//------------------------------// // Chapter Eleven, Blueblood Bandits: Permission entry. // Story: Airship Mauled // by Darkonshadows //------------------------------// -Jade- As soon as Celestia left I turned to everyone else. “Okay, we will do it, I basically got all the written permission I need right here! First Maries, I need you to come to Ponyville with me, Cheerilee and Dr. Permanganate. We need to you to study for a really hard test and a few hundred laws. Some of them will be obscure, but only you can do this for me… please?” I had Maries confused, but she nodded anyway. “Good. Fizzle you and Jacky are going to be working on two different things. Jacky I need you to work on your archery and learn how to do trick shots… with a party cannon. If you can do them with the bow, then we’re even better off. Fizzle you’ll need to work on your stamina and endurance because you’ll be doing a lot of running around for me, learn some acrobatic evasion maneuvers while you’re at it. Mom will help you with that by making a stamina potion or two, but she’ll be mostly working on the powder we’ll need to pull this all off and you need to know how to pace yourself. As for me… I’ll be working on how to do a Bavarian Fire Drill correctly. If it actually works, then it’ll all just go a little smoother and as planned.” “What’s a Bavarian Fire Drill?” Fluttershy asked confusedly as she nibbled at a cake brownie. “Don’t worry about it Fluttershy. If you want in on this you can be a lookout or just continue being a simple bystander to our actions, we’ll owe you a huge favor later if you help us though.” She didn’t seem to like that idea so I changed up my thoughts on this. “If you don’t want anything to do with robbing a criminal and then alerting Celestia to the evidence in an over the top showy fashion, and we will need to steal said evidence since it’s so large, then you can opt out and leave while you still have complete plausible deniability.” “What would I have to do as a lookout?” Fluttershy’s words had me shocked, which was an understatement. Innocent little Fluttershy would help a group of criminals and scoundrels? Well we’re not criminals yet and if she sells us out, I can probably make that work too. “Not much, I would just need you to inform Fizzle when it’s the right time for her to act and whether my ridiculously convoluted plot is going south or not. If it goes south, it’ll still work as intended.” And the only one that could really screw over or stop my plans is Shining Armor. “Come on Maries, Cheerilee and Mr. Permanganate, we’re heading to Ponyville!” My reasoning was that Shining Armor would be a huge linchpin to my plan something fierce, just because of the fact that he has absolutely nothing to do with it. I understood how the magic of this world worked and there was no feasible way we could get away without a single individual finding out about the plot and trying to screw it over. So I specifically thought of the first person I would want to screw up my convoluted plot, Shining Armor. “I didn’t agree to do any of this.” Cheerilee stated loudly, I moved over to her and whispered in her ear. She blinked, had a thoughtful look on her face, then she smiled. “Okay, I’ll do it, but only if Maries can actually pass that test in the next five days.” -One week later, Shining Armor.- I was a blue haired unicorn stallion with white fur that had a powerful little sister, it made me feel a bit inadequate at times that she was so gifted. “Excuse me, but who are you?” I stared at the tall bipedal figure wearing an obviously fake mustache, overalls with a green shirt and was carrying a ladder under her left limb. She was also wearing a green cap with a bright green ‘J’ emblazoned on it. I could tell it was going to be one of those days. “Also, do we really look that stupid? Come on Spearhead back me up here.” “Yes, do tell us why you’re here and really… that has got to be the dumbest disguise I’ve ever seen in all my life.” My friend in the Pegasus guard armor moved up to glare at the feline figure, who was staying remarkably calm in the face of trying to infiltrate the castle and badly at that. “You’re not even hiding the fact that you’re obviously up to something!” Did this female cat think she could just waltz on by my post without me questioning anything odd about her? “I’m the window person here to get an assessment for the ‘Glasses and Staches’ Company and before you ask, the mustache is in fact an absolute company policy while on the job. Which is one of the reasons why not many people are willing to work for ‘Glasses and Staches’, it also sounds too much like a joke shop company.” That was so stupid. I, or anybody else for that matter, would or could not possibly believe that such a dumb sounding company actually exists. “So if I could just move on through to measure the new windows for this stained glass order, then I can give the crafts ponies the measurements for the new artistic panes Celestia wants installed.” “Look, do you seriously think I’m going to buy that? Then sell me a bridge Manehatten you….” I started only to be cut off by my one true love in life. “Oh you’re from the ‘Glasses and Staches’ Company, come on in!” Wha… Cadence what are you doing? The unusual cat is obviously trying to infiltrate the castle for something nefarious! “Sure thing princess… wait… there’s more than one princess?” Your fake surprise doesn’t fool me cat, I know that you’re up to something and I’m going to find out what! “Let me escort you Cadence and this… worker. Spearhead stay here and watch our post.” I had a suspicious cat creature to keep an eye on. -Jacky- “Huh, she actually managed to get in.” I pulled a pouch off my side and dropped it into Fizzle’s waiting hoof. “Darn it Captain, I didn’t think you were that smooth!” “Never bet against Jade when she has something going, she’ll always surprise you. Even if this is the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard of.” Fizzle got up and started trotting away with the money from our bet. “Still, if it works… is Jade’s plan really so stupid?” “If it’s the Captain, then yes, it’s a stupid plan that works.” This was exasperating and I was shaking my head in disbelief as I followed after Fizzle. “It doesn’t help that she has legitimately found a rather ridiculous company that’ll actually pay her for doing a legally obtained job for only a few hours. The stuff she has to wear for this looks horrible.” “Yeah, I hate the fake mustache too Blackcap.” Sorry Fizzle, but that wasn’t what I was talking about. “I was talking about the overalls, the mustache is at least good with that hat.” It’s what I thought and you couldn’t change my mind on it Fizzle, the Captain is absolutely working that mustache. “No the overalls are what goes great with that hat, the mustache is the completely superfluous part of this whole thing!” I gave Fizzle a flat look and she returns it with her own. “It’s part of the job and she has to wear it to get into the castle!” Technically that wasn’t true, Celestia could have just let her into the castle and given her free reign to run around for a while. That would have implicated the princess and we needed her as a judge in case we get thrown into jail over this, Celestia couldn’t be our judge if she was the one that let Jade into the castle. Princes Cadence on the other talon… she was alright. “Besides she needs at least one of the guards suspicious of her if she’s to get her plan to work correctly and she’s really rocking that mustache.” “It’s the hat that’s really pulling the whole ensemble together and you know it!” We started arguing with one another as we started moving about Canterlot setting things up for later. -Cadence- “What is your problem with her Shiny?” He seemed quite suspicious of the cute Abyssinian worker. “She’s not doing anything wrong and yes the ‘Glasses and Staches’ Company is a real thing. They do really good work, even if their policies on mustaches leaves something to be desired… although she doesn’t look to bad in it.” “I actually think it’s the hat that’s pulling her disguise together Cady, but that’s not the point. Don’t you find her the least bit suspicious?” What was suspicious about her Shiny, was it that she existed? “Look, if you’re so worried about her why don’t you ask her for her credentials?” That would solve this matter very quickly. “There’s nothing illegal about her getting a job here in Equestria.” “You, stop!” I watched as Shiny pointed towards the cat in the strange get up with the ladder, she did as asked and then Shiny made his way up to her. “Do you have any credentials on you to prove that you are working for this Gas Company?” “You said gas.” The cat started sniggering while covering her face with her right hand. After she calmed down, she reached into a pocket and pulled out a bunch of papers with a card. After looking over them, Shiny froze for a few seconds and then handed them back to the worker. “Those credentials can’t be faked, she’s really working for a company named that.” Well don’t looked so shocked, Celestia has always used the ‘Glasses and Staches’ brand. In fact, I think auntie is even going to teach or will eventually get Twilight to learn the mustache spell. Auntie Celestia always does have a nice sense of humor. “Excuse me, but if Celestia is the princess of the sun… what are you the princess of?” I dropped on back to have a chat with the green haired cat, while Shining glared at her. Really now, it wasn’t like she was the world’s most competent cat burglar. Who steals cats anyway? “I’m Princess Mi Amore Cadenza the princess of love, but you can call me Cadence.” Maybe I could have a new friend after Fresh Start moved away, it would certainly be nice. “What’s your name?” “I’m Jaded La Perm, but I prefer Jade personally.” She looked to me in a curious manner. “So if you’re really the princess of love then maybe you could…” “No, I don’t like abusing my magic in any way that you can think of.” The horrors of false love laid on a path of good intentions, I wasn’t the mare to take advantage of such power. “Magic… what does that have to do with asking for help with getting a very special pony a present for her birthday?” Her words made me blush, I might have jumped to conclusions far too fast. She was just asking for advice. “Sorry, it’s just that so many ponies assume I can or would want to force love to happen given where my talents lie.” To say I was sick and tired of it was an understatement, sometimes I wish I didn’t become a princess and could just continue being what I once was. “What can you tell me about this pony of yours?” “I really don’t know what to get her, she’s not really one for jewelry or baubles really.” If she really needed my advice on this, I would think of something to tell her. “She’s kind of Spartan and doesn’t really want for much, but what she needs is love and I’m trying to give her plenty of that given how much we like snuggling.” “That sounds cute.” Though such a relationship was a bit unusual, I could clearly feel the love the cat had had for that pony from her voice alone. “Have you thought of getting her something like a locket? She might not be big on jewelry, but if you really do like each other a lot then a locket with a picture may work.” “Well that’s something to think about, it looks like we’re here. Let me get to work and maybe we can discuss some things on another day.” She sat the ladder against the wall, but then stopped. “Could you maybe hold the ladder for me while I measure the window?” “Sure.” I moved over to the ladder to assist her, she seemed like a nice cat. -That evening, Fizzle- “How did the set up go?” As soon as Jade asked us that, approaching after having swapped into her usual attire, I smiled. It was quiet up here on the rooftops and most ponies don’t look up except for maybe a pegasus pony. “I got my pay and if I ever need work, then the ‘Glasses and Staches’ Company wouldn’t mind having me run a few more errands for them.” “We’ve got everything ready, all we need to do is gather and strike at an opportune moment.” There was still one problem, which I needed to point out. “Is the ship even in the air docks and are we completely sure it’s the one made mostly out of gold?” “Snickers!” At Jade’s call, Snickers the turtle dove came flying and she was carrying a small chunk of gold with some paint on it. “You got a piece of that gold ship like I asked to buddy.” “Coo!” Snickers gave Jade a salute after Jade took the gold. “Good work buddy.” The flying turtle gave Jade a happy smile as she turned to us. “That confirms it, we’re going after a ship called The Gilded Buttress. Let’s get back to The Ardent Survivor and get ready for tomorrow night’s excitement.” “I’m glad we’re going to crash that peacock of a noble’s wet dream.” Now that you say that Jacky, I can agree that it needs to be brought to light. “It’s not a real ship in my book, even if it can fly with all that weight.” “Jade are you really going to hit Sekhet with that airship?” Among my friends, I was still questioning whether we would crash it on Sekhet or not. “Yes, I’ll hit her with an airship Fizzle, but I will at least give her fair warning before I do and I won’t just immediately ram it into her.” You know Jade, I do love you, but I have to wonder why you are so cold to Sekhet after everything she’s done for us. “I know it may seem cruel, but Sekhet’s a big girl and besides… in the culture she’s from gold is seen as holy or divine. Only it’s actually just highly reactive to magic and a minor ingredient in making magical armor, that's why it’s sometimes referred to as the skin of gods. Problem is, normal gold alone isn’t all that great for anything more than decorative purposes. Electrum is truly what goddesses like Sekhet really use, it’s why her nemes is practically indestructible to so many things.” “Wouldn’t it be more of a silver color if it was electrum Captain?” Okay a bit lost here, what were you talking about Jacky? “Sekhet obviously made it look like traditional gold.” Jade informed us while nodding sagely.