Appledashery

by Just Essay

That's Hacking(!)

"And so..." Don Canter paced across the dim barn, his eyes trained on Romulus. "...just like that, you decided... on your own... the course that our special allied organization was going to take?"

"Let's face it," Romulus said, glaring back at the leader and his blinking cohorts. "None of us truly know where the rest of the shards are located. If we tortured Rainbow Dash or exploited the foolish mare through her closest loved ones, we might find a way to recover the pieces she's already gathered—yes—but we would be powerless to find the remaining pieces." He gestured with his talons. "Now, I saw this mysterious impish beast that the pegasus has in her position. I have every reason to believe that this thing has been the magical impetus behind her previously uncanny knack for finding the shards. If she's able to find the remaining shards because of him, I say we utilize the beast's talents through her."

"Why not just nab the damn pony and torture her for the directions to the last remaining shards?!" Top Dog spat. "Seems like you're giving her a lot of leeway!"

"I'm telling you!" Romulus snapped. "It's not Rainbow Dash! It's this... creature in her possession that's been allowing her to find the pieces!" He looked at everyone else. "Since day one, I failed to understand just what unfathomable force empowered this mare to beat me... to beat us to the punch, over and over and over again!"

"Have you ever considered the fact that you simply suck?" Sunset Shimmer remarked.

The group broke into chuckles.

Romulus turned with an icy glare, quieting half the room. "...and would I be alone with such a distinction?"

Sunset Shimmer's face and muzzle burned. She tilted her glaring expression down into the barn's floor.

Romulus paced across the center of the place. "We have all spectacularly failed to grab the shards before Rainbow Dash. But now we know why. Rather than break the pattern and flow, I'd say we allow her and her hidden talent to bring us to the desired destination."

"But won't that mean entangling ourselves with the infamous dragon beast known as Aatxe?!" Flam remarked.

"And his..." Flim gulped. "...hoarde of draconian hatchlings?"

"No... it'll mean Rainbow Dash will have to confront this so called 'Big Boss,'" Romulus said. "It'll be a force unlike anything she's ever encountered before. It could very well bring an end to our target as we know her." His one good eye glinted as he turned around to face Don Canter. "Meanwhile... we'll move in when she least expects it... when Aatxe least expects it, and we'll grab all of the shards for ourselves. Not some of them. Not half of them. But all of them."

"That sounds like quite the unnecessary risk," Don Canter slurred.

"You don't like it, then say the word, and I'll gut Rainbow Dash's intestines in her sleep." Romulus held the shard in his grasp. "But I know exactly where she is and how long it will take her to get to her destination. What we decide to do now will determine whether we... whether you come out of this as a prince or a king." He glared. "So... what will it be?"

Flim and Flam nervously exchanged glances. Sunset and Top Dog blinked. Squidgy spun about in his jar.

Don Canter took a long, hard puff of his cigar. Flicking the ashes, he sighed and exhaled, "Just where is the stupid pony now...?"

Comments

[MidnightReflection]

"I'm telling you!" Romulus snapped. "It's not Rainbow Dash! It's this... creature in her possession that's been allowing her to find the pieces!" He looked at everyone else. "Since day one, I failed to understand just what unfathomable force empowered this mare to beat me... to beat us to the punch, over and over and over again!"

"Have you ever considered the fact that you simply suck?" Sunset Shimmer remarked.

They are both intelligent for letting RD getting all the shards for them... and stupid for not realizing what will happen when she does get them all.

[Sheendough]

6150690 Assuming Aatxe doesn't fuck them over.

[Hestia]

Hopefully that "stupid pony" is far far away and you'll never catch her. I mean, they're talking about gutting her like a fish. Not cool.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

6150690 Well put, and I couldn't have said it better myself.

Plus which, what this gang of certifiable morons doesn't get is, Rainbow is doing this to save the life of a little filly, and for the mare that she loves.

Not for her own selfish reasons...like they all are.

[Sharp Quill]

6150690 Not stupid, ignorant. That's an important distinction.

[Lightning Bearer]

Well, unfortunately, Rainbow's wish is already called for. Any assistance a reassembled Discord lends will be out of the goodness of his own heart. I just hope Rainbow's been a sufficient influence on him in all their time together.

[MidnightReflection]

6150819 True. They don't know that reassembling all the shards together isn't going to give them power; In all actuality, they're basically resurrecting an ancient Chaos Lord named Discord who will drown them in chocolate milk. And then all will be fine.

After he restores Applebloom, and then Applejack finds that letter. And after all that, we can finally get to the next half of the story! Because this isn't going to end. At least the Austreaoh series has a set number of chapters. We truly have no idea how long this story will last. It could be for one final arc after this one, or it could be another 3 years (which I assume we all hope it's the latter). Just don't want the Appledashery to end.

[Sharp Quill]

6150955 It will end when the per-story chapter limit is reached.

[MidnightReflection]

6150960 ...aww. Damn. Thought that they got rid of it. What is the limit now? Maybe... JE is going to make 12 Appledasheries?

[Sharp Quill]

6150967 Not a clue. I view this story as an experiment that shall determine that limit.

[TheOddPerson]

If Rainbow Dash fails to put Discord back together herself, or even if she succeeds.. The question is: Does Discord have any 'Loyalty' to Rainbow and will he still perform the favor(s) he promised?

We all know the antagonists lose no matter what. The shards are individually power sources, but together they will resurrect Discord and he's certainly no wish granting Genie of the lamp, servant to the holder.

[unknownbore]

6150969 inb4 knighty makes an exception for this story

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

"No... it'll mean Rainbow Dash will have to confront this so called 'Big Boss,'" Romulus said. "It'll be a force unlike anything she's ever encountered before. It could very well bring an end to our target as we know her." His one good guy glinted as he turned around to face Don Canter. "Meanwhile... we'll move in when she least expects it... when Aatxe least expects it, and we'll grab all of the shards for ourselves. Not some of them. Not half of them. But all of them."

Didn't realize the mighty Romulus had a glinting expert. It's probably Starlight Glimmer. It's probably why she turned evil in the first place; no one recognized her talent in glinting.

[314]

I have to imagine how frustrating it is for the bad guys to face someone like Rainbow.

[zaponator]

I have a feeling this'll all come to a head in a spectacularly horrible fashion.
S'gonna be a bit of a flustercluck. I can't wait!

[JodiePonyPuddinAndPie]

It sounds like the BBGGs didn't send the snake. Judging by their conversation their step one was to capture and torture RD. They didn't say anything about poisoning AB.

If they didn't send the snake, who did?

[Leftover of Saikano]

Some day, I want all my enemies to get together to plot against me. That will be proof of how far I have reached.

6151366 It was RD's ex marefriend. Breeze Something.

[JodiePonyPuddinAndPie]

6151763 Leftover of Saikano - Listing Breeze? She does sound unpleasant enough to be secretly evil, so I wouldn't put it past JE to throw in some wild card at the last second.

[FloydienSlip]

Oh boy.

[JodiePonyPuddinAndPie]

I'm curious how squidgy interacts with the rest of the BBGG. Is it 'spin right for yes, left for no'?

I'd love to see a humorous outtake where the Romulus is basically playing 20 Questions with squidgy, but completely failing and getting more & more frustrated.

[Fantasy Law]

I was behind forty chapters because I took a break... and this?! I'm so sad now... ;-;

[Amdazzler]

6151004

Well, he has grown sort of fond of her, so maybe that fondness will carry over once he's complete.