Adventures in Apple-achia

by Cold Cuts the batpony

Planning Again

Dusty and I returned to the small town where we, almost, met, and to the Dew Drop inn. The barkeep gave me his signature sour look but didn't say anything beyond taking our orders.

"So what are we s'posed to do with this hornbane of yours? Is a unicorn supposed to eat it or what?" Dusty inquired pulling a long stem pipe from his coat. My nose wrankled as he lit the tobacco.

"Any which way works," I replied, "eat it, drink it, inject it. My plan is to shoot him with a bullet infused with it. My own form of revenge..." I trailed off into the low murmur of the dining room.

Dusty noticed my silence and let me brood a moment. He stamped down on his pipe stem, "You never did explain what quarrel you have with him beyond wantin' him off your tail."

I looked up, "No I haven't, and I don't intend to, beyond that he brought out the darkest side of me. Its something that scares even me an I don't want to face anymore."

Dusty frowned at me, long enough his pipe went out, "Have it your way then," He relit his pipe, "but if your plan was to just shoot him, why haven't you done it before now?"

"Its not that I haven't tried," I shrugged, "but Dan has an ability that few ponies do. Are you familiar with Ponyville's Pinkie Pie?"

Dusty smiled broadly, "You could say that."

I didn't want to know that story, "Anyways, she is the most famous for it, her 'Pinkie sense'. Its a form of clairvoyance. Dan is distantly related to the Pies an he has the talent. It's given him the ability to sense anything I've sent his way. Always at the last second, but always in time to side step it."

"So what's gonna make this time so different?" Dusty asked, bewildered.

"Well," I took a long draught of my beer an turned to look the pony in the eye, "you are." I began to explain the plan I had concocted over the past few days.

----

It was quite late by the time I finished explaining. The dining room had mostly cleared out and empty mugs and full ash trays covered the table between us.

"So basically, you want me to rig so many explosions that Dan is overwhelmed by his 'danger sense' and won't be able to pick your bullet out from the crowd?" Dusty still looked confused.

I sighed, exasperated, "That's exactly it. The hard parts will be covering a large enough area that he can't escape and luring him in without him knowing too soon."

Dusty chewed on the stem of his long since cold pipe. "If there is no one around the detonator then there's no chance of it going off," the pony mused, "so as long as its ready, but no one's around. . . then there's no danger."

I was shocked beyond words, those were the most intelligent sounds Dusty had ever made.

"Well that settles that I suppose," I downed the last dregs of my beer, "now we just needs to set the trap and draw in our prey."