Daring Do and the Compass of Desire

Chapters

Daring Do and the Compass of Desire part 1
Daring Do and the Compass of Desire part 2
Daring Do and the Compass of Desire part 3
Daring Do and the Compass of Desire part 4
Daring Do and the Compass of Desire part 5

Daring Do and the Compass of Desire part 1

Daring Do and the Compass of Desire
By Shahrazad
Cover art by n1de

=====*****=====

Rainbow Dash entered her house with jittery energy. She had a tome clutched under her wing which she held near and dear to her heart. She bucked the door closed and bound into her bedroom over the rainbow waterfall in her living room. She was ready to leap into bed when the floor suddenly rushed up to meet her.

WHUMP

She gasped and watched in slow motion as the book flew forward, tumbling slowly end over end. Its image was reflected in her eyes, her every muscle as frozen as her heart. The book landed on her bed with a soft plop making the sheets billow outward from the impact. She exhaled a deep breath as her heart returned control of her body. She got her hooves back underneath her and looked down at the rock like lump that had tripped her.

Tank stared up at her with an empty food bowl in his mouth. He looked up at her with doleful eyes and blinked once with a wet sound. “Heh, sorry Tank I forgot to feed you today didn’t I?” She snatched the bowl from him, filled it with greens, set it down in the corner of the room, landed on her bed, pulled the covers up, turned the reading light on, and opened the book. At the same time Tank turned around and took one step toward his food bowl.

Rainbow Dash’s heart beat faster at the smell of fresh paper when she flipped to the first page. She began to read, Daring Do and the Compass of Desire.

=====*****=====

Daring Do sat in her study, the tick of the clock like a metronome and the soft shuffle of papers the only sounds in the plush study. Several framed newspaper clippings hung on the walls detailing her many adventures. Her pith helmet and olive green jacket were hung on the coat rack- you never knew when adventure would call. Various and exotic trinkets covered the walls and shelves of her Manehatten study. Her exploits allowed her to live in a very nice part of outer Manehatten but she spent more time on the road than here. It was a shame really, the house was so comfortable it was almost a luxury item but she couldn’t justify anything more without spending more time here. Truth be told, she did enjoy relaxing at home, but she had no special somepony and no foals. Her wanderlust conspired with the size of the home causing her to become agitated in short order when she spent more than a few weeks here.

She had no idea what she would do next, until she opened the letter at the bottom of her mail stack. She often had a backlog of mail when she returned home and it took time to get through it all. She read the letter again, the smile began to creep up her face and an inner light could be seen in her ruby eyes.

Dear Daring Do,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gold Bar, owner of Manehatten Precious Metals Inc. I am writing to you in order to retain your services. At a recent mining expedition a certain item of interest was uncovered. I do not wish to explain more in a letter but suffice to say I require the services of an archeologist such as you.

If you agree, I will meet you on Thursday the 23rd, at Manehatten Tower, suite 6565, at eight O’clock in the morning. I will explain everything then if you agree to our terms. If all goes well we will soon be adding a fabulous new addition to the Manehatten Ancient History Museum.

Sincerely,

Gold Bar

The letter was printed on the official letter head of “Manehatten Precious Metals Inc.” Daring Do usually didn’t get tips from wealthy business magnates like Gold Bar. Wait a minute that name sounds familiar. She opened the Manehatten Times and flipped to the business section.

There was an article written about “Manehatten Precious Metals Inc.” According to the article the business was involved in several prospective mines all along the west and north edges of Equestria. None of them had panned out for years and it seemed as if the curtains were drawing to a close for Manehatten Precious Metals. Still, Gold Bar’s net worth in bits was best expressed in scientific notation. This made his story plausible, but what could they have found that was so valuable? Perhaps he’s just desperate and is grasping at straws, hoping to strike it rich selling the relic to the Museum. Then again, relic hunts often start by grasping at straws.

Daring Do brushed a charcoal colored lock of mane out of her eyes and leaned back into the leather chair making it creak softly. She tossed the reading material onto the desk just as the clock on the mantel began to chime ten times. She stretched and trotted upstairs to bed with a smile. Tomorrow just might be a red letter day.

=====*****=====

Snubbing the earth ponies and unicorns that had to take the stairs, Daring Do landed on the roof of Manehatten Tower with the letter in hoof. Ever since that stint in the jungle with a broken wing she really appreciated the ability to fly. She was already dressed in her jacket and helmet, sometimes it helped to make the right impression with philanthropists if it looked like you were ready to go exploring immediately. It was ridiculous of course, the logistics often took weeks or months but if Gold Bar was going to hoof over thousands of bits he might feel better if she was dressed for the job.

She opened the door and trotted down stairs. She was on the top floor and wasn’t surprised to find a receptionist here. It was a fat mare with a grey coat and a brown mane, she scratched into the log book with a quill, a pair of half-moon spectacles perched on her nose. She glanced up over them with a bored expression and said a well-rehearsed sentence, “welcome-to-Manehatten-Precious-Metals, just-a-moment.” She must have said that sentence thousands of times a day.

Daring Do was not a mare to be made waiting.

“I am here to see Gold Bar.” She walked around the reception desk, a dark granite slab that easily weighed a ton, “he’s expecting me at eight sharp.” Daring Do pushed into her personal space and pushed the letter into her spectacles much too close for comfort. She leaned back and her eyes scanned the page, growing larger with each word.

“M-My apologies right this way Ms. Do.” Daring Do’s toothy smile reflected her victory over red tape.

The smell of pencil shavings and ink permeated the space. She passed by several cubicles, each with a “worker bee” stuffed into them. She didn’t envy them, while their lives and jobs might be safe Daring Do lived for excitement and she wouldn’t give it up for all the bits or safety in the world. The double doors at the end of the hall of cubicles lead to the main office. They were made of a rich mahogany wood and inlaid with what Daring guessed was real gold leaf. I guess the stories of the company’s troubles are a bit over stated. She pushed the doors open and stepped into the grand office alone, the receptionist bowing as she scurried away.

The doors closed behind her with a dull boom, leaving her in the room with two stallions and a magnificent view of the Manehatten skyline from the floor to ceiling windows that served as the opposite wall. The room smelled faintly of lilacs and cigar smoke. Standing in front of the windows on the other side of a large oak desk, looking out over the city was a dark brown earth pony with a blond mane and three stacked gold bars for a cutie mark. Gold Bar himself Daring Do recognized him from the papers. The other pony was a muscular specimen, with a pale coat and a mane the color of tar. His mark wasn’t visible as his barrel and flanks were covered with thick security barding. Attached to the barding by various straps were a number of implements that could easily hurt or restrain, it made him look brutish in the otherwise refined office. He stood unmoving but tensed when Daring took a step closer to Gold Bar. She stopped and spoke simply, “good morning.”

Gold Bar shook slightly as his attention was pulled back into the room. He plucked the cigar out of his mouth and set it down in a crystalline ash tray, a thin trail of smoke rose from the ashes. He waved a hoof to the pale coated stallion and said, “wait outside Hard Hoof, I wish to speak with Ms. Do alone.” Hard Hoof trotted out giving Daring Do something akin to the stare. Fortunately for Daring Do it was only an imitation. Daring breathed a little easier after the great doors closed granting them privacy. “Please forgive him he’s very thorough when it comes to my personal protection. However I see no reason for alarm in your company Ms. Do you have a stellar reputation.” She trotted around the heavy oak desk and stood beside him as they both looked out over the city. “Magnificent isn’t it? The things we build.”

“Yeah, they are pretty awesome, but I prefer to see the older buildings. Especially the ones that can withstand the test of time. You can always tell what buildings are most important to a civilization because they’re the ones that last the longest, like this building for example.” She hoped the flattery wasn’t too overt.

“Very perceptive Ms. Do, I think you will do nicely. If you will just sign this retainer we can get started.” Gold Bar withdrew a sheaf of papers from his desk, along with a quill and ink. Daring took a moment to scan the contract, but she could already tell it was quite generous. She signed it and slapped it onto the desk. She turned to him trying to keep her heart from bursting through her chest. A myth or legend was how every adventure started, and she couldn’t wait to hear this one.

“So what did you find?”

Gold Bar walked over to a painting hung on the wall depicting an ancient mare with a pale coat wearing an extravagant dress. She wore a stern expression and a great deal of gold jewelry, Daring Do could see the resemblance to the stallion in front of her. He paused for a moment looking at the picture. “My mother, bless her soul. She passed on a few years ago.” Daring Do saw another painting next to this one, a family portrait from many years ago as the Gold Bar in this picture was little more than a colt. His mother and father held stern expressions which they bequeathed to their offspring. She didn’t see any other pictures of foals, either of Gold Bar himself or his own foals.

He swung the painting aside revealing a dull metallic wall safe. After a few deft turns of the dial it opened, the contents seemed plain: a few stacks of paper, a large quantity of bits, and a very old book. The book instantly drew Daring Do’s eyes. Gold Bar took out the book and carefully hoofed it to Daring Do, she could smell the age and dust on the thing. “I will try to give you the short version. We found this in a dig site so far north your local cartographer probably doesn’t have a map of the place. It’s a miserable frozen wasteland, but it’s an excellent place to hide. This is probably why the author of this book decided to hide there.”

“Why would the author want to hide?”

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself so I’ll start at the beginning. Our little story begins before there was an Equestria, when the three tribes were still split. You know the story, right?” Daring Do and every other foal knew the story of the founding of Equestria and she nodded. “As it happens there is a legend that one day a star fell from the sky. A pegasus who happened to be lost in a blizzard, found the fallen star. It was just a burning hot chip of rock when he found it but it helped keep him from freezing to death. His compass was broken but he found that the little shard that fell from the sky was a good fit for his lost compass needle once it cooled down.”

“Wait...why would he use a bit of rock for a compass needle?”

“I don’t know, it’s an old legend and I suspect some of the details have been lost, but I digress. The new compass pointed him in a direction but it was not north. He was lost and afraid and not knowing what else to do he simply followed it.”

“That’s…risky.” Daring Do didn’t want to admit out loud that she would have done the same thing just to see where the compass would lead her.

Gold Bar snorted at the interruption but continued, “It led him to a cave where he was warm and safe until the blizzard passed. When he awoke the next morning he found the needle pointed a different direction. Following this one led him home to his family.”

“Well that’s a nice story. Do we know where this compass is?” Daring Do started to smile, a compass that pointed right to where you needed to go was beyond perfect.

“Sadly the story doesn’t end well for our unnamed pegasus, as he told his friends who told their friends and soon everyone knew about his magic compass. That’s when our author, a small time thief, stole it one night. He found the compass always pointed him where he needed to go. He used it to evade the law for over two decades before he was caught if you are to believe his journal. By the time he was caught he had built up quite a fortune of now lost art. None of it or the compass was ever recovered.”

“How do you know all this?” Daring Do was ready to burst out the window with the book in hoof. She wanted to start this adventure so badly.

“Because that book you are holding is his encrypted journal. My top consultants have been able to decipher the first half, but he changed his encryption scheme half way through the book. The first half tells the story I just told you in some detail, and the second half should tell us where he hid all of his ill-gotten gains. Just think of it, pegasus works of art from the pre-Equestrian era and what I can only describe as a magic compass! Ms. Do, can you-“ she was already trotting away from him with huge smile on her face.

“I’ll tell you what I find, gotta get started!” She didn’t see the look on Gold Bar’s face, so enraptured by the journal in her possession. She pushed open the great doors and trotted past Hard Hooves who was standing like a statue just outside the office. At the sight of her with the book he took one menacing step towards her before Gold Bar put a hoof on him.

“Let her go, she’s on the case.” He smiled at her retreating form, “and I have full confidence in the abilities of my contractors.”

=====*****=====

The candle was burning low. Daring Do rubbed her temples, trying to take in the glyphs of the journal. It had been over a week in the Manehatten public library and still nothing. She had given regular status updates to Gold Bar but so far she had made little progress. The first half of the book was so tantalizing but the second half was encrypted with a cypher that defied any modern analysis. She had spent the first few days trying a few quick and dirty tricks in order to break the cypher. She had spent every night hunched over a desk in the middle of the great library while others walked around her like ghosts. She was friends with the librarian and was allowed to stay after the library closed each night. Each night the candles she lit burned until there was nothing left but a puddle of wax and a trail of smoke drifting to the ceiling. That was her cue it was time to go home and try again the next day. So far she had nothing to show for her aching back and bleary eyes.

It was on this night, after the library had closed, that her frayed nerves finally started to get the better of her. Her mind started to drift to wild and fantastic guesses to break the cypher. Nothing seemed to give her any meaningful results. She began to wonder if the rest of the text was just gobbledygook.

She tossed the dry quill across the desk and threw her hooves in the air. “How can a pony over a thousand years ago create a cypher so complex that modern-“ she stopped as she said it. Of course. She had been trying modern techniques to break a modern cypher. This pony wasn’t a mathematician or cryptologist, he was a thief for crying out loud! She tried a simpler method and her heart quickened in her chest. The code started to break, word fragments began to spill out across the page with each stroke of the quill.

Feverishly she scrawled across the paper, the quill dipped into the ink well again and again with such speed that it splattered drops of ink across the page after every dip. It was so simple, it didn’t need modern linguistic analysis, it needed a filly’s decoder ring! Something you could find in a cereal box. She smiled as she looked at the page and held it up to the light, “and done!”

SWISH

Daring Do blinked, the paper and journal were gone, and the candle’s flame fluttered in the turbulent air. She franticly looked around the library for the cause. It was empty at this time or should have been. She spied a small white cat standing on top of a book shelf with her translated text in its mouth. “Hey, give that back!” She spread her wings and stood, knocking the chair away as she prepared to dart after the feline.

Tweet

The sharp sound of a whistle floated through the library distracting Daring Do and causing the little white cat to jump away. I know the sound of that whistle.

“ha ha ha ha ha. So nice to meet you again, Ms. Do.” Ahuizotl stood on the balcony overlooking the main floor of the library, stroking the white cat absent mindedly. He held both the journal and Daring Do’s text with his tail, a vile grin peaking from beneath his beady eyes. Those eyes were perched on the end of a long snout but clearly showed joy at the moment. What happens if he needs to sneeze? Does he cry? Daring Do thought to herself, but her eyes focused on the end of Ahuizotl’s tail and the precious text.

“You never could hack it as an archeologist could you Ahuizotl. You just steal my work at the last possible moment.”

Ahuizotl’s smile was replaced by a grimace, “I will not need to waste my time with foolish research after I acquire my next treasure.” His smile returned, “And I think you will be out of a job, Buenos Noches, Daring Do! HA HA HA HA HA.” His laugher made Daring Do explode into the air, her wings pushing her higher. In less than a second she snatched at the texts in his grip.

Ahuizotl was too fast he had enough time to react from Daring Do’s short flight. He danced away as she landed with four hooves on the floor, crouched like a tiger ready to pounce upon him again. The tiger pounced.

“Gyahhh.” The breath was squeezed out of Daring Do, the heavy orange and black jungle cat had landed on her with all of its weight. She hadn’t even glimpsed it hidden in the alcove behind her. There was a growl and she could feel its breath on the back of her neck through her mane, it was ready to bite down and snap her neck!

She bucked as hard as she could and the weight on her back flew away. The tiger landed against a bookshelf with a resounding crash, valuable tomes landing on top of the upside down predator in a heap. The bookcase groaned and teetered dangerously. It slowly started to tip and with a dull crunch slammed into the bookcase behind it.

Ahuizotl was already at the opposite end of the hallway, his silhouette against the full moon, framed in a huge circular window. The dark silhouette brought an object to its mouth.

TWEET

The tiger snarled and burst out of the pile of books shaking like it was coming out of a dream. It crouched and growled from the pit of its stomach. Other growls followed from different directions. Daring Do’s eyes shot around her environment, catching a glimpse of large feline shapes moving around her. The second bookcase continued the domino effect when Daring Do heard the scrap of a claw on stone behind her. Using her wings she shot to her left and landed on the balcony railing, her hooves resting on the post, her wings keeping her balanced. A stinging pain stretched along her cheek and one of her bangs fluttered.

An inky black panther landed where she was a moment ago, a few dark hairs caught in its front claw. Daring Do wiped her cheek and saw her hoof was stained with a crimson smear. “Kill her!” Daring Do had no time to think, she took off towards the hallway and the moon but another large predator darted from underneath a bookshelf that was about to crash down. Daring Do flapped her wings hard and ran along and up the wall, then the ceiling. It was an acrobatic trick she used to evade traps in old temples, but this time the trap was a living breathing predator. The lynx leapt high into the air and she heard the snap of its jaws just behind her ears. She knew her pith helmet was no longer on her head. That’s the last straw! No one takes my hat!

Ahuizotl threw himself backwards with a crash, shattering the window outward and letting the wind rush in down the hallway to push against Daring Do. She continued her wall run, and came down on the other side of hallway. The crash of falling bookcases echoed behind her with rising fury. She was almost there, the terrifying snarls of the jungle cats right behind her, death by tooth and claw a mere breath away.

She exploded out of the open window with the bookcases crashing behind her making the building shudder. Books and debris blocked the window with a resounding crunch. The roar of the tiger trapped behind the debris allowed Daring Do a moment of reprieve. She floated over the Manehatten street frantically searching for him. The sounds of the city assaulted her making it hard to think. So many voices and machines making sound all at once, she preferred the sounds of the wild or the quite of the library. She saw a tail clutching an old book disappear around a corner a block away, several ponies along the street looking shocked and a few of them had been knocked sprawling on the road.

Daring Do flew down the street and continued to pick up speed as she banked left and raced down the boulevard. She beat her wings faster and faster, she could hear another whistle blast over the sounds of the late night city. Police sirens were blaring down the road towards the library, but she knew they would be too late. Where is he?

Then she saw him, he hadn’t darted down a side street. He had run straight, he was just over two blocks away, and now he was waving at her. He was standing on the caboose of an outbound train that was just now lurching forward with a metallic hiss and another blast of its whistle. She raced at him, but by the time she got there the train was moving down the tracks and was picking up speed. I’ll never catch him if the train leaves the city. I have to-

Ahuizotl laughed and called out to her, “don’t lose this Ms. Do.” He held the text in his paw and with a flourish opened it to the air. It fluttered about the tracks like a white butterfly, caught in the turbulent wake of the train. Her eyes went wide as she dove after it. The train was a vanishing speck in the distance when she finally caught the paper.

“What an idiot, he’s never going to break the cypher on his own. I’ve finally got a head start on that dumb-“ she looked at the paper. The empty blank white paper. She groaned. Idiot.

She had spent so much time trying to decipher the text she had almost memorized it by now. She knew where to go, but Ahuizotl would be going to the same place the moment he stepped off of that train.

The race was on.

=====*****=====

Daring Do arrived breathless at the top of Manehatten Tower less than thirty minutes later. She stormed past the fat receptionist and went straight for Gold Bar’s office. There was no time for pleasantries. Hard Hoof was standing outside the massive doors looking at Daring Do with a long line of paper pushers leaning out of their cubicles to watch the scene. Apparently pushing papers around your desk all day made watching a powerful stallion subdue an interloper qualify as entertainment.

Daring Do shouted as she walked towards him and the beautiful doors but tried to keep her voice non-threatening, “I need to speak with Gold Bar NOW! It’s important!” Hard Hoof just gazed at her unblinking. She started to get frustrated and was about to shout at him to move when he bucked the door open with a single hind hoof. It didn’t disturb his balance in the slightest, the movement was extremely efficient. She paused for a moment as she stepped around him and spoke in a normal tone, “thanks.”

It was a bit unexpected, but everything was moving so fast. Adrenaline was pumping in her veins after the incident at the library. When she paused beside him she caught her breath and it seemed as if the events earlier this evening were catching up with her. She suddenly felt very tired, and the room seemed to be getting darker. The Manehatten skyline was even more beautiful with the city lights. She tried to focus. She still needed to report to Gold Bar and then take the next train north, it left in less than one hour. Gold Bar was sitting at his desk, a cigar in his mouth and the carcasses of several more in the crystal ash tray. He was reading a report of some kind when he looked up at her. His mouth fell open causing the cigar to tumble to the desk. He gasped out, “Ms. Do are you alright?!”

She cut him off, “We don’t have much time. A greedy relic hunter by the name of Ahuizotl has stolen the journal and my notes after I finished the decryption.” She yawned, I can’t rest now. “The journal spoke of a mountain range called the Dragon’s Spine; the treasures should be hidden at the summit.” Gold Bar’s mouth was hanging open, but this utterance didn’t seem to affect him further. She yawned again, wider this time. Odd, is somepony turning down the lights? The room was getting darker all the time.

“Ms. Do, I must say I am quite pleased with your dedication and your results. We can leave tonight but perhaps you should sit down first.”

“Why would I-“ the plush carpet rushed up to meet her. Somepony finally succeeded in turning the lights out.

Daring Do and the Compass of Desire part 2

“AHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh!”

The engineer’s voice faded away as Ahuizotl threw him off the train. His hat fluttered in the wind before it too was lost in the distance. Ahuizotl smiled, he was content now that the train was his alone. It was carrying a coal shipment headed north and there had been a few worker ponies onboard when he hopped off of the platform from one train to the next, startling several would-be passengers. The laborers wasted no time in evacuating when they saw his companions, they all jumped off the train before it could pick up speed.

Unfortunately for the engineer, he was oblivious to his new guest until Ahuizotl calmly entered the engine car at the front of the train. His companions gave the engineer one look and froze him in place. He nearly fainted on the spot, but Ahuizotl simply lifted him roughly by his mane and smiled as he tossed him out like a bag of mail.

He spent a bit of time shoveling coal into the furnace, using up half the pile before he stopped. The extra coal forced the train to accelerate dangerously. Sparks shot off the rails as the train barreled north at a terrific pace.

Ahuizotl walked past the cats lounging in the second car. They were dozing in the beds the workers would normally use when the train spent too much time on the road, the snoring of the panther sounded like rocks being broken in a tumbler. He left them to sleep while he watched out the window, the world flashing past in a blur of leafy green and earthy brown. The train was heading in the direction of the setting sun making the interior of the train car lost in soft shadows. He spied the track switch and opened the car door.

The wind howled past as the train chugged down the tracks. He held out his paw and slapped the lever as it sped past. It stung his paw and left a welt making him wince, but it was a price he was willing to pay. The train switched tracks and headed north.

=====*****=====

GASP

Daring Do awoke in a bed and bolted upright. Her gasp startled a sleepy mare with a pure white coat and an ice blue cross for a cutie mark. She stood up and marched out of the room briskly, her hoof falls dying down the hallway. Daring Do looked around, it might have been a hospital room but something was off. The entire room lurched slightly from side to side. The walls were metal and the window was a small circular thing with heavy rivets around the rim. She could hear a hum from somewhere else, muffled by who knew how many walls. The bed she was in was not a bed at all, but a hammock. It still served well, the padding was very soft and it did have a faint smell of antiseptic.

Her head swam and she fell back into a prone position. She clenched her eyes shut and willed the world to stop moving. She stood up carefully on shaky legs. Her mouth was dry and still she felt dizzy. She saw a sink in a small alcove and stumbled towards it. Reaching it was much harder than she felt it should have been. She turned on the sink and put her mouth under the faucet, gulping water with gusto. Much better. The shaking stopped and she looked up into the mirror hung above the sink.

She almost fell onto her haunches at the sight of the image that stared back at her. Gauze was plastered over her right cheek, and she brushed it with a hoof. She felt a searing fire beneath it and decided to leave it alone. Her mane was disheveled, no that’s not quite right. Her mane had a chunk torn out and another thick patch of gauze had been placed over the missing hair. She felt another much more powerful ache beneath that bandage. She gulped and slowly, carefully, removed the gauze on her neck. She sucked in a breath and quickly replaced it when she saw what was beneath. A tuft of hair had been torn out of her mane and by the looks of things, a little more than just hair was missing.

“Please don’t make the injuries worse.” Daring Do turned around, causing the room to spin again. She screwed her eyes shut and opened them again, letting the room stop moving. The nurse stood there, another set of bandages and other medical implements were in a small cart. “Back in bed with you, I can’t have you getting dizzy and falling down. You lost quite a bit of blood.” Daring Do tried to resist the pushy mare, but found her muscles wouldn’t listen. She ended up back in bed and despite the scowl etched on her face she did feel better lying down.

“What happened? Who are you? When can I leave? I need to make a journey north and I can’t delay.”

The nurse looked at her and tilted her head to the side. She spoke without inflection, like antiseptic had been used to sterilize her voice. “As to what happened I am told you fainted in Chief Executive Officer Gold Bar’s office. I am nurse Snow Heart, the practicing medical officer onboard this vessel. As for you leaving, that would be…unwise. And as for a journey north, we are traveling north now, although I don’t know where to. I have already informed Gold Bar of your status, I imagine he will want to see you. He’s taken a keen interest in you.”

“Wait…traveling north now?” Daring Do looked out the window, all she could see were clouds floating past. “Where am I?”

“You would be on board my prized airship, the Sky Master.” Gold Bar entered the room with a slow stride as if he had all the time in the world. “You gave us a bit of a scare back at headquarters Ms. Do. You were bleeding so much you fainted. While I do enjoy it when mares faint in my presence, I usually prefer it to be because of my charming good looks.” Gold Bar flashed a grin while Daring Do just rolled her eyes since Gold Bar was old enough to be her father.

“Wait…we’re on an airship!?” Daring Do sat up again causing Snow Heart to narrow her eyes at her and march over to her bedside.

“You’re going to be a difficult patient aren’t you?” She glared at Daring Do and pushed her back down. Daring Do glared back, it was all she could manage in her current state.

“You don’t understand-“

“We understand quite well Ms. Do.” Gold Bar cut her off but smiled. “We are currently headed north towards a mountain range that is literally off the map, at least most maps. But I’m sure you’re used to that. You can rest and still we may yet have a chance to beat this Ahuizotl character to the treasure.”

Daring Do sighed with relief, it’s so nice to have so much support. Normally it was just her on a dig, having a small team to assist was a gift from Celestia. To have an entire airship…she wasn’t used to this kind of care. “When will we arrive?”

“Why don’t you join me up on the bridge when you are feeling better, then I can give you a grand tour and we can discuss logistics. Nurse, I’ll leave her in your care.” Daring Do pouted, she wasn’t used to being treated like a filly. Snow Heart gave her a meal as Gold Bar trotted out. The food was some of the worst tasting Daring Do ever had, and she had eaten insects and mushrooms for nourishment in the wild when she was desperate. Bland hay and pre-packaged grass, with not a grain of salt to be had. Topped off with sterile water and the hospital meal was complete. A complete disaster, Daring thought to herself. She choked the meal down anyway, hunger is the best spice after all.

She was tired but wide awake when Daring Do watched Snow Heart return with a plastic bag hanging on a metal stand, a long thin plastic tube dangled from it. Snow Heart prepared a syringe, Daring Do swallowed and said with a quaver in her voice, “what’s that for?” Daring Do was not a big fan of needles.

This is blood plasma, and this…” Snow Heart said as she cheerfully jabbed Daring Do just above the fetlock with the needle and pushed the plunger down, “is a sedative to keep you out of my mane.”

Daring Do’s eyes went wide. “Why you-“ then everything went black and dreamless.

=====*****=====

Ahuizotl had fired off the flare as soon as he saw the landmark. It wasn’t terribly impressive, just a grassy hill hardly big enough to qualify as a mountain. However he was in the right area to signal the mercenary. A red flare was supposed to call her in this area. She was known to rescue travelers...for a price. And if they couldn’t pay that price, well, whatever they had was easy to take after they died from whatever trouble they had gotten themselves into. Ahuizotl hoped she would come to him because he didn’t want to waste any time stopping the train. He would have to travel on foot soon enough and he preferred the comfort of the train’s cabin.

It didn’t take long before a fiery red streak could be seen against the morning sky. She flew alongside the train and raised an eyebrow when she saw Ahuizotl inside the train car. He opened the car door and welcomed her inside with a bow. She touched down and folded her wings without a sound. She had a blazing red mane, a purple coat, and the mark on her flank was a trio of bits. She had all of the qualities of a beauty, but it was marred by the scar running over her left eye. The eye still worked buy it was obvious she was a hairs breath away from being a cyclops at some point. “Good morning Ms. Fortune.” Ahuizotl’s accent made his words a bit awkward but she gave a polite smile anyway.

“Good morning Ahuizotl, I didn’t expect to find you here. I figured there were train robbers or something. I guess that isn’t totally wrong, but I was expecting the passengers to call for me, not the hijacker.” She grinned, “so what’ll it be this time? You got a job?”

Ahuizotl smiled and opened the strong box that had been onboard the train. It wasn’t a huge number of bits but with some persuasion it might be enough to convince Ms. Fortune to do as he asked. “One of my rivals is traveling north, probably on an airship called the Sky Master.”

Ms. Fortune laughed, “and you want me to take care of em’? You know I only take payment upfront.”

Ahuizotl smiled, he liked mercenaries, they did what they were told and didn’t care who he was. He slid the strongbox over to her and it stopped at her hooves. “The bits are yours, and there’s more if I am successful.” Ms. Fortune scowled but after counting the bits in the strongbox she nodded. “Here’s what I need you to do...”

=====*****=====

Daring Do awoke again and opened her eyes. She felt good, great even. She felt like she was floating. She idly scratched an itch above her right fetlock and smacked her lips. Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and her neck had a horrible kink in it, but for some reason she didn’t mind. The room was dark, a pale light source causing a thick beam to bore through the circular window and illuminate little floating motes of dust. The bed rocked back and forth gently, and it was so warm and inviting. Daring Do just laid there for what seemed like hours. Gently rocking back and forth like a foal. She scratched the itch again in her right fetlock and felt wetness.

She lifted her hoof in front of her eyes and gasped when she saw blood. Her senses rapidly came into focus. She looked at her right front leg. A needle attached to a thin red filled tube was on the bed, a bright red drop on the end of it. A little pin prick just above her fetlock was seeping blood onto the sheet.

“And you’re awake again,” it was that same cold voice from before. Daring Do looked up to see Snow Heart trotting over once again.

Daring Do opened her mouth to speak, but only a raspy cough came out. Snow Heart bandaged her leg and pushed a cup of water to her lips. She tried to use both hooves to hold it but using her right front leg sent a needle sharp pain shooting up to her shoulder. She coughed again but managed to keep the water down.

“You’ve been in bed for nearly twenty hours, except for your little trip to the bathroom. Would you like to walk around?”

Daring Do couldn’t help but smile, “I thought you’d never ask.” Daring Do stood without further prompting. She was prepared for the room to spin, and it did but she was able to stay on her hooves. Snow Heart sighed and fell into step behind Daring Do as she walked down the corridor one shaky step at a time.

The halls of the ship were all metal and curved on her right side. Her legs were shaky but she was sure that the ship moved slightly making the task of walking even more difficult. “I want to see the bridge, I’d like that tour now.”

Snow Heart sighed and said, “we’re on the port side, the bridge is all the way forward.”

“Great!” Daring Do started forward.

“That would be the wrong way.” Daring Do froze, face hoofed, then spun around to trot the other way. I’m going to kill this nurse, as soon as I get my strength back.

=====*****=====

They finally arrived at the bridge after walking far longer than Daring Do expected. The ship was huge and all of the halls were metal with pipes and wiring running along them, threading through the ship like the guts of a great beast. The whole ship constantly swayed left to right, gently, almost imperceptibly but any sort of motion threatened to make Daring Do lose her lunch. Smells of engine grease or sweat filled the passageways. Daring Do saw only a few portholes and didn’t stop to look out of any of them. She wanted to see the view from the bridge. She saw a few crew members as well, several of them looking as tired as she felt. They passed the mess line and could see a few crew members getting served chow. It smelled terrible to Snow Heart, but it made Daring Do’s mouth water. Anything was better than the tasteless garbage Snow Heart would serve her.

They trotted into the bridge on either side of the captain’s chair, a huge leather swivel number which contained Gold Bar himself. The bridge was a huge semi-spherical room, most of the forward half was a lattice of metal holding the windows in place. It made Daring Do feel as if she were flying outside.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Gold Bar continued to look out towards the horizon. The sun peaked above the horizon briefly blinding Daring Do. When her eyes adjusted she gaped. She could see, far more than she ever had flying on her own. They were so much higher than most pegasus cared to fly, they were far above the clouds. She could see vast tracts of white broken by dark mountains. Even the mountains seemed small at this height. A river, a sliver flashing ribbon on the landscape snaked its way south. Wispy clouds floated below, and through them Daring Do could see evergreens, little dots of viridian at this distance.

A few of the mountains broke through the clouds, like frozen whales breaking out of the ocean’s surface. Above the cloud line they were bare save for snow, dark and jagged stone capped in alabaster. Gold Bar pointed to a line of these mountains, the trail disappearing beyond the horizon. “That would be the Dragon’s Spine and at the end of it we should find the Dragon’s Tooth, the largest mountain in the chain.”

Daring Do stood taking in the sights for another moment before she responded. Sights like this one made exploring worthwhile. “This is great we should be able to beat Ahuizotl at this rate.”

Gold Bar leaned towards her with a smirk. “I’d say so, slow and steady wins the race right?” Gold Bar continued, “I think it’s time I gave you a little tour.” Gold Bar stood and glanced towards a stallion seated to his right. Daring Do recognized Hard Hoof with a start. “Number one, you have the bridge.” Hard Hoof only nodded.

Gold Bar lead Daring Do followed by Snow Heart back the way they had come. “This ship was built years ago when my empire grew too large for me to manage by myself. It’s important to me to give a personal touch to my assets, but the travel costs were getting prohibitive. Thus my solution was the Sky Master.” He gestured all around him. Gold Bar enjoyed showing off his prized ship to Daring Do. The ship’s crew all stopped to move out of the way and salute Gold Bar when they passed. He showed her the engines that propelled the ship forward, the massive hydrogen cells the kept the airship afloat, and the galley which Daring Do planned to visit at her first opportunity. He also showed her the cargo bay far in the aft portion of the ship, and her very own stateroom before he ended the tour.

“We can discuss logistics another time. Right now I have to take care of some business.” Daring Do nodded and watched as he trotted away. Nurse Snow Heart had said nothing during the entire tour and seemed to be doing her best to blend in with the cold metal walls.

Daring Do turned towards Snow Heart and said, “Well, am I discharged from the med bay? Can I sleep and eat like a normal pony?” Snow Heart looked at Daring Do with a pair of ice chips for eyes. She seemed to be staring right through Daring Do. She didn’t want to spend any more time in Snow Heart’s care so she turned to open her stateroom door, hoping that if the nurse didn’t object then she would be home free. She found herself face to face with Hard Hoof, their noses almost touching. She froze, not sure what to do.

Hard Hoof was still wearing security barding but the smell that came out of his saddlebags made Daring Do’s mouth water. It smelled even better than what was coming out of the galley. “Um, did you bring me dinner?” Daring Do said with hope. Snow Heart trotted next to Hard Hoof and gently brushed his mane with a hoof. Hard Hoof didn’t flinch or even react as far as Daring could tell.

“No he brought me dinner, didn’t you Hard Hoof?” Snow Heart said still gazing at Hard Hoof with...softness? They trotted off together while Daring Do’s mouth hung open. I guess there’s a special pony for everyone out there.

=====*****=====

She arrived in the dead of the night wearing a tight black body suit. It hid her hair and coat. The moon was full so she approached from underneath. The ship was huge making it easy to spot and tail during the day. It had a trio of powerful running lights, one in the front and two in the back. They were far brighter than any star making the approach even easier. She landed on the weather deck just behind a massive propeller, the wind drowning out any sound she might have made. It didn’t matter she wouldn’t have been heard even if it was dead quiet. The door blocking her way was a heavy metal thing with a porthole at eye level. A heavy lever set into the door secured the interior of the ship from everything, even air. She pulled the lever up with a grunt, the screech of metal on metal making her nerves feel like nails on a chalkboard. The last thing she needed was an alarm. She slipped inside and slammed the hatch closed with a boom. She struggled to pull the lever down returning the inside of the ship to some semblance of quiet.

cough

She whirled around her ears perking up like antennas to pick up any sound. A mare in a set of dingy orange overalls was on her haunches, her wide eyes staring right at the new arrival. She was covered in grease stains and tools. Gears, cogs, and bits of wire were scattered around her next to a red toolbox. Ms. Fortune was in a long metal room, the wall on her left was curved inward and she could hear the rumble of the turbine engine behind it. The mare was sitting on a maintenance panel in front of a square hole in the wall. The sound of the turbine growled out of the missing panel and would cover the sound of any screams. lucky me!

Before the poor mare could do more than cry out she was upon her. She bucked her right in the temple, knocking her head painfully into the bulkhead. She was out cold before she hit the floor. I’ve got to move fast. Ms. Fortune swapped her clothes for those of the mare. The name patch above the breast pocket read Star Spanner. She packed up the tools as quickly and as quietly as she could. There was a tall set of lockers at the far end of the room, she opened one and smiled. It had only a few rusty bolts and an old wrench inside of it. She stuffed Spanner’s unconscious form into the locker, closed it, and bucked the handle. It bent into an unhealthy shape making any attempt to open it from either side a real chore.

Ms. Fortune adjusted the workhorse’s cap covering her head and stepped out into the passageway. She held the tool box in her mouth and her wings were pressed into her sides. Spanner was an earth pony, her overalls had no slots for wings. She dared not move them anyway as it would break her disguise if she did. She trotted around like she belonged there, like the professional she was. There were few crew members awake at this hour, making her job that much easier. Now I just need to find the cargo hold...

=====*****=====

“Is it just me or are we flying lower than we were yesterday? And when are we going to discuss logistics?” Daring Do nagged at Gold Bar for the third time today. She felt foalish having to whine like a filly just to get some answers but Gold Bar had promised and he was acting a bit strange. They had been underway for three days and Daring Do had nothing else to do until they reached the Dragon’s Spine.

Gold Bar sighed and swiveled the captain’s chair towards Daring Do. “Ms. Do, I’m afraid we have a problem.”

“Sir?” a light blue mare with a nearly black mane raised an eyebrow as she looked at her captain. “We can handle-“

“No you cannot.” Gold Bar cut her off making her ears fall and her face showed a flicker of fear. Gold Bar didn’t seem to be angry however as he continued, “Ms. Do, I’m afraid we have a stowaway and I think that stowaway is a saboteur.”

Daring Do’s eyes grew wide but she quickly regained her composure, “how do you know?”

“An engineer was found unconscious in the starboard engine room two nights ago with her hat, overalls, and tools missing. And starting on that same night we’ve had a leak in our hydrogen cells that my maintenance workers just can’t seem to fix. I suspect our stowaway has been the one causing the trouble.” Daring Do nodded in agreement.

“How is this pony able to cause a leak we can’t fix?” Daring Do’s mind began to work on this more modern mystery.

“That’s an excellent question, we’ve checked everywhere we can and there are no leaks in any of the cells that we can see, but hydrogen pressure has been steadily dropping. I suspect there might not be a leak in the pipes but in the main hydrogen cells themselves. At this rate we’ll have to land tomorrow in order to check them on the ground and make repairs.”

Daring Do spread her wings, “why don’t you let me check for you? That way we won’t have to stop.”

Gold Bar chuckled softly, “I apologize, I almost forgot we had a pegasus onboard. But I cannot put you in danger Ms. Do, we can simply-“

“No way buster, I’m going out there and that’s final.” A grin spread across her face as soon as Gold Bar said the word ‘danger.’ Gold Bar shrugged with defeat and motioned to the light blue mare at the helm.

“Lieutenant, get Ms. Do into a work harness and let’s see if she can fix our problem.” The mare saluted before she lead Daring Do into the bowels of the ship.

=====*****=====

Daring Do stood on the weather deck that had held Ms. Fortune two nights ago. She wore a harness with several tools clipped onto it. Lieutenant Compass Rose (named after the arrow and large N she bore as a cutie mark) explained to her how to use a needle and thread to patch any holes she found in the hydrogen cells. Daring Do wasn’t much of a tailor, but she had repaired canvas with needle and thread before. This wasn’t much different.

With a final hoof bump, she took off into the air. She strained to keep up with the moving ship, her muscles having spent a bit too much time in the medical bay’s bed. She was winded by the time she reached the top. She landed, making the thick rubber of the hydrogen cells undulate like gelatin. She began walking around looking for any signs of damage. Each step she took was like playing on a trampoline, it wasn’t long before she was sweating with the effort to keep herself upright.

It took the better part of an hour but she finally found it. A small hole had been punched in one of the cells. It was too perfect to be caused by accident. Somepony had used a sharp tool to pop a hole in the cell wall and let the hydrogen leak out. It made a faint hiss which Daring Do could still hear over the wind. She began to sew a patch over the hole making precise jabs with a large needle. It was difficult work, the wind and the constantly moving ground played havoc with her balance. After a few minutes she got the hang of it. It was easier when she realized there was a regular rhythm to the way the rubber under her hooves moved. Instead of fighting it she moved with it and in short order had the patch halfway sew on.

Then the ground shifted, something was wrong. It was off time. And then Daring Do’s eyes when wide when she saw a shadow on the rubber next to her.

She burst into the air as fast as she could and whipped around.

POP HIIISSSSsssss

An awl had been driven into the rubber making a brand new hole. Had Daring Do not moved, her head would now be pierced and nailed into the rubber. She looked at her attacker and found herself facing a mare with a fire in her mane that didn’t match her cool expression.

“Ah such a shame, that would have been painless and then I could leave this stinking ship.”

“What’s this about? Why are you trying to sink the ship?”

The other pony just laughed, a high pitched girlish laugh that sent a shiver down Daring Do’s spine. “The ship? Who cares about some dumb airship? I just wanted to get you alone so I could do my job in peace.”

Daring Do quickly put the pieces into place. I’m the only other pegasus on the ship, of course I would be the only other one out here. She’s been sent to assassinate me! She had no more time to think as the pegasus launched herself at Daring Do with the awl. It was not a bladed weapon, but the point was more than enough to kill Daring Do if she was caught by it.

Daring Do pulled her wings in and fell to the rubber as her assassin sailed over her head. She landed on her hooves and turned around flying at Daring Do again. She’s fast! Daring Do rolled out of the way and barely managed to miss the point as it shot past her. Daring Do ended up on her back and tried to get up before she was stabbed.

A winged shadow hovered for the briefest moment before it slammed into her, two hooves in her chest. The rubber took much of the impact sending a wave outward from Daring Do. She nearly lost her breath and silently thanked the ship itself for saving her. Had she been on a hard surface she likely would have lost more than just her breath she would be looking at broken ribs. The assassin held the awl in her mouth and darted down to pierce Daring Do in the neck.

Daring got her hooves up just in the nick of time to catch her attacker around the head. Holding the assassin’s head back with the point of the awl looming above Daring Do’s neck, her assailant began to push. She’s strong too! The point began to sink down even with Daring Do fighting back with all her strength. Closer and closer the point came making Daring Do’s heart race. She fought back with every fiber of strength she could find. The point stopped at her coat, a bead of blood was drawn from the razor sharp point. Her muscles screamed for her to stop and she could feel them about to snap.

She used her hind legs and bucked upward in a last desperate bid for life. The eyes behind the metal point went wide and her would-be assassin coughed after being kicked in the gut. The tool dropped and began to roll away. The assassin was lifted into the air before tumbling onto her back a short distance away. Both mares glanced up from their prone position to look each other in the eye. The assassin was still coughing when Daring Do rolled over clutching her chest in pain. I might have a fractured rib after all.

Both mares took to the air at the same time, diving after the impromptu weapon. The assassin was still faster and reached the awl first. “Oh no you don’t!” Daring Do landed on Ms. Fortune’s back with all of her weight crushing the wings beneath her. Ms. Fortune cried out but still held the awl in her mouth. Daring Do leapt off of her and hovered in the air. Every beat of her wings sent a painful jolt through her chest but right now she just wanted to get some distance. She waited, tense, ready for the next attack.

Her attacker simply slipped further down the side of the air filled rubber, tumbling off of the side. Her wing was bent in a painful looking angle and it didn’t fold correctly. The other wing beat the air doing nothing more than make her tumble end over end. Ms. Fortune slammed the awl into the rubber again using it to hang onto the side of the ship. Her hind limbs and broken wing dangled uselessly into space.

Daring Do hovered just out of her reach, “hang on I’ll catch you.” She didn’t feel particularly generous right now with what felt like a broken rib. But she needed to know who hired this pony. Besides, murder wasn’t Daring Do’s style.

Ms. Fortune simply smiled and opened her mouth. Before Daring Do could react she had fallen and was a vanishing dot far below. There were clouds hovering over the ground but they were far away. At this height it still might hurt if she hit them, especially if she landed on her broken wing.

Daring Do looked at the awl still embedded in the side of the ship. Another twinge of pain lanced through her chest. She had to land, her chest hurt, she was tired, the air was thin. Daring Do knew if she didn’t repair the holes in the ship now it might be too late. And she doubted she had the strength left to deal with that strange pegasus anyway. Danger was one thing but that mare was trying to murder her! She pulled the awl out making a fresh wound in the ship and sighed, it was going to be a long day.

Daring Do and the Compass of Desire part 3

Ahuizotl stepped off of the train and into the snow with a crunch. End of the line. This was as far north as he was going to get by train. He hadn’t heard back from Ms. Fortune but that didn’t concern him. Odds were she had failed but it didn’t matter, his next move was dictated by the text in his possession. He grinned at his companions and began to tighten their harnesses.

Soon the wind was in his hair as he cracked the whip. ”Mush!” he shouted and cracked the whip again. The sled wasn’t heavy and Ahuizotl didn’t take too much in the way of provisions but the elements took their toll on the jungle cats nonetheless. They were not designed for such cold climates.

The stolen sled hissed over the snow. Ahuizotl frequently looked up to see if there was a great airship in the sky but today it was clear. A massive mountain loomed in the distance. “Soon, you will be mine,” Ahuizotl said to the mountain’s summit.

=====*****=====

It had taken over an hour for her to patch the holes in the ship including the fresh one left after she pulled the awl out. She landed near the Lieutenant right where she had left her. “What took you so long? Did I see somepony fall?” Daring Do collapsed holding her hooves over her chest. The pain had gotten worse the longer she worked but the ship had to be repaired. With the Lieutenant’s help she made the trek to the medical bay and collapsed into bed. Great, another night in here with Nurse Snow Heart and the poison she calls food.

She had fresh bandages around her barrel when she dragged herself into the conference room the next morning. Lucky it was just a bruised rib and not a broken one.

“I’m glad you can join us Ms. Do despite your injuries. Thank you again for patching my ship. Unfortunately we are low on hydrogen and those patches will not hold in high altitude. We have some decisions to make and they affect you directly. If you would take a look at the map we can begin.” Gold Bar gestured to a sprawling map sitting on a large teak table. Daring Do had seated herself in one of the plush chairs and tried to scoot it closer to the table so she could get a better look. She glanced down and realized the chairs were bolted to the floor, so she had to lean in causing her rib to poke her again, she winced in pain.

She sighed softly and gazed at the map. Now this was something she was familiar with. There was a placed marked as the Dragon’s Tooth near the north edge of the map. Daring Do looked closely at it and its topographical lines. Her eyes grew wider as she studied the map and began to calculate just how tall this mountain was, it was thousands of leagues high. “Can the ship reach the summit?”

Gold Bar’s brow dropped and his lips narrowed, “As I said, not with patched and deflated hydrogen cells. Even if we were in perfect condition I doubt it. We’ll have to descend to set up camp and once we do the ship will need to refuel and properly repair the damage to our hydrogen cells. I’m sorry but you’ll have to climb the mountain by hoof.”

“And I don’t think I can fly up there, the air gets thin beyond a certain point.” She winced in pain at the thought of flying so much. “If this map is accurate, I could fly about half way up the mountain and then hoof it the rest of the way.” Daring Do looked at Gold Bar, Hard Hoof, Lieutenant Compass Rose and Snow Heart seated across the table. Gold Bar shook his head.

“I would rather you took a team with you, there’s no telling what’s on the mountain and since you’ll have to hoof it anyway you might as well bring some help. We can land and set up a base camp here-” he pointed to a flat spot at the base of the Dragon’s Tooth, “and then you can start up the mountain the next morning.”

Daring Do was not used to having assistance, but wasn’t about to refuse Gold Bar’s generous offer. “Alright, but I don’t want to wait, not with Ahuizotl on the trail as well. At the speed we are going he could arrive before us. He’s crafty and I wouldn’t put it past him to figure out a way to get there before we do. And I don’t want to wait another minute much less another day. So here’s what I propose…”

=====*****=====

Gold Bar had objected to her plan, but she couldn't stand waiting any longer. Nor would she admit it, but any excuse to get away from Snow Heart and her rough care was worth taking a risk for. She looked around at the four earth ponies with her, the bulky saddle bags they wore were stuffed with the necessities of their journey. The leader of this little band was none other than Lieutenant Compass Rose. They could all hear the hum of the engines here, a steady tone that rattled your organs like house music with plenty of bass.

Daring Do had spent much of the past six days on the ship confined to the medical bay. Snow Heart couldn't keep her there all the time and Daring frequently left when Snow Heart wasn't looking. She just wanted to get herself fresh air or food. She felt much better after only a single meal in the wardroom with Gold Bar and the officers of the crew, Gold Bar chuckled and indulged her when he realized what she was running away from. The food was far better than the garbage she was being served in the hospital wing, having a private chef tended to result in better meals.

After six days with nothing to do she found a new level of boredom, one that caused her mind to wander into fantasies about what she could find at the summit. She was so excited this morning she hardly slept and sprang out of her bed with such vigor she felt like a filly again. She dressed in a heavy jacket with a hood that made her begin to sweat within seconds. She almost galloped down the passageways to the aft end of the Sky Master and found the special room she was looking for.

“Ok this should be fun. Is everypony ready?” She looked around at the other four. They all nodded but she could see the sweat forming on the coat of at least one of the stallions before he pulled his jacket on. Compass Rose seemed calm, but Daring Do noticed her hind hooves quivering. Whether this was excitement or fear, she couldn’t say. A klaxon began to sound and a horizontal beam of light broke the far wall. It expanded downward into a long rectangle.

Daring Do took in a breath, allowing her ears to pop. The air was so thin but it was so fresh, after six days onboard the Sky Master she couldn’t wait to be under her own power again even with a bruised rib. The loading bay door stopped, it made a gentle slope down into…nothing. The dull roar of the engines flooded their ears. Frigid wind whipped into the docking bay, the other four ponies began to shiver and lean back just a bit. Daring Do had a smile that hinted at insanity, she looked at her companions and shouted over the engines, “ok, time to go!” Without another moment’s hesitation she jumped into space.

The exhilaration was exquisite, the air was so cold but Daring Do allowed her wings to stay at her sides. The air rushed by so fast it started to feel as if she were burning. She allowed it, knowing the moment she started to fly it was going to get very cold, very fast. A white landscape spread out below her, white clouds and white snow. The Dragon’s Tooth dominated her vision, a mass so large it occupied a quarter of her view, even from this distance. She looked up and saw four little dots fall out of the Sky Master. The Sky Master looked so insignificant compared to the land and sky, strange to think I spent so much time there.

She angled her body and burst through the wispy clouds, aiming for the agreed upon clearing. Gold Bar’s maps were accurate, it was right where she expected it to be. She flared her wings to slow her decent. She landed in the clearing with a crunch as she broke through the layer of snow. She sank up to her chest in what felt like a soft fluffy pillow made of OH SWEET CELESTIA THAT’S COLD!

Daring Do flapped her wings again and hovered above the snow, each beat of her wings sending a warning twinge across her chest. She couldn’t fly all day of course but the snow was so much colder than the air about her and the exertion heated her body. Good to know I’d rather be sweating in a jungle than freezing on a mountain. She waited for what seemed like hours for the other four ponies to arrive. They eventually did, their parachutes breaking through the clouds above her and drifting down like overgrown snowflakes. Daring Do wanted to start her climb as soon as they arrived.

One of the ponies, the sweating stallion, drifted away from the clearing. He tumbled through an evergreen knocking snow and twigs down in a heap. His parachute was caught in the tree and he dangled there helpless while the other three unhooked their harnesses. Daring Do rolled her eyes, another delay. She flew towards him and he smiled when he saw her. “Think you can cut me down?” Daring Do pulled out her trusty pocket knife and started to saw through the cords in his harness.

CRACK

The tree branch snapped just as he was cut free, he tumbled down the rest of the way and landed near the base of the tree. Snow swallowed him up, from her vantage point Daring Do could see a pony shaped hole in the snow. She drifted down towards where he fell. “Are you ok?” She was about to reach a hoof down to start sifting through the snow when she saw the tracks. Some feline had left deep tracks in the snow around the other side of the tree. “Ahuizotl” she said out loud. She couldn’t know for sure, it could have been a snow leopard or a lynx, but she just knew it was him.

The stallion burst out of the snow like he was on fire. He gasped for air, having experienced the cold first hoof. Daring Do assisted him and they rejoined the others. She regretted it, but she landed next to them allowing the snow to hit her again. Without her jacket she knew she would not last long in this weather. She looked up at the mountain that loomed above her and swallowed a lump in her throat. It was huge, and they were going to climb that? She was glad to have the assistance of Lieutenant Rose and the others because this was going to be a tough hike. “I want to start immediately, let Gold Bar set up his base camp here. If all goes well we’ll return before he’s finished.” She seriously doubted that, especially with Ahuizotl out there somewhere but now was the time for optimism. The other four ponies nodded and they began their trek.

=====*****=====

The wind howled all night but Daring Do was so tired she slept like a filly. When she awoke the next morning the wind had died and the cold…well it was still very cold but it was much warmer than the night time. She unzipped her tent and looked out. The others were still asleep, “TIME TO WAKE UP!” She shouted with glee while banging a pair of pots together. They were under an overhang of rock which provided some shelter from the snow. Firewood collected the previous night was now dry and Daring Do had no trouble staring a fire. Lieutenant Compass Rose poked her head out of her tent, her eyes still drooping.

“You’re a slave driver Ms. Do,” Daring Do only smiled and put on more oatmeal in response.

Either the sound of pots or the smell of oatmeal drew the others out of their slumber. They always had their heavy jackets on, and Daring Do idly wondered what the soft lining of her jacket would smell like after a week of wearing it. She tried not to think about it. The other four ate breakfast quietly, savoring the hot meal. Daring Do took a deep breath. The air was so crisp here it smelled primal, untouched by time or tide. Daring Do was less pleased with the view, while it was breath taking there was so much white that she was afraid that if she spent too much time on this mountain she would forget what colors were.

Once they had eaten their fill Daring Do decided now would be the best time to break the bad news, “I think we might not be the only ones on this mountain. I saw feline tracks yesterday, and I think Ahuizotl might be here with us. But don’t worry we can beat him, and he might not even be here anyway.” She tried to sound optimistic. The natural elements of this place were bad enough without adding Ahuizotl into the mix. None of the four ponies with her reacted to the news they just looked tired and sipped from their thermoses. ”Well, let’s not all speak at once.”

“Heh heh, don’t worry Ms. Do, if Ahuizotl is up here he’s as miserable as we are and we’re prepared for him anyway.” The lieutenant produced a set of spiked horseshoes and armored security barding. “Gold Bar doesn’t like anypony getting in his way,” she deadpanned. Daring Do could only shake her head slowly at the forethought of Gold Bar and the resources at his command.

They ate and started up the mountain again, their breath steaming in the thinning air. They trudged through snow, snow, and more snow. They made steady progress up the slope which slowly grew more and more treacherous. They focused on their freezing misery and stoically trudged on, saying nothing to each other as they suffered together. The wind decided their journey was too easy and started to flow down the mountain carrying snowflakes which stung their eyes. They stopped for lunch in a grove of evergreens which provided shelter from the wind. The wind took revenge as soon as they started up the slope again leaving the shelter of the little grove behind. It was nightfall when they breached the tree line. There would be no more shelter from evergreens anymore.

Once the sun set the wind picked up and the cold became remorseless. It was like a living thing that sliced through their jackets and ate heat like a ravenous beast. Daring Do felt herself losing heat, energy, and hope. She looked around and spotted an inky black splotch in the mountain side above them. She waved and shouted over the howling wind, “I think that might be a cave, let’s get up there and get out of this weather.” The other four ponies nodded with enthusiasm.

They reached the cave after a few minutes that seemed like hours. Daring Do shined her trusty lantern into the black cave and thanked Celestia again. Inside it was dry and fairly deep, the light of her firefly lantern didn’t reach the back wall. She and the other four ponies quickly ducked inside, the wind died instantly and the cold didn’t bite so much. They all breathed a sigh of relief except Daring Do. All of her muscles were tense but only Compass Rose noticed. “Is everything alright ma’am?”

“Shhh-“ Daring Do put a hoof to Rose’s lips and spoke quietly. “We don’t know what’s in this cave. In wild environments a cave like this is valuable real estate for animals. I don’t want to sleep here until we know who’s home.” She and Compass Rose slowly walked to the back of the cave, the echoes of their hooves making it sound like they were a two pony army, searching for anything that might decide ponies were tasty.

Daring Do found the back of the dank cave and stared into an inky black set of holes, it looked like Swiss cheese. There were a few stalactites and stalagmites surrounded by what could be homes for mice if said mice could chew through solid stone. Daring Do felt warm air flowing out of some of these holes in a steady rhythm, as if the mountain itself were breathing. Lieutenant Compass Rose nuzzled up to the warm air, “ahhhh that’s better.”

“Careful Lieutenant, we don’t know what’s living in there.” Lieutenant Rose looked at Daring Do, her eyes became narrow and her lips pressed together. “We can start a fire instead, we have some firewood left over, right?”

Compass Rose’s expression softened, “yes we do, but I would rather save it for later if we can we only have so many heat packs, and once they’re used up I don’t want to be anywhere but at the base camp.”

Daring Do shook her head, “it’s better if we burn up the wood now, it’s too heavy to carry further anyway.” Compass Rose nodded and before long they were all sitting around a fire as each pony drifted off to sleep in the warmth. Daring Do wanted nothing more than to sleep, but nudged the Lieutenant and said, “we have to set up a watch rotation, if Ahuizotl or any animals are around we don’t want to be caught asleep and this cave is a very attractive place to bed down.” Rose huffed and ordered the other ponies to take shifts, but she got her revenge by making Daring Do take the first watch.

Daring Do looked out of the mouth of the cave, sitting on her haunches with her back to the smoldering fire. Every so often she feed another log into the fire, allowing the stack of firewood to dwindle lower. The stars came out, and then Daring Do’s smile grew with awe. As an explorer she got to see some very strange things, but never had she seen this. She had heard of it, but like so many myths it was so much better when it was real.

They sky was lit by a ghostly curtain made of strange cool hues. Blues and greens, with the occasional purple, floated silently. It, whatever it was, shifted slowly as if it were a cloth drifting in calm water. Daring Do watched it for hours entranced by the shifting light and color. She nearly jumped out of her horseshoes when Compass Rose tapped her on the shoulder to relieve her. Compass watched the lights for a moment with glassy eyes then began her sentinel watch over the lifeless snowscape. Daring Do was about to say something about appreciating beauty but sleep got the better of her forcing her to retreat to her sleeping bag near the smoldering campfire. She tossed another log into the fire and drifted off to dream of curtains of light in a starry sky before the log could ignite.

=====*****=====

Daring Do awoke the next morning to the sound of bubbles popping. Compass Rose was already awake and boiling water to make oatmeal, light snoring came out of the other three lumps still wrapped in dreams. “See anything last night?” Daring Do was hoping to talk about the strange lights in the sky.

“Nah.” Was the only reply she could get from Compass Rose. Daring Do’s ears drooped against her head. She would have to come back here after this expedition was over and study these northern lights more closely. That thought warmed her and allowed her to eat breakfast with a smile. The other ponies munched on breakfast around the campfire when Daring Do trotted outside to get their bearings for the day. That’s when she saw them.

There was a set of tracks in the snow, and they were not hoof prints. They meandered around a rock outcropping some distance below their cave. She trotted towards it, hoping it was not what she thought it was.

No such luck.

Set into the snow were several sets of paw prints heading up the mountain. They were single file for the most part, making the tracks difficult to distinguish from one another. They plowed through the snow leaving a narrow trough. Daring Do looked at the track with her eyes unblinking and her jaw set. There was another set of tracks, hoofprints this time that went near this spot from their cave. She flew the short distance back to their little cave, the thin air making her breathe heavily.

“I have bad news, I just found tracks that I am almost certain belong to Ahuizotl and his cats… And none of you saw him! Did anypony leave their watch last night?” The four ponies looked at each other, Compass Rose put a hoof over her mouth.

“um…” the stallion named Menteur spoke up, his eyes rolled up and to the left as he spoke, “I might have left for a few minutes to make yellow snow.” Daring Do rolled her eyes and pulled him to the mouth of the cave. She pointed with a hoof towards the outcropping.

“Did you go behind that rock?”

“Yeah, I did. It was very dark last night, but I didn’t see or hear anything.” Daring Do just sighed and walked back towards the group.

“Great, just great, Ahuizotl is definitely on this mountain and he’s probably ahead of us. Unless-“ Daring Do’s mind began racing. “We follow his tracks and take him out!” She stomped a hoof down with a clack to emphasize her point. The other four looked down and wouldn’t meet the fire in her eyes. “Trust me on this one, if we don’t do something about him, he’s going to swoop in and steal the compass at the last second.”

“I supposed you have a point Ms. Do, but from everything you’ve told us Ahuizotl is very dangerous.” Compass Rose looked at Daring Do right in the eyes, “Shouldn’t we try to avoid a confrontation?” Daring Do brushed a hoof through her mane feeling the missing patch of hair where the lynx (or was it the tiger?) had taken a bite. Fuzz was now starting to grow back, but the feeling of nakedness wouldn’t go away.

“I’m not saying we have to kill him, but if we don’t get his whistle away from him, he’s going to be super dangerous. Besides, we’re prepared for him right?” Daring Do couldn’t help but smile at the thought of getting the drop on Ahuizotl for once. The grin on her face made the other four ponies gulp down any further objections.

=====*****=====

They had been following the tracks all morning. The wind was absent today and for that they were all thankful. It had also stopped snowing, allowing the tracks they were following to persist. They entered the cloud layer shortly after breakfast. It was like walking into a thick fog, she could make out the shapes of her companions and the tracks they were following but little else. In fact Daring Do could hardly tell what was up and what was down. As a pegasus she had to push the clouds out of the way making her progress doubly difficult. The soft crunch of snow from their hoof falls was the only sound she could hear. These clouds were so unlike those back home. Back home they were soft, fluffy, and warm, like white cotton candy. These clouds were thin, wispy, and cold. What was more the air was getting thinner all the time. They rose above the cloud layer and Daring Do had to smile. The sun came out and while the air was cold the sun was always warm.

By the time their stomachs began to rumble for lunch Daring Do motioned for them to wait. She wanted to look beyond the next drab outcropping of rock and she wanted to test a theory. She flapped her wings as hard as she could and while she did rise off the ground the effort was monumental. The air is getting too thin to fly. She landed on top of the next outcropping and took in the view. A sheer cliff was on each side of a narrow path covered in snow stretching before her. The tracks they were following went right across the knife like edge of the mountain. Like an incisor next to a molar, this mountain led to the rest of the Dragon’ Tooth. She caught her breath while the rest of the team ascended to her position. They looked at the tracks in the snow and the narrow path before them.

“I’ll go first,” Daring Do volunteered, it was her expedition after all. “We’ll go one at a time and to make sure nopony falls we’ll tie a rope to each other.” They tied a rope about their midsections with Daring Do at the front. Now that she was properly tethered, she started across the narrow edge trying not to look down. She was halfway across when she glanced to her left and saw the crevasse disappear into the clouds below. She squeezed her eyes shut as vertigo threatened to overtake her. Don’t look down.

“HA HA HA HA HA, so good to see you again Daring Do.”

You have got to be kidding me, Daring Do thought to herself. She slowly opened her eyes to the very real danger in front of her.

Ahuizotl was standing far on the other side of the narrow bridge in the snow surrounded by his feline companions. He wore some kind of polar bear coat, and his cats were shivering. “Although I don’t think we’ll see each other again since you’ve fallen into my trap Daring Do.” A shiver ran down Daring Do’s spine that had nothing to do with the cold. Ahuizotl pulled the whistle to his lips and blew a loud note. Daring Do tensed, blinked, and waited.

CRACK

Suddenly Daring Do watched in numb shock as the world tilted to the right. She tumbled into the cold abyss. She flapped her wings to right herself, to return to Ahuizotl and beat him to a pulp or at least beat him to the treasure. Her lungs burned with too little air and her wings seemed to do nothing. The last thing she remembered was a snow back rushing up to meet her before everything went cold and dark.

Ahuizotl watched Daring Do tumble out of sight into the ravine with a grin that showed mirth and teeth. He tossed a pith helmet after her, “no olvides tu sombrero, Daring Do.” Then he laughed and strode up the mountain without anypony to stop him.

Author's Note

My apologies for Ahuizotl's terrible Spanish, I did the best I could.

Daring Do and the Compass of Desire part 4

Daring Do awoke to the soft sound of-

POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW-POW

Rainbow Dash sat bolt upright in her bed and flattened her ears against the sound. There was a soft pop which she couldn't hear over the din as Tank retreated into his shell. She grimaced and trotted over to her window, snapped the catch, slid it open, and looked out.

The construction crew across the street had returned from their lunch and brought a jackhammer with them. A jackhammer they were now putting to good use. This is my POW day off, and I want POW read Daring POW without any POW! I can’t POW myself think! She shut the window and stuffed the book and Tank into her saddlebag. She strapped it on and flew out the front door. She flew straight until the sounds of the jackhammer were so low they would only cause your ears to bleed after several minutes instead of seconds. Now where can I read in peace?

She arrived outside the Golden Oaks library minutes later, the sounds of the jackhammer far behind her. Her eyes darted about to ensure no pony saw her. I don’t need anyone else to think I’m an egghead. She quietly entered through the balcony and never touched the floor until she was on the landing at the top of the stairs. She looked out over the main foyer and tilted her head to one side.

Twilight Sparkle was standing in front of a chalk board with a piece of unmoving chalk hovering at the end of a wild equation. Rainbow Dash couldn't even read some of the variables in the equation much less make sense of it. “Hi, I didn't hear you come in.” Rainbow Dash nearly jumped out of her horseshoes.

She whirled around to find Spike standing right behind her in a worn pink bathrobe. Once she got over her shock she snickered. “ Isn't it a little late for a bath?”

“Hey, I always have a bath after I wake up!” Dash glanced at the clock on the wall which read 12:30pm. She rolled her eyes.

“I need a place to read, can I use the library downstairs?”

Spike shook his head, “Twilight got an idea last night and she wanted to modify her memory spell. She started working on immediately.” Spike yawned and glanced at Twilight’s bed, visible beyond the bedroom door, still made perfectly without a single crease in the sheets. “Don’t tell me she’s still working on it.”

The two of them looked at Twilight again, bags were under her eyes, and her eyelids drooped. They slowly slid down her unfocused eyes and just as they were about to close…”EUREKA! That’s it, this will make-“ the chalk tapped away furiously as she added several lines to the equations. “Then…then…how does…” Twilight returned to her previous state, although the stick of chalk was a bit shorter now and the equations even longer.

Spike sighed, “Sorry Dash, you can’t use the downstairs right now and I don’t want you using Twilight’s bed, I’m gonna have to drag her into it any minute now.”

“Hold that thought,” Rainbow Dash set Tank down then darted back outside and returned a moment later pushing a cloud with her head. It slid in front of her until she allowed it to rest in the main foyer, although it was above and out of the way of Twilight and whatever it was she was doing. She glanced at Spike who smiled and nodded.

“Com’on Tank, let’s get something to eat.” Spike said as he jogged to the kitchen while Tank trundled far behind him. Rainbow Dash flopped onto the cloud and opened “Daring Do and the Compass of Desire.” She flipped through several pages before finding her place and began to read again.

=====*****=====

Daring Do awoke to the soft sound of-

Drip-drip-drip

She felt so tired, she stood on shaky legs. She was surrounded by cold snow, it was inside of her jacket and all over her legs and face. How did I get here? She tried to remember but it was just blank. She shrugged because the thought didn't seem like a big deal. She started to giggle although why she couldn't say, “where am I?” her voice echoed.

Looking around she could see she was in some kind of cave. She was surrounded by weak sunlight pouring through a hole above her. Cold and snow drifted down through that hole. She could hear the drip-drip-drip of water nearby, but beyond the beam of light she was standing in she couldn't see much. Oh I know, I should go exploring, yeah! The idea seemed to strike a chord in her, it was such a good idea. But I can’t see, it’s not fair. She started to pout, and then remembered she had a lantern with fireflies inside of it. She found her pack lying in the snow next to her, it was open and the contents spilled out. A broken lantern lay half exposed in the snow, not a single firefly left was inside.

She didn't mind that either, nothing seemed particularly important. She tried to take a step forward and noticed how hot she felt. A bit numb, but still her skin felt like it was on fire. Fire, that’s what I need, yeah! Frustrated, she tried to take off her jacket and found a hemp rope wrapped around her midsection. She pulled it off and kicked it away. Then she shrugged off her jacket and kicked it away as well, revealing her classic olive green shirt underneath. She found her pith helmet half buried in the snow next to her lantern and put in on her head, snow was packed inside and it tumbled all around her. She giggled again, now this feels right. She found a single piece of firewood left over from the previous night, little more than a stick. On instinct she wrapped the hemp rope around the top and used some flint to spark a fire, completing her makeshift torch. She held the torch in her mouth and tossed the flint away. Onward to adventure!

She didn't know where she was going and didn't really care. She was starting to get annoyed, why can’t I remember how I got here? The cave had rough walls, and air seemed flow past her causing the torch to waver. As she walked on she felt as if the mountain were breathing on her, like the warm breath of a massive beast. She caught the scent of something odd, something acrid, but maybe it was just the torch.

Eventually the rough stone walls changed to something more uniform. She was standing in a stone tunnel still, but it was almost round. Like it was created by a misshapen drill rather than the forces of nature. The walls were smooth, with few cracks and she could definitely feel warm air flowing past her. She sat on her haunches and took her pith helmet off for a moment to relax. The stone wall was surprisingly warm. She leaned into it just to take a load off for a moment. She started to feel pins and needles on her back.

The warm air flowing past her caused more pins and needles to dance across her coat. She twitched, like she was waking from a deep sleep. This is uncomfortable. The warm breath of the mountain caressed her again. Suddenly she started to violently shiver. Spasms wracked her body, the torch fell out of her mouth to clatter a short distance away. She hugged herself with her forehooves, trying to desperately to stop the remorseless cold from hurting her anymore.

Another breath of warm air caused something in her brain to flicker to life, like a set of gears that were suddenly meshed. She had fallen into this hole after Ahuizotl had caused that narrow land bridge to collapse and then…she awoke in this cave. She must have fallen through a snowdrift unconscious. It was pure luck she wasn't-

oh hay.

In addition to searing pain all over her body from the freezing cold, she could feel a sizable lump on her forehead. She gently prodded it with a hoof and winced as she could feel a goose egg along with a new ache in her forehead. OK calm down Daring Do, you’re not going to freeze to death because it’s warm here. This was very true, warm air brushed past her every other second, and the wall behind her was cool but much warmer than she was now. She knew the dangers of hypothermia academically, but to experience them was truly frightening. If it wasn't so warm down here, I would be dead. But why IS it so warm down here?

The violent shaking she was experiencing from the cold was slowing to a tremble. The snow in her pith helmet had luckily stopped any serious swelling from the bump on her head, although it’s going to get worse before it gets better. She had no idea how long she had lain in the snow unconscious, but it was long enough for her to reach the precipice of a cold death and for Ahuizotl to get a significant lead on her. And the other ponies…

Wait a minute! What happened to the others? The rope- offered no clues, as it had burned away as kindling at the end of her torch. She had no idea what had made it break, but the other ponies might be down here as well, I have to find them! With a renewed purpose she set off down the strange round tunnel with little more than her torch and a keen mind for adventure. And my hat she thought with a smile.

=====*****=====

The lump on her head throbbed painfully and the torch was burning low. The air had grown so hot it was like being in a sauna. Daring Do had tried to find where she started but gave up after an hour of fruitless searching. The roundish tunnels crisscrossed and coiled in upon themselves like vines, the only direction she could get her baring on was whatever heat source was creating the warm air currents. Whatever the heat source was it was very powerful.

She had seen nothing to indicate the others in the expedition were down here. She also hadn’t seen any hint of Ahuizotl either and for that she was grateful. She continued on towards the source of the heat, hoping the other ponies would go to the same place if there were as cold as she was. She removed her helmet and wiped the sweat from her brow. Where are they?

Scritch

Daring Do stopped short and almost fell. Her ears shot up and her eyes shrank to pin pricks. She stood stock still listening for anything but could hear only the soft pop of her torch. She was almost sure she had heard a sound. Maybe it was the strange acoustics of the cave or the bump on her head was starting to play tricks on her. She continued on but felt her skin crawl, as if she were being watched.

CLOP…Clop…clop...sknix

Daring Do stopped again. She was sure she heard something this time. “Who’s there!” she shouted down the dark tunnel, “Compass Rose? Go the other way.” Her echo was the only answer. A cold puff of air drifted down the tunnel from the opposite direction she was going. It sent a chill up her spine.

grrrr

She whirled around. The growl seemed to come from everywhere. Where are the others? She hadn't a clue where they were, all she knew is she didn't want to freeze to death. Another cold blast of air blew down the tunnel. She started to tremble again, but this time it wasn't from the cold. She turned around and galloped down the tunnel.

She turned down several of the strange tunnels, her guttering torch the only light source. She was exhausted, cold and hot (if that was even possible), a little hungry, and the lump on her head wasn't getting any better. And I still can’t find the others? Did they abandon me? Why would they do that? Another cold blast of air nearly took her off of her hooves. She pushed her gallop to a sprint.

After several minutes she stopped. She had to, she was out of breath and she could go no further. It was sweltering now, the heat making her body and brain itch. What else is down here? And why did the others leave me? She had to rest but her mind lingered on those fuzzy memories of her first experiences in this cave. She remembered feeling hot and trying to take off her overcoat. She remembered the rope around her midsection…and the end of it wasn't frayed! It was cut!

A massive blast of cold air rushed down the tunnel as adrenaline surged into her veins. She shot down the tunnel again, her torch growing colder but the air growing warmer. Another blast of cold air lifted her off her hooves and she skidded into a gentle curve of the tunnel. The torch was snuffed in the blast of air. Darkness coalesced around her.

She could see the tunnel, gently curving downward and she could see the hooves in front of her face. How is this possible? It should be totally dark in here!

GRRRRRRRR

Something large that stank of danger and other foul odors was closing in on her, she could feel rather than see it in the dark. She galloped towards the source of light and heat, her only chance of getting out of this alive. The tunnel grew hotter and brighter.

She burst into a massive cavern her hooves making echoes across the vast expanse. It was lit with an angry red glow from several large holes scattered about the cavern. Massive stalactites hung from the ceiling shot through with multicolored tones of lime green, light brown and rusty red. Many had fallen to form the holes in the stone ground. She could see shimmering waves in the air, like a mirage on a hot day bellowing from many of those holes. Cone shaped stones rose from the floor, with a sickly rust colored vapor escaping from their missing tops. Daring Do stared with wide eyes when she saw a brilliant light source along the wall. A slow trickle of bright liquid stone flowed down into a crevice and she could hear faint sounds, like the roar of a faraway beach. That explains all of the light and heat.

ROOOAARRR

She gasped for air, the stifling heat and the acrid vapors burned her lungs and nose. Fear pushed her forward, she reached the center of the cavern and then all Tartarus broke loose.

Horrible creatures skittered into the cavern on all four limbs from every direction. They boiled out of tunnels set above and around her. They had long white hair with long gangly arms that ended in razor sharp claws. Stubby but sturdy legs allowed them to move with surprising swiftness. They reeked even over the vapors pouring into the cavern. Each entered with a blast of cold air and there were at least of score of the beasts. Daring Do gasped, she recognized these monsters. The stories told to foals didn't do justice to how horrible they really were.

Wedingos

She smiled despite the fact she was about to be devoured by these cold abominations. She was blessed to witness creatures thought to be a myth. She loved to chase myths so it was only fair that for once, a myth would chase her.

The faint smile dropped from her face as the wedingos circled closer, growling past sharp pointy teeth. Daring Do’s eyes darted around as she searched for an escape, her mind burning with possibilities each more desperate than the last. As the creatures circled closer they snapped at each other, giving Daring Do a moment to think. It wouldn't be long before one of them pounced on her and started to eat her alive. She coughed again, the stench of sulfur making her choke.

Wait a minute, those vapors would choke me to death if there weren't any way for them to escape. She watched the vapors and heat rise. She smiled. One of the larger wedingos, a matriarch judging by her size, flew at her with a terrifying roar.

Daring Do spread her wings and jumped over the nearest hole in the floor. She saw the wavering air and knew it was probably going to hurt, but anything was better than being torn limb from limb. The heat hit her from below like she had been bucked, it knocked the wind out of her and she was almost certain her feathers would catch fire if she didn't get out of the way.

The wedingo stopped just short of the thermal column, her long arms could have easily reached Daring Do, if Daring Do hadn't risen. She shot up like she had been launched from a cannon, the thermal updraft carried her up so fast her head spun. Her wings threatened to burn from the heat, she flapped once to change her accent. She flew around a massive stalactite, it could have fit a house inside and then she saw her chance. On the other side she saw a dark tunnel hanging on the wall. It was so high up she couldn't have seen it from the ground, the vapors created a rusty brown fog that obscured the ceiling. She glanced down with the intention of sticking her tongue out at her would be predators.

White shapes were climbing up the walls like squirrels, their razor sharp talons digging into the stone like it was made of wood. Daring Do closed her mouth as fear forced her to beat her wings with all of her remaining strength. She flew into the dark tunnel. She realized that if the wedingos decided to chase her in here, she would have nowhere to run but onward and upward. I hope there are no wedingos in this tunnel in front of me, if there are I’m as good as dead.

She looked up at the tunnel she was in, it angled sharply upward, she would have to fly. Thank Celestia there’s a thermal draft, otherwise I might not be able to fly at this altitude. She saw something at the end of the tunnel, something that made her pupils shrink and her heart to flutter. Thank Luna, Celestia, fate, and whatever else is out there! She heard growls at the mouth of the tunnel behind her, and pushed her wings to their limits as she shot upward chased by cold, hungry death with teeth.

=====*****=====

UURRRRPP!

Spike let out a huge burp that tore Rainbow Dash out of her book. She saw him and Tank in the kitchen munching on sandwiches. “heh heh, good one Spike.” Spike smiled, crumbs falling from his mouth. He swallowed the rest of his sandwich and burped again and orange flames shot out of his mouth. He slapped both claws over his snout and blush rose to his cheeks. Rainbow Dash laughed, “Get any letters?” she said with a huge smile.

“Not this time.” Spike yawned and picked up Tank. “Do you mind if I play with Tank?” he said with big puppy dog eyes.

“Go ahead short stuff.” Spike darted off with Tank in his clutches. Dash glanced at Twilight, she still hasn't moved. She shrugged and continued to read.

=====*****=====

Daring Do shot out of the tunnel and into the sunlight, she was blinded but still smiled. Hopefully I've lost them. She drifted down, allowing her eyes to adjust to the outside after spending so long in the dark.

She gasped, again and again. The air was so thin and she felt a bit woozy. She could no longer tell what the cause of this feeling was, it might have been the cold, the heat, the bump on her head, or the air. Or perhaps it was the view in front of her.

Daring Do stood on the precipice of a massive caldera. She was on the edge looking out over the entire bowl, she could see white almost everywhere around the edges. The water in the middle of the caldera had frozen long ago, creating what looked like a giant glass plate in the middle of a white porcelain bowl. She stifled a laugh, I’m at the top of the world and what do I find? A giant toilet bowl!

It seemed to float in the middle of the frozen lake, a structure that seemed smaller than it truly was, dwarfed by the scale of the landscape around it. She laughed and almost skipped down the snow encrusted slope before reaching the frozen lake. When she reached it she almost lost her balance. She was still laughing as she slid across the ice towards the stone structure in the middle. She could see her breath each time she laughed but she didn't care, she planned to be inside that structure before long and she was just happy to be alive. She wasn't worried the ice would crack beneath her either, after all it could hold up a building and she wasn't nearly that heavy.

She reached the stone steps leading up to what looked like a temple. Ancient pegasus glyphs adorned the base of the columns, making Daring Do giddy. This is it! It has to be! She trotted up the steps and froze, her ears flicked forward, she dared not breath.

Meow

Normally the meow of a small house cat was no cause for alarm. This situation was anything but normal and while Daring Do could feel her brain working at half capacity she knew enough to be cautious. Ahuizotl must be inside looting the treasures right now! That stuff belongs in a museum.

Not seeing any other way in, she gently opened the massive wooden door, noticing the bent bit of metal in the rusty keyhole. I guess ancient locks weren't made with lock picks in mind. She crept in slowly, hoping for stealth. She slipped inside and saw a sight that any archaeologist would have swooned over. Relics of a bygone pegasus era lined the walls, the walls themselves had large framed paintings, most of those unfortunately had succumbed to the ravages of time to various degrees. Pegasus sculptures, some of them showing a pegasus stomping on an earth pony or unicorn were set about the room. Nationalism at its best, Daring Do thought sarcastically. Column designs that were still seen today in places like Cloudsdale formed a regal path towards the other end of the vault. On a small raised pedestal there was a small box with a beautiful set of colored tiles inlaid on it. Behind the box was Ahuizotl, staring directly at it with a look of concentration on his face, his every muscle tense.

Daring Do darted behind one of the columns. She couldn't hear anything but her own breathing and the pounding of her own heart. Did Ahuizotl see me? She thought that he hadn't, but she couldn't hear his feline companions either, which meant that she could be the prey rather than the other way around. She gulped when she remembered how difficult it would be to fly with the air so thin. She crouched and peeked around the column. From this angle she could see Ahuizotl, his eyes staring at a column on his right.

Daring Do did a double take, Ahuizotl wasn’t looking at a column he was staring at Lieutenant Compass Rose! She was decked out with security barding, shod with those dangerous horse shoes and held some kind of pistol aimed right at Ahuizotl. Laying on the ground beside her were several large predatory cats, each one had a small yellow dart lodged somewhere on their hides. A small burlap sack with its drawstring closed wiggled and an irritated meow could be heard from it. Daring Do breathed a sigh of relief as the situation was under total control. She trotted out from behind the pillar. “Lieutenant, you have no idea how glad I am to see you.”

Lieutenant Compass Rose tensed and turned to Daring Do. Ahuizotl also turned his head slightly and set his beady eyes on Daring Do. His glare bored into her, but something about Ahuizotl made Daring Do’s skin crawl. Ahuizotl shut his eyes and slapped the end of his tail over the end of his snout. ”Idiota,” he said just loud enough for Daring Do to hear.

Daring Do smiled at Ahuizotl, “you’re not getting away with the treasures this time Ahuizotl. This stuff is going in a museum where it belongs.”

Lieutenant Rose motioned with her hoof and the other three ponies shifted around the surrounding pillars, their weapons trained on Ahuizotl. They were just as well armed and armored as the Lieutenant. She spoke up, “Ms. Do, I believe the compass is inside that colorful box there,” she pointed with her weapon. “We found Ahuizotl trying to open it without success, going on and on about how rich he would be once he had a compass that could point him to any relic he wanted.” Ahuizotl narrowed his eyes at her and his snout wrinkled up into a snarl, but he remained silent. “Do you think you can open it Ms. Do?”

“I would be happy to once we are back at the base camp.” Daring Do smiled and her eye lids drooped. “I’m so tired and I have a new bump on my head. You wouldn't believe what I went through in order to get here. After I fell I was chased by wedingos! Come to think of it, what happened to you ponies? I thought we were tethered together. Menteur was right behind me when-“

Zip

Daring Do slapped a hoof onto her neck on reflex. She pulled a small yellow dart out.

Zip

A similar dart appeared on Ahuizotl’s chest, as he continued to snarl. Daring Do felt odd, everything was out of focus. She could hear the Lieutenant’s voice, “What the hay Menteur! The box isn't open yet.”

“Sorry boss, everything was just going south and I-“

Daring Do sank to her knees, she saw Ahuizotl do the same still glaring at all of the ponies in the room. “I’ll let Gold Bar decide what to do with you later Menteur. Let’s get everything packed up I want to be out of here in 15. MOVE OUT,” the lieutenant barked.

Daring Do couldn't focus on anything it was like somepony was filling the room with fog. She kept trying to stand but her body wouldn't listen, her mind screaming in terror at the loss of control. “What…whzz goin on?” Her words came out thick and slow, her mouth wouldn't respond the way it should. She tasted something bitter but felt nothing in her mouth. The last thing she remembered before everything went dark was Menteur covering her with a burlap sack.

=====*****=====

Wedingos were climbing up after her, she desperately flapped her wings but no matter how hard she tried they just kept gaining on her. She could see a pinprick of light at the top of the tunnel but it didn't seem to be getting any bigger. The wedingos growled and she could hear their claws click as they dug into the stone walls.

Any moment they would be upon her, their sharp teeth would dig into her and rend her flesh. Her breath became labored and desperate as she tried to move. She felt like she was trapped in water. She looked down and saw a wedingo close in on her, its mouth opened impossibly wide and she saw row upon row of razor sharp teeth billowing back into a dark pit. The entire tunnel was nothing but a gullet with teeth. The closest row snapped down and a tooth buried itself in her flank just as she opened her mouth to a silent scream.

=====*****=====

Her heart started to beat faster and her eyes fluttered open. Every part of her body ached, and everything was still out of focus. She felt like her mouth was stuffed with cotton and she wanted to rub her eyes but her limbs wouldn’t move. Her eyes opened and rolled around in their sockets, trying to find something to focus on. “Buenos dias, idiota,” said an overly cheerful voice from behind her.

“oh my head…” she tried to look around but found her entire body was wrapped in thick ropes. This alarmed her and caused her heart to beat even faster. She tried to see who was behind her but she was seated in a chair and the ropes didn't allow her to turn and look.

“That stuff works fast, yes? They injected you only moments ago.” The same voice from behind her, it sounded familiar.

“Ahuizotl.”

“There’s that sharp mind of my rival.” Ahuizotl said, sarcasm dripping in every word. Daring Do’s eyes finally focused and she took in her surroundings. She was seated in a hard wooden chair with something large and furry seated directly behind her. Thick hemp ropes bound her and Ahuizotl, she could only move her head. She still had her pith helmet on, but she could feel new gauze underneath it, covering the lump on her head. Sadly little was done to tend to her muscles which as of now were stretched to their limits. The lack of mobility didn't help matters. The room was constructed with thick rough logs, giving it a very rustic feel. A small flame crackled in a lamp hanging on a hook near the door. Two more of the rough wooden chairs were around that table. A bear skin rug was underneath the unlikely duo, its mouth open in an eternal snarl. The warm outline of a door and a square window without glass seemed to be the only exits. She could hear the faint whistle of the wind and feel a cold breath of air wafting through the slats in the windows shutters. She was glad it was closed. Faint voices entered the room with the warm glow of the door’s outline.

Daring Do’s eyes narrowed and she flicked her ears forward to listen to those voices. She spoke quietly to Ahuizotl, “Gold Bar hired you to find the compass didn’t he?”

“Si.”

Daring Do hung her head, her worst fears were proving true. “And he doesn't want to share this trinket with any museum, he wants to use it himself.”

The door opened swiftly flooding the room with the golden light from a fireplace. “Correct Ms. Do, I didn't get to be where I am today by giving away useful tools.” Gold Bar’s shaded form stood in the doorway, backlit by the warm light. Several other ponies were behind him, but the light made Daring Do squint her eyes and she couldn't tell who they were. “Leave us,” it was a command, not a request.

The door closed and Daring Do’s eyes opened fully, allowing her to see the faces of Gold Bar and Hard Hoof. Hard Hoof looked less armed, but the result was more frightening. He was wearing security barding that left his legs, neck, and flanks bare. Daring Do couldn't help but stare at the well-muscled stallion. Angry gashes covered his flank and neck, the fur refusing to grow back leaving the scars visible. He had many and each looked more painful than the last. He was wearing horseshoes as well, but the regular kind without spikes. Gold Bar was still chomping on a cigar, but this time he wore a sable fur lined jacket. He held the box she had seen at the summit, Gold Bar set the box down gently on the table and retrieved the lantern from beside the door. He set the lantern down on the table illuminating the box brightly. “Now this isn't how I wanted things to go, I would have preferred you to find the box without having to go through all of this pain. My…employee...let’s just say his contract has been…terminated.” The way he spoke made Daring Do shiver.

“Why haven’t you killed us yet?” Daring Do glared at Gold Bar, she was tired in body and soul and couldn't summon the subtly to spar with words. Gold Bar raised an eyebrow.

“Kill you? Why would I kill you? You have done nothing to provoke my ire. You have gone to the roof of the world and back to bring me this.” He brushed the box gently, “and unlike the weasel behind you, you haven’t tried to steal what rightly belongs to me.” Daring Do watched Gold Bar carefully, “I apologize for my ex-employee’s actions, but as I said he is no longer employed. I had nurse Snow Heart patch you up.” At the mention of her name Daring Do’s skin began to crawl, “and if you would be so kind to tell me how to open this box I will let you go, pay you as we agreed, and deliver Ahuizotl to the Manehatten authorities.” Gold Bar smiled.

“That’s a pretty good deal.” Daring Do felt Ahuizotl tense behind her. But she knew he was lying. Perhaps it was the way he referred to his employee, the ropes that held her fast, or Hard Hoof who appeared to be in the room just to intimidate her. Or perhaps it was just Gold Bar’s smile, the grin that didn't push past his cheeks. His eyes that didn't hold that joyful spark that should be there had the smile been genuine. All she could see now when she looked into his eyes was cold, calculating greed. Those eyes weighed gold and souls on the same set of scales. “But I think you’re full of manure!”

Gold Bar didn't flinch, but Hard Hoof did. Hard Hoof took a step forward, his every muscle flexing, revealing the powerful body he was blessed with. Gold Bar sighed and sat down at the table. He placed the box and lantern in full view of his captives. They had only to turn their heads to get a full view of the thing. “That’s regrettable, but I will get what I want. I prefer to use the carrot, but Hard Hoof here likes to use the stick. I find that when combined the results are excellent.” Hard Hoof was casually walking around towards Ahuizotl. “I will make you two a new deal. The first one to tell me how to open this box gets to go free, the other one I will leave here in the cold. You see? Carrot and stick.” Daring Do snorted that’s the same as murder.

There was a sound like a wet towel hitting a stone floor. Daring Do’s entire body jolted, and she heard a sharp cry of pain. Gold Bar’s expression didn't change, “that’s for trying to steal what belongs to me.” Hard Hoof walked around into Daring Do’s view, both of his back hooves left crimson hoof prints on the floor. Ahuizotl was breathing much more heavily, as if the air was as thin here as it was at the summit of the Dragon’s Tooth. Hard Hoof glanced at the box sitting on the table, when Daring Do didn't take her glare off of him a little smile bloomed on his face. He raised one front hoof and swiftly moved, as if he were going to poke her in the chest.

“Urk” was the only sound Daring Do made when his hoof made contact. She felt like she had been hit with a cannonball. Her eyes watered, it felt like something broke inside of her. The impact jolted both her and Ahuizotl. She tasted copper and spat the liquid filing her mouth at Hard Hoof. His smile didn't waver as a blotch of crimson appeared on his face. He wiped it away with the same hoof he had used to touch her, and then motioned again towards the box. Daring Do was shaking, the pain in her chest made it hard to breathe. She didn't want to help Gold Bar but she did not want Hard Hoof to do that again. I need some time to think. She looked at the box.

She could see Ahuizotl out of the corner of her eye and he too was studying the box intently. She immediately understood why Gold Bar hadn't smashed the box open or tried to pick the lock. It was more than a simple lockbox. It was a very special kind of lockbox with a multicolored set of tiles on its front which were actually the key to opening it. Inside of this box numerous vials were strategically placed inside and inside of those vials was a very powerful acid. To open the box the correct combination of colored tiles had to be pushed in, causing the locking mechanism to open. If the wrong tiles were pushed, they would break one or more of those vials, causing the acid to destroy the box’s contents. It was a security device usually only found in ancient pegasus military structures. Usually the boxes contained secret plans or other valuable documents, which ironically had disintegrated over the years. However the boxes themselves were still valuable relics and often were still functional even after an era had passed. Daring Do had found one years ago and had written a paper on them early in her career. I never thought I would need to actually solve one!

She stared at the box and tried to get her brain to work. Gold Bar pulled a golden pocket watch out of his breast pocket and flicked it open, his gaze more concerned with the time than what was before him. The front of the box had twelve small colored tiles, each a different color of the rainbow. They were set such that they formed a spectrum like a rainbow with black on the left and white on the right and every other color in-between. She thought about the possibilities. She would get only one guess and if it was wrong…

“Dark blue,” Ahuizotl spoke up while Daring Do was still formulating her theories. She did have one theory which included that color but Daring Do couldn't be sure. Gold Bar glanced at Hard Hoof who just shrugged, Daring Do held her breath. Gold Bar hesitated, and then gently pushed the dark blue tile…it slid in slowly…

Click

Everyone in the room tensed like a bow string being drawn taunt. No one heard a crunch of glass. I guess Ahuizotl knows what it is, and Gold Bar has done his homework too. Daring Do’s mind worked furiously, her chances of getting out of this alive were slim, but they were virtually non-existent if Ahuizotl found the answer first.

“Orange.” Ahuizotl spoke with confidence. Gold Bar smiled and reached for the box.

“WAIT!” Daring Do finally spoke, she was fairly certain what the color combination was, now she just had to convince Gold Bar of that fact. Gold Bar froze, his hoof hovering above the orange tile. “It isn’t orange, that’s wrong.”

“It’s orange, and red,” Ahuizotl blurted out. “It’s the primary colors used in the pegasus classical works of art by Bumareroti, and especially the missing painting Doni Tondo. You have that painting now by the way.” Ahuizotl smiled, even though he thought he was about to die, at least he got a chance to beat Daring Do at something.

Damn, I didn't think of that! That’s sound reasoning. But wait, if this is a military relic of the pre-equestrian era then… The answer came to her in a flash. It was so simple, but the cipher back at the Manehatten Library reminded her that the old ponies were simple creatures and it fit perfectly with a military theme. “No, push the light blue one.”

Gold Bar’s eyes danced between the two of them, his hoof hovered over the box. He blinked and the hoof covered his face. “Well I do prefer my contractors to compete with each other but this is unexpected. You both have answers. Ms. Do, I am afraid I find Ahuizotl’s reasoning compelling. Do you have better reasons?”

Daring Do stopped herself for a moment. If she was right, and she was fairly certain she was, she would be handing over a valuable relic to the likes of Gold Bar. If she was wrong…well odds were she was dead no matter what she said. She just didn't expect Gold Bar to honor his deal. She was a loose end, and Gold Bar didn't strike her as a pony that let things go to chance. She shut her mouth. A hoof gently pushed her chin up, her eyes gazed into those of Hard Hoof. He cocked his other hoof back to strike, she could see joy in his eyes. By the goddess, he actually enjoys hurting others! “OK! ok-“

Hard Hoof put his limbs on the ground, the joy fled from his eyes and the stony expression returned. Daring Do didn't want to take the chance that the compass would be destroyed, even if that meant it would be used to further line the pockets of a greedy pony. Daring Do turned to Gold Bar again, “That box is a piece of military hardware. Its old but it was designed by old pegasus military minds. They would have not chosen a piece of artwork for inspiration.”

Ahuizotl growled, “How do you know the thief who stole it didn't change the pass code?”

Daring Do felt like she was back at school giving a lecture, “Because those boxes have no way to change the pass code, at least not without breaking the acid vials. If they are broken inside and I am wrong, well, no harm done. If I am right however…”

Gold Bar nodded, “continue.”

“Then the color code is the same colors used on the old pegasus flags. Dark blue, light blue, and white.” Gold Bar looked at the box as he silently pondered the possibilities. The three tiles on the far right were Daring Do’s choices.

Gold Bar smiled and dropped his hoof. Ahuizotl and Daring Do looked on with wide eyes. “Thank you, both of you. You have given me excellent and expert opinions. However-“ his smile took on a sinister quality, “I would rather not leave things up to chance, I will be taking this box back with me for some tests, perhaps we can open it without guessing. At the very least I will have something to neutralize the acid on hand in the event we are wrong.” He began talking faster and faster, excitement creeping into his voice. He rubbed the box gently, “oh yes, I will have my precious prize. Let’s go Hard Hoof.” Hard Hoof hung his head and looked at his own hooves, especially the ones with splotches of crimson on them, before he trotted out.

Gold Bar followed his minion out, a wicked grin on his face. “Good bye Ms. Do, Ahuizotl. I am exercising clause 135 of our contracts, thus they are…terminated.” As he left he bucked the lantern, causing it to crash onto the floor. As Gold Bar closed the door he laughed with delight.

A small but spreading puddle of oil leaked out over the wooden floor. It didn't take long for the room to fill with smoke and Daring Do to start coughing. Ahuizotl began to struggle against his bonds, making them tighten around Daring Do, the place where Hard Hoof had touched her and her bruised rib flared with pain. “Stop, what are you doing? We’re not going to get out that way!”

“Idiota, you just had to give him an answer!”

“He was probably going to kill us anyway.”

Ahuizotl sighed and stopped struggling, “Perhaps you are correct.” He slumped against the chair, “Fitting that we die together.”

“Oh com’on, I've gotten out of worse than this.” Daring Do said with rising confidence. “Work with me.” She began to shift the chair towards the door. Fire popped and crept across the floor and around the table. It reached the wall below the window and started to travel up.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to get to that lantern hook, now HELP ME,” Daring Do pleaded. Ahuizotl hissed, but started to shift in time with Daring Do. Together they bunny hopped across the room towards the hook while the fire reached the window sill. Desperate times call for desperate measures, she thought. They reached the door with the lantern hook just over her head.

“Now what?” Daring Do tilted her head and the hook caught her hat. She pulled her head away and now her pith helmet was hanging by the lantern hook. Ahuizotl snorted, “Now is not the time to be hanging up your sombrero!”

“Just wait” Daring Do used her teeth like any good pony and found the small, flat knife hidden behind the green cloth wrapped around her pith helmet. Ahuizotl gasped, hope found him for the first time in this room.

“How long have you had that?!”

“I always have a spare in my hat,” Daring Do said with clenched teeth. She began to saw away at the ropes. The fire had consumed half the room and at the rate it was going, it would eat the other half much faster than the first.

Pop

The ropes fell to the floor and both Daring Do and Ahuizotl stood up and shrugged them off. They whirled on each other, circling like predators in a blazing jungle. Ahuizotl laughed, “You are not the only one who keeps things in reserve Ms. Do.” He brought his tail with its hand like appendage to his mouth and stuck two fingers in. He blew a shrill blast, making a sound much like his whistle. There was a heavy thud and the door crashed open. The panther stood in the door way standing on the remains of the door, claws digging into the fresh wood. Ahuizotl calmly stepped out of the room waving goodbye. “Looks like you will meet your doom anyway Daring Do.”

"You won't get away with this, Ahuizotl"

“Oh but I already have,” the panther crouched and growled, Ahuizotl’s footfalls faded away.

CRACK

A burning chunk of the ceiling fell, cutting off the black predator. The panther hissed and darted away from the fire. Daring Do looked around and her ears fell against her head. The room was engulfed in fire, the only portion that was safe was the corner she was in and it wouldn't stay that way for long. She looked about desperately for an escape, but all she could see were flames.

Author's Note

Happy new year, the final part to this story should be up tomorrow assuming I am not passed out drunk!

Daring Do and the Compass of Desire part 5

Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes. Night had fallen hours ago without her notice. The soft snores of Twilight could be heard from the hallway. At some point she had fallen asleep standing up. Spike’s prediction came true and he had to drag her into bed, still snoring softly. Rainbow Dash had to help with that little chore, the purple dragon just wasn't quite big enough to lift Twilight on his own.

Spike yawned after the exertion, and settled into bed himself. Rainbow Dash was getting sleepy, but the book still called to her. She landed silently on the cloud still in the library with a lantern, fireflies dancing inside. She rolled into the cloud like a blanket and opened the book again.

=====*****=====

Ahuizotl was silently creeping through the main room of the cabin when he found his whistle sitting on a table. His feline friends were in cages along the wall but he freed them in short order. He snatched up his whistle and crept out of the side door careful to avoid being seen.

The camp was buzzing with activity as he shadowed the working ponies while they packed up their supplies into the hanger bay. The Sky Master hovered so low to the ground all you had to do was reach up and grab it. A metal ramp lead up to the hanger bay, it was the only way in or out for a creature without wings. Ahuizotl crouched in the shadow of an evergreen, the snow and cold seeping into his fur. The glow of the collapsing structure was behind him, the only source of warmth and he was leaving it behind. There was a tremendous crash as the structure finally gave way and fell in upon itself. The workers ignored the burning structure except to occasionally stop near it and warm themselves. And that’s the end of Daring Do. Ahuizotl was still not satisfied and growled quietly to himself. I am going to make Gold Bar pay and I am going to get my compass. And I was right, Daring Do was wrong, it’s the orange and red tiles.

He waited and waited growing impatient, shivering in the freezing cold. Finally the last group was onboard, and the airship lurched and threatened to take off. There was a call and they began to retract the ramp. With a whoop, a shout, and a whistle blast, Ahuizotl sprinted forward and jumped onto the ramp. He bound into the cargo bay followed by his trusty felines. The working ponies in the cargo bay all froze, their eyes shrinking to points, their legs quivering. “Now my little ponies, you are going to find out what happens when you cross me…”

=====*****=====

Daring Do looked around, fire was everywhere and smoke obscured everything. She coughed and remembered the cave she had escaped from earlier today. Or was it yesterday, or the day before? She glanced up and saw starlight filtering through the smoke. The collapsing beam had opened a way out for her, if only she were brave enough to take it. Flames licked the walls and ceiling, it was the only opening but going up was also the fastest way to get burned. Daring Do snatched her pith helmet from the hook just before the flames took it and set her eyes on her only escape. Here goes nothing!

She shot out of the roof, burning cinders clinging to her flank. Each cinder felt like the tooth of a wedingo, her lungs burned and her eyes watered. She coughed through the smoke and fell into the snow like a comet. The snow and fresh air helped her recover, but she started to shiver again before she could pull herself to her hooves.

She stood at the edge of the clearing, she looked around and saw the Sky Master hovering a short distance off the ground. I don’t remember the clearing being this big. She heard the crunch of a hoof fall in the snow. She darted around a massive tree stump and crouched low behind it. She saw more tree stumps around her and realized that clear cutting was an acceptable way for Gold Bar to set up camp. The burning wooden structure was the only semi-permanent quarters. Tents of various shapes and sizes were all over the place, but all were being rapidly packed up by a veritable army of worker ponies. They were taking everything onboard the Sky Master. There will be nothing left but a smoking ruin in this clearing in less than an hour, Daring Do thought to herself. And I better be onboard or else I’m going to freeze to death. She could already feel the numbness creeping up her hooves and down her ears.

A worker pony was nearby but he didn't seem to notice her, so focused on his work. He was packing a massive crate with supplies, tent canvas mostly. He moved with the lethargy common to workers with a big task. It made it easy for Daring Do to wait until his back was turned before she dove into the crate and sandwiched herself between a large canvas tent and a burlap sack. The worker grunted and tossed the last tent into the crate and popped the lid on. Daring Do could barely move, and didn't chance it anyway. She didn't want to give herself away.

Grumble

Her eyes went wide and she gulped. She looked down at her stomach.

Blurble

There was no denying it, she hadn't eaten in over a day, and her stomach started to say something about it. She could see through a knothole in the crate, the worker had his back turned. He was loading the next crate and at the moment was taking down another tent. She sifted about for anything to eat when she grimaced at the burlap sack. It reminded her of being captured. She opened it and almost squealed with delight finding it full of red apples. She munched as quietly as she could on one of them. It turned from a bright red apple into an apple core before the worker returned with the collapsed tent. By then her stomach ceased its complaints. She ate three more before the crate was lifted onto a large cart and pulled onto the Sky Master by a team of a dozen workers.

Daring Do smiled, this was going better than she could have hoped. She looked out through the knothole again and found she was back in the cargo bay. The situation couldn't have been more different, the ponies around her were not her friends this time. All she needed to do was wait for a day or so and sneak out in the night while no pony was looking. Then it was just a matter of getting through the ship to Gold Bar’s stateroom, stealing the box, and making her escape. Just as soon as-

YAHHHHHHH

Ahuizotl landed right in front of her along with his entourage. There was a moment of shock for every pony involved and then all of Tartarus broke loose. Ponies started shouting, scrambling every which way trying to get out of Ahuizotl’s way. Or perhaps it was the vicious predatory jungle cats that were with him that caused the panic. Daring Do could hear alarms being raised throughout the ship, blaring klaxons that warned of danger. Ahuizotl slowly walked forward, smiling the entire time at the waves of terror he invoked. The little white cat stopped in front of the crate and sniffed the air.

Gulp

Daring Do shrank back into the scratchy burlap sack, her back and mane itched but she dared not move or even breathe. The little white feline sniffed the air, slowly moving towards the crate, trying to catch a whiff of Daring Do. Just go away, please!

The last thing Daring Do wanted was to be caught stuffed into a box with Ahuizotl and his cats surrounding her. She was fairly certain he wouldn’t take any chances and just have her ripped to shreds. The box would become her coffin. Ahuizotl’s tail snatched the little cat by the scruff of its neck and Daring Do could see him petting the cat with a massive grin on his face. In less than a minute the cargo bay was clear of every living creature aside from Daring Do herself. Ahuizotl disappeared deeper into the bowels of the ship.

Whew

Daring Do let out a breath she had been holding in for that long minute, too scared to even breathe. Sweat beaded on her brow and now trickled down her face making cold rivulets in her fur. She was glad to be out of the cold, but now everything had become complicated. I have to get that box away from here. But how? Ahuizotl and Gold Bar are going to try and stop me. This is Gold Bar’s home turf. He has that hulking brute Hard Hoof, Lieutenant Compass Rose, not to mention the rest of the crew on his side. And…

Daring Do smiled, pushed the lid of the crate aside, and climbed out. Looks like it’s just me versus a horde of well-equipped ponies and their mad CEO. Plus a violent archaeologist with a number of dangerous animals under his command. Another day, another dungeon. Now where was it again? Oh yeah, forward!

=====*****=====

AHHHHH-

The cook screamed as the tiger barreled into him and came nose to nose. The striped face opened, hot breath washing over the greasy cook, bringing with it a wave of mind crushing terror. An acrid puddle of liquid formed underneath his hind hooves. Ahuizotl glanced at it for a moment before laughing before he brought the whistle to his lips again and blew a short tone. The tiger closed its maw, but still pinned the hapless cook to the ground. “Where is your master?”

The cook was shaking so much his vision blurred. The others in the galley had left him to die. This morning he woke up as he always did and cooked breakfast. He had a wife and a foal on the way back in Manehatten, he thought of them now. Gold Bar paid poorly but he took the job to support them. Everything was fine until the klaxons started to blare and he wondered what was wrong. Then the tiger appeared, and his day went from normal to deadly and surreal in one second flat. He opened his mouth and stammered an answer. The tiger just flicked its ears.

“Perdon? What did you say?” Ahuizotl’s grin grew wider as he leaned in closer still petting his white cat.

“T-T-The bridge is all the way f-f-forward at the front of the ship. G-G-Gold Bar is usually there. The p-p-parachutes and Gold Bar’s personal escape ship are in the cargo bay. P-P-Please don’t kill me.” Ahuizotl grinned showing a row of razor sharp teeth.

“Perhaps I will not have my tiger tear your face off.” He stroked the white cat again. “Tell me more about this escape ship…”

=====*****=====

Daring Do winced at every hoof fall she made. The metal of the ship made being stealthy difficult, but there were many sounds the ship itself made to mask her presence. She made her way down the passageway, the sounds of alarm echoing everywhere. Luckily for Daring Do, Ahuizotl was drawing massive amounts of attention to himself making the rest of the ship empty. Daring Do had already passed a number of air tight hatches that were closed from the other side. She was sure that frightened workers were barricading themselves inside, but the passageways themselves were still open.

She arrived at her destination, right back at the beginning actually. She stood in front of the door, a red cross on a white background was plastered on it. There was frantic movement inside, mare luck is smiling on me today Daring thought. Daring Do swiftly pushed the door open and entered the ship’s medical facility.

Nurse Snow Heart was stuffing medical supplies into a large black bag doctor’s bag. The floor was a mess of medical supplies. Tape, bandages, and various bottles were scattered across the floor, torn out of their cabinets which were now mostly bare. A box of small yellow darts had spilled off the counter into the corner of the room, they rolled around as the ship gently rocked side to side. A familiar set of firearms sat in a small crate sat on the counter, but nurse Snow Heart didn't seem to be interested in them at the moment. Her normally crisp uniform was creased in the wrong places and sweat stains were beginning to appear around the collar. She froze when Daring Do entered, her eyes going wide at the sight of Daring Do alive and standing there as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Her wide eyes followed Daring Do, her mouth hanging open and her body frozen in place. Daring Do calmly trotted over to the cabinet which still held syringes and picked one out after reading the label, “Ketamine/diazepam, just what the doctor ordered.” Daring Do walked to Snow Heart and jammed the needle into her neck. Snow Heart reacted as if she had been shot.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” She slapped a hoof over her neck, while Daring Do glanced at the empty syringe. Daring Do just smiled.

“I needed a tranquilizer to use on Gold Bar. And I can’t have you warning him now can I?” Daring Do said with a smug smile. She trotted over to the crate and took out one of the guns. She swiped a still closed box of the little yellow darts as well.

Thump

Daring Do loaded her new toy and turned to see Snow Heart slumped on the ground, her eyes glassy. “Don’t worry it wears off after like, twenty hours. Don’t worry about the nasty taste in your mouth either, it goes away pretty quick. I just need you out of my mane.” Snow Heart glared at her from the floor, but it was an impotent expression, her eyes closed and she started to snore softly. Daring Do adjusted her hat, and sighed. She dragged Snow Heart onto a gurney and left her there. No matter how evil these ponies were she just couldn't make them suffer needlessly. She trotted off down the passageway towards the bridge. I’m coming for you Gold Bar!

=====*****=====

Clink Clink Clink

Gold Bar stopped mid command, he could hear what sounded like glass bottles clinking together in a steady rhythm. “Gold Bar, come out and play!” He was surrounded by his command staff furiously issuing orders to lock down the ship for the past hour. Steady reports of a group of vicious felines kept filtering in from progressively closer portions of the ship. He clutched the box in his hoof tightly. The hatched creaked open and Ahuizotl stepped on the bridge. “Ahh, there you are. I have been looking all over for you.” He held the cat whistle with his tail very near his head.

“Hard Hoof, Lieutenant Rose.” The two of them snapped to attention at Gold Bar’s words. “Kill him.”

They all exploded into action. Hard Hoof charged at Ahuizotl brandishing a serrated combat knife in his mouth. Lieutenant Rose unsnapped the holster at her flank and was about to draw her revolver when Ahuizotl used his whistle yet again. Gold Bar darted behind the captain’s chair and began to rummage around for something in a metal storage container bolted to the floor near the console. The only other pony in the room was the ensign who continued to keep the ship on course, but sweat was beading on his brow.

GRRRROWL

AHHHHH

The lynx slammed into Lieutenant Rose knocking the revolver away. It spun on the metal floor and came to a rest just behind the ensign and the ship’s wheel. Compass Rose looked up into the face of the snarling lynx and saw two more big cats creeping along the rafters and pipes of the bridge just as they would the branches of a jungle. “Ensign, look out!” She screamed as she used her hind hooves to buck the lynx off of her. The lynx didn't go quietly but snarled and left a pair bleeding claw marks on her sides as it tumbled through the air. It landed upside down against the massive window near the edge of the bridge. Its eyes became crossed and rolled wildly in their sockets. That was when the panther leapt onto the ensign, causing him to scream in pain as its claws dug into him. They tumbled to the right towards the lynx. Without the ensign’s steady hoof the ship’s wheel spun out of control to the right.

Whoa

The entire ship suddenly lurched starboard, everyone and everything not bolted down slid down the now unleveled floor. The panther and the ensign slammed into the lynx.

Crack

Rose was hanging onto the base of ship’s wheel to keep herself from falling any further. She watched in horror as one of the panels of the main window cracked under the combined weight of the panther, ensign, and lynx. She heard another crack and the tinkling of glass then shut her eyes against the howling wind. She could hear the ensign’s yell as he was sucked away.

Gold Bar clutched the box with one hoof and the captain’s chair with the other. The contents of the metal container spilled out and slid towards the shattered window. The howling wind tore at his mane and threatened to pull his prize out of his grasp. He held on and saw Hard Hoof and Ahuizotl tumble past in him in a deadly embrace. Hard Hoof’s knife flashed out, Ahuizotl parried it with a kitchen knife. They both stumbled towards the horizon visible through the shattered window. Hard Hoof growled and tackled Ahuizotl with a powerful kick of his hind legs. He slammed into Ahuizotl in the same place he had bucked him earlier, causing Ahuizotl to bellow in pain. “Hard Hoof, look out! Grab onto something.”

Gold Bar’s warning was too late, the tiger leapt to the defense of its master. The three of them were even closer to the edge now, Ahuizotl’s tail was dangling in space. Hard Hoof’s ears went flat against his head and his eyes squeezed shut with pain as the tiger’s claws sank into his back through his security barding. The rushing wind pulled Ahuizotl out of the window but Ahuizotl and the tiger refused to let go of Hard Hoof. Hard Hoof reached down and unsnapped the short coil of rope on his barding and tossed it before they were all sucked into space.

=====*****=====

Daring Do was nearing the bridge, she passed a hatch labeled “starboard engine maintenance,” when her balanced suddenly threw her to the right. She didn't understand what had happened, one moment the passageway was straight, the next the entire world tilted. She crashed into the hatch and it blew open, she tumbled into the engine room and hung onto the hatch for dear life. She was almost floating, the hatch’s handle was the only thing that kept her from falling to the other side of the room. A deafening whir of the engine could be heard in here. At the opposite end of this compartment was another hatch and through the porthole she could see daylight.

SLAM

The daylight through the porthole was gone, something obscured the daylight. The hatch opened and a pony and two angry felines stumbled into the room! The pony had a flight uniform on but that was the most dignified thing about him. He shrieked and half ran, half stumbled away from the lynx and panther behind him. He managed to get around Daring Do without slowing down and started to climb Daring Do like a ladder. “Get off of me.” Daring Do bucked him, but he continued to scramble forward, fear driving his strength. The two cats were unsteady on their paws, but crept closer, their tails twitching.

SLAM

Daring Do looked past the furry death creeping closer to the open hatch at the other end of the corridor. Hard Hoof, Ahuizotl, and an angry looking tiger landed on a small weather deck just outside. The howl of the wind followed them into the passage way.

The entire ship righted itself so fast every creature in the room was thrown the opposite way. Daring Do ended up on the floor with the hatch closed. The cats slammed into the opposite wall and howled. Hard Hoof and Ahuizotl did as well and each grunted. The first to recover was the ensign, he walked on Daring Do, leaving a few scuffs and dirty hoof prints. He opened the hatch and was out of her mane by the time she stood.

“Why won’t you just die!” Ahuizotl snarled as he swiped at Hard Hoof. Hard Hoof easily dodged away into a crouch with his combat knife still in his mouth. Daring Do realized that Ahuizotl was referring to her and not Hard Hoof. Ahuizotl paused from his deadly game for a moment to blow on his whistle again. “Kill them both.”

Daring Do backed away from the lynx and the panther that growled and approached her in a low crouch. Their sinewy feline shoulders poked upwards as they crept closer, their slit like pupils fixated on her. Her flank bumped against the back wall, it was nothing more than cold metal. She did the only thing she could think of.

Ahuizotl and Hard Hoof continued their duel, it was difficult for Hard Hoof as it was two against one and he couldn't disarm the tiger. The environment helped him however, it prevented either of them from circling around him and attacking from two directions at once. He smiled, this was the sort of danger he lived for. Ahuizotl swiped again at him, but he was much too fast for such a lazy slice. He fended off the tiger with a swipe of his own knife. He had to keep it at bay or else it was the more likely of the two to tear him apart. The shallow claw marks through his security barding attested to the sharpness of the tiger’s claws. He glanced around and saw an open hatch on his left side. The ensign had left it open but unlatched. The tiger lunged at him again.

Clang

With a swift motion Hard Hoof opened the hatch just as the tiger was about to tear his throat out. It hit the other side of the metal hatch and sank to the floor, its eyes rolling around unfocused. Now was his chance, he grinned as he raised the knife to finish off his first opponent today. Ahuizotl snarled and parried his downward stab. They locked eyes and glared at each other beyond their blades. Ahuizotl pushed with frightening strength and Hard Hoof danced out of the hatch with Ahuizotl following, a murderous look in his eye. “You will pay for that,” he said coldly.

Thump thud

Something soft and heavy hit the deck, but Hard Hoof couldn't tell what it was. Nor did he care, all he cared about now was his fight with Ahuizotl and the wonderful adrenaline coursing through him.

Daring Do stood over the slumped forms of the two cats, a yellow dart buried in each of them. She tried to calm her breathing and figure out a way to get to the bridge without going through that hatch again. She slammed it shut and latched it, hoping it would at the very least delay them if Hard Hoof or Ahuizotl returned. She shot a yellow dart into the tiger as well for good measure. She breathed out trying to relax, but her heart just kept hammering away. Frigid air blew into the hall from the open hatch at the other end. She looked around and found a number of small objects on the weather deck outside, likely they had fallen there along with the other crazy things raining down on her. She wondered for a moment how they had gotten there when she saw it. She quickly formulated a plan, there were many unknowns and risks, but she was Daring Do. She would make it work.

=====*****=====

Lieutenant Rose caught the rope and tied it to the base of the ship’s wheel. She hoped that Hard Hoof hadn't fallen to his death. She stood and had to lean sideways to balance against the ship’s dangerous angle and turned the ship’s wheel. The ship righted itself with a crunch, several objects both here and elsewhere in the ship returning to their previous state in a less than graceful manner. I’ll have to talk to the crew about proper stowage after this is over, she thought.

Gold Bar breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, that was exciting,” he said as he brushed himself off. The lieutenant looked around at the devastation. The ensign was gone, along with the emergency supplies in the tool kit Gold Bar was rummaging through. Her revolver was gone as well, making her feel naked in her security barding. Gold Bar still held onto the box with a death grip, but she didn't think it would prove anything other than a bargaining chip at this point. And she doubted that Gold Bar would allow such a thing in any event. “Lieutenant, I want a damage report and I want that intruder found YESTERDAY!” She saluted and began to return order to the bridge. “What are you doing?”

Lieutenant Rose momentarily forgot that Gold Bar was the captain of the ship in name only. He knew only the rudiments of how the ship actually ran. That was her job. “Sir, if we don’t get the ship under control here, it won’t matter what happens to the rest of it. Can you hold the wheel steady?” Gold Bar furrowed his brow at the request but trotted up to the ship’s wheel to hold it steady. He still held the box however. “It would be easier with two hooves sir.”

Gold Bar fixed her with a stare and said in a low, cool voice, “I want this ship locked down, the intruder found, and I WANT HIS SKINNED HIDE IN MY OFFICE BY DINNER!” His sudden shout and the wild look in his eyes caused a flicker of fear to run through Compass Rose. She saluted and was about to hoof over control of the wheel when she noticed the rope was wiggling.

“Sir, look!” she felt relief, “it must be Hard Hoof.” Gold Bar trotted over to the edge and held the rope with one hoof pulling up whoever was on the other end.

“Hard Hoof, you’d better be bringing me good news. I want that freak’s head on a platter. I also want the escape ship in the cargo bay prepped and ready for takeoff. It’s faster than the Sky Master and I don’t want-“ he stopped and made an ulp sound. Compass Rose tore her eyes away from the horizon and looked at Gold Bar, he was standing stock still.

“Sir?”

With a crash he fell to his side, and standing in his place was Daring Do! She had a dart gun with the most recent discharge lodged firmly in Gold Bar’s chest. Gold Bar wheezed as he looked at her, she held the box with one hoof, smiling. “No, give it back...,” his voice became quiet and sleepy, the drugs were already taking him from the realm of the conscious.

Daring Do shrugged, “This belongs in a museum, not in the greedy hooves of somepony like you.” She glanced at Compass Rose and gave a mock salute as she spread her wings. “It’s so nice of you to drop altitude and get us some warmer, thicker air. I hate not being able to fly.” And with that she fell out of the opening into the sky.

=====*****=====

Ahuizotl and Hard Hoof were covered in small cuts and nicks. Nether was willing to give in to the other as they fought through the ship. They were drawing near the cargo bay. Ahuizotl planned to steal the escape vessel, but he had to somehow get rid of Hard Hoof first. The task was growing steadily more difficult. He was bleeding from a dozen shallow wounds and the blood loss was making him slower. Hard Hoof didn't seem to slow down at all, if anything the fight seemed to invigorate him. Ahuizotl’s mind searched for a solution but he couldn't find any.

Hard Hoof bucked the hatch open into the cargo bay as Ahuizotl pressed the attack. Hard Hoof parried again and snapped his knife around in a vicious arc. Ahuizotl leaned back to dodge it but it still left yet another scratch on him, this time on his cheek. He was lucky, it could have closed one of his eyes. Breathing hard he wiped his cheek with one paw. “I’m going to kill you little pony. And then I am going to feed you to my cats!” Hard Hoof’s grin didn't falter, he was immune to intimidation. They circled each other in the cargo bay, each looking for an opening.

The speakers set throughout the ship crackled and popped to life. “Attention, this is ensign Lâche, abandon ship, I repeat, abandon ship. This is not a drill.” Judging by the number of missing parachutes in the cargo bay, it was obvious that the ensign was not the first with this idea. It seemed no pony wanted to share a ship with several dangerous cats. Not to mention the intruders. Or perhaps Gold Bar didn't pay all that well.

Creak

Hard Hoof and Ahuizotl’s ears swiveled towards the cargo bay doors but they kept their eyes on each other. The cargo bay doors opened slowly with a grinding of metal on metal.

=====*****=====

Daring Do flew along the side of the great air frame, her hoofs running along the ridged structure with the aid of her wings. She could only guess as to why they were trying to abandon ship now, but the crew had plenty of good reasons. She could still see snow on the landscape below her, but the Dragon’s Tooth was fading away on the horizon. She reached the back of the airframe and flapped her wings to keep herself aloft. She flew towards the cargo bay doors, hoping there was some way she could open them without-

With a sound of metal on metal, the cargo bay doors opened. Mare luck really is smiling on me today! She flew level with the cargo bay and gasped at the sight. It was far from empty.

Ahuizotl and Hard Hoof were engaged in a knife fight surrounded by crates and the escape vessel. The escape vessel itself was a miniature Sky Master. The hydrogen cell was deflated at the moment however, making escape with it less than ideal. Several ponies stood along the catwalks in the cargo bay. They glanced furtively at the parachutes along the walls, but none would dare get close to Hard Hoof or Ahuizotl and their whirling blades.

Just then, Hard Hoof turned and bucked Ahuizotl right in the chest, for the third time in the same spot. Ahuizotl howled and collapsed, the knife clattering against the metal floor of the cargo hold. The ponies on the cat walks cheered. “Hey Hard Hoof,” he stopped with his knife raised above Ahuizotl to deliver the final blow. He looked at Daring Do and smiled but his expression showed only bloodlust. “You might want to help your boss, I left him unconscious on the bridge, and I left Snow Heart knocked out in medical.”

At the mention of Snow Heart, Hard Hoof turned and he gave Daring Do a stare that nearly froze her in place. She gulped down a knot and tried to sound brave, “you gonna help them?” With a snort Hard Hoof shot down the passageway deeper into the ship, as soon as he closed the hatch behind him Daring Do and the rest of the ponies surged forward.

Daring Do landed on the gondola of the escape vessel and grinned when she saw the hydrogen tanks already stowed. The rest of the ponies grabbed parachutes and headed for the nearest patch of sky. More of the crew streamed in from different directions. Daring Do watched Ahuizotl as he rolled on the ground clutching his chest wheezing. He fixed one bloodshot eye on her. “Curse you Daring Do.”

“Yeah, so I guess I sort of saved your life, you’re welcome.” She flipped the lever just outside the gondola, the one on the track and the whole thing started to slide backwards. She waved to Ahuizotl showing off the box. She held onto her hat as the entire contraption tilted back and fell into the sky.

Ahuizotl watched as Daring Do disappeared out of sight. How he hated her. That feeling alone burned in his chest, it invigorated him. He rose and watched as another pony strapped on a parachute and jumped out of the yawning cargo bay doors. My friends! He swiped a few parachutes off of the wall and he dragged himself towards the interior of the ship, each breath a painful gasp. Another pony charged down the passage way and stopped short when he saw him. Ahuizotl hissed at him and the pony yelped and ran away with his tail between his legs.

It was perhaps the longest walk of Ahuizotl’s life. Every step caused a new stab of pain in his chest. He tried to rub the spot once and agony shot through him. He was quite sure at least one rib was broken. He found the engine maintenance room and hoped his friends were still there.

They were a sight for sore eyes, each one of them was sleeping soundly. Except for the little white cat, she was licking the tiger’s ear trying to awaken the beast. He plucked the darts out of them and stuffed each one into a parachute harness. Curse you Daring Do, curse you Gold Bar. He was sick of this ship, of its claustrophobic metal walls, of the faint smell of engine grease and stinking ponies. And I won’t get to find out if I was correct about that box. The thought irritated him to no end.

And I won’t get my revenge on Gold Bar. He dragged himself and his cats outside, the wind blowing the stench of the horrible ship away. He was about to jump off when he spied something near his feet. He smiled, perhaps I can make Gold Bar pay after all. He snatched up the item and pushed his friends off one by one after pulling the rip cords. He watched as each one floated limply to earth before he jumped off with the little cat in his grip.

Mew

The white one sank little claws into his harness once they began their free fall. He pulled the cord quickly, the jolt sending another stab of pain through his chest. He grimaced through the pain and aimed his new toy at the Sky Master.

=====*****=====

Daring Do hit the valves as soon as the vessel was clear of the ship. The tanks hissed and the limp hydrogen cell above her began to fill. She held on as the ship plummeted to the ground, the decent slowed and she could feel pressure on her hooves. Smiling, she began to laugh, I did it, I got away with the box!

She looked around the little vessel and found a seat with a set of pedals set into the floor. This would drive the airship forward. She would have preferred and engine, but it was still much faster and better than landing in the snow below and having to trot all the way back to civilization. She found a few crates stowed in the back and curiosity got the better of her. She pried one open and looked inside.

They were there, all of the treasures she had seen at the summit of the Dragon’s Tooth. It was a cache of relics that would make any archaeologist famous for finding even a single one, much less enough to stock a small museum. Her smile was so wide she could hardly contain herself. She closed the crate and sat in the main seat. She pulled out the box, and now for the cream of the crop. The box sat in her lap, bouncing softly in time with the ship. She reached down and curiosity burned in her. She reached for the white tile.

Foomp

She looked up still holding the box. She spied an angry red spark in the sky that left a trail of smoke. She recognized a flare fired from a flare gun but the source lead back to a speck with a parachute. And the flare’s trajectory was curious as well, it was aimed toward the Sky Master. She had only a scant moment to wonder what was going on when the flare tore into the great ship's hydrogen cells. Her eyes went wide, she clutched the box with both hooves and flattened her ears.

BOOM

The entire ship detonated with a low tone, fire blew out the structure sending flaming debris in all directions. Daring Do pedaled away from the expanding sphere of air. It looked like a lens beyond which everything was made of orange and red flames. She held onto the box as the wave engulfed her.

=====*****=====

Daring Do sat at home, drinking ice cold lemonade. The curator of the Manhattan ancient history museum, an older mare with a scroll for a cutie mark hung on her every word. She was bandaged so much she almost looked like a mummy, a testament to the many trials she had to endure on this journey.

“So what’s in the box?” The curator breathed with mounting excitement.

Daring Do had just finished her story and smiled at the curator. It had been a long journey home. Daring Do had grown tired and landed at the imperial guard post at the northern edge of Equrestria before she fell asleep from exhaustion. She didn't know where Ahuizotl was or Gold Bar for that matter. She wasn't even sure if they survived but something told her Ahuizotl was alive, she felt it in her gut. After telling the story to the imperial guard they had issued a warrant for Gold Bar’s arrest and his company dissolved so rapidly and spectacularly, the national newspapers could hardly keep the story up to date. She had an uneventful trip back to Manehatten. It might have been because the imperial guards were the ones to escort her back.

She set the box on her lap, “let’s find out, shall we?”

The curator leaned in so close she almost bumped Daring’s head. She couldn't help but smile as she pushed in the white and blue tiles.

Click

The curator gasped and looked from her to the box, shaking his head. “I just knew you were right, but still.” Daring Do nodded and slowly opened the box. It would have been such a shame to have gone so far only to find-

Nothing

Daring Do’s heart sank in her chest. NO this isn't fair! She had worked so hard to find the compass, it had to be here! Inside the lid she could see the vials of acid, their contents still sloshing about after so many years. The soft velvet interior of the box was faded and worn, but a circular depression could still be seen in the middle of the plush interior. However there was no compass in this depression, only a mote of dust.

“Oh dear, how disappointing,” the curator’s voice almost didn't register in Daring Do’s brain. “I suppose you will have to settle for the rest of the exhibit. Such a shame that, you only retrieved the biggest find in over a century.” The curator’s sarcasm and her smile tried to cheer Daring Do up, but the words fell on deaf ears that were flat against Daring’s head. “Buck up Ms. Do, you’re alive, you stopped Ahuizotl and Gold Bar, plus you found enough treasures to set up the museum and yourself for the rest of your life! How bad can it really be?”

Daring Do’s ears returned to their full upright position, “I guess you’re right, and in a way the compass did sort of work for me. I returned home with almost everything I wanted. And no thief came by in the night to steal the box before I could open it and show it to you. So I guess I really shouldn't complain.” She shifted deeper into the covers feeling their soft warmth take away more of her aches and pains. It would be a few weeks or months before she could start her next adventure, but for once she felt content. She had been nearly killed so many times she finally felt like she deserved to be home for a while.

Still I wish I could have found that compass.

And so, one again the world was saved thanks to Daring Do.

=====*****=====

The sun was rising, “aww what let down.”

“What’s a letdown?” Twilight was at the top landing of the stairs leading into the main hall. “And what are you doing on a cloud in the library? There better not be any rainwater in here.” She fixed Rainbow Dash with an icy stare.

“Chill out egghead, I just wanted to read the latest Daring Do novel without having to listen to construction outside my window.” She yawned, “What time is it?”

“Six o’clock.”

Rainbow Dash tilted her head, “Really? I thought it would be later than that.”

“In the morning.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide, “WHAT! I have to get to work!” She gathered Tank and her book then kicked the cloud into vapor before darting out the balcony and into the sky. Twilight just shook her head before returning to her chalk board, the sounds of Spike’s snoring wafting down the stairs.

=====*****=====

Click

Fwoosh

A cone of light flickered into existence, then another, and another. Row after row of little cones shined their sterile light on the shelves. A vast warehouse, with row upon row of shelves stretched to the limits of vision.

CLOP-CLop-clop CLOP-CLop-clop CLOP-CLop-clop

The hoof falls echoed in this lonely place as a shadow closed the door behind it. The check list was massive, it held thousands, perhaps millions of entries. Each line corresponded to an item on the shelves.

And such wondrous, amazing, impossible items they were. Here there was an hourglass with sand that never filled the bottom bell and yet never stopped flowing. There was a tooth that hung above a shelf, it belonged to a creature so massive it could easily have devoured a city. A rolled carpet strapped to the shelf fluttered by itself as the shadow walked by, twitching at an errant thought. Another shelf held a sapphire the size of a robin’s egg, it glittered with an inner blue light that did not reflect from the light above. There was a puzzle box which both solved and rearranged itself into fantastic and insane forms. Yet another shelf held a bottle that fed into itself, water flowing endlessly through it. Each bore a plaque to label it, and each received a check mark next to its line.

Another shelf held a small round object, a chip of stone like a needled floated aimlessly inside of it. The shadow drew closer and the little needle spun wildly. It snapped to a particular direction and vibrated there, urging the shadow to go there.

tick

Another shelf, another check mark. Row after row, check mark after check mark, until every line was finished. The doors opened and the shadow trotted out. The sign above the door read:

Warning, top ponies only! Unauthorized ponies will be met with magical force including but not limited to: insomnia, insanity, boiling blood, halitosis, coma, banishment, infinite nightmares, asphyxiation, incurable hiccups, unending pain, torment, and death. Not necessarily in that order.

The door closed and the lights clicked off.

Author's Note

Happy New Year!

I hope you enjoyed the story, if you did upvote and leave comments!

If you didn't, criticism is welcome too.