Not the Dashes You're Looking For
The boarding doors of the Mark Two opened, and Rainbow Dash's mane practically whipped from the warm blast of salty air. She squinted as she marched out, bumping neck-and-flank with the thick crowd of disembarking passengers in front of and behind her. She, Theanim, Wildcard, and Bard trudged slowly down the ornate ramp that had been drawn up by the loading platform, with the musician among them carrying Echo's “bound” body across his backside.
Above, the air echoed with seagulls circling, begging, diving. The ravenous birds mostly congregated around the positions along the lower dock where seaships and cargo vessels rolled up, one by one. The Arrowfish loading area—on the other hoof—was virtually untouched. It existed at a luxurious degree above the rest that even made the birds keep their distance. Glancing down past the loading ramp, Rainbow could see why. Through rippling waters, she spotted complex horizontal tubes connecting between the upper spires of the Shoggoth bluffs and the submerged half of the Mark Two's hull.
“Supplies are loaded and unloaded underwater,” Theanim explained with a proud smile. “That makes it all the more difficult for even the most ambitious privateers to attempt a gallant theft.”
“Pfffft. Any pirate stupid enough to try anything smart this close to the Muddredger's stompin' grounds is askin' for trouble,” Bard remarked.
“Dude...” Rainbow's brow furrowed. “We're stupid enough to try something smart.”
“Hey, no sense in jinxin' thangs! Especially this far into it!” Bard looked over his shoulder. “Ain't that right, Dubya-Cee?”
The griffon responded with a single hand-gesture.
“Hey!” Bard hissed. “We're in public, bro!”
“Careful, everypony,” Theanim remarked. “We can't afford to be chatty for long. Check-up is just ahead.”
Rainbow craned her neck to see a line of stallions in gray uniforms standing before the two undertrolleys locked in their stations. The crowd disembarking from the Mark Two gathered in clustered groups before the team of examining ponies.
“Just what kind of a 'check-up' are we talking about?” she murmured back to Theanim. Her body shifted weight, and she once again felt the thick bars of platinum in her saddlebags. “If they look inside our things, we're done for.”
“And they will do no such thing,” Theanim said firmly. “Not so long as we give them a convincing performance.”
“A performance?!” Bard grinned wide. “Now why didn't y'all say so?” He cracked the joints in his neck as he was the first to set hooves on the loading dock. “I've got this one in the bag! Just watch!”
Echo looked up with dull eyes. “Is it not too late to execute me?”
“Now, watch your muzzle, old chap,” Theanim said. “You're as much a part of the act as our mercenary companion here.”
“Meh.”
“I'm serious.” Theanim cautiously eyed the throng of stallions as the group stood in line, slowly shuffling forward as more and more Arrowfish boarders were allowed onto the undertrolleys. “Unless we can convince the employees of the Southern Hoof here that we've legitimately brought you as payment for the Muddredge Boss' bounty, then everything will have been for naught.”
“Like I said,” Bard remarked, winking back at the others. “Leave that to me. Ain't nothin' gettin' past my charm, especially when there're so many bits involved.”
“Yes, 'cuz that's what this is all about,” Rainbow muttered. “The bits.”
“Hey!” Twilight Sparkle flew directly into Rainbow's face. “Listen!”
“Gah!”” Rainbow teetered back, bumping into Theanim. A few ponies looked over, but she composed herself, clearing her throat. “Dang it, Twilight...”
“Sorry...” Twilight blushed as Rarity floated up alongside her. “I... I just think you should know.” She turned and pointed at the stallion members of the Syndicate. “I scanned the area for magic. It took a while, since—between the Arrowfish and the Undertrolleys—the air is ripe with it, but—”
“The point, egghead?”
“Uhhh... those stallions are all packing heat,” Rainbow said. “Explosive heat. Like... I'm counting four grenades on each of them.”
“And they're filled with some sort of paralytic agent, judging from the metallic composition, darling,” Rarity added. “I fear if we cross them, they'll have exactly what they need to knock the whole of us out.”
“Right. Sleepy grenades.” Rainbow nodded. “Got it.”
Wildcard and Bard looked back, curiously.
“Got what?”
Rainbow cleared her throat. “Those guards up ahead. Uhhh... they have—like—knock-out grenades on them n'stuff.”
Wildcard raised an eyecrest.
“And how would ya know that, exactly?” Bard remarked, then rolled his eyes. “Oh. Right. Never mind. Got it.”
“What...?” Rainbow squinted.
“Yer magical ghost friends.” Bard chuckled. “Bet them kind of buddies come in handy.”
“Now Mr. Bard...” Theanim sighed. “We talked about this.”
“I know, and I still thank it's mighty crazy-like,” Bard added with a laugh.
“What I want to know is...” Rainbow glared back over her shoulder. “...why did you guys talk about it?”
Theanim cleared his throat. “Considering the sensitive nature of our current venture, I figured it would be best that they knew about your talents... all of your talents.”
“Well, looks like it didn't do a whole lotta good, huh?”
“Miss Dash, forgive me if I was grasping at straws to inspire confidence.” Theanim's eyes narrowed. “After all, you had collapsed like an epilepsy patient without any prior warning whatsoever.”
“Er... yeah.” Rainbow gulped, gazing down at the thick metal platform beneath them. “That.”
“Let us simply make it past this next junction and we can discuss the finer details later,” Theanim muttered.
“Please don't be angry with him, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “He has your best interests in mind.”
“I really wish you could have seen him, darling,” Rarity added. “He was... beside himself with worry. Perhaps a stallion like that could be forgiven for letting a few truths fly out of his muzzle, even if our crude friends weren't entirely keen to believe in them.”
Rainbow squinted at the ghostly mares. “You... guys saw everything that happened while I was under?” she whispered.
“But of course!” Rarity blinked. “It's not as if Twilight and I phase out whenever you happen to be unconscious, Rainbow.”
“When are you going to learn that we're attached to you no matter what?” Twilight remarked.
“Please...” Rainbow grumbled, wings limp as she trudged forward under the weight of her platinum-filled satchels. “...you don't need to remind me.”
“Pffft...” Rarity rolled her eyes. “You say that as if it's a burden!”
“It's only a burden if I drop dead from some crazy circumstance,” Rainbow muttered. “Then what will you girls be attached to?”
Rarity bit her lip. She looked anxiously at Twilight.
Twilight cleared her throat and pointed past them. “Oh, look. We're up next.”
“Well, this should be rich,” Rarity exhaled.
“Tell me about it,” Rainbow grumbled, only to bump into Wildcard's metal palm.
The griffon held her and Theanim back while Bard stepped ahead.
“Name?” one of the guards slurred through a yawn.
“Howdy!” Bard grinned wide, tipping his hat. “The name's Bard!” He pointed at the griffon behind him. “This here's Wildcard!” He winked. “No relation.”
“Unnnnnngh...” Rainbow facehoofed with hunched shoulders. “...can I join Echo at the execution?”
“Shhh!” Theanim insisted, watching with an anxious gaze.
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fknTwilightNavi.
And now we get to see if Bard can shut up long enough to be convincing.
Twenty-five reverse crunches, ):(. Knock 'em out!
I give it two more updates before the fecal excretion hits the air distribution device, and those knock out grenades get used.
I believe that line should be Twilight's.
Navi tells you how to open doors. Twilight tells you the loadout of your enemies.
I know who I'd want as my adventuring partner.
(To be fair to Navi, she was pretty helpful. On the first playthrough.)
And so our intrepid group of adventurers approach their next hurdle.
TSA.
Now, what fun could Pinkie have with hide the stun grenade in the underwear?
Y'know, there would be definite downsides to having the ghosts of your friends following you day in and day out. I mean, can you imagine how awkward it would be to go to the bathroom? Or attending to one's... ahem, baser urges. It's not like Rainbow can just hang a sock on her pendant.
Time to live up to your namesake, Bard. Bluff, bluff, bluff the gullible Checkpoint guards!
6279860 To whose favour is the question. Dash and co. or the guards?
--------------------------------------
Nice to see the guards are packing something non lethal for once.
I guess an overdose could be lethal, but one grenade ain't gonna do it.
I still don't see a lighthouse.
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
I would say that Bard has this, but Chekhov's Sleepy Grenades disagree with me.
6279905
That's one way of looking around corners without exposing yourself. Send a ghost.
6279997
Well, the girls do have a decent amount of distance they can float from Dash, so when she needs to answer the call of nature or, er, have some personal time, Twilight and Rarity can just float away to another room or even down into the ground if need be. Awkward conversation to be had beforehand, though, I imagine.
I feel like Bard or WC is going to pick pocket the sleep bombs somehow.
Nooooo Why!
Bard can put up a convincing act for sure. I just hope he doesn't over do it and become annoying or something
Twilight is best Navi. Which means RD is best Link
6279997 If they are close enough, they can do that with friends around and it won't be awkward for long.
“Unnnnnngh...” Rainbow facehoofed with hunched shoulders. “...can I join Echo at the execution?”
I'm right there with ya, sister.
Considering how well it went with Revan for the first bit of the original heist, I actually think Bard and WC will do just fine.
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
Go Navilight Sparkle!
I've never even PLAYED a legend of Zelda game and I STILL think that is annoying as hell.
i.imgur.com/e9nfY.jpg
Here we go again with this spiel . . .
I hope they're not sleeping gas grenades? Because that's kind of a thing when going against someone with wings.
Well, at least he's consistent.
Watchout!
Bard must be related to Wildcard. There is no way he tells everyone they aren't related as a greeting unless it means something.
6871280
Blood brothers.
_______________________
Yes, I see what you did there.
Everybody's comparing Twilight to Navi (and they're right), but there's Rarity, too, so now we've got Tatl and Tael. This Tael just happens to not be missing.
No, you gotta live through the cringe with us East Horse.