//------------------------------//
// Episode 14: Operation Sucker Punch- Dan Vs. Daring Do 
// Story: Dan Vs. The Magic of Friendship(Season 1) 
// by Barrobroadcaster 
//------------------------------//

The kitchen table was covered in about every assorted spice they had in the kitchen. A large cake had been placed on top of it with the words VILLAIN DOUCHE BASE scrawled on top of it in icing. On the edge of the cake, a toy Star Destroyer had been lodged in the side, simulating its crash into the "base." Dan, carrying a riding crop and wearing an army helmet, walked around the table, explaining each and every detail. The rest of the group was gathered around the table, doing their very best to pay attention. No matter how hard Dan made it for them.

"-and as with Plan J, Plans O-through-Q will involve pretending we are under attack by a swarm of angry bees and using the natural panic it insights to distract the guards at the front gates. But, in Plans O-Q, we will quickly tunnel underneath the front gates instead of pole-vaulting over them as with Plans J and K. And I know what you're thinking: this sounds a lot like Plans C2 and G3. The difference with Plans O, P and Q is that we will be using a smokescreen created by conveniently placed fire extinguishers to cover our escape. Any questions so far?"

"Dan?" Twilight lifted her head up from the table, "I really don't think we're going to get to Plan Q. In fact, I'll be really surprised if we get past Plan B."

"She's got a point, Dan," Chrys said.

"Yeah," they all said simultaneously.

Dan folded his arms and frowned. "Fine. I guess there IS such a thing as being over-prepared but nobody ever complains about it when things go south."

Phoenix pointed downward with his finger and thumb, the ASL symbol for Q. "You're on Plan Q, Dan. You're getting close to running out of letters, in the english alphabet, anyway." (Not counting the few extra plans you added numbers to.) "I don't think we can be more prepared."

"Okay, okay. How 'bout we just go over Plan A again?"

"YES!" they cheered.

"Alright, gonna go over Plan A again," Dan said. He put down the riding crop and picked up two small sauce bottles, one to represent him and one representing Phoenix. The one meant to be Dan was a hot sauce bottle with the word JERK scribbled on the front and the one meant to be Phoenix was a soy sauce bottle with the word NIX scribbled on the front. "Okay, so, to recap: the base we're hitting is the closest one to Ponyville. It's also pretty heavily guarded which means they probably don't want us to hit it, which is why we are. It's a few miles west between Appleoosa and us but we can't use the train or fly there because Vice turned the train tracks into a monorail and the Enclave controls the skies outside of Ponyville."

Phoenix quickly raised his hand.

"Yes, Nicky?"

"Why am I the soy sauce bottle?" They all turned to him. "I'm just wondering- is it because I'm Japanese?"

Dan smiled, shaking the bottle by the neck. "It's because you're the only one in the house who uses it."

The lawyer lowered his hand. "Ah… yeah, right." (I think I just stereotyped myself. I don't know if that's a new high or a new low.)

Sauce in each hand, Dan walked the bottles up to one of the sides of the cake. "As I was saying, Nicky and I will approach the east side of the base. And what exactly is our job, Nicky?"

"Uhhh…" the lawyer drew a blank.

"That's right," Dan smiled, either ignoring or oblivious to his response. "We will be providing a distraction for the rest of the group. We will pose as building inspectors coming to tell the Enclave that their base was isn't up to code," he said, putting the two bottles next the cake. He then picked up a maple syrup bottle and a jar of pickles. "Then, Twilight and Chrys are going to approach the west side of the base and sneak in," he pushed a couple of cherries next to them, "with Blast Fuse and Blast Powder."

Chrys leaned over to Twilight. "Am I the pickles or the syrup?"

"I have no bucking clue."

"Meanwhile," Dan gestured to a box of matches sitting on top of a fuzzy ball, "Spike and Fluffle will be keeping a look out from afar. Fluffle, being a master of disguise, will not rouse any suspicion and will make the perfect cover for Spike to hide behind." A drop of liquid fell from the ceiling, landing perilously close to the cake. Twilight and Chrys looked up to the roof briefly.

Dan continued with his explanation. "Once inside, the Blasties will locate the power source for the shield and blow it up."

The two sisters saluted. "It's what we do best."

"We might blow up a few things on the way to the power source."

"We might blow up a few things along WITH the power source."

"We may even blow up a few things that aren't even near the power source."

"Like balloons."

"We like balloons."

"They're nice."

"But you can guarantee the power source will get blown up when you need it to, Dan-o."

"Right," Dan said to both of them. The way they talked back and fourth, it was sometimes hard to tell which one of them was even speaking. "And that's when we bring in the MY-Wing with the rest of the payload. We blow up the rest of their defenses, take out the whole base and then build our own base right on top of it." Several more drops fell from the ceiling. "We hit 'em right in the face with a fiery fist they'll never even see coming. A sucker punch that'll make Vice think twice before he messes with us again," Dan declared, grinning proudly.

Twilight, Chrys and the others all nodded. "I think it's a brilliant plan, Dan."

"Yeah," Spike agreed. "Brilliant and it'll work, too, even."

"This seems like a great plan, Dan," Phoenix added. "It plays to all of our strengths- our ability to distract, Twilight and Chrys' skill at manipulating magic and the Blast Sisters' knack for explosives."

"Awwwww," Blast Fuse and Blast Powder cuddled up to the attorney. "He called it a knack."

"We got a lot more knacks we can show ya, Nick," Fuse said, winking.

The lawyer blushed. (Aaaaaand it's hot in here again.)

Twilight raised her hoof, or rather, pointed at the ceiling. "I think Fluffle brings up a good point, though."

"What's that?" Dan asked, holding the riding crop in both hands.

"What if it rains?"

Fluffle immediately detached from the ceiling, mouth wide open, diving for the cake. Dan caught her with the riding crop and his outstretched arm, holding her up from the table. The fluffy mare gnashed at the cake. "ARRR! ARRR ARRR RRARR!"

"No! No, Fluffle, no eating the planning diagram!"

"ARARARARARA!" She stuck out her tongue, hoping to grasp the cake with its length.

"Fluffle, down girl," Chrys levitated her back down to the floor. She smiled at her companion. "Here, let me get you a piece. Is it okay if we eat it now, Dan?"

The human scratched his chin. "Honestly, I did want to go over things a few more times, maybe make a few slides, do a few dry runs but ehhhh… I guess so. Dig in."

"Thanks," Chrys said. Suddenly, Chrys jumped at the cake and began methodically cutting it with her horn(after she'd washed it of course) until each piece was plate-sized. She then rearranged the letters to spell out I LOVE U DAN.

"Awwww," Dan said, looking at the cake. "Thanks, Chrys. But you misspelled plan."

The changeling looked confused. "Plan? No, Dan I was saying-"

"Here, let me," Dan said. Taking a cake server, he brushed the icing letter D and made it a P, then added the second L between it and the A. The second A he placed at the end. The cake pieces now spelled I LOVE U PLAN A. "There we go."

Chrys looked down. "Yeah… thanks."

Dan then held up her chin and kissed her on the cheek. "Chin up, soldier. We got a lot of work ahead of us." He then walked to the fridge.

The changeling flushed redder than she'd ever been, even when she'd changed into Big Mac. "I… I… I…"

Twilight walked over to her clearly-stunned friend. "You okay, Chrys?"

"I… I am confuse. I am very confuse right now."

"You mean 'confused'?"

"Yeah," Chrys said. "I'm having trouble with 'p's at the moment."

Twilight shook her head. "You mean 'd's?" 

"Yeah. Those."

The newly-reinstalled doorbell rang at that instant. "I got it," Dan said, walking off to answer it.

Dan opened the front door to the house, expecting to either see Colress again or a pony from the mayor's office. Instead, he saw something entirely new.

"Good morning," the large reptile standing in the doorway said. The creature had orange-tan skin, wore a top hat and a monocle and was about Phoenix's height, looking just a bit taller because of the hat. "You must be Captain Dan! Oh, it's so wonderful to finally meet a human! My name is Tyran O'Saurus Tuxley, I'm the curator at the Crystal Museum of Extra-dimensional Artifacts." He extended his claw for shaking.

"Morning," Dan replied, reluctantly shaking with him. "You're a T-rex or something? And you're… from a museum?"

"I am!" the reptile delightedly took off his hat and bowed. "I'm quite a long way from my fellow Saurs near the Saur Domain but with all the political unrest lately it's been quite troublesome to visit home."

"Uh huh," Dan nodded. "What do you want?"

"Right to the chase! Yes, let's cut straight away to the matter at hand!" he lowered his head as if to whisper to the human. "I noticed that spot of bother you had with the griffons the other day."

"You mean Gust's pirate fleet?"

"The very same. You may not know this but I'm in the business of acquiring very valuable historical artifacts. I have a strong suspicion, sir, that an item of most advanced extra-dimensional origin is onboard the vessel you shot down."

"What? You mean the Star Trek one?" Dan asked. "Also, that was like a month ago. You want to talk to the chicken? HEY! I'll give ya twenty bits to eat him."

Tuxley burst out laughing. "Hohoho, I love your sense of humor, Master Dan. Eating him like a chicken, good show!"

Dan looked over his shoulder, somewhat disappointed. "I kinda thought that was what you guys do."

The lizard batted away the very thought. "Heavens no! Saurs are vegetarian by nature, Master Dan, and I am no exception though I be a sojourner in a foreign land."

"So, why are you asking about this now?" Dan said, leaning in the doorway.

"Well, you see, the moment I saw you fighting that monstrous vessel, I immediately dropped everything and had Reginald, my manservant, drive me to your location," Tuxley explained. "I was across town and I noticed the type of vessel it was and I had a feeling, just a knowing urge that within it could be an artifact I've been searching for."

Dan looked dumbfounded. "It took you a month to drive over here from across town?"

The t-rex nodded. "We did have to stop for tea more than once."

"So… it took you a month because you had to stop for tea?"

The t-rex nodded again.

"Who's at the door, Dan?" Twilight asked, walking up from behind him. "Oh, Mr. Tuxley! It's good to see you again."

The reptile removed his hat, held it over his chest and gave a short bow. "It's good to see you again as well, Miss Twilight," he specifically did not use her title. "I was just discussing with your Master Dan about a matter of some importance."

"Oh, well, would you like to come in?" Twilight offered. "The others are just having cake right now and…" Dan shushed her before she revealed their planning session. "Well, maybe now isn't the best time."

"Oh, it's quite all right," the lizard said, not the least bit offended. "I was actually wanting to explain exactly what it is I'm looking for- I have a diagram of it in the car with Reginald. Would you mind terribly accompanying me to my vehicle?"

Dan and Twilight both shook their heads. "Not at all," they said simultaneously.

"Splendid! Just this way!"

They closed the door behind them and followed Tuxley to his car. They were both a bit surprised and yet somehow not surprised to find it was a very heavily modified DeLorean that looked like it could fit at least eight. A crystal pony, Reginald, sat in the front seat.

"Reginald, I do hope you're keeping cool!" Tuxley said, approaching. "This heat is dreadful! Did you remember to charge the batteries?"

"Of course, sir. AC's working fine, Flux Capacitor and Mr. Fusion are fully charged," Reginald replied.

"Very good, very good now can you open the glove compartment and retrieve the schematic?"

"Of course, sir."

Twilight and Dan arrived just as soon as the two unfurled what looked like a roadmap at the side of the car. They joined Tuxley who held it open for them.

"This is what you're trying to retrieve?" Dan said, looking over it.

"Yes, quite a find, isn't it?"

"It certainly is…" Twilight remarked. She almost turned her head in a couple places to read it.

Dan looked at the title at the top of the schematic. "Genesis Device?" he read. "What makes you think it's on that- oh wait, that's from the movie, too, isn't it!" he suddenly exclaimed.

The T-rex nodded. "Indeed, sir. With your permission, I would look for it amidst the wreckage of the crashed vessel. We tyrannosauruses are quite the adept scavengers, I assure you."

Dan and Twilight both looked at each other. "That… might be a problem."

"We're in the middle of rebuilding the ship," Dan explained. "And upgrading it. It's not quite the same one from Wrath of Khan, either."

Tuxley rolled up the schematic and tapped his prominent lower jaw with it. "Well, that is an inconvenience. I believe I must call my superior on this matter," he turned to his manservant, "Reginald, the phone."

"Yes, sir," Reginald hoofed him a cell phone that was actually a prop from Jurassic World. He pressed a single button and somehow held it up to his ear. "Hello? Yes. Yes? Yes. Yes, yes, yes. No. No. No? Yes! Yessssss… Okay then. See you soon." He closed the phone. "My superior is on the way at this very moment. I'm certain you'll want to speak to them."

"Oh, certainly, we'd be happy to," Twilight said, a bit nervously. "Who are they exactly?"

"Ah, well, they go by quite a few different names, especially where I'm from but I think you'd know her as Daring Do."