Rainbow Dash lives an exciting life and is swiftly becoming the most daring, awesome pegasus in all of Equestria. She would gladly give it all up, though, just to confess her love to Applejack.
Don Canter stepped out of the ring of crystals, smoking his cigar. A pair of grimy eyes remained locked on Rainbow Dash the entire time.
Rainbow glared back from where she sat beyond the fringes of the group.
Several bodyguards closely followed the obese stallion, likewise staring daggers at the pegasus.
Don Canter blinked, took a mighty puff of the cigar, then flicked its ashes into the wild winds of the wasteland. Planting the cancer stick back into his muzzle, the stallion exhaled hazily, then muttered: "Okay. I give. Why ain't the rainbow broad dead yet?"
Flim scurried up to Don Canter, hyperventilating. "I was willing to blow her to bits! Both my brother and I still are, boss! We even built a device to do just that! Say the word and we'll scatter her feathers from here to—"
Romulus marched up, backhanding Flim with his talon. Whack!
"Doof!" Flim fell into a patch of gravel, his legs sticking up.
Sighing, Romulus grumbled, "I had to make a deal with the locals to get even close to the shards," he said. "Fortunately, this means the rest of the chaos enchantments are in your grasp. Unfortunately..." His eye darted towards the pegasus in question.
"Hrmmmff..." Don Canter kept gazing at her. He flicked his ashes in Romulus' direction and muttered: "I don't remember making you my financial advisor, ya greased up turkey."
"That goes without saying."
Don Canter's voice took on a growling pitch. "So how come you're doing all the hiring for me instead of the killin'?"
"We all thought he was nuts too!" Top Dog barked. "Him and his brown-nosing little unicorn mage!"
"Hey!" Sunset Shimmer frowned. "I for one thought it was a sensible idea before Romulus ever—"
"Put a bridle in it. All of you." Don Canter cracked the joints in his rubbery neck. "If you've been in this business as long as I have, then you learn a thing or two about makin' concessions." He exhaled more smoke, then waved his stogie in the prismatic mare's direction. "So... what are ya fetchin' ta get in all this, ya psychopuss?"
"I don't need money or power," Rainbow Dash said. "I just need to get enough shards to get back home and save a friend in need."
"Like how many stones?" Don Canter exhaled.
"Careful..." Lancie muttered aside. "...this guy draws a hard bargain—"
"Just two," Rainbow said, summoning a murmuring gasp from the thugs. "One to wish myself out of here. A second to will my friend back to health."
Lancie clenched his eyes shut, sighed, then murmured: "That... was not a hard bargain."
Don Canter took another puff, then pointed. "Alright... then two things. That granite monkey on your shoulder? He belongs to me."
"He doesn't count," Rainbow said.
"Says who?"
"Says the mare who's your only chance of getting close enough to Big Boss to grab the shards back," Rainbow said. "He goes back home with me."
"Very well then," Don Canter said. "On one condition. All the stones you already have?" He waved with his flabby forelimb. "You give those back to us as well and just keep the two!"
"Hah!" Lancie grinned, pointing a jagged talon. "Now you're just reaching! There's no way in fluffy bunny perdition that my pal here will ever consider—"
"Done deal," Rainbow said. "When I get back home, I'll return the stones to the warehouse you blew up in Fillydelphia. Have your goons there the midnight after we all return. You'll get what you want."
"... ... ..." Lancie blinked. "Uhhhh... Sparky?" He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Is all the spider juju out of your system?
"Just roll with it, Lancie," Rainbow murmured back, careful not to move her lips enough for the mobsters to notice. "These punks are gonna need a hangglider to jump off these bluffs..."
"Ahhh..."
"Now..." Don Canter paced aside a few steps, craning his neck to glare at the pegasus. "Just how am I expected to know you'll keep up your end of the bargain?"
"My honor, of course," Rainbow Dash smiled. "As an Element of Loyalty!"
Lancie squirmed slightly.
"Hmmm... fancy talk is just fancy talk, broad," Don Canter said, waving his smoke. "For all I know, you could just be double-crossing us and givin' us the smelly tail in the end! Ya know what I'm sayin'?"
"Then you're gonna have to deal with the suspense as you see fit. Take it or leave it."
Flam helped Flim up, gawking at the exchange.
Top Dog squirmed where he sat.
Squidgy rolled around in his jar, his green gaze flickering back and forth.
"Alright, toots..." Don Canter nodded, taking one last smoke. "So long as we get the rest of the shards and you only get two... I'd say that's as fair a bargain as I'm ever gonna get with the likes of you." He pointed. "Element of Loyalty or not, I'm gonna keep an eye on you." He turned to trot off and talk with his henchstallions—
"There's still one thing I require from you," Rainbow Dash said.
Groaning, Don Canter lumbered around to face her with a lethargic expression.
Her brow furrowed. "I keep my end of the bargain... and I want you to promise that you will leave my family... my friends... and my home town alone." She glared. "Got it?"
"Mmmm... ehhh..." Don Canter shrugged his forelimbs. "I'll think about it."
Thap! Rainbow stomped her hoof. "That's not good enough, ya jerk!"
Don Canter faced her calmly. "Well... then I guess you're gonna have to... ehhh..." He smirked, flicking his cigar. "...deal with the suspense as you see fit." He winked. "Tchh." Then sauntered off with his surly advisors.
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I fully expect Dash to give them fake copies of the shards.
She never said she'd give them the real shards after all.
I mean, they're criminal "masterminds", obviously they plan on just killing Dash and taking all of the shards anyway.
6476530 There is another path, in order for them to make sure that she isn't sneaking an extra shard away, from their own stock, requires them to bring all the shards to one place. This includes Lancie, who is likely going to take an.... exception to their using his power in a way he doesn't like, and once all of the shards are together they will no longer BE shards. They think they are being clever with standard double cross, but instead they are playing right into Discords claws.
6476530 She can give em the real ones. They're worthless now that Lancie's sucked up the juices.
Well they've all but promised that they'll be terrorising her home town, they're not exactly giving her much options but to betray them are they?
Silly mobsters, Rainbow's gonna pound you into the ground.
6476530 that's not half as fun as leaving them all behind in dragonland, "holding the bag," as t'were.
Well Rainbows the element of loyalty for a reason. She's loyal to her friends, loyal to her cause. That doesn't necessarily mean she's honest though, that little gem goes to another filly. However she's also not one for breaking her word. That makes me a little worried though, as the exact wording she uses here is: "
So yes, she's agreeing to give them all her shards...when she gets back home. She can be totally honest at this point, but it all depends on her getting back home. What if she's not planning to get home? After all, I believe shes already worked out that Lancie can do the business whether she's there or not. She's also clocked that destroying the teleport stones would prevent Don Cantor and all his cronies from getting back to the morsellands.
She gets the shards, sends Lancie onward, then stays behind to destroy the stones and ensure that the castle full of carnivores never makes it across the wall. This is a great plan were everybody wins, except for Rainbow, but then this has never been about her personally winning anyway, has it.
They may be able to deal with the suspense, but I sure as hell can't!
Let's get this show on the road!
Now, Dash. If you use those crystals to return home, you'll have an unused wish, to nuke those guys.
I feel like more and more stuff is being set up for some glorious collapse in the near future...
"It's a metaphor, see?
Sorry. Couldn't help myself. If the words cancer stick didn't incite that quote, the use of hazily did. Hazily. Hazel Grace. My brain enjoys parallels. Especially parallels that aren't there.