Daring Do and the Hand of Doom

by Unwhole Hole

Chapter 55: Child of Exmoor

None of them could have known. Flock might have, if he were smarter, and Daring Do might also have, had she the same information that Flock did. But none of them were able to perceive the whole condition, to understand that the motions of the facility and its guardians were not simply meant to slow or eliminate them. It watched, viewing through many onyx eyes, and it listened, by infinitely delicate systems hidden within the vast network that obscured hundreds of miles of pipes, wires, conduits, and stolen enchantments that linked the facility above to the ancient city below- -and to the Hand of Doom itself.

Nor could the entity watching have understood that she was not the only one listening.

Rainbow Dash did not manage to find Absence. Despite her searching, the hallways did not seem to want to cooperate with her. At times she thought she could feel them, the other group of ponies, moving through in their own path toward the same goal- -but she could never reach them.

Instead, she came to an area where her corridor of choice suddenly ended. The soft echoing of her feathers fluttering in the wind suddenly ceased, and she was left alone in black silence.

Her wings clenched and she skidded to a stop. The floor here was flat and smooth, but covered in a layer of dust- -or ash. The air was cold, and she did not want to try to fly through it. She had an instinctive sensation that something horrible was lurking out there, waiting.

A sound suddenly came from beside her. Rainbow Dash turned to see a Questlord in silver power armor land beside her. She cried out and bucked the girl in the face. The mask deflected the first blow, and she blocked the second. Rainbow Dash turned for another punch, but the mask retracted, revealing a familiar face.

“WHITE!” cried Rainbow Dash. She hugged her. “Don’t sneak up on me unless you want to get beat! LIKE AN EGG!”

“Weirdly, that’s not the first time I’ve heard that expression today,” said Sweetie Drops, appearing behind White and wearing parts of her armor.

“Oh, wow.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“That doesn’t sound like ‘nothing’.”

“Well…it’s just that…it looks different on you than on her.”

“So?”

“So, you kind of have a ‘warrior princess’ thing going on. I mean, that’s pretty cool, I guess, but…”

Sweetie Drops made a rude gesture. Rainbow Dash snorted with suppressed laughter.

White pressed on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder.

“No,” she said, somehow understanding what the mute girl meant. “I haven’t seen her.”

“Seen who?”

The three mares turned to see Daring Do above them, staring down from an opening several meters in the air. She dropped down, using her wings to dampen the flow. Flock followed her, although more awkwardly.

“I see you didn’t lose the dead weight,” muttered Sweetie Drops.

“And I see you dressed up your robot.”

White frowned but largely ignored the insult.

“Neat armor,” said Daring Do. She turned to Rainbow Dash. “You okay, Dash?”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah. And I saw Caballeron.”

“Did he see you?”

“No. But I heard him talking. He’s going to try to betray the Questlords.”

“So what else is new?”

“But Absence- -”

Daring Do frowned. “Who is Absence?”

Rainbow Dash froze. She did not respond directly. “Never mind,” she said at last. She rotated quickly. “Right now we need to figure out how to get through all this darkness.”

“I say we just follow the crime against nature,” suggested Flock, referring to White.

“You’re one to talk,” snapped Sweetie Drops.

The matter then promptly resolved itself. Enormous crystals mounted on a cavernous ceiling suddenly flickered to life, filling the enormous room with intense but distant white light. Rainbow Dash blinked and covered her eyes, as did Daring Do. Sweetie Drops and Flock squinted. White did not react. The amount she could see had not been changed.

The room before them was enormous, a single cavern, perhaps natural or perhaps excavated by some inconceivable machine. The floor consisted of grates, and the ceiling of stone. Struts and pylons reached to the ceiling, supporting it as well as gigantic conduits that headed upward into the main facility. All around them were vast pieces of equipment laid out symmetrically: banks of slowly-turning gears, pumps, tubes, and magical devices consisting of slowly revolving spheres and monolithic blocks inscribed with glowing runes. The immediate impression was that of a vast industrial cathedral.

Rainbow Dash stared up at it all. “What now?” she asked.

“There’s a path,” said Daring Do, gesturing toward the clear trail in front of them, a wide road beneath the massive machines. “We follow it.”

Rainbow Dash gulped. “Yeah. I thought you’d say that.”

So they walked. They did so until their destination came into view. At the far end of the room, where many paths like the one they walked converged, there sat a door assembled into the wall. It was enormous and armored, and appeared to be made of a metal that none of them could recognize. Just from looking at it, it was apparent that there was no way to enter should the door remain locked. No force could break through, and delicate ancient runes prevented teleportation through it. Nothing could get in- -or out.

A round yard in the court of machines had been assembled before the room, inlaid with cut stones. Many of them consisted of precious gemstones of various sizes and shapes, but they had not been placed for any particular reason or with any attempt to be beautiful in more than a passing sense. They simply appeared to be worthless things that were found incidentally during the construction of Equestria’s most powerful weapon.

What drew they eyes of the group, though, was not the gemstones, but what sat at the base of the raised courtyard. Sitting there amongst seeming random piles of polished stone was a single assembly, a system of machines linked to what appeared to be a single enormous piece of obsidian. As Daring Do approached, she felt her legs grow weak when she realized that the perfectly flat, black surface of the material had been carved with incredible detail.

“No way,” whispered Rainbow Dash.

It was the fresco. The same one that the Mighty Helm had copied millennia before, and that had been in turn copied by archeologists who would never understand its true value or implications- -the copies of which Daring Do still held, as did Caballeron elsewhere.

Carving obsidian was impossible. Yet, somehow, the Exmoori had accomplished it- -and with detail that made the perfection of the Mighty Helm version seem crude in comparison. The lines were deep and perfect, and the linkages to the machinery elegant to the point of being imperceptible. The whole of it seemed to gleam.

“This is what the Mighty Helm saw,” she said, pressing a shaking hoof against the black volcanic glass.

“So it is said,” replied Flock. “Although I doubt any of them saw this version with their own eyes. The true original.”

“An Exmoor pony carved this,” said Daring Do, running her hoof over the insignia for borne-of-ice. “The last Exmoor pony. This much work, and she didn’t even sign it.”

“How modest of her. If you had a truck you could even take this back with you. Or better yet I can give you the Mighty Helm version in addition. As it will no longer have relevance when I have the Hand.”

Daring Do ignored Flock and continued to admire the stone, although only for a moment longer. Then she sighed. “One last test,” she said.

“We need to present it with the blood of a child of Exmoor,” said Flock.

“Do we have that?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“No,” said Flock. “We don’t. Nor did you manage to acquire the Spear of Extinction from Caballeron.”

“I’m working on it,” snapped Daring Do. “I’ll find a way.”

“Yes. Because clearly you intend to use persuasion on a door. As no doubt you and it have comparable intelligence.”

Once again, Daring Do ignored him. She walked past the stone and climbed onto the courtyard. As she did, she heard the sound of hoofsteps. Right on time, whether their arrival was dictated by fate- -or by the thing that Daring Do had felt watching her since she had arrived.

“Daring Do!” laughed Caballeron as he stepped onto the circular platform. He was holding the Spear of Extinction, and he flourished it and then stood it beside him, pressing the butt of it into a large piece of ruby with a dull clank. Behind him was a small army: the cold-eyed changeling, Rogue, a zebra holding a spear, a badly beaten Withers leaning on a Pegasus with arterial eyes, and a small horde of Questlords and their robots.

One of the Questlords stepped forward. The most beautiful, although they were identical. Their leader.

“Absence!” cried Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow Dash,” she replied, ignoring the strange looks form her brothers and sisters at the sound of her being called with a name. “I expected to see you here. And I applaud your efforts. Even if they were in vain.”

“No, you don’t understand! Caballeron, he’s going to- -” Rainbow Dash nearly doubled over with a sudden pain in her chest. She reached up and felt a cold sensation coming from the dial implanted there. Across from her, she saw a circle of magic around Flock’s hoof. “Wh…why?” she asked.

Absence assumed that the question was for her. “For the good of Equestria,” she said. “And because it is what is required of me.”

“Indeed, indeed,” said Caballeron, smiling but slightly annoyed that he was not allowed to gloat more. Still, he was clearly enjoying himself. He stepped forward to Daring Do, knowing that neither her nor her entourage would be able to do anything. “My dear, you seem to be outnumbered. I suppose that will force you to be civil, for once.”

“Since when have you ever liked civility, Caballeron?”

“Since it has allowed me to finally win. Because it doesn’t look like you brought any blood with you. Nor could you have found it. This Spear is its only source.” He laughed. “I’m afraid I’ve finally beaten you. You should have focused more on training in linguistics.” He leaned forward. “Or did you know the part about the final test, and were just too foolish to actually bring what you needed?”

Daring Do smiled coolly. “I know what I’m doing, Caballeron. Better than you do.”

Caballeron frowned for a moment, clearly wondering what she was planning. Then he laughed.

“Of course you do.” He stepped away from her and approached the center of the courtyard. As soon as he reached the circle in the center, the machines surrounding the circle activated.

Something near them moved, and a chamber was ejected from a holding platform. A large robotic arm whirred to life, reaching into the holding cell and removing something. It came from a deep shadow, but when it moved into view even Caballeron gasped.

The object was a skeleton. It had once belonged to a pony, although the type of pony was not clear. It bore neither a horn nor wings, but was far shorter and at the same time much stockier and denser of build than an earth-pony. The bones had been etched in runes and linked by complex pieces of metal, much like the golems before had been. Its spine had been modified with a number of ports that linked to cables and tubes, which detached as it was set down.

The arm released the skeleton, and the runes glowed. The internal mechanisms within it hummed to life, and the skeleton suddenly jerked its head. Caballeron took a step back, and the skeleton took a step forward. It was a jerky, difficult motion, but the second one was almost consistent. The third step came smooth, as though the revenant were actually a living, walking pony.

Its surface flickered, and a projection appeared, coating it like a skin. It was pastel green in color, and formed what appeared to be the skin of a pony. Though translucent, the surface formed a face. A pair of large dark eyes opened, even though the sockets of the skull beneath the hologram could still be seen clearly.

“Hello,” she said. Her voice showed no signs of distortion, but her hologram flickered slightly as she spoke. Her accent was heavy and strange, but her words crisp and fully comprehensible. “I have analyzed your language and am currently translating. My name is of no consequence, as I no longer deserve one. I built this facility, and for that sin I shall never sleep in its defense.” Her eyes turned from Daring Do to Caballeron. “Now. Why have you come?”

Caballeron, having regained his composure, stepped forward. “Guardian!” he exclaimed. “I demand access to the final chamber!”

The remnants of the Exmoor pony smiled viciously. Her eyes were incredibly cruel. “Then I ask of you the blood of a child of Exmoor.”

Caballeron held the Spear of Extinction sideways and thrust it outward. “I give you this.”

The Spear suddenly lifted out of Caballeron’s hooves, pulled by thin beams of pink light coming from distant and unseen machinery. The Spear twisted and was pulled toward the revenant. It turned so that she could examine the blade, and a number of thin beams scanned across it.

“Confirmed,” said the ghost. “The genetic signature of this blade is Exmoori. Belonging to my own son, in fact. Although his father was borne-of-white-steel, his place as a child of Exmoor is inviolable and true. This is the blood I requested of you.” She looked up at Caballeron. “Entry denied.”

The world shifted quickly, and the machines moved faster than anypony could react. The seemingly random blocks that sat beside the obsidian fresco moved with lightning speed, shifting and warping and merging with other machinery. Caballeron was pulled off the central platform, and all of his associates- -including the Questlords- -were immediately trapped in the unbreakable grasp of the Exmoori machines.

“NOOOO! WAIT!” cried Caballeron.

The Exmoori ghost did not wait. She stared impassively and cruelly as several large, serpentine devices emerged from her machines. Their heads flicked open, revealing long blades, and they rushed forward toward the heads of her enemies.

“WAIT!” cried Daring Do.

The blades stopped, inches away from the faces of the ponies they had been targeting. Daring Do stepped forward. No members of her party had been taken.

“I have not interfered with your party because my systems can infer that it is separate,” said the ghost. “You are free to leave, if you so choose.”

“And if I would rather accept your challenge? If I do that, will you spare the others?”

The Exmoori ghost stared. Nothing flashed behind her eyes, but Daring Do could tell that in her own perverse, long-dead way she was thinking. “If you manage to gain my approval, you will have access to all of my systems. I am no longer a pony, but an interface. All aspects of my being will be at your control. Including my defensive mechanisms.” She paused, and then did smile. “However, fail, and no pony will leave me this day.”

Daring Do stood up straight. “I wish entry.”

The serpentine blades dropped, but the systems holding Caballeron and the struggling Questlords did not relent.

“Then I ask of you the blood of a child of Exmoor.”

“I am a child of Exmoor. The blood you ask flows in my veins.”

There were collective gasps from those members of the crowd who did not realize that Daring Do was bluffing.

“Interesting,” said the hologram. “Then you would not mind giving me some. I would only need a single drop.”

“No.”

“NO?!” shrieked Caballeron, his voice rising to a pitch usually only attainable by little fillies. “Daring, please, you can’t- -” He was silenced by a slight but firm squeeze.

“I will not ask twice,” said the Exmoori, her tone low and ominous.

“Then you won’t insult me twice.” Daring Do took a step toward the animated skeleton, glaring at it. “You have no right to request blood from me! You are dead. You have been dishonored eternally for that unforgivable failure. I hold you in unending contempt. The dead have no right to make such a request of the living.” She leaned forward, so that her eyes were level with those of the skeleton. She saw the cold echoes of the eyes that had once been there, and the long-empty sockets behind them. “Now either summon a worthy son of Exmoor to take my blood by force, or get out of my way.”

The revenant stared at her for a long moment, and then smiled. “Entry granted. Congratulations. Though from here it is apparent you bear no such lineage, you at least understood the question.”

She stepped back. “In life, my name was Fuzzypoof. I assure you it sounds more impressive in our ancient language. You deserve to at least know that. To know the name of one who bears no honor.”

Rainbow Dash snorted, but Daring Do silenced her with a glare.

“You implied that I should release your comrades,” said Fuzzypoof. “Shall I?”

“No. Hold them but don’t hurt them.”

“It will be done.”

“Second. Open the door.”

Fuzzypoof’s eyes narrowed. “I will do so. But I am programmed to warn you. What lies beyond this door is an object of unfathomable evil and power. One which must never again see the light of the red-sphere. In life I had hoped that it would stay buried here, forever. Although I think I knew that such would never occur.” She looked back at the great door. “The others had departed when I built this door. Their bones are buried in this hall itself, added to the concrete. Only I remain. And this door is the last line of defense. To open it, you will need to disengage my security systems entirely.”

“Will you still be able to hold Caballeron?”

“Yes.”

“Then do it.”

Fuzzypoof smiled. “As you command.”

The facility suddenly went quiet. There were still the sounds of the maintained machines, but all the tension seemed to vanish. And as it did, the enormous door silently retracted into the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Daring Do did not thank the dead mare. There was no need to; anything that could be thanked had departed long ago. She simply pushed past and motioned for the others to follow. They did, although Fuzzypoof stared harshly- -and perhaps longingly- -at the dial in Rainbow Dash’s chest.

“One more thing,” she said, just as they passed. “When you see Solum Finis, tell him I am sorry.”

“Don’t make demands of me,” snapped Daring Do. Her expression softened for a moment. “Though for the sake of the memory and bravery of Fuzzypoof, I will relay her final message if I see fit.”

The ghost smiled, this time with eyes that were much less cruel. “Thank you.”

 

Comments

[AppleTank]

jeez, what an entrance.

[Cold Bolt]

FUZZYPOOF

Also why is it that whenever a story describes a character as having a "heavy accent" but gives no detail of that accent, I end up imagining them sounding Russian?