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.