//------------------------------// // A Very Special Plan // Story: Appledashery // by Just Essay //------------------------------// "What the hell's gotten you in such a hurry?" Top Dog snorted. "It's not so much a hurry," Rainbow Dash said. Standing on the edge of the camp, she turned and gestured towards the setting sun beyond the charred and burnt forest. "It's all a matter of timing. Soon, it'll be dark out, and that will give us the best time to sneak into the castle." "It does make sense," Sunset Shimmer said, nodding. "Dragons still have keen senses though." "Yeah!" Flam folded his arms, frowning. "If Aatxe won't sense us with his horrible chaos crucifix, it'll be his big bad brother, Blood Fire!" "I don't think the Flame Staff works like a detector, Psycho Shindig Number One," Rainbow said, gesturing. "And as for Blood Fire, the dude still isn't good at spotting stuff at night. No dragon is. Unless they breathe fire to light the way, but even then they only have so much juice to belch. Ya feel me?" "And what makes you such an expert on dragons, huh?" Top Dog remarked. "Because I've been around them more times than all of you freakjobs combined," Rainbow droned. "They don't see well at night. I'm willing to bet most of them will have retreated to the castle and ceased their patrols once the sun's down." "Hah!" Flim grinned. "Fat chance of all of us getting through with that sort of a scenario!" "We don't have to get all of us through, dumbass," Romulus growled. "Just her and myself. We'll sabotage the Castle and usher in the squirrels. Then Don Canter can send the rest of you in." "Mmmmm..." Rainbow Dash swung her hoof from side to side. "Yes and no." Romulus flashed a frown at her. "What do you mean 'yes and no?' That's the way we're friggin' doing it! So shut your trap!" "Well, if you wanna let the Flame Staff go 'bye-bye'..." Rainbow shrugged. "Then be my guest. But me? I'm coming out of that with at least two shards. I don't care about the rest of you." "Hah!" Romulus smirked. "And here I thought we were all in this together—" "Not so fast, birdo." Don Canter spoke up, shambling out of his tent and closer to the conversation. He puffed on his cigar and spoke: "Yet the petite pegasus give her bright idea." "Huh?!" Romulus frowned. "Since when were you listening to her?" "Since she turned out to be a whole lot smarter than the assassin pigeon who's failed to bring me the shards so far!" Don Canter snarled. "Want I should just stay curious, or switch your salaries completely?" "Mrmmmmmmmmgghh..." Romulus folded his arms. Don Canter pointed his cigar at Rainbow. "Carry on, toots." "Thanks, Chubsky." Rainbow paced before the thugs. "Romulus is right about one thing. We shouldn't all try sneaking into the castle. Even with the squirrels having our backs, it's just too clumsy and dangerous. So I suggest we both bring Sunset along." Sunset pointed at herself. "Me?" "Right." Rainbow pointed east, towards the sky. "The three of us fly to the castle, sneak in, and then Sunset Shimmer lays down her crystal reagents for her teleportation spell—" "Wait a second..." Flam point. "I know where this is going. You're thinking that Sunset could get us teleported all the way into the castle!" "Precisely." "But... she only has enough reagents for a one way trip! The other crystals are back in Equestria!" Flam turned to gawk at the others. "Do you know what this means?" "Derrrrrrrrr..." Top Dog scratched his head. Sunset sighed. "It means that everyone here will have to walk back into the teleportation circle, port back to Don Canter's headquarters, and then wait for the signal to be ported to the next location." "Which will be the Castle!" Rainbow said with a devilish smirk. "We find a safe spot for Sunset to set up shop. Once her spell's ready, we zap everyone inside. Then we'll take the place over from the inside out... right beneath Big Boss' snout! His brood will already be overwhelmed and that's even before we open the front gates to let in Mother Rushnut's rodent cronies." "Don't you see?" Lancie stood tall on her shoulder. "Aatxe has a losing battle on his claw from the get go!" "Sit down, Lancie," Rainbow exhaled. "I didn't ask for color commentary." "Pfft! What color?" He pointed at his stone face and stuck his tongue out. "I'm all gray, ya fuzzbucket." "I don't like this," Flim said, still rubbing a sore muzzle. "Mrmmff... all of that movement... all of that flight and transportation..." Flam carried up the back end of the statement: "If the crystals get damaged... even slightly... then the teleportation spell won't even work!" "Possibly," Sunset said. "But, assuming that happens, there'll still be enough crystals to teleport just the three of us back... or one of us. We'd port back to the castle with the extra crytsals and prepare for the actual attempt." "That sounds really damn clumsy," Romulus grumbled. "I'm saying..." Sunset shrugged. "It's a feasible method for getting us all in there quietly, safely, and with an element of surprise. And—what's more—if I'm there to keep an eye on everything, then I can fix anything that might get damaged from carrying the fragile crystals." "So, you got our backs, bacon-haired one?" Top Dog asked. "Because it sounds strangely dangerous." "Oh come onnnnn..." Rainbow grinned... then grinned some more. "What's the worse that could happen?" Romulus glared at her, then looked at Don Canter. Flim and Flam looked at the boss. Squidgy twirled about in his glass until the green light of his pupil fell on the mobster. Don Canter blew smoke, then parted his lips. "Anypony else got any brighter ideas?" Dead silence. Don Canter's ears twitched. "Well then..." He smirked slimily. "...the night ain't getting any younger."