Only the Daring - Act III

 

        "Hit her again."

 

        A shower of stinging, ice-cold water splashed over her, snapping her back to reality in an instant. Once all her senses returned to her, she tried to let out a scream. The feeling of the water on her semi-fresh wounds nearly blinding her with searing pain. Duct-tape kept her voice in her throat. Daring jerked, but only succeeded in swinging herself; she looked down herself to see her feet tied to the ceiling with a line of thick chains on a hook. She went limp, looking down to the swaying floor. She was already spent just from having to deal with the pain. Her heart pounded in her chest and her lungs burned for oxygen.

 

        "That one did it. Have a nice nap?" asked that familiar, rough voice. Daring shut her eyes tightly and could feel herself start to panic. There was no escaping this time.

                

        "Oh yeah, you know where you are." Gilda grabbed Daring's head and forced her to look up at her. "I went through a lot of trouble to get you. You almost died on us twice. We had to give you a blood transfusion and resuscitate you." Gilda leaned in closer to her, a cocky smile on her face. "Why, you ask? Well that's because you don't die until I'm done with you. And we're going to have lots of fun now, Daring Do."

 

        Gilda forcefully pushed Daring away, causing her to swing against the chains again. Daring could feel the air move past her bare skin. They had stripped her down to her underwear and whatever bandages they or Whooves had put on her. Daring let out a low whine when she thought about all the sick things Gilda thought was "fun"; but she took solace in the fact that Whooves and the artifact were probably long gone by now.

 

        Gilda grabbed Daring by the throat to stop her from swinging, then sat down in a chair in front of her. Daring looked across her. Her uniform was stained with blood of varying age. Daring could smell the stench of death and caked blood from there.

 

        Gilda noticed her eyes looking over her. "Oh, this old thing?" she said, looking down at her red-stained, black uniform. She looked up to Daring with an almost happy smile on her face. "I like to wear this for special occasions. Gets the creative juices flowing. It reminds me of all the fun I've had here over the past couple of months."

 

        Gilda got up and knelt down closer to Daring. Daring gagged as the smell came closer to her. "You wanna hear about it?" Gilda asked, seemingly excited. Gilda pointed to a mark on her thigh first. "This one was from one of the locals. She thought that she and a few of her friends could talk us out of leaving their little village. I killed all her friends in front of her and force-fed the bitch her own eyes." Gilda laughed, like she was reminiscing a fond memory; it made Daring sick, even more so than the stench coming off her uniform. "She threw them back up in between crying in agony. For that I cut off all her limbs and stuck a grenade down her throat."

 

        "Oh! And this one..." Gilda pointed to a more fresh spot on her chest. "Some Equestrian tourist thought I was 'being too rough on the locals'. Can you imagine? The nerve of some people. I smashed every bone in his arms and hands with a hammer, then cut his throat with one of his own shards of bone." Gilda gave a content sigh, looking up to the ceiling with a smile. Daring tried to lean as far away from her as possible.

 

        "I could do this all day." Gilda snapped her attention back to Daring. "But we're here to make new ones, aren't we?" Gilda caressed Daring's cheek, but Daring jerked away from her. Gilda grabbed Daring by the throat and squeezed as hard as she could in response. She came within inches of Daring's face, a crazed, excited look in her eye. "Oh what to do with little miss adventurer? I could go for the old favorite of cutting you up and feeding you bit by bit to the dogs in front of you. How does that sound, Daring?!"

 

        Gilda forced her away again, then turned to the other person in the room. It was one of those heavily armored soldiers she had fought in town before. He must've been the one that drenched her.

 

        "What's in the cart you wheeled in outside?" Gilda asked, returning to her professional demeanor.

 

        "The clips, prongs and car battery, just as you asked, ma'am," responded the soldier.

 

        Gilda brought a hand to her chin in contemplation. "Hmmm, no. I've changed my mind. I'm going to need something sharp." Gilda looked over at Daring, tracing her eyes up and down Daring's bare skin, a smile growing on her face. "I want to skin our children's-book-hero here alive. Then I'm going to mount her head in my office. I might just practice my taxidermy on the spot. They start by replacing the eyes, right?" She looked over to her guard; he shrugged. Gilda went back to her thoughts.

 

        Daring couldn't help but let out a whimper at the thought of Gilda doing that to her. She immediately regretted letting out that noise. Gilda locked in on her, happy to see the fear leak out of her. A devious smile crossed her face again. She marched right back to Daring and came close to her face again.

 

        "What? Did that not sound good to you, princess?" Gilda pulled the knife from it's holster behind her back. She dragged it across the cuts on her throat. "I’m sorry if I'm scaring you, Daring. I can only be me. Tell you what, I'm feeling generous." Gilda took a long moment to look into Daring's eyes with her deranged expression. She dropped the knife off of her throat. Daring couldn't get far enough away from her tormentor. She looked to the side and leaned her head away from her. "Look at me, bitch." Gilda grabbed her by the chin and forced her to face her. Her expression hardened enough to strike fear in Daring's helpless form. "You look me in the eye when I'm being generous, or I might retract my offer."

 

        Gilda's expression eased when Daring opened an eye to look up at her. Her devious smile returned and she let Daring go. "Now, as I was saying: if you beg me real nice, I might just make your death quick."

 

        Gilda stood up, and Daring felt like she could barely breath. Her heart thumped inside her chest as Gilda began to peel the tape off of her. She ripped it off fast enough to leave a sharp stinging across her mouth. Daring couldn't control her frustration once her mouth was free.

 

        "Let me go, you crazy bitch! I'll-- Agh!" Daring shouted in pain as a searing agony spread from the wound on her stomach.

 

        Gilda stuck her knife into the wound and was gently twisting it, looking down at Daring with a satisfied smile. Daring strained to try to keep her screams down. She knew it would only push Gilda to hurt her even more. Gilda slowed down twisting the knife, letting Daring catch her breath. She still let out a low whimper with every ragged breath.

 

        Gilda averted her attention to Daring's shuddering abdomen as blood trailed down it. She wiped some of it off with her fingers and tasted it. "Whimper for me, Daring. I want to hear you suffer."

 

        Daring resisted the urge to give her what she wanted. She closed her mouth and breathed hard through her nose. Gilda kept her smile as she put the tape back over her mouth. She leaned down again to get eye-to-eye with Daring. She traced her knife along Daring's cheek, just enough to draw blood.

 

        Daring winced and let out a tiny whine of pain. "Slow and horrible it is. Don't say I didn't give you a chance. Oh well." Gilda stood back up and turned around to face her guard. "You, go get some of those adrenaline needles from the infirmary. I don't want our friend leaving before I'm done with her." She looked back and gave Daring a promising grin.

 

        "And your other tools, Ma'am?" asked the soldier.

 

        "Oh, I think I'll pick them out myself. I don't think the girl of the hour is going anywhere anytime soon."

 

        The soldier nodded and opened the large metal door to go out into the hallway. Gilda followed close behind. She looked back for a moment towards Daring before she shut the door. "Don't run off. I've got big plans for you..." Gilda said with her devilish grin. She slammed the massive, metal door behind her, leaving Daring to think things over.

 

        She strained her hands against the ropes and looked up at the chains keeping her chained to the ceiling. All of her effort wasn't enough to make her bonds even budge. She slumped back down and screamed into the tape out of frustration. She could feel panic building up inside her, and she wanted to just break down and cry. She knew she wasn't going to get out of this, and that it was going to end in a horribly painful death. She couldn't help but let out a few whimpers as tears formed at the edge of her vision.

        

        She tried to take a few deep breaths to quell the panic building up inside of her. If she was going to die, she was at least going to go out with some of her dignity left. The thought of Gilda taking her "tools" to her lingered in the back of her mind, frightening her to her core. She tried to take solace in the fact that Whooves was probably far away from this dreadful place, and the artifact with him, securing Equestria's safety.

 

        No matter how much she tried to assure herself that things would be alright, she couldn't help but come back to the same thought: she didn't want to die. As much as she hated to admit it, the thrill of danger did drive her, but this was something different. Death was looming over her, mere moments away. There was no thrill. All that filled her was sorrow that she finally lost to the white-haired lunatic plotting her torture.

 

        The door creaked open on rusty hinges again. Daring closed her eyes tightly and hoped she could endure until Gilda finally let her die. She waited for a punch, or a knife to her bare skin, but nothing came. It seemed like Gilda didn't even announce her presence when she returned.

 

        "Daring," a voice whispered. Daring opened her eyes to see Whooves, crouched over and covered in dirt and cuts.

 

        Whooves reached for the tape over Daring's mouth and pulled it off quickly.

 

        Daring started in a harsh whisper: "Whooves, what the hell are you doing here?! I told you to get out and get the artifact to safety! Do you know how many lives you're risking by--"

 

        Whooves reeled back at the sudden onslaught, then put the tape back over Daring's mouth. He gave her a sheepish smile when she started letting out angry grumbles around the tape. "Heh, sorry about that; but there's no time to argue. I'm already here, so just let me rescue you," he said quickly as he reached behind her to undo the rope. "Don't worry, I don't have the... thing, on me." Daring flipped around and gave him a questioning grunt. Whooves rolled his eyes and pulled her back around to get to the rope. "Would you hold still?"

 

        He finally freed her hands, and the first thing she went for was the tape over her mouth. She looked around at Whooves with a glare that might've killed lesser men. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? If the empire got their hands on that kind of power, who knows what-- what are you doing?" Daring asked as Whooves put his hands on her back and lifted her up.

 

        "How about you get yourself off of that hook, and you can yell at me later, hmm?"

 

        Daring paused for a moment. "Oh, right." With the quiet rattling of metal, Daring leaned up and let herself off the hook. Whooves let her down to the concrete as gently as he could manage, but Daring could tell how worn out he was from the unsteady movement of his muscles.

 

        She managed to unwrap the chains from herself, then rubbed the fresh bruises on her hands and feet.

 

        Whooves leaned down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder and looking down to the bleeding wound on her stomach. "Are you going to be alright?"

 

        She didn't have time to say no. As much as she just wanted to collapse right there, she had to get Whooves and herself out of there. The thought of Gilda coming back and having her "fun" with the both of them was enough to make her shut out the pain and rise to her shaky feet. Whooves grabbed her arm to help her up, but Daring pushed him away when he tried to support her. "I'll be fine... we just need to get out of here.”

 

        Daring tripped herself up as soon as she tried to take a step. She fell to one knee and had to prop herself up to keep from falling completely. Whooves shot over to help her up. This time, she didn’t resist as he put her arm around his shoulders.

 

        “Do you have a plan?” Daring asked.

 

        Whooves smiled at the question. “A couple friends of ours wanted some payback. They’re waiting outside.”

 

        In her hazed state, Daring didn’t comprehend what Whooves was trying to say, but she went along anyway. He opened the large metal door into the better-lit hallway, then looked down each side to see if it was clear. “The guards at the main entrance have already been taken care of, we just need to hurry.”

        

        Daring bumped her hips against Whooves. “Well what are you waiting on, hero? Get us out of here.”

 

        Whooves gave her a nod and snuck into the hallway. With all the skill his untrained feet could muster, he quietly traversed the hallways. Daring wondered why there weren’t more guards around; there were lines of metal doors that must’ve held prisoners, but hardly anyone to watch them stood outside.

 

        Whooves rounded a corner then immediately pushed back to lean up against the wall. Daring let out a pained groan, but Whooves slapped a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. He leaned over towards Daring and mouthed the name “Gilda” to her, quelling her complaints immediately.

 

        Once they were both silent, Daring could hear Gilda sharpening something and giggling quietly to herself. Daring’s heart began thumping in her ears yet again. She was in no condition for a fight, and Whooves wouldn’t last long against her either. If they couldn’t find a way past her, they were both going to die for nothing.

 

        Gilda muttered something to herself, then the sound of something heavy clanging on a metal table made Daring jump. Rolling wheels emanated through the hallway, and Daring’s eyes opened wide in fear. She looked over to Whooves, who was desperately looking for a way out. He settled on the metal door across from them and shot into it.

 

        They both settled into the wall on the other side of the door in the dark cell. The putrid stench of death entered Daring’s nose immediately, making her gag. She looked to the other end of the room to see three bodies, mangled and misshapen, laying on the opposite wall. She averted her eyes, not wanting to take in Gilda’s handy work, or think about a fate that just as easily could be hers. Daring shut her eyes tightly, trying to push down the panic and fear building up inside of her. She mentally berated herself for letting this get to her. [i]I’m supposed to be fearless... I can’t let this get to me. [/i]No matter how hard she reassured herself, the grip of fear still held strong.

 

        Whooves watched intently through the small gap in the open door. The sound of the table rolling finally passed them, and Whooves stood up and jerked Daring back out into the hallway. Daring caught a glimpse of Gilda mere yards away from them and her heart jumped into her throat. The twisted metal instruments she could make out from her quick view of the table in her grasp made her blood run cold. Luckily, Whooves traded stealth for speed in his steps, and quickly ran towards the open door at the end of the hallway.

 

        With no more obstacles in their way, Whooves shot out of the door and back into the jungle. Daring caught a glimpse of two unconscious guards at either side of the door, but didn’t get a chance to think about it as Whooves ran both of them down a hill and into the woods.

 

        The sound of an enraged scream echoed out of the building behind them, and Daring winced as soon as it met her ears. She knew exactly who it belonged to, and was glad she was a good distance away. Whooves kept running into the woods, a clear direction in mind. Daring didn’t bother to ask as any direction away was good enough for her.

 

        After a few more minutes of limping against Whooves at a slow jog, they came to stop in a break in the brush. Ahead of them was the small village they’d first arrived in. Whooves let Daring off his shoulder and sat her in the dirt.

        

Daring gasped for breath. In her weakened state, the small run drained her of energy much faster than it normally would’ve. Though she hated to admit it, part of her heart thumping in her chest was the fear of what might be following her. Whooves’ breathing was slightly heavier than normal, but he looked no worse for wear.

 

        Whooves looked down at her, a playful smile on his face. “Look who’s out of shape now, miss athletic adventurer.”

 

        Daring rolled her eyes and attempted to control her breathing. “Don’t let it get to your head.” She looked towards the town then back up to Whooves. “So what’s the big plan?”

 

        “Oh, I’m glad you asked.” Whooves stood up tall with a proud expression. Daring shook her head. “I’ve already called for our plane, it’s at a dock in the woods across town. We just need to get over there and we’re home free.”

 

        Daring raised an eyebrow. “What about the army patrolling the streets? I doubt we can just stroll past them after our first visit.”

 

        The smile never left Whooves’ face. “I think you’ll like this part.” Whooves looked up to the trees and paused for a moment. “She said she’d be here as soon as we got out...”

 

        Daring followed his eyes to the trees, expecting something. Nothing but the breeze brushing through the leaves lay in the foliage above them.

 

        “So what exactly are you—”

 

        The sound of a branch whipping back cut Daring off. A thump echoed up from the dirt in front of her, followed by two others. Daring looked ahead to see Zecora and two Nabinazzi warriors rising from the dirt.

 

        “Ah, there they are,” Whooves said.

 

        Zecora nodded to him. She looked down to the see the pitiful state Daring was in, a hint of worry crossing her face, then looked back over to Whooves.

 

        “Yes. We have arrived. And I see our friend Daring has survived.”

 

        “Just barely. If I had been five minutes later she might not have,” Whooves said, casting a thankful smile down at Daring.

 

        “It is good that Daring has not met her end. She is very important to our plan, as well as an invaluable friend.”

 

        Daring tried to stand up with the rest of them, but only succeeded in falling back to her knees. Whooves shot down to try and help her, but she brushed him away. She settled for just looking up at them from her position in the dirt. “So what exactly is this plan of yours?”

 

        Zecora’s expression turned solemn, angered almost. “The invasion of our homeland and destruction of our city we will not forgive. No matter the enemy, my people will outlive.”

 

        Zecora reached behind her back and pulled out the golden artifact. “Today we will strike back, and since you have been chosen, you will lead our attack.”

 

        “Zecora, I can barely stand, I’m in no shape to—”

 

        Zecora stepped forward and touched the artifact to Daring’s shoulder. The lines along her body lit up in a bright gold, casting light across everyone around her. Daring felt a surge of energy rush through every part of her body and invigorate all of her muscles. She could feel the weakness begin to leave her body, and the feeling of being invincible enveloped her again. An excited smile crossed Daring’s face; she was ready for anything now.

 

        Daring stood back up to her feet instantly, flexing her arms and legs and letting the power course through her. She grabbed the artifact out of Zecora’s hand to keep the feeling going.

 

        “Alright, how are we going to do this?” Daring said with an excited grin. Zecora gave her a low chuckle.

 

        “I’m glad to see your energy has returned. I’m sure you’ll agree that their hold must be burned.”

 

        Daring took a deep breath, feeling the power flow through her in greater surges with every passing second. Before she had the dildo in her hand, Daring would have opted to just make a break for the plane, but now she felt like leading an army. “I do.”

 

        “To kill a snake, you must cut off its head. For our plan to succeed, we need Gilda dead.”

 

        Daring looked down to her hand and felt the weight of the artifact. She imagined all the ways she could make sure Gilda never hurt anyone again. The thought gave her a rush of adrenaline. She looked back up to Zecora, determined. “I can do that.”

 

        Whooves looked over at Daring, wanting to say something. Daring knew exactly what he was going to tell her, and she didn’t care. She was going to put Gilda down one way or another. She had to.

 

        “Good, then our attack can commence. We shall get into position, and put them in the defense. When it starts, go for her first. With any luck, her rule might be reversed.”

 

        Daring nodded. “I’ll take care of her. Let’s get this started,” she said intensely.

 

        Zecora gave her a curt nod then turned around. The two warriors beside her shot their red ribbon into the trees and pulled themselves up into the branches. Zecora sprinted towards one of the trunks, then jumped between two trees until she had joined them. Daring watched them go, then turned back to look towards the town. Soldiers and townsfolk alike went on with their daily lives, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

 

        Whooves stepped beside Daring, a worried look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Daring cut him off, her look intense and unyielding.

 

        “No. I’m not going to let her live. You’ve seen what she’s done; we can’t just let her go.”

 

        Whooves opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He sighed and looked off towards the town with Daring. The two of them sat in tense silence for a few seconds before Whooves looked over to her again.

 

        “Why do you really want to kill her?”

 

        The question caught Daring off guard. She looked over to Whooves, confusion plain on her face. [i]What does he mean? I just said why... [/i]

 

        “I know she needs to be stopped, but you aren’t a killer, Daring,” Whooves said, looking into her eyes. His expression was one of concern, like he knew Daring was doing something wrong.

 

        “What are you talking about? I’ve had... to before.” Daring looked down to the dirt in front of her, trying to decipher what he meant, and why she felt like he suddenly had a point.

 

        “Had to. I’ve never seen you... want to kill someone like this.”

 

        Daring bit her lip. She knew what he was talking about. In the past every life she’s taken has been out of self-defense. She’d never sought out to kill someone like she was about to do now. Her mind went back and forth over it. On the one hand, Gilda needed to be put down for the good of this whole jungle, but on the other, she knew she agreed for some more selfish reason. The same rush she got from putting her own life at risk pulsed through her at the thought of getting back at her insane tormentor. Before she could find a reason to talk herself out of it, she pushed the thought to the back of her mind and focused back on the town.

 

        “Just stay out of my way, Whooves.” Daring felt like she said that with more venom than was necessary, but didn’t look over to see his reaction. She had a town to save, and she didn’t need him talking her out of it.

 

        “Spread out! Search every alley for that bitch! I want her alive,” a voice that could only belong to Gilda yelled. Dozens of soldiers rushed down the hill from where the prison must’ve been. The air was heavy with the mid-afternoon heat and the sound of footsteps filled the air. Daring knelt down and put a hand on Whooves’ shoulder to bring him down as well. Her heart began beating in her chest again at the sight of Gilda. Adrenaline made her vision sharp and her muscles tense; she was ready for a fight.

 

Daring grabbed Whooves’ shoulder and looked him dead in the eye. “Listen to me. Once I go out there, I want you to go around the main road while they’re distracted. Get back to the plane and tell the pilot to get it started. I’ll be there.”

 

“Daring—”

 

Daring brought him closer and kept her serious demeanor. “I’ll be there. Just go.”

 

Reluctantly, Whooves nodded to her. She let him go then turned her eyes back to Gilda, who was making her way into the center of town. Daring couldn’t see her face, but she knew the rage that must have been on it. Gilda’s posture was tense and it seemed she was ready to pounce with every step.

 

On the rooftops, Daring spotted several dozen moving bodies, all dressed in thin red fabric. They watched the soldiers fan out through the town, ready to strike at any moment. Daring knew the time was coming. She waved Whooves off and stepped out of the foliage and into the dirt road ahead of her. All Gilda had to do was turn around and she’d see her. The rush came back, and Daring stood up and sprinted to the nearest building to hide behind.

 

In any other situation she might’ve laughed at herself for taking on an entire army in her underwear with nothing but a dildo.

 

The sound of fabric snapping forward signaled the beginning. Gun shots rang out and all the people in the street ran for cover. A couple of villagers ran past Daring into the woods. Her eyes followed them to see Whooves sneaking around the coast towards the plane. With him out of the way, she didn’t have to worry about babysitting.

 

Daring whipped around the corner to face the battle. An explosion forced her hand up to cover her face. Gilda wasn’t pulling any punches this time. Her soldiers were tossing grenades and shooting anything that wasn’t wearing a uniform. Bodies already littered the streets from both sides, and dust and fire were already being kicked up.

 

Daring ran to the other side of the street to get a better look. Two soldiers brought their rifles up to face her, and she raised the artifact. A bright flash from her hand and the marks covering her body rendered the two soldiers immobile and moaning in agony. Their guns clattered to the ground as they held themselves.

 

Daring took cover behind a small wooden building. She peaked out to look for Gilda, but so much dust had been kicked up she could hardly see a few feet into the road. She lunged around the outside of the shack and ran towards the center of town, careful to steer clear of any figures in the dust before they could spot her.

 

Daring could make out dark silhouettes exchanging blows and debris from nearby buildings flying about. Every thunderous boom blew out more dust and made making out any one person impossible. She cut through sections of clear air where no dirt had been kicked up, but never spotted her target. Thinking she wasn’t going to be getting anywhere just circling the outskirts, Daring darted into the middle of the fray.

 

        She ran past a few soldiers trying to shoot Nabinazzi warriors that dared get too close. With a quick flash of light and a few dull thumps, she ended that fight to let the girls advance deeper into the dust.

 

        Daring bumped into another soldier’s back as she blindly ran. He spun around and attempted to bring up his rifle, but Daring jerked forward and grabbed the barrel with one hand. He let off a few shots into the dirt, making Daring cringe at the sudden heat of the gun in her hand. She yanked him forward and planted her fist right into his nose with the artifact. Energy coursed through her and blasted out around her fingers, making him crumple beneath her.

 

        She shook her hand a couple of times, trying to wave off the burn. Her attention snapped back towards the center of the street when she heard her voice.

 

        “Keep firing! I want every last one of them dead!” Gilda shouted. Daring’s heart started beating faster when she realized it was her. The time had finally come. She had to end this.

 

        Gilda was firing her pistol into the dust behind her, with her two heavy guards at her back. Daring sprinted towards them, ducking low to make sure they couldn’t register her until the last second.

 

The one on the left saw her once she was a yard in front of him, and fired towards her. She rolled out of the way and pounced at him. The artifact in her hand shined brightly, but only manage to stagger him at a distance. She landed with all four limbs on him, plunging the golden treasure as hard into his face-mask as she could manage. When she felt him begin to drop, she pushed off of him and onto the back of the other one.

 

Daring clamped around his neck tightly with both arms as he thrashed about. He fired his gun wildly, hitting everything in front of him indiscriminately. Daring tried to force her hand up to his face, but couldn’t get the chance with him trying to throw her off. Gilda took notice of the scene behind her. She spotted Daring’s black hair flying around her guard and the rage on her face intensified tenfold.

 

The look in Gilda’s eyes made Daring’s blood run cold again. Fear gripped her heart and she held on to the soldier’s neck as hard as she could and pulled him backwards. Once her feet touched the dirt again, Daring crouched as much as she could behind the heavily armored guard. Gilda recklessly fired the entire magazine into Daring’s captive. She could feel the bullets intense impact through him. Even with the armor, she dreaded to think what that must’ve felt like. The large soldier went limp in her grasp. Daring couldn’t hold him up by his neck, so she slumped over to the ground with him.

 

Daring looked up to see Gilda reaching to her pocket for another magazine, but grabbing at nothing. Empty pistol magazines and bullet casings littered the ground around her. Daring smiled and let go of the guard, rising back up to her full height.

 

“It ends now, Gilda,” Daring said, sizing her up for her first strike.

 

Gilda looked down at her pistol with frustration. The rage built up on her face until it finally snapped and turned into a look of insane delight. She reached behind her back and pulled out her combat knife with a quick metallic scrape.

 

        “Oh, you’re right, Daring. This is the end. I’m going to skin you alive, just like I promised.” Gilda took a menacing step towards Daring, making her confidence begin to crumble. Daring took a step back unintentionally. “And for making me work so hard for it, I’m going to make it as horrible and messy as possible.”

 

        Daring gulped. She had no protection on. Any connection with that knife would mean a deep cut. Gilda continued on her path towards her, and Daring forced herself to stand strong, even though every fiber of her being told her to turn tail and run.

 

        Gilda let out a yell that would’ve put a lion to shame as she charged Daring. Daring dropped into a fighting stance and caught Gilda’s hand as she came down for a stab. She moved to break the knife out of her hand, but Gilda’s speed won out. She retracted her hand and made another swipe towards Daring. Daring jerked back, feeling the edge barely graze her neck. With trained precision, Gilda swiped and thrust towards Daring, leaving her little room to counterattack between dodging. With every strike, Gilda came closer to hitting her mark as she began anticipating Daring’s movements.

 

        Daring knew she was no match like this. She had to fight back before Gilda could land a killing blow. She could still smell the stench of old blood on her tattered uniform. Determined not to be added to her collection, Daring grabbed Gilda’s hand out of a thrust, and pulled her in for a punch with the artifact in her hand.

 

        Daring underestimated how fast she actually could be. With her other hand, Gilda snagged the knife and stabbed towards Daring’s midsection. The punch connected before she could thrust it between her ribs. The blow forced Gilda to a knee, and made her hand stab downwards instead. The sick sound of metal cutting through flesh rang out through Daring’s body. In a rush of adrenaline, she kneed Gilda in the face, then spun around to throw her body as far as she could manage.

 

        Once the rush of the fight began to wear off, the searing pain in her side became more apparent. Daring looked down to see the knife deep in her hip. Blood was already starting to pour down her leg. She wrapped a hand around it and grimaced. Even with the rush of energy from the artifact, the pain was still debilitating. Daring bent over and let out a whimper as she wrapped her other hand around as much as she could.

 

        With a sickening squish, Daring yanked the knife out of her side. She cried out as the agonizing flame of pain shot through her entire body. Blood poured out of her freely now. Daring gritted her teeth and winced as she rose back up. Daring gritted her teeth and winced as she rose back up. Any bit of weight she put on that leg sent searing pain through her entire body.

 

        The dust around them began to settle. The gunshots slowed down to nothing but the occasional crack as the warriors continued to cut the soldiers down. Even though she was injured, Daring knew the fight would soon be over.

 

        She looked back up to Gilda to see her beginning to recover from the throw. Blood poured from Gilda's mouth and into the dirt below her. Gilda looked up from under her white hair at Daring. Her golden eyes pierced right through her. The glint of insanity Daring could see in her left her frightened yet again. The bloody smile Gilda gave her as she got up made her look like the demon she truly was.

 

        Gilda ripped off her tattered shirt and sprinted towards Daring. Daring's eyes went wide as she drew closer. She knew she couldn't put up as much of a fight now. Gilda threw a punch at her, and Daring side-stepped. Daring thrust the knife at Gilda, but she still retained her quickness. She grabbed Daring's wrist and broke the knife out of it. Gilda used her free arm to elbow Daring across the jaw, making her drop the artifact and stumble to her knees. Blood started to fill her mouth and stars swam in her vision. For her size, Gilda hit like a freight-train. Gilda leaned down, threw the knife out of the way, then picked up the golden piece from the dirt. Daring reached a hand out to stop her, but a boot connected with her cheek, sending her back into the dirt. Gilda walked over to her, a sick smile on her face. Gilda leaned over and grabbed Daring by the throat. The pressure of her grip made Daring gasp immediately, but Gilda didn't let any air flow through.

 

        She hoisted Daring back to her feet, making sure she had no way to breath. Daring wrapped both hands around Gilda's wrist, but she could feel her energy quickly fading.

 

        "I've got a better idea," Gilda said. "I'll kill you with the very treasure you worked so hard to keep from me."

 

        Gilda teased the tip of the artifact between her legs, moving Daring's underwear out of the way. "You're not getting out of it this time," Gilda said, her voice turning low and dark. She forced the object deep into Daring's passage, making her cry out in pain.

 

        The sensation was familiar. The same intense feeling she felt from the dream. The unending grasp of a fatal surge of energy erupted from between her legs. Her vision went completely white and her voice twisted with energy as the power inside her began to tear her apart. The intense heat from her marks began to sear into her flesh, and any chance she had at escaping was dashed once all of her muscles became paralyzed with pain. All of her thoughts descended into inescapable agony as her body tore itself apart from the inside.

 

        A distant echo ended Daring's pain and she could feel her body being tossed aside. Her vision went black and the surge of energy flowing through her ended.

 

        When her eyes finally focused in, all she could see was dirt and fire. Her ears rang sharply, and tiny pinpricks of pain covered her body. What felt like bee-stings littered her legs and some of her back. Droplets of blood trickled down around them. All Daring wanted to do was just fall asleep. Everything around her had calmed; there were no longer any gunshots filling the air, and the intense glare of the sun had been blotted out by the clouds overhead. The dust began to settle as the fighting ended, revealing the broken and destroyed village around her.

 

                Daring tried to pick herself up out of the dirt, but her arms gave out on her. She landed with a small thud back into the ground and her vision began to fade again. Breathing took more energy out of her than it ever had before. Daring had to fight with herself just to keep her eyes open. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the glitter of gold. With her last bit of energy, she reached over for it. The cool feeling of metal on her fingers made Daring's eyes shoot open again. Energy rushed into her and breathed life into her battered body. While still shaky, she managed to bring herself to her feet yet again.

 

        Gilda stood in an unsteady stance at the other end of the street. Fire danced in the path behind her. Gilda looked like she was ready to fall over as well. Little red dots were scattered across her body, from an apparent explosion that must've thrown both of them into the dirt. Daring looked around her, seeing the victorious warriors standing over the bodies of their defeated enemy. Instead of jumping in to finish Gilda, they simply stared towards her and Daring. Daring looked up across the rooftops to see more of the girls watching the scene, including Zecora, who had her arms crossed and gazed into the street with a somber expression.

 

        Daring looked across each one of them in confusion. "What are you all--"

 

        Gilda's laugh cut her off. Her ragged voice let out the sound of legitimate amusement at the situation. Daring averted her attention back to her. Gilda was hunched over, one hand clutching her ribs. A cut above her eye bathed half of her face in blood, but her smile remained.

 

        "They can't touch me," Gilda said, limping towards Daring. "Their stupid gods chose me as worthy, and now they can't so much as lay a finger on me."

 

        Daring looked at her incredulously. "B-But Zecora--"

 

        "Put me to sleep. She would've gone against everything she believed in if she had killed me, no matter how much she wanted to."

 

        Gilda let out a laugh again. She reached down to pick her knife up out of the dirt. Daring's blood still stained the tip. Daring looked up to Zecora again, but she only gave her the same somber expression.

 

        "And how convenient she managed to convince you to do it for her. Her little civilization has been avoiding me for years. Now that they finally convinced someone to do their dirty work, they have the balls to take me on."

 

        "Dirty work?" Daring's eyebrow twitched. She didn't like being used like that, but she knew that Gilda had to be taken care of one way or another. "It doesn't matter who does it, Gilda. You need to die."

 

        Gilda let out a lower, more vicious laugh. "Yes, Daring. And you get to be the one who does it. Doesn't it feel good? Knowing you're about to murder someone? It's a rush like no other."

 

        Daring wasn't about to let Gilda get in her head, but the familiar rush came back to her as her muscles tensed for another fight.

 

        "Well do it, Daring! I haven't got all day. If you're going to pussy out I can still skin you alive."

 

        [i]Why do you want to kill her?[/i] Whooves' words resounded in her head. Rage built up inside of her. Now was not the time to have a moral crisis. "Shut up!" Daring yelled, more to herself than to Gilda.

 

        Daring ran towards Gilda as fast as her tired feet could. Gilda's bloody smile only made her muscles flare with energy. Despite being beaten and blown up, Gilda still kept her speed. She sliced the knife towards Daring's throat, missing by mere inches. Daring moved her head and ducked under her next swipe. She shouldered Gilda right in the sternum, forcing the air out of her lungs and throwing her to the ground. Gilda still managed to stick the knife into Daring's shoulder blade, but Daring paid it no mind as it fell to the ground behind her.

 

        Gilda struggled to catch her breath as she laid out on the ground. She was done, and both Gilda and Daring knew it. Through a bloody cough, Gilda kept laughing. Daring knelt down beside her, dildo in her right hand, ready for the killing blow. "Enjoy it while it lasts, bitch." Gilda spat blood onto Daring's face. Daring's blood boiled over and her heart raced at the chance to finally put her tormentor down.  Daring pulled Gilda's tattered pants around her thighs, and wrapped her free hand around Gilda's throat. Gilda wrapped her hand around Daring's wrist, but the pathetic amount of strength she had left made no difference.

 

                Gilda looked right into Daring's eye, and Daring back into hers. With gritted teeth and malice in her heart, Daring forced the artifact deep inside of Gilda. The effect was almost instantaneous; Gilda threw her head back and let out a cry of horrible agony. Her eyes and mouth lit up with bright energy, enveloping her face with golden light. The same lines that covered Daring lit up on Gilda, lighting her up in a road-map of seared flesh. Smoke began to rise from Gilda's skin as she thrashed underneath Daring, trying to escape.

 

        Adrenaline filled Daring's body. Gilda was right, watching someone die was a rush like no other. Feeling Gilda's life pass out of her body right underneath her filled her with a sadistic glee that she didn't want to end. Then Daring realized what thoughts were passing through her mind, and pulled her hand back, sliding the dildo out of Gilda.

 

        Daring stood up, looking between her hands and Gilda as she backed away. What did she just do?

 

        Gilda coughed up blood and moaned in agony. Her body smoked and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Gilda looked up to Daring, hate in her eyes. "What are you--" she coughed up blood again, letting it spill down her chin. "--doing. F... finish it."

 

        [i]Why do you really want to kill her?[/i] her thoughts asked. "I..." Daring felt ashamed of herself. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself this was for the greater good, she couldn't help but come back to the truth: she was doing this for herself.

 

        Daring wanted to kill Gilda out of fear. The fear that she might come back and kill her, the fear that she might haunt her for the rest of her days, just knowing that she was somewhere in the world, the fear that she felt when her golden eyes even cast a glance at her.

 

        The same rush Daring got from putting her life in danger, she got again at the thought of finally killing Gilda. She was doing this for herself; she was doing this because she was afraid. Daring almost let her fear get the best of her. The selfish, sadistic part of her almost took control. If she had given into her desires, she would've been no better than the insane, dying girl laying in the dirt below her.

 

        Daring looked Gilda right in the eye and said: "No."

 

        Daring turned around and walked away, leaving Gilda yelling behind her. "W-what?!" Another wet cough. "Get... Get back here!"

 

        She simply marched on, putting Gilda out of her mind. The blue-haired girl she had met when she first arrived looked past her and towards Gilda. Anger was plain on her face as she looked at what Daring could only guess was Gilda. She grabbed a bottle out of the dirt and smashed the end of it on a wall. The girl walked out into the street, and passed Daring. Other villagers began emerging from the alleyways and broken buildings. Some of them held pieces of iron or broken limbs; all of them were headed in the same direction, looks of anger and hatred pointed at the end of the street.

 

        "DARING!" Gilda yelled out one last time. Daring pushed it out of her mind. With what little energy she had left, she walked towards the end of the village, where Whooves had pointed out the dock.

 

        Daring didn't even bother to look back at Gilda, Zecora, or anything. She walked to the end of the road, then crossed over into the woods.

 

        The old plane sat at the edge of the bank, engine roaring to life and ready to fly. Whooves stood nervously next to it, fiddling with the ends of his shirt as he scanned the woods. When he saw Daring, his eyes lit up brightly, and he ran over to her with a smile on his face.

 

        "Daring!" Whooves said, wrapping his arms around her. "You're alive!"

 

        Daring groaned in pain. There were still wounds all over her that were bleeding, and the pressure from Whooves' embrace wasn't helping. "Ergh. Not if you keep hugging me."

 

        Whooves backed off, a sheepish smile on his face. "Heh, sorry." He spared a glance back to the plane, then motioned for Daring to come with him as he walked over to it. "Come on, I've got the pilot ready to go and everything. Let's get out of this dreadful jungle."

 

        Daring limped along behind him. The adrenaline was starting to wear off, and all the aches and sharp pains began flooding back to her, making her grimace. "You don't have to tell me twice."

 

        Whooves happily stepped into the water and crawled into the plane. The sound of the engine was intense and made Daring's already sensitive ears ache, but she stepped into the water to follow suit. Whooves saw her struggling to climb in, so he grabbed her to help. Daring finally just gave in and let him pull her in and set her on the seat. She was too tired now to try to do things for herself.

 

        Whooves gave a thumbs-up to the pilot, and he started moving forward out onto the lake. Before long, they were in the air, and headed home. Daring looked back down to the village. In the midst of the fire and destruction, the villagers all gathered in a circle in one spot, and the warriors who once stood in the streets and on the roofs began to retreat back into the woods. Daring looked to the golden artifact in her hand. She'd done it. Equestria was safe and no one had to worry about this little legend anymore. Daring winced and let out a yelp as she felt something sting against her side.

 

        "Ouch! What are you doing!" She yelled over at Whooves over the sound of the engine. He was bent over and pouring disinfectant on her hip out of the first-aid kit in his lap.

 

        "Oh, stop your complaining." Whooves put a piece of gauze over the cut and then wrapped her midsection in a bandage. Daring just laid back and let it happen; she was too tired to tell him off.

 

        A few moments passed, and Whooves let out a laugh she could barely hear over the engine. Daring looked over to him to see a proud smile on his face. "Really, Daring. What would you have done if I'd stayed on the plane?"

 

        Daring punched him right across the face. Whooves looked over at her, hurt. "What was that--"

 

        Daring interrupted him by grabbing his cheeks and pulling him into a deep kiss. Whooves' eyes went wide, but he soon melted into her embrace. Daring broke the kiss and hugged him tightly. "I probably would've died.... Thank you."

 

        Whooves returned the embrace. Knowing that nothing more needed to be said, he just let Daring enjoy the moment for a little longer. Once she grew tired of the mushy nonsense, she returned to the spot on the seat beside him.

 

        A couple more moments passed, and Daring's eyes started to grow heavy. Whooves wrapped an arm around her shoulder and brought her close to him, then took his hand off of her. "You can go to sleep, Daring. You know you need it."

 

        She couldn't help but agree. While the lone-wolf side of her wanted to push him away and fall asleep next to the window, he was quite warm and comfortable. With a yawn, Daring slumped into Whooves' side and began to drift off.

 

        "So, how about a cup of coffee when we get back?" Whooves asked innocently.

 

        Daring didn't even bother to look at him. "Don't push your luck, Casanova."

 

        She could hear him let out a tiny laugh, then he rested his arm around her shoulder. Finally safe, Daring closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 

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        The smell of freshly waxed floors and old paper was thick in the air of the World History Museum in Canterlot. It had already been a month since she'd gotten back from her latest adventure, but she was still completely worn out from the whole ordeal. She struggled to maintain her posture in heels with her hip still sore, and the black dress that clung to her body made some of the more lasting injuries ache. Daring still hadn't gotten used to the idea of having to put makeup on her neck, but she'd rather do that than let her scars show to the world. She couldn't have people asking questions after all.

 

        The opening of the brand-new Nabinazzi exhibit had finally ended. Daring attended as a very interested archaeologist, but really wanted to see what people thought of all her hard work. The day was coming to a close, and Daring was the only one left in the small room filled with artifacts and pieces of the lost civilizations discovered history.

 

        The quiet halls gave her an odd sense of satisfaction as she stared up to the golden dildo sitting in a stand behind a thick pane of glass.

 

        "Amazing, isn't it?" Whooves said beside her.

 

        "Gah!" Daring yelped at his sudden appearance. She don't know where he learned to sneak up on people like that, but she didn't like it. "Sweet Celestia, Turner. Don't do that."

 

        "Heh, sorry, Daring. Or, Miss Yearling."

 

        Daring composed herself and stood up straight next to him again. "It's fine."

 

        She sighed, marveling at how much she had to go through just to have people gawk at a shiny sex-toy. "It's just odd to think about how much trouble we went through; how many new scars I have over that."

 

        "It was quite an adventure. Still can't believe you almost had it without me. What were you thinking, trying to leave such importance behind?"

 

        Daring raised an eyebrow and looked over at him. "Would you like another punch?"

 

        Whooves laughed and took a step away from Daring. "No thank you, Miss Yearling. I'm still recovering from your last one."

 

        Daring smiled and turned around, letting her heels clack against the tiles as she made her way towards the exit. "Let's go home. I'd rather be asleep than have to stare at that dildo any longer."

 

        Whooves followed next to her, silently surveying the exhibits on the way out with a silly grin on his face.

 

        "What are you so happy about?" Daring asked playfully.

 

        Whooves looked over to her and let out a chuckle. "I know one thing for sure."

 

        Daring couldn't help but adopt his stupid smile. "And what's that?"

 

        "I can't wait to read the book about this one."