Chapter 10:
Brains of the Outfit
Needles led the Cutie Mark Crusaders down a long corridor before stopping them in front of the entrance to a large chamber.
"Beyond here's the hoard," said Needles. "Y'all hang back an' let me do my thing. I'll getcha what ya need."
"Not so fast," Babs Seed hissed. "I still don't trust ya. 'Sides, you wanted us to get your topaz, didn't ya?"
"Don't make this any more difficult than it already is," Needles said sternly. "If y'all go in there with me, it increases our chances of gettin' caught."
"Well, how about one of us goes in there and gets your topaz while you get our wagon?" suggested Sweetie Belle. "That could work."
Needles furrowed her brow for a moment, and then nodded. "Hmm. You kids are brighter than ya look. And I mean that as a compliment. Alright, which one of y'all is comin' with me?"
"I'll go," Apple Bloom volunteered. "I can be extra quiet, an' I know Babs would be more comfortable with somepony keepin' an eye on ya."
"Fair 'nuff," said Needles. "Alright, c'mon."
Apple Bloom nodded and swallowed. "Right. Here goes nothing."
With that, she followed Needles into the chamber. Babs bit her lip as she watched her cousin go.
"Be careful, Cuz," she whispered to herself.
***
The inside of the chamber was a regular treasure trove. Piles of bits were stacked to the ceiling, and all sorts of valuable-looking trinkets littered the floor. Trigger sat in the middle of it all, picking away at the bowl of topaz Needles had.
"Looks like Asty ain't here," Needles whispered. "Good. Now, you jus' hang back an' wait for an opening. I'll deal with Trigger."
"Got it," Apple Bloom whispered back.
Needles then walked up to Trigger while Apple Bloom began to tiptoe behind the treasure piles, making sure to keep out of sight as she did so.
"Enjoyin' my topaz, Trigger?" asked Needles.
Trigger looked up and smiled. "Needles. What a pleasant surprise. Although you forget that this is not your topaz anymore. It's part of the hoard now. Ehheh..."
"It ain't yours, neither," said Needles in a very matter-of-fact tone. "Asty took that from me as tribute, remember?"
Trigger blanched and quickly set the topaz down. "Oh, right. Sorry. Must've slipped my mind. Ehheh..."
Needles sighed. "Nah, it's alright. Better you eat it than it just lie here in the hoard. Not like Asty's gonna do anythin' with it."
"N-no. That's fine," said Trigger. "It belongs to the Boss, so it should be off-limits."
Needles gave Trigger a look. "Trigger, do you have any spine to speak of? When's the last time you disagreed with Asty an' let him know it?"
"A few minutes ago, when we caught some intruders," Trigger responded. "The Boss wanted to kill them, but I said we should hold them for ransom. And that's just what we're doing."
Needles blinked. "Alright, I stand corrected," she said.
Trigger grinned. "Ehheh... See, Needles? I'm no pushover."
"Yeah, yeah. You don't need to gloat," said Needles. "Still, that was pretty smart of ya."
"I know," said Trigger, wringing his claws. "Those fillies have sisters that would gladly pay for their safe return. Ehheh... Ehheh..."
"I ain't talkin' 'bout that," said Needles. "See, I had the liberty of talkin' to 'em after y'all left. They said they wandered in here by accident."
Trigger chortled. "Yes, that was pretty funny. Imagine, raiding a bandit's hideout by accident. Who does that? Ehheh... Ehheh..."
"Yeah, hilarious," said Needles, rolling her eyes. "But here's a hypothetical for ya. What if they were tellin' the truth, and Asty killed 'em anyway? That would make us look pretty stupid."
"What does it matter?" asked Trigger with a shrug. "They're still alive, and they're going to make us rich."
Needles sighed. "I should've known better than to discuss this kinda thing with you. Seriously, am I the only one 'round these parts with any intellectual curiosity?"
Trigger sniggered. "You worry too much, Needles. You know, if you're tense, I can give you a massage. Ehheh..."
"Not on your life, ya creep," said Needles with a snort. "You lay one claw on my body, an' I'll break it."
"I-I was just joking, Needles. I didn't mean anything by it," said Trigger with a nervous laugh.
As they continued to talk, Apple Bloom noticed that the bowl of topaz was lying there unattended. Carefully and quietly, she snuck up on the bowl, taking extra care not to step on any trinkets or bits.
"The point is that whether their story is true or not doesn't matter," Trigger continued. "What matters is we're holding them for ransom."
Needles stuck her parasol in the ground and leaned on it, giving Trigger a curious look as she did so. "Well, let me ask ya this. How do you think they ended up in here?"
Trigger paused for a moment and scratched his head. As he did so, Apple Bloom was inches away from the topaz. Beads of sweat formed on her brow as she deftly lifted the bowl with her hooves. She started to tremble a bit, causing the bowl to wobble.
"Ah-ha!" Trigger exclaimed.
Apple Bloom's heart froze. Oh no!
"I think those dragons we kicked out told them to do this," said Trigger. "That's what the bigmouthed one said."
Apple Bloom breathed an inward sigh of relief. Oh, thank goodness.
"Yeah, that's what they told me, too," said Needles. "Somethin' 'bout them bein' Dragon Magi."
Trigger scoffed. "That old legend? Pah! Who would believe that dragons practice magic? Dragons don't need magic. We already have all the abilities we could ask for. The whole thing is just silly if you ask me."
Needles cast her eyes downward and heaved a great sigh. "Yeah. Silly," she mumbled.
"Mmm? Something wrong?" asked Trigger.
"Yeah, Nasty-Asty took my topaz," said Needles, quickly regaining her composure.
Trigger raised an eyebrow. "I, don't think this is about topaz," said he. "Something else is on your mind."
"Nope, nothin' else," said Needles with another sigh. "It ain't fair, Trigger. Asterius has been stiffin' me an' Toro for quite some time, an' we work jus' as hard as he does."
"I don't see what you're complaining about," said Trigger. "He hasn't been stiffing me."
"That's 'cause your standards are lower than the bottom of a quicksand pit," Needles said bluntly. "As long as you have at least somethin', you're as happy as a clam."
"Hey, that's not true!" Trigger protested.
"Oh really now?"
"Yes. Because there's one thing that I would trade all of the jewels in the world for."
"What's that?"
"You, my sweet Needles."
Needles pretended to gag. "Spare me, Trigger. I keep tellin' ya, it ain't gonna happen."
"Oh, Needles~. Why must you be so cold? Ehheh..." said Trigger. "I promise, I'm not as bad as you think I am. How about we meet for lunch at the gem nest? I'll even bring that bowl of topaz~."
Needles gave Trigger a blank look. "Did you jus' ask me out on a date?"
"Well, yes," said Trigger, brushing the back of his head sheepishly. "But you don't have to if you don't want to. I just want to give you a chance to see the real me. Ehheh..."
Needles stroked her chin for a moment and glanced around the room. She then spotted the wagon, which was resting on the far side of the cave along with the Crusaders' saddlebags and Scootaloo's scooter. She smirked.
"Wow, Trigger. You're willin' to defy Asty like that?" she said in a sultry tone. "Maybe you've got more spunk than I gave ya credit for."
Trigger gulped and blushed. "Y-you never said anything like that to me before, Needles."
"You never gave me a reason to," said Needles, batting her eyelashes. "Tell ya what. You go freshen up, an' I'll do the same. I'll think about your proposal, an' if I accept, I'll meet ya at the nest in half an hour. Sound fair?"
"Oh, yes! Yes, it does," said Trigger, nodding his head vigorously.
"Alright then," said Needles, picking up her parasol. "You'd better get goin', Lover Boy. I don't like to be kept waitin'~."
She then blew a kiss at Trigger, who grinned from ear to ear.
"Oh, yes! Of course!" he said. "I'll see you in half an hour, Needles! Ehheh... Ehheh..."
With that, he was off like a shot. In his haste, he didn't notice that the bowl of topaz had disappeared. Just as he left, Apple Bloom breathed a sigh of relief.
"You okay?" asked Needles.
"Yep," said Apple Bloom, holding the bowl of topaz. "Jus', a bit scared is all."
"I don't really blame ya," said Needles, taking the wagon in one claw and pulling it out of the hoard. "Y'know, the sad part is that Trigger would have a good head on his shoulders if he bothered to use it an' stopped actin' like a wormy little creep."
"Really?"
"Maybe, I dunno," said Needles with a shrug. "I guess I'll find out on our lunch date. Although, I'll be the one providin' the topaz. Anyway, that ain't important. We should really get back to your friends."
***
The two of them returned to the rest of the Crusaders with the wagon in tow.
"Well, I'll be. Ya weren't lyin' after all," said Babs with a smirk.
"Told ya, didn't I?" said Needles. "Now, to get outta here, y'all jus' keep goin' straight until you run into a wall. Then go left, then right, then right again, then another left, an' then jus' go straight. You'll find the exit and avoid all of our major alcoves."
Sweetie Belle rubbed her head. "Um, any chance you could write that down?"
"Don't worry, I got it," said Scootaloo, taking out her compass. "One last question, though."
"Yeah?"
"Do you know where we can find some gems? We need to get some for those Dragon Magi."
Needles sighed. "Sorry, kid. But from here on out, you're on your own," She then gave Sweetie Belle a dirty look. "An' don't you pull that cute face on me again. It won't work."
"Oh, poo," Sweetie Belle said with a pout.
"Don't worry 'bout it. We're sure to find somethin'," said Babs as she helped Scootaloo hitch the wagon up to her scooter. "Our luck hasn't been too bad so far. Let's just try and not wander into any more bandit hideouts, yeah?"
"Agreed," said the rest of the Crusaders.
"Well, we'd better get goin' then," said Apple Bloom, giving the bowl of topaz to Needles. "Thanks for your help."
"D-don't mention it," said Needles, turning her back to the Crusaders. "Jus' git."
"Right. See ya," said Apple Bloom. "Alright, Scoot! Let's roll 'em out!"
Scootaloo nodded and flapped her wings. Once again, the Crusaders were off.
"So, those fillies are lookin' for the Dragon Magi, huh?" Needles mused. "Might be worth my while to keep tabs on 'em."
She then notices something glistening on the floor in the light from the torches. Looking down, she saw that there was a trail of liquid going in the same direction the Crusaders were. She bit her lip.
"Might be worth their while, too," she muttered. "Sorry I gotta break off our date, Trigger. Somethin' jus' came up..."
With that, she followed the trail and went after the Cutie Mark Crusaders.