The Adventures of Danger Do

by Neospace0900

Danger Do and the Investigator's Examination

Chapter 2: Danger Do and the Investigator's Examination

Stirred by the noise that Danger was making, some of the investigators made their way into the kitchen, promptly kicking him out so they could focus. Not one to disobey an order from the authorities, he left them to their work, naturally taking the compass with him. He couldn't risk his only hint to his mother's location being lost to some boring-old lab rats. Unsure of what to do, went outside and tried asking around. Upon exiting the house, his attention was directed to a familiar face.

"Young Master Danger! Over here!" yelled Withers, waving a hoof at Danger. When he had walked over, he said, "I was just on an evening stroll when I saw the crowds. What happened here?"

"Well, after I finished talking to you this morning, I quickly finished up my routes. I came home to find the place in shambles and my mom was missing. Apparently the pony who did this made sure she was 'out of the way.' I also found this compass, but it's really strange. It doesn't point north and it says something about my first adventure. Do you think you could take a look?" He pulled it out and handed it to him.

Withers played with the compass in his hooves. "Ah-ha!" he excitedly yelled. He then applied pressure to a spot on the back, causing a small hatch to open. He shook the compass, making a small, folded-up piece of paper to fall out. Upon unfolding the paper, the two of them found themselves looking at a map of Equestria. Unlike most maps, this one had a small red X over a spot in Galloping Gorge. Upon looking at the compass again, they discovered that the needle pointed in the direction of Galloping Gorge.

"Is that where we have to go?" Danger asked.

"It would seem to be the case. Also, I request that I am informed when you plan on bringing me with you."

"So you'll do it?" he asked excitedly.

He unleashed a large sigh. "If it means my debt with Ms. Daring will be finished, I will accompany you on this adventure. Besides, this is your first time leaving Cloudsdale, correct? You will need someone with real adventuring experience if you want to survive out there."

Until now, this realization had not occurred to him. If he was to go save his mother, it would mean that he would need to leave Cloudsdale: the place that he had come to call his home. "So we're actually going to leave and venture into unknown and possibly dangerous lands? And what's this about a debt?"

"Your mother gave me a hand in a really rough time. It's nothing that you would need to worry about. Now if you will excuse me, I must inform the masters about this. We will depart when I return."

"If that's the case, do you think you can come back in the morning? I want to get some stuff together. I kinda also want to say think about a few things."

"If that is what you need, then so be it. I will be by in the morning so we can depart. I would recommend packing light, though. It may not look like it's too far away on the map, but it is much farther away than it looks. And if you don't mind, I would like to hang on to the compass and map."

"That's fine with me. I'll see you in the morning, then." Withers then flew back to his home.

While the two of them were talking, the scientists had finished their investigations and had begun to pack up their supplies. As he entered his house, one of the younger investigators stopped him. She was a teal pegasus mare with a magnifying glass for a cutie mark. "Excuse me. My name is Artemis Justice. I need to ask you a few questions," she said in a serious tone.

"I guess," he replied somewhat hesitantly. He was well aware that Artemis had a reputation in her field. She was able to drag the truth out of almost everyone she interrogated.

They made their way into the living room. Danger laid casually on a couch while Artemis sat down on the floor next to the couch. "Your name is Danger Do, correct? The son of Daring Do?" she started by asking.

"Yeah, that's me," he answered. Artemis began to make notes on a clipboard that seemed to appear out of thin air. He couldn't see exactly what she was writing, but judging by the stack of papers he could see, he felt that she would be questioning him well into next week.

"Next question: an eye witness told us that there was yelling heard early this morning, followed by your departure. What was this arguing about and where did you go?"

"I was a bit upset with Mom for always preventing me from doing anything she felt wasn't safe. I then went to my job at the post office. When I got home, Mom was already missing and you guys were doing your investigation." She looked like she was doing some calculations. "If you're thinking that my alibi is a bit vague, you can just ask all of the people that I delivered mail to. As for my motive, I will admit that I was mad, but it was nothing that would lead me to kill anypony."

Artemis smiled as if he had fallen into her trap. "I never said that your mom is dead. She is just missing. Knowing that, why would you claim that you haven't killed anypony? It seems to me that you really are the culprit. And to ensure your freedom, you killed her."

He was startled by her accusation. Trying to stay strong, he replied, "It's because I know your type all too well. With forged evidence, you try to arrest anypony who's remotely suspicious. You even tie in cases that aren't even related. Nice try though."

"Interesting. So what does Dusty have to do with this?"

"I'm sorry, but who's Dusty?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"You know... Dusty Winds? Famous adventurer? Used to adventure with your mom?" As she listed things about him, Danger shook his head. "What does he go by now? Wilts?"

"I think you mean Withers."

"Ah. That's his name. Exactly how did you two meet, what were the two of you talking about a few minutes ago, and how is he involved with your mom's disappearance?"

Danger sighed. He knew that he would need to answer the questions if he were to have any hope of being ready. "I met him this morning when I was covering a friend's mail shift. When we were talking a few minutes ago, he wanted to know what happened to Mom. If he is involved with how she disappeared, I don't know how he is."

"If he just wanted to know what happened, what were the map and compass for?"

His heart nearly skipped a beat. If he was to avoid suspicion, he needed to pretend they didn't exist. "Where did you hear about a compass or map? Are you sure you're a professional investigator?"

"Quit denying it. I know you have them." She then attacked Danger, taking his mailbags and pouring the contents onto the floor. She was shocked to only find a single letter addressed to Daring and a small bag of bits. "I... I don't understand. I saw you with the map and compass. There's no way you can't have it." She pressed her hoof to her chin, deep in thought. "Of course! Dusty must have it!" she yelled. She then dashed out of the house and flew in the direction of the Wonderbolts' estate.

"Good luck, Withers. You'll need it," he said to himself. He gathered the things that fell out of his mailbags and put them back into the bags. He then went into his room, hoping to avoid more of the investigators and their seemingly endless questions. He found his room exactly as he had left it that morning. He tossed his mailbags onto the bed and laid himself down.

"I had always imagined leaving home, and I always thought that I'd be much more excited when it finally happened," he said to himself. "Is running away really going to be as amazing as I thought it was?"

He pondered this question until he finally spoke. "Of course it is." He wasn't quite sure why he was arguing with himself, but it seemed to ease his mind. "Just wait until we get out there and feel the wind in our mane, nice, firm ground beneath our hooves, and just think of all the awesome adventures we could have."

"But what if something happens to us? I read that there's some pretty dangerous stuff out there."

"Of course it's going to be dangerous! What fun would it be if there wasn't any danger? Besides, we've got Withers on our side. It seems like he's seen more than his fair share of adventures. And just think for a minute; We aren't called Danger for nothing."

Seeing no other questions nagging his thoughts, he muttered, "I hope you're right about this." He then parted some of the clouds in the wall behind his bed. Behind these clouds was a small jar filled with bits. The label on the jar read, "Runaway Money." He had been secretly saving up money from his job for at least a year. He had managed to save up a good 150 bits, and he looked impressed with himself as he emptied the jar into his mailbags.

Letting out a mighty yawn, he realized that he was incredibly exhausted from all of that day's events. He ultimately decided to finish packing in the morning. After all, tomorrow was going to be a big day; he would need all the sleep he could get. He closed his eyes and fell asleep immediately.

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Note from the author: Any comments, questions, critiques, etc. are greatly appreciated. It also wouldn't hurt to like or favorite.