//------------------------------// // Chapter 86 // Story: Unshaken // by The 24th Pegasus //------------------------------// Infiltrate the conference: 9 Votes “We should try to work somethin’ with disguises and the like,” Kestrel said after giving it some thought. “The longer we can delay lettin’ anypony know what we’re up to, the more time we’re gonna have to work the tent over. Goin’ in loud’s a good way to let the Pinks know the distraction’s just a distraction, and sneakin’ about is risky in its own way if somepony notices us snoopin’ around. If we can disguise ourselves as part of the staff or security, then we have a chance of takin’ the tent for ourselves without anypony bein’ the wiser.” “There are a lot of failure points to that plan, though,” Starlight cautioned her. “It requires more setup than the other two, and if we get found out during the setup, then the plan’s over.” “It also affords us our best opportunity to make the most out of this job and leave with all of our heads on,” Tumbleweed countered. “The other two are similarly risky, even if they are simpler. I reckon you could call this the ‘go big or go home’ option.” “Then let’s hope we don’t have to go home,” Starlight said. “Okay, sure, we’ll go with that. Now we need to figure out the logistics of it.” “Well, what do we need?” Kestrel asked her. She fidgeted with the beer bottle between her hooves as she tried to put together a frame of the plan in her mind. “We just need security and service staff uniforms, right? Gettin’ a couple shouldn’t be too hard.” Starlight shook her head. “Harder than you think, mostly likely,” she said. “I don’t know where the Apples would keep any extra uniforms, so that means we’ll need to take them from somepony. And if we take them from somepony, then we need to make sure that they can’t alert the Apples, and that nopony wonders where they are. And that’s all there is to it for the service staff, but if we go after security, then we’ll need to know where that pony was supposed to be posted and have our replacement cover for them in some way. It’s a lot of moving parts to keep track of.” Kestrel nibbled on her lower lip as she took that all in. There was a lot to consider, that was true, but she still felt it provided the Gang the best opportunities to make things happen on Friday, assuming it could all be pulled off. “I don’t suppose we could just snag a few pink suits and ignore all the hubbub. I bet the Pinks can go anywhere they please.” “If you think the Pinks ain’t gonna keep track of their numbers and patrols, Kessie, then you must have forgotten how they operate since we crossed paths with ‘em last,” Tumbleweed chastised her. “Gettin’ suits off of the Pinks ain’t an option for us, as temptin’ as it may be to take out a few of ‘em in the process. We’re best gettin’ a few uniforms from security and the conference staff to let us go where we please. We’ll need to cover six uniforms, most like, unless we got another way of workin’ around it.” “I dunno,” Kestrel said, turning to Starlight. “You’re a trained mage, right? Know any better illusion spells than our resident magician?” Does Starlight know any better illusion spells than Trixie? (Scholar: 8): No To her disappointment, however, Starlight shook her head. “I was never particularly good at illusion magic,” Starlight said. “I have enough training and familiarity with it to recognize a bad illusion, but making a better illusion myself is much more difficult. I could certainly make something a little better than what she can do just because I’ve been trained more in the proper application of the spell, but I don’t have an illusionist’s cutie mark. My mark specializes around evocation and a little bit of transmutation, so those are primarily where I focused my education.” Kestrel blinked. “Evil-what now?” she asked. “You’re gonna have to explain those to the dumb bird with wings.” “Right,” Starlight said, though she finished off her beer and chucked it aside before beginning her explanation. “In laymare’s terms, evocation is the focus on using raw magical energy to create powerful spells. I can create focused magical energy with my horn that is strong enough to kill at range if I have to, and I can make it more lethal than firearms depending on how much magic I put into the spell. Transmutation allows me to alter reality in subtle ways, from manipulating the weather like pegasi can to even pausing time.” Tumbleweed’s eyebrow rose at that. “You can stop time?” “Pause time,” Starlight said with a shake of her head. “There is a difference. I can only allow myself to move outside of time for a few seconds from my perspective before I have to end the spell or risk greatly injuring my horn. Even still, it takes a lot out of me, so if you were hoping I could stop time for an hour so you all could pick the auction tent clean, I’m going to have to disappoint you right now.” “That’s a shame,” Kestrel said, shaking her head. She could only imagine how much more effective so many of the Gang’s jobs could have been if they’d had the ability to manipulate time as they pleased. Unfortunately, Starlight had made it clear that wasn’t an option, but the possibility existed if they ever needed just a few seconds more in a pinch. “At least we got your other arsenal of spells to work with. Say, think you could teach our own magician some spells if you have the chance? Havin’ one unicorn that can help us out with useful spells is nice, but havin’ two would be even better.” “Not now.” Starlight shook her head from side to side. “There isn’t time enough for that. It’s midday Wednesday, and realistically we only have Thursday to gather everything we need for the heist on Friday. I need to get my own ponies ready for what we’re planning, so I don’t have the time to be teaching a street performer who travels in a clown wagon.” She derisively pointed her hoof at Trixie’s gaudy purple and gold wagon and frowned. “Some unicorns make such a mockery of our greatest talents,” she grumbled to herself. Kestrel and Tumbleweed shared a look, and Tumbleweed rolled his eyes. “Regardless, I think the point stands that we’ll need to take these uniforms tomorrow. We’ll need six, probably some mixture of staff and security. Best bet I figure it to take them tomorrow evenin’ as the place is closing down for the night.” “I can have my ponies get them for us,” Starlight confidently stated. “It shouldn’t be too difficult. Nopony will expect any trouble when the conference is closing down for the night and all the important stuff is already packed away.” “That’d be mighty kind of you if you did,” Tumbleweed said, “though I’m not sure if our dear Kessie here can bear lettin’ somepony else do all the work. She has a habit of involvin’ herself, ain’t you?” 1.     Leave the conference preparations to Starlight and her ponies. No sense riskin’ the whole thing by having some of the Gang help her out with the conference. I don’t know how skilled her ponies are for somethin’ like this, but better her ponies than ours. 2.     Accompany Starlight tomorrow. It’ll give me a chance to feel out the layout of the conference some, which could be valuable on Friday. It’ll also mean I’m showin’ my face around the conference, and if the Pinks figure out that the Gang’s interested in what’s happenin’ on Friday, ain’t no distraction gonna be able to pull ‘em off of it. 3.     Handle this ourselves. I’d rather trust me and the Gang to get the uniforms than Starlight and her followers. The risks of bein’ spotted ain’t all that important when compared to leavin’ this job to ponies I trust. I at least know what we’re capable of; Starlight’s crew, less so.