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  1. - Top - End - #211
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Elanorin's Avatar

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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by BlasTech View Post
    "Oh! Oh, no!" replies Moondancer, her eyes going wide and waving a hoof as if to dispel the thought. "No, Luminark and I had a professional relationship, nothing more. I just know how it can sound if I get caught up in my work and forget to think of ponies as ponies. His loss was a loss for more than just the impact it had on my work though and I'm just ... not sure how best to say that without it sounding insincere."

    "I have to remind myself that ponies lives matter." she continues, looking away. "It sounds easy, but after all this time dealing with theory, it can be hard to remember that a pony's actions have consequences beyond the parchment in front of me."

    Her eyes look into the middle distance, unfocused. You get the sense that she's thinking about another pony to whom that could apply, but not Luminark. She's telling you the truth about that. The awkwardness and shame that's radiating off her seems to have a far more distant cause.

    As for what else she is feeling - worry? Hope? There's a strange mix in her.

    It's probably to do with the weather.

    What do you do?
    The relief was immediate and complete. She did not want the burden of having killed Moondancer's lover on her conscience on top of everything. It had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with any involuntary images of them together that had not once flickered through her mind. And if they had, not that that would bother her. She was totally over all that.

    Totally.

    "I... kind of know what you mean. Only... I have to remind myself that other ponies have feelings," Milliway admitted, looking down at her hooves. "Feelings that matter. And that I, in my dogmatic attempt to not let them hurt me, am still able to hurt them."

    She looked at the dark and worrisome weather on the map, approaching in the distance. "Maybe you need a Pegasus?"
    "For love is no part of the dreamworld. Love belongs to Desire, and Desire is always cruel."
    ~ Neil Gaiman

    "Just because I'm sorry doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it at the time."
    ~ Snow Patrol



  2. - Top - End - #212
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    "If I ask you point blank what your problem is and your only concrete response is to complain about your makeout session being interrupted, paired with a hoofful of vague insults, then getting treated like a foal is on you," said Luminark. "Spit it out or suck it up."
    “Alright, you want me to spell it out for you? I don’t buy your Harmony talk, I don’t buy your ‘brand new Luminark’ act, and I don’t buy that you’ll do a dang thing to help.” As if he even needed to say it! Stars above, where did he get the guts to be so dense?! “You’re happy to talk our ears off about your stupid perfect village on a stupid perfect hill, and how you can’t wait to show everybody how great and awesome you are. Thing is?” A knot of anger and acid tightened in his stomach. “Hard to believe all that when you tried to kill one of the only ponies who ever thought you were somethin’. And left the rest of us to clean up your mess. Sound familiar?”

    Y’know. Like the big dumb Bunker in the grips of civil war they were barreling towards.

    “Fool me once? Jerk move. Fool me twice? It ain’t funny anymore. Do us all a favor? Keep your mouth shut, and don’t try for three.”
    I'm developing a game. Let's see what happens! Complex.

  3. - Top - End - #213
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Elanorin View Post
    The relief was immediate and complete. She did not want the burden of having killed Moondancer's lover on her conscience on top of everything. It had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with any involuntary images of them together that had not once flickered through her mind. And if they had, not that that would bother her. She was totally over all that.

    Totally.

    "I... kind of know what you mean. Only... I have to remind myself that other ponies have feelings," Milliway admitted, looking down at her hooves. "Feelings that matter. And that I, in my dogmatic attempt to not let them hurt me, am still able to hurt them."

    She looked at the dark and worrisome weather on the map, approaching in the distance. "Maybe you need a Pegasus?"
    "Maybe." replies Moondancer, as you both turn to watch.

    The boiling clouds kept coming, sweeping across an open plain towards the ruins of an old settlement, nestled around the base of a gleaming white spire. As you look on, two things happen in quick succession.

    The first is that the white tower explodes with light and colour.

    Originating from a point just below the tip, a veritable wave of prismatic light shoots out. Concentric circles, rippling outwards like from a stone dropped in a pond, except all the more beautiful and awe-inspiring for the sheer size. They easily dwarf the size of the town beneath them, stretching out for more than a mile in every direction, and what's more; there's something about the display of light and colour that feels ... warming. Like a reminder of happier days.

    "Artificial sonic rainboom" notes the Archmage, in response to the obvious question. "That weather control tower must be operational."

    Indeed, the rainboom hits the approaching cloudbank - scattering the inky black clouds and making a noticeable dent in the approaching storm front. Looking closely, you see a dozen or so tiny specks fall out of the cloud. It's hard to tell what they are, but they are definitely alive. You see them recover and, in formation, fly back up to the storm front. And that's when the second thing happens.

    The tower explodes. Again.

    Can towers do that? Can they explode twice? I guess they can.

    In this case, though, the explosion is preceded by a beam of blue-white energy lancing out from somewhere deep inside the approaching storm bank. Unlike the majesty of the rainboom, the beam reeks only of fear and destruction as it smashes into the lower levels of the tower. Explosions follow in its wake, tiny from your vantage point, but you can see the physical impact of them on the hamlet as houses and walls are blasted apart by the shockwaves.

    The beam cuts out and the tower slowly topples to the landscape with a rumble you think you can hear even here.

    "Well." says Moondancer, as the cloud bank rolls forward over the destroyed village. "I think that answers the question as to why that storm has the capacity to interfere with my work. I suspect you might need to let the administrator know we have an issue on our hooves?"

    Meanwhile, the cloud front re-forms, rolling ever onwards. Directly towards the Bunker.

    What do you do?

  4. - Top - End - #214
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by TheAmishPirate View Post
    “Alright, you want me to spell it out for you? I don’t buy your Harmony talk, I don’t buy your ‘brand new Luminark’ act, and I don’t buy that you’ll do a dang thing to help.” As if he even needed to say it! Stars above, where did he get the guts to be so dense?! “You’re happy to talk our ears off about your stupid perfect village on a stupid perfect hill, and how you can’t wait to show everybody how great and awesome you are. Thing is?” A knot of anger and acid tightened in his stomach. “Hard to believe all that when you tried to kill one of the only ponies who ever thought you were somethin’. And left the rest of us to clean up your mess. Sound familiar?”

    Y’know. Like the big dumb Bunker in the grips of civil war they were barreling towards.

    “Fool me once? Jerk move. Fool me twice? It ain’t funny anymore. Do us all a favor? Keep your mouth shut, and don’t try for three.”
    "Are you talking about Starlight Glimmer?" said Luminark. "Because of all the many things I regret, I don't regret that. She was crazy and needed to go down. Tell me I'm wrong. Look me in the eyes and tell me that she would have done something other than maintain her reign of torture, terror and mind control beyond a second doomsday. Perhaps you somehow never saw it. Perhaps you're the kind of pony who somehow closed his ears to the screams coming from the Friendship Patrol's dungeons. But presumably even you saw what she did to Miliway."

    He was maintaining a steady tone up until that point - but there it slips. His nostrils flare and there's a flash of genuine fury within him.

    "Besides," he said. "I certainly didn't kill her. I didn't even permanently damage her. I can fix her, if she somehow learns to stop being such a lunatic."
    Last edited by Thanqol; 2020-09-23 at 08:55 PM.

  5. - Top - End - #215
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by BlasTech View Post
    The beam cuts out and the tower slowly topples to the landscape with a rumble you think you can hear even here.

    "Well." says Moondancer, as the cloud bank rolls forward over the destroyed village. "I think that answers the question as to why that storm has the capacity to interfere with my work. I suspect you might need to let the administrator know we have an issue on our hooves?"

    Meanwhile, the cloud front re-forms, rolling ever onwards. Directly towards the Bunker.

    What do you do?
    That tower. That amazing tall tower. A weather control tower. She could only imagine what kind of machinery had been in it in order to control weather! Maybe a bit of magic too. And to see it levelled just like that. It was a sudden mix of awe and distress.

    What they hay was in those clouds?

    When Moondancer spoke of alerting the Administrator, Milliway looked up from the map and her face transformed to patient compassion as she eyed Moondancer head to tail. Had she forgotten already? Wow. Was she that distracted by this?

    "Uhm... we don't have an Administrator anymore, ma'am," Milliway said hesitantly. "He, uhm... he died. Remember?"

    She shifted a little on the spot uncomfortably.
    "For love is no part of the dreamworld. Love belongs to Desire, and Desire is always cruel."
    ~ Neil Gaiman

    "Just because I'm sorry doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it at the time."
    ~ Snow Patrol



  6. - Top - End - #216
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    "Are you talking about Starlight Glimmer?" said Luminark. "Because of all the many things I regret, I don't regret that. She was crazy and needed to go down. Tell me I'm wrong. Look me in the eyes and tell me that she would have done something other than maintain her reign of torture, terror and mind control beyond a second doomsday. Perhaps you somehow never saw it. Perhaps you're the kind of pony who somehow closed his ears to the screams coming from the Friendship Patrol's dungeons. But presumably even you saw what she did to Miliway."

    He was maintaining a steady tone up until that point - but there it slips. His nostrils flare and there's a flash of genuine fury within him.

    "Besides," he said. "I certainly didn't kill her. I didn't even permanently damage her. I can fix her, if she somehow learns to stop being such a lunatic."
    The Scrapscallion took a long, deep breath. To better concentrate on the driving. In a straight line. At an unmoving target. (It was a lot more difficult than it looked, alright?)

    “You didn’t stick around to see what became of her. Guess who had to clean up that mess, too?” Go on! Take a big guess! Here’s a hint; you suck. “And if you asked me to pick between th...between Starlight before and Starlight after? I’d take her before you had a chance to ‘help.’ Every time.”

    “Which, by the way? Next time you - specifically - aren't getting eaten alive by Hellhounds and/or irradiated; you’re welcome.”
    I'm developing a game. Let's see what happens! Complex.

  7. - Top - End - #217
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Elanorin View Post
    That tower. That amazing tall tower. A weather control tower. She could only imagine what kind of machinery had been in it in order to control weather! Maybe a bit of magic too. And to see it levelled just like that. It was a sudden mix of awe and distress.

    What they hay was in those clouds?

    When Moondancer spoke of alerting the Administrator, Milliway looked up from the map and her face transformed to patient compassion as she eyed Moondancer head to tail. Had she forgotten already? Wow. Was she that distracted by this?

    "Uhm... we don't have an Administrator anymore, ma'am," Milliway said hesitantly. "He, uhm... he died. Remember?"

    She shifted a little on the spot uncomfortably.
    "I ... yes" replies Moondancer, raising a hoof to her head. "I mean, isn't there a new Administrator? Normally I can tell if the seat is vacant for too long."

    "Who is in charge now?"

  8. - Top - End - #218
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by TheAmishPirate View Post
    The Scrapscallion took a long, deep breath. To better concentrate on the driving. In a straight line. At an unmoving target. (It was a lot more difficult than it looked, alright?)

    “You didn’t stick around to see what became of her. Guess who had to clean up that mess, too?” Go on! Take a big guess! Here’s a hint; you suck. “And if you asked me to pick between th...between Starlight before and Starlight after? I’d take her before you had a chance to ‘help.’ Every time.”

    “Which, by the way? Next time you - specifically - aren't getting eaten alive by Hellhounds and/or irradiated; you’re welcome.”
    "Did you know the Friendship Patrol tortured me?" said Luminark. "Did you know they tortured Miliway? Obviously you don't, and obviously they never had a crack at you. After all, you could always just leave. I was more than prepared to wipe out any counterattack from the 'princess'. An army of Hellhounds would have been foal's play for somepony with the Bunker's resources. And if that was her plan... well, you see my point about her being a psychopath who rules through fear and violence and needed to go down."

  9. - Top - End - #219
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Well, those are kind of crap decisions, aren't they? On the one hand, loss of control. On the other, loss of ponies' affection.

    Given the options, the choice that ends with her not getting disintegrated--or worse, she's pretty sure that R&D has worked out something nastier in her absence--is probably the correct one. Dammit, that just gives Proper Process what she wants, though! Gah!

    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol
    "...you see my point about her being a psychopath who rules through fear and violence and needed to go down."
    ...Hey!

    No, no. Revenge later. Escape now.

    "I mean, can you even imagine? Imagine trying to just insist that you're in charge because the previous establishment ended, instead of because being good at your job?"
    I run a Let's Play channel! Check it out!
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  10. - Top - End - #220
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Balmas View Post
    Well, those are kind of crap decisions, aren't they? On the one hand, loss of control. On the other, loss of ponies' affection.

    Given the options, the choice that ends with her not getting disintegrated--or worse, she's pretty sure that R&D has worked out something nastier in her absence--is probably the correct one. Dammit, that just gives Proper Process what she wants, though! Gah!
    Well, there is one other option.

    Magic.

    It sounds trite, but only if you think of magic as the spells and sparkly lights that most unicorns make use of day to day. Rather, I'm speaking of the old magic, that which is shaped by emotion, instinct and sacrifice more than conscious thought. The kind that forged the Elements and shaped Equestria twice over.

    If you want to tap that primal force, turn your magic inwards, and open your mind.

    But who knows what might happen?

  11. - Top - End - #221
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by BlasTech View Post
    "I ... yes" replies Moondancer, raising a hoof to her head. "I mean, isn't there a new Administrator? Normally I can tell if the seat is vacant for too long."

    "Who is in charge now?"
    "Nopony. Everypony? I don't really know. I kind of ran for it and barricaded the library doors when the mutiny broke out," Milliway admitted, feeling distinctly unheroic. "There was this massive explosion and then tonnes of guns came out and... it looked like pretty much every department had prepared their very own flavour of power-grabbing. And... well... there's a lot of flammables in here."

    "Maybe somepony has established themselves as the new administrator, but it's anypony's guess how stable or long-lived that claim is. Also..." she glanced behind her at the door, thinking she really should get back to her' experiment'. "Whoever it is might find themselves replaced before long..." she added, half to herself.
    Last edited by Elanorin; 2020-09-28 at 11:42 AM.
    "For love is no part of the dreamworld. Love belongs to Desire, and Desire is always cruel."
    ~ Neil Gaiman

    "Just because I'm sorry doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it at the time."
    ~ Snow Patrol



  12. - Top - End - #222
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Elanorin View Post
    "Nopony. Everypony? I don't really know. I kind of ran for it and barricaded the library doors when the mutiny broke out," Milliway admitted, feeling distinctly unheroic. "There was this massive explosion and then tonnes of guns came out and... it looked like pretty much every department had prepared their very own flavour of power-grabbing. And... well... there's a lot of flammables in here."

    "Maybe somepony has established themselves as the new administrator, but it's anypony's guess how stable or long-lived that claim is. Also..." she glanced behind her at the door, thinking she really should get back to her' experiment'. "Whoever it is might find themselves replaced before long..." she added, half to herself.
    "Uuuuuuuugh, this is exactly the reason I designed that spell in the first place." grumbles Moondancer, as she wanders away from you and disappears.

    No, really, she's just gone. There's no flash of magic, sound or sign she's casting a spell. She's just there one moment and then not. It's as quick as blinking, except you know you didn't blink in that moment.

    "Right!" she says, from your opposite side. Seemingly now back and holding a small book in her magic.

    "Just a moment, been a while since I had to do this." she says, as her horn lights up.

    There's a brief flash of pale pink light and ...

    You guessed it, she's gone again.

    By the time your eyes track her once more, Moondancer is walking over the map, looking down at the landscape around the Bunker. A small green blip has appeared, moving quickly in some kind of transport as it heads to the outbuildings.

    "Looks like the Administrator is in that vehicle." she finishes. "Or at least the administrator-for-the-moment."

    "I need you to go talk to them." she says, turning to you. "Get this situation under control before my work is disturbed or ... something worse happens. Hard though that might be to believe. Anyway, I'm sure you can do it!"

    She says the last with a slightly up-beat smile that feels very out of place on the normally awkward book-horse.

    Anyway, what do you do?

  13. - Top - End - #223
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by BlasTech View Post
    "Uuuuuuuugh, this is exactly the reason I designed that spell in the first place." grumbles Moondancer, as she wanders away from you and disappears.

    No, really, she's just gone. There's no flash of magic, sound or sign she's casting a spell. She's just there one moment and then not. It's as quick as blinking, except you know you didn't blink in that moment.

    "Right!" she says, from your opposite side. Seemingly now back and holding a small book in her magic.

    "Just a moment, been a while since I had to do this." she says, as her horn lights up.

    There's a brief flash of pale pink light and ...

    You guessed it, she's gone again.

    By the time your eyes track her once more, Moondancer is walking over the map, looking down at the landscape around the Bunker. A small green blip has appeared, moving quickly in some kind of transport as it heads to the outbuildings.

    "Looks like the Administrator is in that vehicle." she finishes. "Or at least the administrator-for-the-moment."

    "I need you to go talk to them." she says, turning to you. "Get this situation under control before my work is disturbed or ... something worse happens. Hard though that might be to believe. Anyway, I'm sure you can do it!"

    She says the last with a slightly up-beat smile that feels very out of place on the normally awkward book-horse.

    Anyway, what do you do?
    After having visibly jumped a couple of times at the ...teleporting?! Moondancer's unsettling movements around the room, she once more stares at the map, this time her jaw slowly drops open as she stares at the green blip speeding across the map. She took the few steps forwards to stand closer and watch it approach.

    "He did it..." she breathed in complete wonder and amazement. She had reached out in a crazy last ditch attempt for help to Scrapscallion and asked him to find Starlight and convince her to come help. This little green blip was proof that not only had her crazy long-shot plan worked but Scrapscallion had actually managed it. And fast.

    Suddenly a wave of shame rose in her chest at having doubted him. Considering his past achievements, of course he could pull this off. She should have known better than to doubt him. Really, how many times did a pony have to prove his quality before she admitted his resourcefulness, street smarts and tenacity? Scrapscallion was a hero, no other words applied. Still, the fact that he would help her after how she'd treated him... that damn apology hadn't even gotten through because she'd been to damn awkward and had taken too long to say it before the connection broke.

    Oh snap out of it, Milliway. He clearly has compassion for the other ponies in this bunker and obviously want to spare the lives of those who will die if this conflict rages on. That's what's fueling him. Just like any storybook hero.

    "Starlight Glimmer is coming back."

    So Luminark hadn't lied when he said he hadn't killed her.

    Huh.

    So that was another name to be added to the list of ponies she'd underestimated.

    Oh, hell. Did Starlight know Luminark was dead? Had Scrapscallion told her?

    This was all such a mess and the last thing she wanted was to go out there and face it head on. Wasn't there some stuff she needed to do in here? Sweep the stacks? Re-alphabetise the geology section? The mutiny and departmental infighting felt almost overshadowed by the thought of facing Starlight and Scrapscallion again. What would Starlight think of her? As her Lieutenant she should really have done a whole lot better than just lock herself in a library-sized cupboard and hide her head under a proverbial blanket when trouble broke out.

    She was not going in to Friendship Training again. No. If Starlight so much as mentioned starting that stuff up again... she was going to have to put her hoof down. The Administrator might be coming back to restore order but over her dead body would things go back to the way they were before. She absentmindedly rubbed her hoof that no longer wore the violation cuff. Perhaps it had been a tad heavy hoofed, but it had been effective.

    The Deathbot! Impending threat to the library and Moondancer. That was a legitimate excuse not to go out there! Oh thank the Princesses.

    "The thing is," Milliway began, turning away from the map to look at the... slightly eerily upbeat Moondancer, "there is an imminent attack coming from the service tunnels. There's this big attack robot and it's going to break through our weakest spot any moment. So... maybe I should just stay here and, you know, deal with that. In fact I should go check on my defence plan right now. Yes. I'm sure Starlight and Scrapscallion has the other stuff under control. They, heh, they don't need me." She started to back up towards the door.
    "For love is no part of the dreamworld. Love belongs to Desire, and Desire is always cruel."
    ~ Neil Gaiman

    "Just because I'm sorry doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it at the time."
    ~ Snow Patrol



  14. - Top - End - #224
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    "Did you know the Friendship Patrol tortured me?" said Luminark. "Did you know they tortured Miliway? Obviously you don't, and obviously they never had a crack at you. After all, you could always just leave. I was more than prepared to wipe out any counterattack from the 'princess'. An army of Hellhounds would have been foal's play for somepony with the Bunker's resources. And if that was her plan... well, you see my point about her being a psychopath who rules through fear and violence and needed to go down."
    “Nah.”

    The Scrapscallion stood up, turned fully around in his seat, and planted himself square in Luminark’s stupid face.

    “Nah, you don’t - you threw all that power away in a hissy fit, and left Milliway to die. You don’t get to talk like you were any better.”
    I'm developing a game. Let's see what happens! Complex.

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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    It's worth a shot. I mean, that freak alicorn showed up in there once, and didn't Luminark follow her inside? Means that where there's an inside door, there's gotta be an outside.

    Let's just hope that the door is inside the Bunker and not, you know, inside a vat of whatever the Chemistry department is working on this week.

    But... This bit of the library-rinth is unfamiliar. Which doesn't say a lot, given what her mind is normally like, but this bit of library looks like it's older somehow, full of MAS imagery. Has she ever been this deep?

    [3 on Open Your Brain]
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Elanorin View Post
    "The thing is," Milliway began, turning away from the map to look at the... slightly eerily upbeat Moondancer, "there is an imminent attack coming from the service tunnels. There's this big attack robot and it's going to break through our weakest spot any moment. So... maybe I should just stay here and, you know, deal with that. In fact I should go check on my defence plan right now. Yes. I'm sure Starlight and Scrapscallion has the other stuff under control. They, heh, they don't need me." She started to back up towards the door.
    "Well, that's just demonstrably false" replies Moondancer, adjusting her glasses.

    "I mean the whole not needing you thing." she clarifies. "The whole sub-basement robot thing I'm sure you can handle too. I mean, that sort of stuff is why I've got an apprentice after all, so I'm sure you're qualified. But the not needing you thing, well, that I am qualified to talk to."

    "You see, I have some ... well, let's call them preliminary findings from my research. I am convinced that what you do next is going to be integral to preserving my work."

    What do you do?


    Quote Originally Posted by Balmas View Post
    It's worth a shot. I mean, that freak alicorn showed up in there once, and didn't Luminark follow her inside? Means that where there's an inside door, there's gotta be an outside.

    Let's just hope that the door is inside the Bunker and not, you know, inside a vat of whatever the Chemistry department is working on this week.

    But... This bit of the library-rinth is unfamiliar. Which doesn't say a lot, given what her mind is normally like, but this bit of library looks like it's older somehow, full of MAS imagery. Has she ever been this deep?

    [3 on Open Your Brain]
    Well, that's the risk of delving into the old magics. Sometimes you can delve too deeply and your conscious mind is whisked away like so much driftwood on the tide. Oh well, I'm sure nothing will happen to your body until you get back, right?

    The office around you fades away as you find yourself once again in the depths of your mental dreamscape. Faded hallways lead away to either side, but in front of you is an aged dining room. Lit by candles spaced every few meters, the mahogany dining table stretches away into the distance - far longer than any real table could achieve. The chairs are all unoccupied, save for one - where a middle-aged stallion is sitting, cutting into a slice of steak. His hair is black, and his coat grey and he's clad in a light brown suit of the kind a butler would have worn back before the apocalypse.

    He looks up at your approach, frowning slightly at the interruption.

    "Can I help you?" he asks.

    What do you do?

  17. - Top - End - #227
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by BlasTech View Post
    "Well, that's just demonstrably false" replies Moondancer, adjusting her glasses.

    "I mean the whole not needing you thing." she clarifies. "The whole sub-basement robot thing I'm sure you can handle too. I mean, that sort of stuff is why I've got an apprentice after all, so I'm sure you're qualified. But the not needing you thing, well, that I am qualified to talk to."

    "You see, I have some ... well, let's call them preliminary findings from my research. I am convinced that what you do next is going to be integral to preserving my work."

    What do you do?
    Milliway cast her eyes down at Moondancer insisting on her being needed. It felt so very nice to hear that and she honestly couldn't remember when she'd last been told that. It was a double edged sword though, her actions potentially determining the future of Moondancer's research was a massive boulder of responsibility right there.

    Wait...

    She looked back up at the Archmage once more. Apart from being a heap of responsibility and flattery that Moondancer trusted her with her research, it did feel like a strange thing to say on second thought. How could anything she did affect Moondancer's research in any way that Moondancer did not want? Moondancer did Magic. Capital M Magic. Magic that made Luminark's stuff look like firecrackers and party tricks. If Moondancer wanted her research safeguarded surely she had plenty means to ensure that, including applying those dizzying time-tinkering things she sometimes did. Unless...

    Unless she's not expecting to be here.

    "Why? Are you going somewhere? You're- you're not right? When I get back from... all the stuff, you'll still be here right? Researching."

    [Spending 2nd Read hold: What does Moondancer intend to do?]
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    "You absolutely can."

    If this is an illusion, it's a top notch one. It's easy to miss the power of smell when you're making an illusion, since sight and sound are so much more obvious. But no, the smell of the gravy wafting off the steak has her mouth watering.

    She sits at the table, one hoof noting the intricate grain of the table. Again, touch is easy to miss, and folding in this many whorls into the oak surface is expensive. So, either not an illusion or an incredibly powerful illusionist who's subtly showing off.

    "Starlight Glimmer. Administrator-Emeritus of MAS facility B3K. You can tell me what you're doing inside my mind. Do I know you?"

    [12 on advanced Read a Pony. Holding 3.]
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by TheAmishPirate View Post
    “Nah.”

    The Scrapscallion stood up, turned fully around in his seat, and planted himself square in Luminark’s stupid face.

    “Nah, you don’t - you threw all that power away in a hissy fit, and left Milliway to die. You don’t get to talk like you were any better.”
    "Oh, I do not dispute the fact that I'm a coward," said Luminark. "I have spent my entire life in a state of barely restrained panic and paranoia. So yes, when I was murdered in the midst of a tea party, I didn't drag myself up to my bloody stumps and launch a counteroffensive - instead I took it as read that everypony hated me and wanted me gone. So I went."

    He leaned in closer, bringing himself eye to eye. "My weakness was that I snapped under pressure, ran away, gave up, and wallowed in despair. I am facing that now. Celestia, some part of me is ready to run again at the first loud noise and I can't say for sure that I won't, but I am trying to be better. What I did not do was crush dissent, build an authoritarian police state, brainwash anypony who disagreed, and maintain that hideous status quo for two hundred years. So damn right I'm better than Starlight Glimmer."

  20. - Top - End - #230
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Elanorin View Post
    Milliway cast her eyes down at Moondancer insisting on her being needed. It felt so very nice to hear that and she honestly couldn't remember when she'd last been told that. It was a double edged sword though, her actions potentially determining the future of Moondancer's research was a massive boulder of responsibility right there.

    Wait...

    She looked back up at the Archmage once more. Apart from being a heap of responsibility and flattery that Moondancer trusted her with her research, it did feel like a strange thing to say on second thought. How could anything she did affect Moondancer's research in any way that Moondancer did not want? Moondancer did Magic. Capital M Magic. Magic that made Luminark's stuff look like firecrackers and party tricks. If Moondancer wanted her research safeguarded surely she had plenty means to ensure that, including applying those dizzying time-tinkering things she sometimes did. Unless...

    Unless she's not expecting to be here.

    "Why? Are you going somewhere? You're- you're not right? When I get back from... all the stuff, you'll still be here right? Researching."

    [Spending 2nd Read hold: What does Moondancer intend to do?]
    "Well, who can tell what the future holds." replies Moondancer with a slight smile. "But as long as the Library endures, then yes ... I'll be here, working on my spell."

    Milliway, you can tell that what she's saying is only scratching the surface of what she's planning to do. She's going to keep working, she's going to finish her spell. But your apprenticeship carries with it a deeper understanding of what that really means.

    A pony cannot spend a dozen lifetimes in service of Magic without some consequences.

    In this case, you know that the Library and the Archmage are deeply intertwined. A magical confluence of power, part place, part thing part pony. One would not exist without the other. What will it mean if she finishes her research?

    Because that is just what she intends to do.

    What do you do?

    Quote Originally Posted by Balmas View Post
    "You absolutely can."

    If this is an illusion, it's a top notch one. It's easy to miss the power of smell when you're making an illusion, since sight and sound are so much more obvious. But no, the smell of the gravy wafting off the steak has her mouth watering.

    She sits at the table, one hoof noting the intricate grain of the table. Again, touch is easy to miss, and folding in this many whorls into the oak surface is expensive. So, either not an illusion or an incredibly powerful illusionist who's subtly showing off.

    "Starlight Glimmer. Administrator-Emeritus of MAS facility B3K. You can tell me what you're doing inside my mind. Do I know you?"

    [12 on advanced Read a Pony. Holding 3.]
    The pony looks up, his face blank for a moment until looking back down at his place with a smirk.

    "Rest assured, Starlight Glimmer, I am not inside your mind." replies the pony, continuing to slice away at the steak but not actually eating anything. "If I were, we would not be having this conversation."

    "Now, I don't think we've met before - although I do know who you are." he continues, that smirk still present. "And the fact that we are here in this place means you have either sought me out or just gotten lucky."

    "Either way, it's an opportunity." says the pony, placing his cutlery neatly beside his plate and looking up.

    "So, tell me Administrator, why have you returned to B3K? What are you looking for in this place which exiled you?"

    What do you do?

  21. - Top - End - #231
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    "Oh, I do not dispute the fact that I'm a coward," said Luminark. "I have spent my entire life in a state of barely restrained panic and paranoia. So yes, when I was murdered in the midst of a tea party, I didn't drag myself up to my bloody stumps and launch a counteroffensive - instead I took it as read that everypony hated me and wanted me gone. So I went."

    He leaned in closer, bringing himself eye to eye. "My weakness was that I snapped under pressure, ran away, gave up, and wallowed in despair. I am facing that now. Celestia, some part of me is ready to run again at the first loud noise and I can't say for sure that I won't, but I am trying to be better. What I did not do was crush dissent, build an authoritarian police state, brainwash anypony who disagreed, and maintain that hideous status quo for two hundred years. So damn right I'm better than Starlight Glimmer."
    “Starlight Glimmer wouldn’t waltz into a riot and try to settle things with a chat and a tea party!” The Scrapscallion smacked his forehead. “Aw, what am I saying; you’re not running away! You fixed your one and only flaw! You definitely know what you’re doing, nobody has anything you need to hear, you did it! Congratu-buckin’-lations.” He snorted. “Gah, you even call yourself a coward like a coward. Buddy, you got some hard lessons ahead of you, and we do not have time for your-”

    *kaboom!*

    “Ego…?”

    The Scrapscallion peeked around Luminark, and saw a rainbow explosion beating back an advancing wall of darkness.

    That...that probably wasn't good.
    Last edited by TheAmishPirate; 2020-10-10 at 12:56 PM.
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  22. - Top - End - #232
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by BlasTech View Post
    "Well, who can tell what the future holds." replies Moondancer with a slight smile. "But as long as the Library endures, then yes ... I'll be here, working on my spell."

    Milliway, you can tell that what she's saying is only scratching the surface of what she's planning to do. She's going to keep working, she's going to finish her spell. But your apprenticeship carries with it a deeper understanding of what that really means.

    A pony cannot spend a dozen lifetimes in service of Magic without some consequences.

    In this case, you know that the Library and the Archmage are deeply intertwined. A magical confluence of power, part place, part thing part pony. One would not exist without the other. What will it mean if she finishes her research?

    Because that is just what she intends to do.

    What do you do?
    "Good," said Milliway. "That's... good."

    She glanced at the door behind her, still feeling more than a little hesitant about going Out There to Deal With Things. She just wanted to go back to the computer hub and see how Not-House was doing. All those other things, while important, felt... too big for her.

    "You should come with me," she suddenly said, half surprising herself. The words spoke themselves the moment they came in to her mind. But yes, she realised, the heartbeat after, she did think Moondancer should come with her.

    [Spending final Read hold: How can Milliway get Moondancer to come with her to 'sort out' the civil war and the service tunnel threat together?]
    "For love is no part of the dreamworld. Love belongs to Desire, and Desire is always cruel."
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  23. - Top - End - #233
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by TheAmishPirate View Post
    “Starlight Glimmer wouldn’t waltz into a riot and try to settle things with a chat and a tea party!” The Scrapscallion smacked his forehead. “Aw, what am I saying; you’re not running away! You fixed your one and only flaw! You definitely know what you’re doing, nobody has anything you need to hear, you did it! Congratu-buckin’-lations.” He snorted. “Gah, you even call yourself a coward like a coward. Buddy, you got some hard lessons ahead of you, and we do not have time for your-”

    *kaboom!*

    “Ego…?”

    The Scrapscallion peeked around Luminark, and saw a rainbow explosion beating back an advancing wall of darkness.

    That...that probably wasn't good.
    Luminark was fairly fatalistic when it came to acts of giant magic. He took a moment to appreciate the lights and scale, and if it had it in mind to kill him, running and cowering wouldn't help - he knew a 'die tired' situation when he saw one.

    "Listen, whoever you are," said Luminark breezily, watching the colours on the horizon as the wind swept through his mane. "I don't know you. I don't know what your problem is. I don't know what you've accomplished in life, I don't know what your deal is, I don't know how it relates to me. If you're carrying a grudge I assure you it is entirely one sided. I'm not looking to prove myself to you, or to anypony, or to be right, or to win a prize, or to be in charge. I'm here because it's the most right thing that I know how to do, I'm here because I'm exhausted from running away from everything, I'm here because I want to fulfill the dreams of a wonderful ghost I recently met. I'm doing the best I can. And while I don't know what your best looks like, I very much doubt it involves catty vagueblogging at a pony you've never so much as introduced yourself to. Now are you going to fly this thing or am I going to have to?" He produced a technical manual from a pocket of his robes - the source of the friendly little voice that's been giving you helpful maintenance reminders. "I've been studying just in case."

  24. - Top - End - #234
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Elanorin View Post
    "Good," said Milliway. "That's... good."

    She glanced at the door behind her, still feeling more than a little hesitant about going Out There to Deal With Things. She just wanted to go back to the computer hub and see how Not-House was doing. All those other things, while important, felt... too big for her.

    "You should come with me," she suddenly said, half surprising herself. The words spoke themselves the moment they came in to her mind. But yes, she realised, the heartbeat after, she did think Moondancer should come with her.

    [Spending final Read hold: How can Milliway get Moondancer to come with her to 'sort out' the civil war and the service tunnel threat together?]
    Moondancer's smile wavers.

    "I ... really can't." she replies, looking aside. "More importantly, I really shouldn't"

    There's a pause, as she gathers her thoughts.

    "I told you about my research. Studying destiny, fate ... the proverbial will of Magic itself." she begins, tone unsure. "I could go on for days, months really, about the underlying logic and philosophy behind my observations. How the theory that we live lives based on linear cause and effect and how the associated heuristic models of determinative cognition are insufficient to filter the noise of chaos from the underlying patterns of deliberate probability manipulat ---"

    She coughs.

    "What I mean to say is ... part of my work is diagnostic. And I'm very close to determining the ponies who can and should have the capacity to act. It would be too much to say that they are 'destined' to change the world, because that would imply success when none is guaranteed. But they are the ones who, if they do things right, will achieve the right outcome. The outcome that is most in line with what is best for Equestria in the long run."

    "Now, I am nothing if not thorough in my research. I have checked, and double checked my results. And I am not one of those ponies. These 'agents' of Magic, come and go over time. Popping up amidst the wasteland. Some fail, their potential sputtering out unfulfilled. But when they succeed - the changes they can effect are immense."

    Moondancer adjusts her glasses, glancing at you to see how you've taken this in. And, you're probably not imagining it, but the expression on her face is both sad and meaningful. As if she is trying to impart some additional piece of information without saying it.

    "In addition." she continues. "There is the matter of my broader work. If I were to leave now - there is every chance I won't have it completed in time. Every second may well count. I simply can't take the risk of stepping out of my office for that long. If my calculations are correct - the final product may be needed very soon."

    She says this as if she isn't just standing here talking to you - and, well let's face it ... given how the Archmage sometimes acts, she might well not be.

    Milliway - in answer to your question, you can tell what it will take to get her out and into the field. You'll need to show her that her life's work - her entire life's work - is either unnecessary or incorrect. The Archmage is a pony of data, she's been around for 200 years and has been working on this that entire time - but that's not to say she's right.

    Feel free to read a sitch if you want a pointer on the flaw in her logic. But suffice to say, you will need to go out and do things in order to prove this to her.

    But also, bear in mind that the Archmage and the Library are intertwined. A confluence of magic and the arcane that cannot exist without one another. If you want her to come with you, you'll also need to be ready to sacrifice your Hoard.

    What do you do?

  25. - Top - End - #235
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    Luminark was fairly fatalistic when it came to acts of giant magic. He took a moment to appreciate the lights and scale, and if it had it in mind to kill him, running and cowering wouldn't help - he knew a 'die tired' situation when he saw one.

    "Listen, whoever you are," said Luminark breezily, watching the colours on the horizon as the wind swept through his mane. "I don't know you. I don't know what your problem is. I don't know what you've accomplished in life, I don't know what your deal is, I don't know how it relates to me. If you're carrying a grudge I assure you it is entirely one sided. I'm not looking to prove myself to you, or to anypony, or to be right, or to win a prize, or to be in charge. I'm here because it's the most right thing that I know how to do, I'm here because I'm exhausted from running away from everything, I'm here because I want to fulfill the dreams of a wonderful ghost I recently met. I'm doing the best I can. And while I don't know what your best looks like, I very much doubt it involves catty vagueblogging at a pony you've never so much as introduced yourself to. Now are you going to fly this thing or am I going to have to?" He produced a technical manual from a pocket of his robes - the source of the friendly little voice that's been giving you helpful maintenance reminders. "I've been studying just in case."
    The Scrapscallion snapped out of his rainbow firework-induced reverie, blinking confusedly at his co-pilot. “Wait, are you talking to me? Was that all...at…”

    His brows furrowed.

    “Luminark.” He said, dangerously calm. “What’s my name?”
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  26. - Top - End - #236
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by TheAmishPirate View Post
    The Scrapscallion snapped out of his rainbow firework-induced reverie, blinking confusedly at his co-pilot. “Wait, are you talking to me? Was that all...at…”

    His brows furrowed.

    “Luminark.” He said, dangerously calm. “What’s my name?”
    "Er?" Luminark looked trapped. "I, er, so we have been introduced? I mean, something about you rung a bell but..."

    He scratched an ear with a hoof awkwardly. "Debrishalott?"

  27. - Top - End - #237
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    [Spending one 12+ hold: What is he planning to do?]

    "It's my home."

    Huh. So that's what telling the truth feels like.

    "I could bulls*** some schpiel about being afraid of what an entire bunker full of amoral idiots would do without me holding them in check. And it'd even be true. But I've poured more than I can remember into this facility, two lifetimes and more. I've raised generations of children here. You really think I'm going to walk away from that?"
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  28. - Top - End - #238
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by Thanqol View Post
    "Er?" Luminark looked trapped. "I, er, so we have been introduced? I mean, something about you rung a bell but..."

    He scratched an ear with a hoof awkwardly. "Debrishalott?"
    “...we spent days cooped up on a road trip together. You wanted to grab some dinky box out in the middle of nowhere, and you wouldn’t even let me look inside. Not even when I tried to sing the entire way back.”

    “We got captured by a bunch of wastelanders. You drugged me, I pretended to threaten you to save our lives, then we got separated when that crazy hulking slaver came along and attacked. I’d no idea what happened to you until I heard you were back at the Bunker.”

    “Last time we saw each other, you tried to hire me. You were ready to give me your office.”

    “Enough with the jokes, Luminark.” The earth pony ground out. “What’s. My. Name.”
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  29. - Top - End - #239
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    The back of Milliway's shoulders were beginning to itch and once the feeling had taken root it quickly began to spread up her withers and neck and down her legs. She needed to get back to House. But something kept her here. Something about Moondancer and everything happening in this mindboggling room. It was important. House was important too, but this was... just so big. It was hard to turn away from and she really wanted Moondancer with her if she was going to tackle this kind of hero stuff.

    Perhaps it was just insecurity talking but she really felt Moondancer should come. She'd been shut in this office for, what, centuries? Surely both she and the world could do with her being in this as opposed to shut away on the fringes.

    Milliway was itching to take off but she decided to put her hoof down.

    "I disagree," she said.

    [Rolling Read A Sitch: 5+1+0=6 Asking one anyway: What should I be on the lookout for?]
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  30. - Top - End - #240
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    Default Re: [MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

    Quote Originally Posted by TheAmishPirate View Post
    “...we spent days cooped up on a road trip together. You wanted to grab some dinky box out in the middle of nowhere, and you wouldn’t even let me look inside. Not even when I tried to sing the entire way back.”

    “We got captured by a bunch of wastelanders. You drugged me, I pretended to threaten you to save our lives, then we got separated when that crazy hulking slaver came along and attacked. I’d no idea what happened to you until I heard you were back at the Bunker.”

    “Last time we saw each other, you tried to hire me. You were ready to give me your office.”

    “Enough with the jokes, Luminark.” The earth pony ground out. “What’s. My. Name.”
    "Look around you," said Luminark. "The sky is alight with rainbows, armies are entrenching, the dead have risen and we ride on wings of fire towards a bunker filled with all the terrible and wonderful relics of the Old World. We stand at a crossroads, a conflux of fate, a moment when time and magic have come together to give us a unique opportunity. We could save the world. We could change the world! In this moment of transition, upon this liminal stage, we should ask ourselves not what we have been called in the past but what we want to be called in the future! Isn't the problem with the wasteland today that too many ponies are looking backwards when they should be looking forwards? And so I ask you, friend, what do you want your name to be?"

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