“Understand what? Oh, no, wait. ‘I was just following orders’. That’s not an excuse and you know it! Absence, I thought you were my friend!”

“That isn’t my excuse. That mage, the raven-wizard, he is profoundly evil. That was why I had to act, because Daring Do is working for him.”

“But we just met him, how could- -”

“There are forces at work that you can’t know. It would be too dangerous. But you already know so much. If that creature gets his hooves on the Hand of Doom, Equestria will be plunged into darkness and enslavement. You have no idea who he even is, what he’s done!”

Rainbow Dash paused, and then stamped toward the rubble. “And if you had a problem with this, you should have just talked to me!” she hissed. “Because what you’re doing? That’s not how friends act!”

Rainbow Dash departed from the wall. Absence called after her. “Wait! Rainbow Dash! Please listen!”

It was too late. She had left- -just as Caballeron and his henchponies arrived.

Absence turned toward them, giving them such a withering glare that even Caballeron was forced to take a step back.

“I hope you realize that actions have consequences,” she said, slowly.

Caballeron gulped. “Not to worry. I’ve already mapped out the caves. There are only two paths out of that area, and one leads to a dead end- -if we circle around , we can block them off.”

“I should hope so,” snapped Absence, pushing past Caballeron. “Because if you are wrong, we will both be in very deep trouble.”

Comments

[AppleTank]

Holy shit that was intense.