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ask-de-writer · 5 years ago

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The next WIP is a LONG one. Here, I am only including the last few chapters, along with a link to the start of DARING DO AND THE COMPASS OF DISCORD.

This story is rated YA, having some violence and death.

DARING DO AND THE COMPASS OF DISCORD

WIP : MLP Fan Fiction : Cover art by Wind the Mama Cat

Daring Do is given a unique quest by a most unusual patron. She must find and recover the ancient Compass of Discord before its misuse can wreck the world of Equestria. Of course it would be easier to do if ANYPONY, even Discord, knew WHERE IT WAS …

DARING DO AND THE COMPASS OF DISCORD starts here.

Chapter 7 Voyage to Kuduspar

The reality was slightly different. As Amber pointed out over a complex game of cards and dice which Morail was winning, “When ships have adventurous voyages, bad things have been happening! We want a nice, quiet voyage.

“We will be making for Kuduspar, on the north coast of the Eland Republic. We are not going all the way to Degrate, on the Forgotten River, in the Zebra Confederation.”

Daring Do discarded. Both Amber and Withers rolled dice. Withers picked up the card and added it to the layout in front of him. Morail promptly laid her entire hand across his layout and, grinning, raked in the chips from the pot!

As Daring Do watched Morail in bemusement, she offered, “The way that you play this would convince anypony that you are a Diamond Dog, for sure. You have to grow up playing this game to be as good as you are, and only Diamond Dogs do that.”

Morail grinned. “<I am a Diamond Dog! I was raised as much by the Ruby Drift as I was on the farm. Only blood separates us. I earned that Drift Supervisor and Mining Explosives Expert certification!>”

Amber grinned too. She dealt the next hand. Dice rolled and cards were laid down, picked up or added to growing layouts in front of each player.

Leaning on the railing and watching sea and sky as the Malachite sliced through the waves was another pastime. Out on the open sea there were few birds but they did occasionally see one.

Pointing with excitement, Morail exclaimed, “Look at the size of the wings on that one! What is it called, Doctor Do?”

Smiling at Morail's excitement, Daring Do replied, “That is called an albatross. Some sailors claim that they never land, except to nest and raise their young. They do dive for fish to eat. Whether they land for anything else, you would need to ask somepony besides me. I have only seen them flying or on the water.”

Morail was almost bouncing with her present freedom. “Amber has released me from studying the ship's operations for the next two days!”

Interested, Daring Do and Withers asked her, “What does she have you studying, Morail? Can you tell us?”

Smiling, she replied, “Some of it, anyway. I have been learning modern fire control systems! These bigger guns and being on a ship make it all really tricky!

“Besides that, she has me studying the theory of modern Mage/Tech ship engines. I really can't tell you much about them. The history of them is fun, though. The Mage/Tech interface and first engines were invented by the Equestrian Rom, of all beings! They used them to power prostheses for their sick or injured Horses so that they could still pull their caravans!”

Withers nodded. “I can easily believe that, Morail. They invented the modern Magic Net too. Rather their foals did, so that they could stay in touch when bands were far apart. Old Marchhare claims that they used it to, and I quote, Plot against their elders, end quote. When their elders found out about it, they used it too, but made sure that the youngsters had a private part of it so that they could still plot and scheme!”

Daring Do chuckled, “That sounds so like the Rom! They say that the young have to get away with things. It builds character.”

The Malachite made her way from the Eastern Sea, south, just past the Equator, into the Stonewall Strait. The land fell away north to the continent of Epona. To the south, the land was the northern coast of the continent of Sorica, home, among other nations, of the Zebra Confederation. Separating the two continents was the Medial Sea, leading on through to the Poniesian Isles and the Great Western Ocean.

The days of the voyage passed without incident until they raised the lighthouse of Kuduspar in the Eland Republic. A swift, lightly armored patrol vessel flying the Zebra Confederation banner tried to intercept them. It had a small 50 mm cannon in a forward turret and fired a warning shot across their bows.

The Zebra ship demanded, “You must divert to the port of Degrate to have all of your cargo and goods evaluated and taxed. Any beings aboard who do not have Zebra Confederation travel documents must pay a fine and have proper documents issued before they can be permitted to travel further!”

Amber returned, “Nils Downitall does not own the Medial Sea! We are going to Kuduspar and you will need to learn to swim if you try to stop us!”

Morail was operating the fire control board. The Malachite's forward turret of 125 mm guns swung to bear on the Zebra ship. Morail was wearing the headpiece and speaking softly through it to the ship's turrets. Each of the three guns of the forward turret shifted their aim a little.

The captain of the Zebra Confederation apparently failed to notice, or he was following a script! He demanded, “Apparently our warning shot was not enough! Prepare to be boarded and all of your cargo seized!”

Amber's paw dropped in a slicing motion! Morail tapped her fire control board. The forward turret's guns blazed with flame and smoke! The ship shuddered under the recoil of the heavy shells blasting out to the opposing vessel!

Almost instantly, the small turret of the Zebra patrol ship erupted! A huge hole from an exploding shell tore apart the forward superstructure, just under the flying bridge! The third shell made a hole in the side of the boat, just below the smokestack! A sudden roaring wash of mixed steam and smoke back out the hole and bursting up out the stack told of the end of the patrol vessel's engines.

Amber sent back by Magic Net, “Apparently, OUR warning shot was enough! You were warned that we are going into Kuduspar. You have only three choices.

“First, you may abandon ship and we will sink the hulk.

“Second, we can tow your vessel into Kuduspar. By staying aboard, you retain a claim to the ship after paying us for the tow.

“Thirdly, you may abandon ship and we will claim the wreck as a prize of combat.

“We will pick up your survivors in either abandonment scenario.”

Sourly, the captain of the damaged Zebra vessel decided, “We will take your tow to Kuduspar. How will you get the tow line to us?”

Amber answered, “We have a pegasus traveling with us as a passenger. She will deliver you a light line to pull over a hawser for the tow.”

Soon Daring Do was bridging the gap between the two vessels trailing a light heaving line to the now wrecked Zebra Patrol boat. She dropped the line across the bows and left the rest to the crew of the boat.

In short order, the convoy of ship and hulk was back underway, headed into Kuduspar.

At the harbor entrance, the Malachite was taken by a harbor pilot and the wreck was taken under tow by a tug.

Chapter 8 Import License

In the harbormaster's office, Daring Do was explaining the ostensible purpose of the expedition and the reason for some of their more “unusual” supplies.

She offered, “You see, Sir, what the Spinel Drift Enclave, near the southern end of the Selene Mountains, has found appears to be ruins of what may be the root civilization for the famous Nil Eya civilization. The news of this possibility has severely upset the Downitall Party. They hold, as a core belief, that it was a ZEBRA civilization that sprang full blown with brilliant writing systems, stone work, and architecture due to the pure genius of the superior Zebra kind.

“If this find bears out, as the true Nil Eya root civilization, it will totally destroy one of the basic claims by which the Downitalls hold power.”

Daring Do made a twisted face as she observed, “For some MYSTERIOUS REASON, they don't like that and do not want us to succeed.

“The Downitalls totally fail to grasp what success is to an Antiquarian. It will not matter whether what we find is the root beginnings of the Nil Eya civilization, a later thing built by survivors of the Nil Eya slave revolt, or something else entirely. The only real gauge of success will be uncovering the truth of an ancient civilization.”

The window pane frames made a fine shadow play with the harbormaster's tall spiraled horns as he gazed out at the Zebra Confederation's shot up patrol boat being maneuvered into a drydock. He gestured out at his nearly empty harbor and replied, “I see. Look what their declaration of the Medial Sea being a Zebra pond has done to our trade. Under the circumstances, I am granting the import license to you directly and noting that it has the formal backing of both the Supreme Matriarch of the Diamond Dog Council of Enclaves and the Joint Crowns of Equestria as well.”

He pushed a small stack of papers across his desk. Daring Do began to fill out and sign where necessary. He took the packet and sorted out sheets which he neatly folded and sealed, returning them to Daring Do.

“Best of fortune on your expedition, Doctor Do. There is a fair amount of Discordian activity in the area that you will be investigating. I hope that they do not cause you too much trouble.”

Dryly, Daring Do replied, “I fear them far less than the Downitalls. That is why we have the special equipment that you have just authorized. We thank you.”

She gathered up her papers and fit everything neatly into her saddle bags and left.

She had barely closed the door than she was confronted by a bulky zebra resplendent in a Downitall Party uniform! He demanded, “I am war trained! I am a big zebra and you are a mere pegasus, so don't get any funny ideas! Just hoof over those papers for a Zebra Confederation stamp on each page! Fifty bits gold for each stamp and any page I don't like gets torn up AFTER I stamp it, so you still owe, got it?”

Daring Do wasted no time on chit-chat! A fast poke at the zebra's nose caused him to shy away sideways! As he was shifting his weight, she kicked the foreleg that was taking his weight, up high, dropping the stripy on his side, like a broken sack of oats! She followed up with a double buck to his exposed gut, driving the wind out of him!

Turning to the door, she informed the harbormaster, “There appears to be some black and white garbage out here. It is obstructing your walkway.”

“I see it, Doctor Do! Thanks! I will make sure that it is taken care of!”

Happily humming the Funeral March for Kings from the ancient Nil Eya civilization, Daring Do went down to the Malachite's dock. The head stevedore examined the papers and ordered his crew, “Begin off loading everything! It has all been cleared! Be careful with those ammo boxes!”

Chapter 9 On The Eland Veldt

The buildings of Kuduspar were far behind. The surrounding farms, managed by the many industrious kinds of antelope that made up the population of the Eland Republic, gave way to semi open veldt with large patches of woodlands.

Morail was watching all in fascination. “I was just getting used to the idea of ponies with one horn! Now there are all of these antelope with TWO horns! This whole area is so different from the veldt across the Selenes, where my Drift is!”

Withers looked up curiously, from the map that he was studying. “Your Drift? Morail, how much of what we have heard is real and how much is Amber taking advantage of this expedition to further her own plans for the Diamond Dogs?”

Morail, continued to look out the window eagerly as she replied, “My spell locked ID as Morail Ruby Drift pretty well nails part of it. I was not really a Veldratten. I was Morail Blum Fauntin and did go down into the Ruby Drift so much that they DID adopt me.

“Sometimes I would spend as much as a week or more down in the Drift. The Diamond Dogs took really good care of my education and taught me. I earned my mining and explosives certifications.

“My family sent me to the Royal University but the Ruby Drift was paying half of my education costs.

“The Downitall Party killed the rest of my surface family and claimed WITH DOCUMENTS TO PROVE IT, that I was killed too. That let them seize the farm for one of their hacks.

“This is where the story gets really funny! You see, I did play tricks on zebras above, about being a Diamond Dog adoptee that did not even know how to speak Zebra. Tried to buy things with Diamond Dog gems and pretended not to know about Confederation Marks!

“The ZC Ambassador called Ruby Drift's Matriarch Topaz and she confirmed that I have been a Diamond Dog since fillyhood and knew Morail Blum Fauntin. She told him about some of “our” tricks. He bought it all.

“Nils Downitall actually had the story checked. Since I did do those tricks, there were lots of good Zebra witnesses to the Zebra orphan raised by the Ruby Drift. Now, that is the official line!”

Daring Do spared a glance from her driving to flash a grin. “So, you did tell Princess Luna the truth, that you already were a Diamond Dog! How old were you when the Drift adopted you?”

Morail snorted cheerfully, “About six! Vater was both proud and mortified at the same time!”

Glancing back, Morail suggested, “Pull off the road in the next patch of trees, Doctor Do. We are being followed by a truck flying Zebra ensigns. We need to set up our special equipment.”

Daring Do simply nodded and began watching the road sides as they entered the shade of the patch of woods. The truck swerved, bounced fiercely and skidded to a stop!

Morail and Withers leaped out and pulled the canvas top clear of the back. Withers, with practiced ease, opened the crates holding parts and began the assembly.

Morail opened another case and began to remove blocks about five centimeters on a side. She was affixing things to them and setting them aside. In moments, she was out near to the road, stabbing a tool into the sod, prying it up, setting a block in the hole and stomping it snug, then repeating the procedure.

Daring Do checked the action of a semiautomatic rifle and loaded in a big curved magazine. She made sure that her throwing and combat knives were ready and that her big Spiderly 13 mm revolver was loose in its holster.

Seeing that Withers was done setting up the MT84 quickfire cannon, she passed him the rifle. Cannon set up, Withers made way for Morail to take the big gun's aiming handles and took cover where he could aim back the way that they had come.

They had only a small wait. The big boxy black and white saloon style car roared almost past their position, screeching to a stop and backing up. The Zebra Confederation flags on little staffs on each front fender fluttered in the breeze. It crossed the roadside ditch at the same place that they had, bumping to a stop as soon as it was clear of the roadway.

Sitting quietly up by the MT84, Morail smiled and pulled out a small device. It looked a bit like a Magic Net mirror.

The car's doors opened and two soldiers in Zebra Confederation Army Uniforms hopped out. They held the door for a portly Zebra in his Downitall Party uniform.

Daring Do pulled a tight smile of recognition. This was the same Zebra that she had walloped flat back there by the harbormaster's office! She also, and very ostentatiously, pulled her big 13 mm Spiderly revolver.

He did stop, as he stared down the unwavering barrel of the big pistol in Daring Do's grip. Arrogantly, he gestured toward her and one of the uniformed Zebras went to one knee, starting to aim his rifle at Daring Do.

From the brush off to one side, there was the crack of a rifle firing! The Zebra fell squalling his pain! He had facial cuts and one fore hoof was bleeding! His rifle lay in two shattered fragments! The other uniformed Zebra sprinted for the roadside ditch!

Morail, grinning ear to ear, barked in Diamond Dog, “Mistake!”

She tapped her mirror like device!

Along the ditch and several places closer, explosions tore craters and scattered sod, tossing the second Zebra to the middle of the road! The exploding mine under the Zebra Confederation car lifted its rear end up almost two meters! The right side rear wheels went flying, to crash into the brush as the car flipped up! It fell heavily onto its left side, the undercarriage starting to burn!

The aghast Downitall Party uniformed Zebra picked himself up from where the blast from Morail's mine under the car had thrown him. He gave a wild look at his fallen soldiers and the wrecked car, now ablaze.

Faced with massively superior firepower, he still tried to assert his “authority!” “Doctor Do! You must give over this expedition! It has been forbidden by Nils Downitall himself!”

Daring Do raised her eyebrows and, incidentally, her big Spiderly revolver. That last, she brought to bear on the second button of the Downitall Party uniform, just over his heart.

“For starters, sirrah, your precious Nils has overreached himself for a second time. This is the Eland Republic, not the Zebra Confederation.

“Additionally, we are not even interested in the origins of the Nil Eya Civilization. We know, from wall paintings and from written evidence that has survived, that the Zebras did play an important part in building it. AS SLAVE LABOR. The genius that guided the labor was not Zebras.

“What we are now going to check out is an apparent temple complex found by workers from the Spinel Drift, here in the Eland Republic.

“You may tell Nils that his minuscule navy has upset the Chineighese Empire with the interruption of free trade from Equestria, Prance, Saddle Arabia, Epona and parts of Sorica.

“Qushi Han Lee, the Pirate Queen, has dispatched a fleet to take care of the matter.”

He started to scoff, “Pirate Queen? Our modern gunboats ...”

From her vantage point behind the MT84, Morail interrupted in her heavily Diamond Dog accented Zebra, “Qushi Han Lee's yards built the Malachite, our delivery packet. You know, the ship that sank your light cruiser Das Capitin and blew the engines out of your patrol ship. She is sending two battle ships, four heavy cruisers, six Hunter Destroyers and a pegasus carrier strike ship.

“They have been ordered to sink your entire navy and destroy every ship yard in the Confederation.”

The official drew himself up and snapped, “They cannot do that! It violates International Law!”

Daring Do, tilted her head and scratched an ear, while suppressing a chuckle. “Really? And your criminal blockade of the Medial Sea does not violate the same laws?”

He snarled, “Not at all!! Nils Downitall has declared the entire Medial Sea to be our waters to regulate as we see fit!”

Morail barked, “Then he can have no recourse to International Law! Setting aside Free Passage in the Medial Sea breaks those same laws!”

She brought the barrel of the MT84 to bear on him too.

Daring Do pointed north. “Kuduspar is only about two to three day's walk that way. I suggest that you gather your fallen zebras and start walking. Since it is illegal for them to carry those guns in the Eland Republic, I would suggest leaving them behind unless you want to spend time in a Republic jail.”

Gathering his uniformed zebras and starting to walk, he shouted back, “You have not heard the last of ONDER OTTARHOOF!”

Chapter 10 A True Discordian

The expanse of the Eland Veldt passed behind Daring Do's party. They entered a range of broken, upheaved strata ruptured by the speckled gray of granite. The road began to twist and double back as they climbed the gray broken rock of the hills. Smaller brush and tall trees began to dominate the area. The road led into a defile that opened out to a small valley with a tiny town.

It was a simple “wide spot in the road” sort of place. There were only seven buildings, including a little store and an Eland Republic Government Station.

In a small cloud of dust, they pulled up in front of the Government Station. Their hooves resounded hollowly on the dry, knotholed boards of the porch as they trooped inside.

The antelope behind the counter looked up at them with interest. Daring Do noted a modern, desk mounted Magic Net mirror in its frame. There were papers stuck onto three standing spikes and some stacked into In and Out baskets.

He looked up and mildly stated, “I am Meridian Courser. May the Path of Chaos bless you all. Are you the famous Doctor Daring Do?”

Daring Do stopped cold. “I am she. Are you really a Discordian?”

He nodded, his long spiraled horns making short arcs as he did so. “I am indeed. Following Discord or Eris, as she often is, is a lawful and proper religious choice here in the Eland Republic.

“I did have a reason for asking your identity, Doctor Do. A number of complaints have been lodged against you by Ondar Ottarhoof, Chief Consul of the Zebra Confederation.”

Daring Do nodded. “I expect so. He seems to think that this is the Zebra Confederation. At least, he acts as though the word of Nils Downitall is law here.

“Have you any means to verify the truth or falsehood of statements?”

The station master smiled as he busied himself doing some unobtrusive things to a document on his desk. “I have, Doctor Do. I have applied a non equine magical truth test to this document. It contains the accusations against you.

“Your replies will appear as shades of color according to the truth of your answers.”

He turned to Morail and offered, “You appear to be a Zebra and might have to answer to the Confederation courts of law for some of the accusations in this case.”

Morail shook her head negatively. “Appearances are deceiving. I am a Diamond Dog.” She held out her spell locked ID for the Station Master to examine. “I will be happy to explain my part in the recent action against Ondar Ottarhoof. That way, it will be a part of your truth tested documentation.”

He returned her ID and observed, “I will want your information as a part of this investigation. It sounds like it will be of interest.”

By the time that Meridian's questions were done, the document of accusations was showing the yellows and oranges of evasions or half truths and the brilliant red of outright lies.

The answers of Daring Do, Withers and Morail showed the clear green of truth. A few of the questions about the origin and reasons for the expedition showed the yellow green of incomplete but true answers.

After Meridian closed his official questioning, he asked, “Doctor Do, are you aware that the followers of Discord are no more monolithic than, say, followers of Celestia or Luna? There are many sects of us. True Discordians of all sects respect life, just as Discord him/her self does.

“We are not so arrogant as to think that we understand the subtleties of his/her Chaos. What we do is observe his/her Chaos and record both its nature and its results. To us, it appears that his/her Chaos is a major driving force for beings of wisdom to develop both in mind and civilization.”

Morail asked him, “What of those Discordians who think that they have found where Eris is creating her Chaos and rush in, often violently, to 'help her spread Chaos'. What of those who killed my friends in the Blum Fauntin farm, over in the Zebra Confederation?”

Meridian leaned back and steepled his split hooves. “Those are actually two questions. First, those who rush in to 'help' Discord, whether violent or not, are not ones that we count as True Discordians. They are so arrogant that they believe that they can grasp and assist the plans of a being more than three thousand years of age, with experience, cleverness and subtlety to match.

“Second, the Blum Fauntin attack, in spite of appearances, was not done by any sort of Discordians. We used to buy a good deal of our supplies from across the mountains, especially from the Blum Fauntins. The killers used automatic weapons, a thing that is anathema to all Discordians. Since the farm was hoofed over to Downitall cronies, I personally suspect the Downitall Party of those murders.”

He shrugged. “I have no real proof of that, however. I wish that I did. Whoever it was blackened the name of all Discordians and that of Eris/Discord itself.”

Daring Do offered, “Meridian, sir, I have spoken with Eris herself and to her trusted assistant, Cyrene. Cye feels as you do, about the Blum Fauntin attack. I do think that she would not mind your sort of worship.”

Meridian smiled and said, “You were blessed indeed. You may go on your way unhindered by the Eland Republic and, according to the documents sent to me, with the blessing of Amber, Supreme Matriarch of the Diamond Dog Council of Enclaves.

“May such Chaos as you encounter further your goals.”

As they drove away, Morail pointed to a lesser used road. “Let's go up there, Doctor Do. That way will take us to the northern most entrance to the Spinel Drift. I will feel far safer, once we are underground.”

They only got a few kilometers up the road. Daring Do stopped the truck. They could hear rifle and light artillery fire up ahead.

Saying only, “Those are my friends that are being attacked,” Morail got out of the cab and went around to the back of the truck. The vehicle rocked some as she climbed up into the bed. Daring Do and Withers nodded to each other and began loading and checking their pistols and rifles.

When Morail tapped on the truck's roof to let them know that the MT84 was ready, they began to advance cautiously up the road. Rounding a bend, they found the way blocked by a Zebra Confederation military half track truck.

Chapter 11 The Battle At Spinel Drift

Daring Do quietly set up a Magic Net call. Meridian's face appeared in the Mirror. “What is it, Doctor Do? I hear what appears to be a military action in the background.”

She nodded. “It is, here, take a look.” She held up the mirror so that Meridian could see the half track that was blocking the road. “As you can see and hear, the Zebra Confederation has illegally entered Eland Republic territory and are attacking the northern entrance to the Diamond Dog's Spinel Drift. It appears to be a small number of attackers.

“We are requesting permission to assist the Spinel Drift.”

She could see the conflict in Meridian's face. “We understand your distaste for the use of automatic weapons, Sir. Still, the Zebras are using them and, as you know already, we possess an MT 84.”

Heavily, he nodded. “This is not Discord's Chaos. If you feel it necessary, you have permission to enter the fray.”

“Thank you, Sir. We appreciate how heavy a decision that was.” She closed the mirror and nodded to Withers.

“This is your area of expertise, Withers. As of now, you are in charge.”

Withers nodded and directed, “First back up until we can't be seen by anypony in the half track. We need to scout their position before we enter the fight. I hear at least two guns that appear to be old MT 81s. Obsolete does not mean harmless!”

While Withers was talking, Daring Do was backing their truck down the road and around the bend, out of sight from the battle ahead of them.

As soon as they were safe, Withers got out, taking his rifle with him. He told Morail, “I need you to stay here with the MT 84 to protect the truck and Doctor Do. I am going to scout the location of enemy. I will be back soon.”

Morail nodded her understanding. Withers quietly went into the roadside brush and seemed to vanish. Watching his professional skill, Daring Do smiled tightly and wished him well.

After a wait that seemed interminable but was really only about ten minutes, Withers came back. Gathering the others to him, Withers took paper and and began to sketch out the Zebra position.

“They have three MT 81s. Two are on these high points, to fire down on the Enclave entrance. The last one is down here. We need to remove or get around the half track to be able to take it out.”

Daring Do asked, “How well guarded is the half track?”

Withers replied, “I saw only the driver. The Zebra leader does not appear to be too well trained. He has all of his forces committed to the attack, except for the half track driver. While I was scouting, his attention was entirely on the action around the entrance.”

Morail pointed to the roadside where the half track was parked and inquired, “From my visits to the Spinel Drift when I was younger, I seem to remember that this is a longish slope. Am I right?”

“It is. What do you have in mind?”

“I will want you and Doctor Do to cover me while I sneak up and plant a pair of remote detonation charges on the half track. Don't shoot unless he spots me.

“Then we will come around the bend. I will open fire on those two high point MT 81s. We should be able to knock out both of the high positions, since we are taking them from behind. Their own half track will shield us from the lower one.”

Morail grinned savagely. “Until I blow those charges. They should flip it onto that slope without much damage to the road. We should be able to mop up the other gun without too much trouble.”

Withers nodded acceptance. “I will take those rocks up to the right. When you two start your move, I will pepper the lower MT 81 to keep them from turning its mount to shoot at you.”

Tense, Daring Do took the wheel of the truck. Morail got two of her explosive blocks and set the detonators into them. She crawled away up the road and around the bend.

It was not much later that she returned the same way. Climbing into the truck bed, behind the MT 84, she rapped the top of the cab to let Daring Do know that she was ready. Withers ghosted off through the brush and climbed into position behind the granite boulders.

With his high sign, Daring Do charged the truck around the bend! She felt recoil make the truck shudder as she heard Morail's three round bursts from the MT 84! A shell from the Zebra Confederation's MT 81 nest on the left exploded in the road!

The driver of the half track had his rifle out and started to shoot at their truck's windshield! Twin fireballs eruped under his vehicle! The blast lifted him from his feet and hurled him aside as his machine lifted up and slammed back down, teetering at the edge of the rocky slope!

Hoping that Morail would have the sense to hang on tight, Daring Do, aimed their truck at the damaged half track! The impact jolted them to a brief stop! The flaming wreck tumbled down, bouncing as it rolled, scattering burning debris.

Steering as best she could while peering through the spiderweb of cracks in her windshield, Daring Do sent their truck careening down the road into the Zebra position!

She was reassured by the recoil shocks and muzzle blasts coming over the cab top. Morail was still busy back there!

There fell a sudden silence! Daring Do hit the brakes, preparing to leap out to Morail's assistance when she made out the frantically waiving white flags from the Zebra positions!

The solid gates of the Spinel Drift yawned wide to release a small horde of Diamond Dogs carrying arms! One group detached themselves from the rest and charged up the road toward the truck!

Daring Do was too shaken to clearly follow Morail's rapid barking of Diamond Dog as she explained the situation.

Chapter 12 The Spinel Drift

Morail leaped down from the back of the truck and embraced one of the armed and armored Diamond Dogs! Daring Do could easily follow her barking now.

“Matriarch Moonstone! It is so good to see you! Did you get Amber's dispatches about this expedition?”

The Matriarch replied, “I did. Besides this little war problem, we have some real trouble in Shaft 73. We were following a pegmatite seam that was loaded with first rate emeralds. It has either petered out or we somehow lost it.

“Could you find the time to take a look? Your skill at following gem drifts is legendary.”

Morail nodded in full understanding of what was important. To Diamond Dogs. She turned to Daring Do and requested, “Can we spare the time to look over this problem for the Matriarch? It will give us a lot of good will with the Drift.”

Daring Do smiled. “I do understand that the Drift has priorities that are different from us on the surface. If it won't hold us up for more than a few days, I can't see how it will be a problem.”

The Matriarch's relief was obvious. Her response was generous. “We will see to the repair of your truck, Doctor Do. We will replace your ammunition and restore your supplies of explosives and detonators too. Anything else that you need to further your expedition's aims, just let us know. If we can do it, we will.”

In spite of the many places that Daring Do had been to, seeing the inside of a Diamond Dog Drift was a new experience for her. It was obvious that Morail was right at home. She was utterly relaxed and barking jokes and light banter with the others around her.

They had hitched Diamond Dogs to pull the truck into the drift. Matriarch Moonstone explained, “Engines like yours can be really noisy inside our tunnels. We will see to it that your truck gets to the proper exit as soon as it is repaired.

“It would be a good idea to get out any personal things that you will need for the next few days. We can easily provide you with food appropriate to zebra and antelope kinds. We do quite a lot of trade with the surface and often entertain trade delegations.”

Daring Do and Withers promptly gathered packs with notes, note taking supplies and clothes. Daring Do had no expectation of needing it but packed along her beloved Spiderly revolver and a box of ammunition. She was mildly surprised to see Matriarch Moonstone nodding with approval.

Morail and the Diamond Dogs were leading the way, deeper into the Spinel Drift. Daring Do was half expecting a place of darkness or torch lighted gloom. It was nothing of the sort.

Clear light shone like the daylight above them, illuminating the whole underground complex. The source was panes like large magic net mirrors. Looking into one showed blue sky and some clouds drifting by.

Fascinated, Daring Do asked Matriarch Moonstone, “Is that really the sky overhead that you are transmitting down here for light?”

She nodded agreeably, “Yes. As soon as we found out about the magic net sending images, we adapted it to lighting. We use it for a lot besides communications. I am sure that Supreme Matriarch Amber would appreciate your not mentioning this in your book on this expedition.”

Daring Do thought that over for only a moment. “I shall run the manuscripts past her to be sure that they remain both accurate and preserve anything that you wish kept secret.”

Matriarch Moonstone paused in deep thought for a bit and offered, “If you wish, you may accompany our party to Shaft 73 and watch Morail at her real work. Depending on how that idiotic business with the Oathbreaker Downitall plays out, some of what you see may have to be kept secret. That will be Supreme Matriarch Amber's call and since you have already agreed to her approval of the manuscript, I can see no reason to keep you from it.”

The party set out deeper into the drift. Everywhere that she looked, Daring Do saw walls and pillars that had been exquisitely finished, the stone's natural colors and forms lovingly enhanced. No compromise with strength had been tolerated. Besides the unexpected light, she was surprised at how quiet so many Diamond Dogs could be.

Soon they passed out of the residential and industrial areas and into tunnels that were rough hewn from the native stone. There was none of the careful decoration of the other areas. Rails laid along the floor allowed carts full of stone to be removed or empty carts to return to the various work faces of the extensive mine.

Matriarch Moonstone stopped, gesturing at an area of shaft wall that had a deep cut into its side. “See, Morail? The whole fine seam of pegmatite just seems to peter out.”

Morail held out a hoof for a mirror that was shining a good beam of light. She put her head into the cut and shined the light around some. She backtracked up the tunnel to where the seam appeared to start out over a meter thick. She wriggled into the starting area of the whitish pegmatite. Using a small one hoofed pick, she dug into the several faces of the stone around her.

Backing out, she put a fairly large broken emerald into the Matriarch's hooves. All smiles, she announced, “No use following the seam further down shaft from where it ended. However, if you dig DOWN along this fault,” she pointed with an educated hoof, “you should encounter the other half of the seam where it was split by the fault. I would guess, about two to three meters should do it. You will be following it back that way.”

She paused and looked around at the collection of diamond dogs before asking, “Would you like me to help with setting charges?”

#DARING DO AND THE COMPASS OF DISCORD #MLP Fan Fiction #Work In Progress #Written by De Writer

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