Daring Do walked through the streets of Hoofingon determinedly, a mare on a mission. Her official title was forensic archaeologist with the Equestrian Museum of Anthropology, but everypony knew that she was much more.

This, though, was out of her league. She could deal with any predatory animal. Tigers, pythons, manticores - she understood how their minds worked. But these stallions in suits were unpredictable. She didn’t know the rules of their game.

It can’t be that difficult, she thought. Just talk them into giving you the authorization to go in and retrieve the artifacts. Easy.

As she trotted up a long flight of marble stairs, she was struck by the sickening opulence of these bureaucrats. The city was crumbling around them, but they did nothing but extort the ordinary citizens. Their administrative office building stood like a sparkling chandelier in a garbage dump.

She stepped through the gigantic glass doors, and spoke briefly with the receptionist. Soon, she was gliding smoothly to the top floor in a cylindrical elevator. Her eyes were treated to a view of the metropolis - what little of it could be seen through the blanket of yellow smog. Many of the buildings were abandoned, their windows boarded up. The few structures that showed signs of life appeared to be casinos and brothels. Even now, Hoofington was still a tourist trap, perfect for the wealthy gentlecolt who wanted to enjoy a city with no rules.

The elevator doors opened, and she was greeted by a line of sickeningly fake smiles, ponies arranged in a half circle around an enormous meeting table. “Good morning, Miss Do. What a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Likewise, Dr. Brownfield.” She shook his hoof. It was like touching the head of a poisonous snake.

“Please, sit. There is much for us to discuss.” The oval room was covered in dark wood paneling, and the only light came from narrow windows.

“Look. Just give me the paperwork to sign. I want to get the artifacts out of that cave before the looters do,” she said, easing into a plush leather chair.

“I’m sure you do. But the situation has grown … complicated.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You sent me a scroll yesterday that said everything was under control.”

He ran a hoof through his mane. “Yes, well. There’s been a bit of a misunderstanding with the rebels. They’ve decided to take matters into their own hooves.”

Her mind quickly reviewed all she knew about this situation. The entrance to the cavern had been discovered just three days ago by an amateur archaeologist. Poking around in an abandoned dig a few miles west of the city, he unearthed a small stone door. An inscription stated that it was the entrance to the treasury of King Leonidas II, and that all his wealth was buried within, known to be worth many billions of bits. The amateur had tried to enter, but chickened out when he sprung a protective trap and narrowly missed being decapitated. All would be well if he had kept his big mouth shut. But, like a fool, he had taken the news straight to the press, and soon the entire world knew of the discovery. Despite the military guard posted around the site, the Hoofington government had received a serious threat from the Iron Wings, a local paramilitary organization. They had demanded to be allowed to enter and retrieve the treasure.

“So, what happened?” she asked, expecting the worst.

“The guards around the cave were ambushed last night by Iron Wing troops. They’ve taken dozens of our soldiers captive, as well as a number of overcurious civilians who were nearby when the attack took place. They are using the hostages as leverage. If we attack, their lives are forfeit.”

Daring Do’s eyes narrowed. “What have you done to resolve this?”

“What can we do? Every one of our available army units is stationed around the perimeter. But, shedding the blood of civilians is not an option. Some of them are just foals. The rebels hold the trump card.”

This is going to be much more difficult than I thought, Daring mused. Not that that’s unusual.

“Their methods of archaeology are a little more direct than yours, Miss Do,” Dr. Brownfield said, cleaning his monocle with a handkerchief. “Even now, they are using magical energy weapons to blast their way through the traps set to guard the treasure. It’s only a matter of time before they reach their goal.

“Officially, the city can do nothing. But unofficially …” He looked at the burnt-yellow pegasus, his narrow eyes reminiscent of a reptile's.

“I think I understand,” she said. “You want me to go in and get to the treasure before they do. Remove the prize, and their motivation disappears. We negotiate release of the hostages, and nopony gets hurt.”

“Precisely. Can you help us?”

It was far too dangerous. Her enemies would be armed with tremendous firepower and a license to kill. She had read about the atrocities the Iron Wings had committed in the past. With them, she would be lucky to get a bullet through her skull.

But then, her mind turned to the hostages trapped by those monsters. She imagined a group of foals huddled together, cowering in fear from grinning soldiers holding assault rifles.

It was simple, really. Those artifacts must be protected, those foals had to be saved, and she was the only pony in the world with the experience to handle such a deadly maze. She had already made her decision.

“I’ll do it. How am I going in?”

The ponies sitting across from her looked uncomfortable. Brownfield chuckled nervously. “That is the question of the hour, Miss Do.”

She was indignant. “You expect me to sneak past an entire army of insurgents, into a cave filled with death traps, past a group of soldiers armed with magical energy weapons, and remove hundreds of pounds of treasure, without being seen? Are you out of your minds?”

“The resources of the city are at your disposal …”

“You don’t understand. What you’re asking me to do isn’t madness. It’s suicide.”

“Be reasonable, Miss Do,” Dr. Brownfield said, lighting a cigar. “Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear. If it’s money you want, name your price.”

She stood to her hooves, irate. “What do you take me for, a bounty hunter? I’m not doing this for monetary gain, but for ...” She stopped short. Alright. If that’s the way they work in this town, then I’ll play their little game. “Wait. How much money are we talking about?”

The monocled pony smiled, blowing out a cloud of smoke. “Now we’re talking.”