[MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

[BlasTech]

"You're gonna... swear to..." she swallowed a couple more gulps of air, "...well, you know..." her will to carry this on was fading in the absence of the rage that had fuelled her on. "And I'm gonna... go over there... and sit down... for a little bit..." She could not remember ever having had a fight like this. Ever. In the back of her mind she knew this was crazy but it felt too good to be this free of pent up anger and frustration and too tired to be anxious and self-conscious. She was hurting and limping and sore and yet she felt better than she'd felt in... longer than she really wanted to count.

With a final semi-playful thump on the pegasus' head she got off the other pony and stepped back and sat down heavily, with the unmistakeable grace of a sack of potatoes.

The sound of hooves dragging a body across a ruined floor heralds Cloudburster's presence, joining in on the potato-sacking. The two of you just lie there, breathing heavily, staring at random points of the ceiling as your brains and bodies complete their reboot sequence.

A piece of plaster cracks off and lands a few rows away.

A bundle of black robe sits down next to you, offering popcorn, which idle minds and hooves are soon sharing in.

Eventually, one of you has to break the silence.

"Pheeee-eeewwwwww!!" says Cloudburster, still staring up at the ceiling. "That was FUN! I don't think I've had as good a scrap since I first got groundside and wrecked that tavern."

Lifting herself up slightly, she looks at you.

"I'm glad I was right about you. Would've been a huge disappointment if I ended up having to pretend following through on any of those threats earlier."

What do you do?

*BRRRRRZZZZAPPPP*

He jabbed the shocky stick square in the middle of her back, and she dropped like a rock.

See, fun fact? Missy? If you break line of sight with the pony right behind you, you can just keep walking. You don’t have to actually stop where you said you would. Keep going, quiet as you can, and now you’re the one behind them. It is the oldest and dumbest trick in the entire book, and yet it worked like a charm on you, you, you…!

“Dusty...old...nerd.” Stars, even that tasted like acid on his tongue compared to the promise of her. This was the part where he ought to walk away! Tie her up! Search her for incriminating evidence! But he looked down at her now-literally smoking body and all he could see were those eyes and that velvety coat and those stupid unfair glasses she shouldn’t be able to make glasses look that good ever. “Yeah?! Well!” He sputtered in the face of her silent assault. “You’re...not worth it. So there.”

He aimed a kick at her side, equal parts harmless and dispirited.

“Nyeh.”

His tail tightened around the shocky stick, preparing to give her another zap - no, wait, that’s dumb and lame. Why would he do that? But if he wasn’t doing that, then why did he feel like keeping his trusty shocky friend gripped tight and at the ready?

Why indeed…

[Auto-success on Go Aggro, Proper Process takes s-harm. Rolling to Read a Sitch: 2 + 6 + 2 = 10. Spending 1 hold to ask: What should I be on the lookout for? Saving 2 hold.]

It seems like your instincts are on point Scraps.

A soft hoofstep behind you and the wind whistling gives you just enough notice to duck a hoof swiping through where your head had been a moment earlier.

Spinning you face up into the eyeless gaze of your would-be attacker and ... it's ... wait ... what?

Backpedalling, you take a good look at who, or what, it is that is attacking you. Eyeless, brown and pony-shaped. One of the mannequines has detached from the post where it had been sitting motionlessly, and is now advancing on you with hostile intent.

You should probably be on the lookout for that. Oh, and weren't there four of them? Oh wait, there's the second one now coming up behind it, and the third one is moving around to your right ... which means the fourth is ... behind you now? Yep. There it is.

What do you do?

He slipped in closer. His extended hoof went around her neck and as easy as lying, he was embracing her.

"It's okay," he said. "I'm sorry. I didn't see how badly you were hurting. I thought you were invincible..."

She'd seemed so strong. All the knowledge in the world and all the power that came along with that. He'd thought that if he'd had that then he wouldn't be afraid either... but then, it seemed, being hurt and afraid had nothing to do with how powerful you were, did it?

If there had been fear in her eyes before, the Archmage tenses up completely - muscles locking and eyes wide.

"W-w-w-what ... what are you doing Luminark?" she stammers, her voice squeaking and too locked up to push you away or even think about moving.

And, unnoticed by her, a bright golden light flickers around you - touching on the pathways of possibility the archmage has conjured.

What do you do?

She scans the crowd, and picks one of the popcorn throwers. "So long as we're waiting, may I have a drink? I might need a silly straw." Keep them laughing, keep them talking, keep stalling for the drugs to wear off. It'd still be an awful idea to try to escape right now, but options are good.

[Read a sitch: 5,6, +2. 13. Who's in control here? What should I be on the lookout for? Hold 1.]

One of your guards, Jolly Kicks, chuckles, but a firm glare from Target Practice silences him.

The question of who is in control is an interesting one though - for there is no clear leader visible amongst the masses in front of you. The pony most seem to be taking their cues from seems to be Dewy Decimal. He's flanked by a dozen or so others, from across a bunch of different departments, and together they are hoofing out pots of tea and cups to a decent number of Bunker denizens.

Across the broader crowd though ... while Individual department heads can be seen lounging with a few of their staff, it all has an air of insular socialization - with ponies sticking to the cliques and groupings that they interact with daily rather than mingling more widely. All in all, while each of them could be in control over their immediate peers, the same could not be said for those outside their departments.

They all seem to be waiting for something, or maybe somepony is the right thing.

In this miasma of inaction though, you are the one in control. Not of the crowd, or circumstance - they'd sooner lynch you then follow you again, and the drugs make it hard to physically do anything. But the initiative is in your hooves right now. What happens next will be up to you.

What you should be on the lookout for is threefold.

One - is an opportunity to escape. Target Practice is looking mighty unhinged right now and you could easily poke that over the edge into something that might help you get out of here.

Two - is who isn't here. If this crowd is waiting for somepony, then it stands to reason that they aren't currently present. The most likely candidates are Proper Process or Luminark. But who else isn't here? Where are Scraps and Milliway?

Chances are, that's where the important things are going down.

Three - is ... that a griffon? Yes, it is. A young female griffon, sporting some odd markings around her headfeathers, as well as two overlarge pistols in holsters along her sides. Obviously an outsider (if her species didn't give it away). What's she doing here? And why is she looking at the guards around you with an air of distaste?

What do you do?

[TheAmishPirate]

Hey! Woah! What the hay?! He was right in the middle of something here!

“Hey! I was right in the middle of something here!”

And now that they knew exactly how lame they were being right now, Scraps whirled the shocky stick in a menacing circle, threatening to zap any creepazoid that thought about getting too close to him and the fallen Proper Process. He needed to get out of here, to the auditorium, before Milliway ate the Pegasus for breakfast, and stop her from eating the Pegasus for breakfast, but also he couldn’t let Proper Process go after all the crap she just put him through, and he wasn’t about to let a couple of freaky spooks stop the Scrapscallion! Not today, punks!

[Spending second hold: What’s my best escape route? Noting that Scraps doesn’t want to leave Proper Process behind.]

[BlasTech]

Hey! Woah! What the hay?! He was right in the middle of something here!

“Hey! I was right in the middle of something here!”

And now that they knew exactly how lame they were being right now, Scraps whirled the shocky stick in a menacing circle, threatening to zap any creepazoid that thought about getting too close to him and the fallen Proper Process. He needed to get out of here, to the auditorium, before Milliway ate the Pegasus for breakfast, and stop her from eating the Pegasus for breakfast, but also he couldn’t let Proper Process go after all the crap she just put him through, and he wasn’t about to let a couple of freaky spooks stop the Scrapscallion! Not today, punks!

[Spending second hold: What’s my best escape route? Noting that Scraps doesn’t want to leave Proper Process behind.]

Oh Scraps. You aren't using your noggin.

It's four against one - and your options boil down to Fight or Flight. If you don't want to leave Proper Process behind, then you're going to have to fight off four creepazoids to claim your prize. Your best escape route lies through them all.

If only there were some way to even the odds. If only you could somehow draw attention to yourself from the two ponies in the auditorium outside. Or to a certain ex-administrator with whom you share a mind-link.

Have you tried screaming yelling in a very manly fashion?

[TheAmishPirate]

Oh Scraps. You aren't using your noggin.

It's four against one - and your options boil down to Fight or Flight. If you don't want to leave Proper Process behind, then you're going to have to fight off four creepazoids to claim your prize. Your best escape route lies through them all.

If only there were some way to even the odds. If only you could somehow draw attention to yourself from the two ponies in the auditorium outside. Or to a certain ex-administrator with whom you share a mind-link.

Have you tried screaming yelling in a very manly fashion?

“Y’know. I’m beginning to think you don’t have a clue who it is you’re dealing with here.”

The shocky stick twirled lazy circles in the air. A scorpion’s tail, ready to strike.

“So let me fill you punks in on the latest scoop from the Wasteland: There’s a Hellhound nest that’s missing a few captives. A Ranger base that can’t figure out how their high-tech, fancy prison failed after eight? Nine breakouts? Two dozen unconscious pegasi jocks, in full gear, who never heard it coming. An Enclave General out of a job. A fleet of cloudships put off their whole operation just to put out the fires from that one.”

“That’s all in a few short weeks. Gimme a few more hours, and I’ll stop the whole damn Enclave. For good.”

“And you brought...four guys? No backup? No guns?” The arcing lightning from the stick reflected in his goggles, illuminated his wild grin. ”Big mistake.”

There’d be no calling for help. Not today. Not now.

The Scrapscallion wouldn’t give them the chance.

[Rolling to Seize By Force/Keep Hold of Something You Have: 5 + 1 + 0 = 6. Choosing to Keep Definite Control over Proper Process.

Exchange of Harm: Scraps has 2-armor, small gang with bare hooves deals 2 Harm to him, total of 0 Harm taken. Rolling Harm move: 2 + 5 = 7. In return, they all take S-harm.]

[Thanqol]

If there had been fear in her eyes before, the Archmage tenses up completely - muscles locking and eyes wide.

"W-w-w-what ... what are you doing Luminark?" she stammers, her voice squeaking and too locked up to push you away or even think about moving.

And, unnoticed by her, a bright golden light flickers around you - touching on the pathways of possibility the archmage has conjured.

What do you do?

Oh, how to deal with somepony so hopeless? She felt like she was going to break and fall apart, somehow even more than he did.

But then, he supposed, that is what manners were. Structure. Guidance. A way for clueless ponies like them to interact without being constantly terrified that they were going to somehow ruin everything.

"I am giving you a research assignment, you silly pony," said Luminark, lifting a book out of his saddlebags. "Read this and then give me a presentation... supplemental reading is encouraged but the deadline is one week."

The book was Introduction to Courtly Romance.

[Balmas]

It'd be so easy, you know? It's not like Scraps would probably notice her watching unless she said something? I mean, he didn't mean forever, surely, right? She can just, you know, peek in? A little bit? For science?

It hurts to tell herself no, because he said no. Besides, she's sure she'd know if he was in trouble. He's safe and happy, and that's what matters.

Instead, she's all about that new griffin. New is threat, new is dangerous. But new is also interesting, and somebody who doesn't know her is someone she can exploit befriend!

Yeah. Befriend. That's the right word.

[8 on Read a pony. How could I get her to like me? And while I'm at it, let's spend that last Sitch hold to ask what my best escape route is.]

[Elanorin]

The sound of hooves dragging a body across a ruined floor heralds Cloudburster's presence, joining in on the potato-sacking. The two of you just lie there, breathing heavily, staring at random points of the ceiling as your brains and bodies complete their reboot sequence.

A piece of plaster cracks off and lands a few rows away.

A bundle of black robe sits down next to you, offering popcorn, which idle minds and hooves are soon sharing in.

Eventually, one of you has to break the silence.

"Pheeee-eeewwwwww!!" says Cloudburster, still staring up at the ceiling. "That was FUN! I don't think I've had as good a scrap since I first got groundside and wrecked that tavern."

Lifting herself up slightly, she looks at you.

"I'm glad I was right about you. Would've been a huge disappointment if I ended up having to pretend following through on any of those threats earlier."

What do you do?

"Pretend, huh?" Milliway said and threw a brief glance the pegasus' way before returning her empty stare ceiling-ways. She'd hoped that this pony had just tried to get her riled up with all that stuff about Scraps. At the very least she'd certainly been successful and whatever the hell that meant was... a lot to unpack. Now, it could be this whole talk about pretending was just a way of getting out of the fight, perhaps she'd be making a beeline for the Scrapscallion the moment they-

Oooohhh hay, she was too tired to carry on that line of thought. No. Just, no. This Pegasus had to be alright. She didn't back down and gave a really good honest fight. No dirty tricks or backstabbing. No waterworks. No manipulation. Even now when it was over. That was more than she could say about almost any other pony in this blasted place.

"You're alright." Yep, Milliway decided. If the last few years with Luminark had taught her anything it was that you could judge a lot of character based on the kind of fight they gave you and truth was she liked this pegasus. She really wanted to drop all the exhausting suspicions and defensiveness and just trust this pony already.

A tired hoof was stretched out in Cloudburster's direction, one half of a hoof-bump and a legit friend invite. "Don't leave me hanging, Featherbrain," Milliway said and a half smile spread on her lips.

[BlasTech]

There’d be no calling for help. Not today. Not now.

The Scrapscallion wouldn’t give them the chance.

[Rolling to Seize By Force/Keep Hold of Something You Have: 5 + 1 + 0 = 6. Choosing to Keep Definite Control over Proper Process.

Exchange of Harm: Scraps has 2-armor, small gang with bare hooves deals 2 Harm to him, total of 0 Harm taken. Rolling Harm move: 2 + 5 = 7. In return, they all take S-harm.]

There have been countless stories throughout history of the lone warrior, holding firm when beset by a group of foes.

Be they the grizzled sheriff in an Old Appeloosan town, or the solitary kirin swordpony from the far east. The stories all tell of them moving smoothly amongst their enemies, dispatching them efficiently and ruthlessly and standing tall, unscathed, amongst their prostrate bodies.

Well ... this isn't quite one of these fights. For you get as good as you give, Scrapscallion.

One goes down when you bash the stun baton over their head as they lunge at you, while the second goes when the backswing ends with the electrical prongs jabbing into its stomach. In the meantime though, a hoof clips you on the side of the head. It's only a glancing blow, but hard enough so that you only barely manage do duck the rear hooves of the fourth before they can knock you out cold. Barely - in the sense that it hits your goggles hard enough to break them, but at such an angle that your head itself is spared.

The third takes one of your hooves to the barrel, but before you can finish him off the fourth manages to tackle you, sending the stun baton clattering somewhere under the crates of equipment and props. Fortunately, you're able to turn the attack into a swing that sends the mannequine, as well as the left sleeve of your jacket, into the side of a wooden crate.

With three enemies down for the count and the fourth panting at you from the earlier blow (somehow, despite its featureless face) there is a moment for you both to undertake a mutual assessment of the battlefield.

Clearly, the arithmetic does not fall in its favour and the final attacker makes to run for the exit.

What do you do?

[Okay, so 6-roll on the fight and s-harm vs small gang means that three are down, one are up. For harm move, I've made you lose the shocky-stick and the "pristine" nature of your goggles and jacket. Have fun with that! ]

Oh, how to deal with somepony so hopeless? She felt like she was going to break and fall apart, somehow even more than he did.

But then, he supposed, that is what manners were. Structure. Guidance. A way for clueless ponies like them to interact without being constantly terrified that they were going to somehow ruin everything.

"I am giving you a research assignment, you silly pony," said Luminark, lifting a book out of his saddlebags. "Read this and then give me a presentation... supplemental reading is encouraged but the deadline is one week."

The book was Introduction to Courtly Romance.

The aura around the book shifts from your salmon pink to the Archmage's light beige as it floats across in front of her face for her to read the title.

Things are quiet for a moment until there is a soft thump, made by her forehead connecting with the tome's cover.

""Oh ... Luminark." she says, her voice equal parts affectionate and on the verge of breaking down. "Why did you have to go and do that ..."

The book dips and you can see her face, smiling through the tears that are welling up.

"I --- I wanted to be angry at you ... you know?" she sniffs. "You were my faithful apprentice. You and I ... we had done so much together and I thought --- thought that maybe ... there might have been."

Her eyes find yours, there's an intensity there that defies words.

"But then you left ... you took up the administratorship, put a new pony in charge of the Library ... I didn't know what to make of it. It was the first time in so long I had invested in somet --- someone like that and ..."

She sniffs, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hoof and replacing her glasses.

"I need to know. I can't wait a week." she says when she looks at you again. "Can this mean what I want it to mean? Or is it just a case of a pony helping out a pony that he feels nothing deeper for than friendship."

What do you do?

It'd be so easy, you know? It's not like Scraps would probably notice her watching unless she said something? I mean, he didn't mean forever, surely, right? She can just, you know, peek in? A little bit? For science?

It hurts to tell herself no, because he said no. Besides, she's sure she'd know if he was in trouble. He's safe and happy, and that's what matters.

Instead, she's all about that new griffin. New is threat, new is dangerous. But new is also interesting, and somebody who doesn't know her is someone she can exploit befriend!

Yeah. Befriend. That's the right word.

[8 on Read a pony. How could I get her to like me? And while I'm at it, let's spend that last Sitch hold to ask what my best escape route is.]

Getting her to like you might be a challenge - you can tell from her posture that her trust isn't earned easily, and only a select few qualify of that lofty status. But, if you really want to then you need to deal straight with her - no lies, no half truths. You can see it in the way she's dressed and the way she regards the guards around you - this is a griffon that moves in straight lines and thinks in practical terms first and formost. You'll also need to be useful to her - for she'd have no patience for a leech or a load and her Friendship is a two-way street. Finally - you'll need to be "good" in her view. While the two hundred years of the Wasteland have tarnished what that word means somewhat, it does mean you'd need to curb any impulses to murder or otherwise imprison innocent ponies and experiment on them - at least while in her presence. But preferably permanently.

But, as to what your best escape route is - well, you probably don't quite need to get her to like you as you need to get her to not-like the ponies guarding you. Something about their treatment of you is already capturing her attention, and it's clear that she doesn't like it. Chances are that if you play up the sympathy card a bit she'll feel compelled to step in.

All you need is an opportunity to grab the release controls from Target Practice's belt.

What do you do?

"Pretend, huh?" Milliway said and threw a brief glance the pegasus' way before returning her empty stare ceiling-ways. She'd hoped that this pony had just tried to get her riled up with all that stuff about Scraps. At the very least she'd certainly been successful and whatever the hell that meant was... a lot to unpack. Now, it could be this whole talk about pretending was just a way of getting out of the fight, perhaps she'd be making a beeline for the Scrapscallion the moment they-

Oooohhh hay, she was too tired to carry on that line of thought. No. Just, no. This Pegasus had to be alright. She didn't back down and gave a really good honest fight. No dirty tricks or backstabbing. No waterworks. No manipulation. Even now when it was over. That was more than she could say about almost any other pony in this blasted place.

"You're alright." Yep, Milliway decided. If the last few years with Luminark had taught her anything it was that you could judge a lot of character based on the kind of fight they gave you and truth was she liked this pegasus. She really wanted to drop all the exhausting suspicions and defensiveness and just trust this pony already.

A tired hoof was stretched out in Cloudburster's direction, one half of a hoof-bump and a legit friend invite. "Don't leave me hanging, Featherbrain," Milliway said and a half smile spread on her lips.

"Back at'cha ground-pounder." says the Pegasus - as her hoof bumps yours tiredly. "Scraps doesn't deserve you."

Levering herself with a wing, the pegasus rolls over so that she can look at you in the - well, from the side of your eyes at least.

"When are you going to tell him?"

What do you do?

[TheAmishPirate]

There have been countless stories throughout history of the lone warrior, holding firm when beset by a group of foes.

Be they the grizzled sheriff in an Old Appeloosan town, or the solitary kirin swordpony from the far east. The stories all tell of them moving smoothly amongst their enemies, dispatching them efficiently and ruthlessly and standing tall, unscathed, amongst their prostrate bodies.

Well ... this isn't quite one of these fights. For you get as good as you give, Scrapscallion.

One goes down when you bash the stun baton over their head as they lunge at you, while the second goes when the backswing ends with the electrical prongs jabbing into its stomach. In the meantime though, a hoof clips you on the side of the head. It's only a glancing blow, but hard enough so that you only barely manage do duck the rear hooves of the fourth before they can knock you out cold. Barely - in the sense that it hits your goggles hard enough to break them, but at such an angle that your head itself is spared.

The third takes one of your hooves to the barrel, but before you can finish him off the fourth manages to tackle you, sending the stun baton clattering somewhere under the crates of equipment and props. Fortunately, you're able to turn the attack into a swing that sends the mannequine, as well as the left sleeve of your jacket, into the side of a wooden crate.

With three enemies down for the count and the fourth panting at you from the earlier blow (somehow, despite its featureless face) there is a moment for you both to undertake a mutual assessment of the battlefield.

Clearly, the arithmetic does not fall in its favour and the final attacker makes to run for the exit.

What do you do?

[Okay, so 6-roll on the fight and s-harm vs small gang means that three are down, one are up. For harm move, I've made you lose the shocky-stick and the "pristine" nature of your goggles and jacket. Have fun with that! ]

The only warning the spook had wass the sharp ripping of leather.

And the clattering of stage props as a stallion-shaped bullet parkoured the hay out of them.

And the Scrapscallion flying through the air, shouting, “Time for your dressing-_down_, mannequin-jerk!”

So, really, they had a lot of warnings, and it’s their own dumb fault they didn’t knock themselves out on the spot, instead of making the Scrapscallion get his hooves dirty.

[Scraps ain’t giving up. That’s an 9 on Seize By Force: Scraps will take definite hold of the spook, and impress/dismay/frighten them.

Harm move: Whoops that's a 10]

[Thanqol]

The aura around the book shifts from your salmon pink to the Archmage's light beige as it floats across in front of her face for her to read the title.

Things are quiet for a moment until there is a soft thump, made by her forehead connecting with the tome's cover.

""Oh ... Luminark." she says, her voice equal parts affectionate and on the verge of breaking down. "Why did you have to go and do that ..."

The book dips and you can see her face, smiling through the tears that are welling up.

"I --- I wanted to be angry at you ... you know?" she sniffs. "You were my faithful apprentice. You and I ... we had done so much together and I thought --- thought that maybe ... there might have been."

Her eyes find yours, there's an intensity there that defies words.

"But then you left ... you took up the administratorship, put a new pony in charge of the Library ... I didn't know what to make of it. It was the first time in so long I had invested in somet --- someone like that and ..."

She sniffs, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hoof and replacing her glasses.

"I need to know. I can't wait a week." she says when she looks at you again. "Can this mean what I want it to mean? Or is it just a case of a pony helping out a pony that he feels nothing deeper for than friendship."

What do you do?

"Oh, ponies these days!" said Luminark faux-dramatically. "So impatient! So direct! No courtship, no tea, no winsome exchanges of glances across the hall or letters smuggled past the other family's guards. But then, one supposes there are certain etiquette carveouts in section E.L. for particularly boneheaded magi. Yes, of course I have feelings for you! Yes, of course I am asking you on a date! But I warn you now, as Celestia is my witness, I will drag courtly manners kicking and screaming into the modern world and I shall be quite put out if I am made to break keyfabe again. "

[Balmas]

Oooh, that's great. Good people are great, predictable.

So here's the plan.

The griffon doesn't like Target Practice, doesn't like the way he's treating her. So, play that up. Give him that little nudge that'll have him lashing out so the griffon has no options but to feel like she's compromising her principles, or to step in. When she does, Glimmer can swipe the release in the confusion, and make good her escape with her new best friend!

"Ah, c'mon," she wheedles to the one who laughed. "What'm I gonna do with a straw, huh? You're gonna get your execution anyway, might as well have some fun beforehand, right?"

[8 on Manipulate, trying to push Target Practice's buttons]

[BlasTech]

The only warning the spook had wass the sharp ripping of leather.

And the clattering of stage props as a stallion-shaped bullet parkoured the hay out of them.

And the Scrapscallion flying through the air, shouting, “Time for your dressing-_down_, mannequin-jerk!”

So, really, they had a lot of warnings, and it’s their own dumb fault they didn’t knock themselves out on the spot, instead of making the Scrapscallion get his hooves dirty.

[Scraps ain’t giving up. That’s an 9 on Seize By Force: Scraps will take definite hold of the spook, and impress/dismay/frighten them.

Harm move: Whoops that's a 10]

Scraps. Even though you've never played Super Mare-o Sisters you must have somehow gained their abilities, since you manage to execute a textbook Goomba Stomp™ on the unfortunate mannequine.

Unfortunately, in the act of piledriving him ... it(?) ... into the ground, your forward momentum carries you into a stack of prop crates. The outcome of which is you have just enough time to utter a small epithet before being smooshed by the collective costumes of the Bunker's last four seasons of community theater.

The good news: you're not too badly hurt. The bad news; you're stuck, pinned and out of action.

The kinda-sorta-potentially bad news? While Proper Process and her mooks are still out of action, and you did have a split second to throw a nearby grip rope around her hooves, you're now just lying here amidst a pile of unconscious bodies. It's not the most resounding of victories and, absent context, you'd admit it's not clear whether you've won or simply not-lost.

While you're trying to figure out what to do next, the door to the backstage opens. Seems somepony has heard the ruckus at long last and come to investigate.

It's Paddy, the large - barrel chested - Friendship Patrolpony that you took on a brief and bloody excursion to the Wastes some time back. His eyes look a lot older than when you last saw him, as if he's been privy to a few too many of the universe's secrets in the intervening time. The presence of bandages around his neck also indicate recent wounds - although whether they were taken in the course of duty or by virtue of involuntary surgery following Luminark throwing a Library critter at him (as a completely random example) you can't tell.

Nonetheless, his eyes are suspicious and he's carrying a shotgun, which is quickly trained on your prone form.

What do you do?

"Oh, ponies these days!" said Luminark faux-dramatically. "So impatient! So direct! No courtship, no tea, no winsome exchanges of glances across the hall or letters smuggled past the other family's guards. But then, one supposes there are certain etiquette carveouts in section E.L. for particularly boneheaded magi. Yes, of course I have feelings for you! Yes, of course I am asking you on a date! But I warn you now, as Celestia is my witness, I will drag courtly manners kicking and screaming into the modern world and I shall be quite put out if I am made to break keyfabe again. "

Moondancer laughs at that, resting her head against your flank.

"Thank you." she sniffs. "I'm sorry to force that, but with the odds you're facing ... that we're facing, I didn't want the risk of dying before hearing that."

"I've never been happier or sadder at the same time" she continues, chuckling sadly. "You beautiful idiot. Do you have any idea what you've done? Saying that ... I can't just let you go out there alone anymore, but at the same time I know how it's going to end."

"I mean, I've scanned over five million potential outcomes of this battle. Do you know how many of those were ones where you say those words and we both somehow survive the coming fight??" she sighs. "Three. And two of those are these complete edge-cases where ponies have somehow managed to resurrect both an Element of Harmony and the Crystal Princess of Love.'

What do you do?

Oooh, that's great. Good people are great, predictable.

So here's the plan.

The griffon doesn't like Target Practice, doesn't like the way he's treating her. So, play that up. Give him that little nudge that'll have him lashing out so the griffon has no options but to feel like she's compromising her principles, or to step in. When she does, Glimmer can swipe the release in the confusion, and make good her escape with her new best friend!

"Ah, c'mon," she wheedles to the one who laughed. "What'm I gonna do with a straw, huh? You're gonna get your execution anyway, might as well have some fun beforehand, right?"

[8 on Manipulate, trying to push Target Practice's buttons]

"Oh will you SHUT UP!" screams Target Practice, spinning towards you and shoving roughly on the containment cell and, unbeknownst to him, cracking it open a hair. "You want to die faster? I mean, we killed one Administrator, another one won't be missed!"

Oh, well, that did it. You see the griffon's head snap to at that last declaration and she detaches herself from the wall.

Target Practice notices the movement just in time for her to slam him against the cell wall.

"You want to say that again?" she growls "I had friends up there when the last Administrator got offed, and you were behind that?"

Starlight - Target Practice is now being pressed against the containment bubble, the keycard brushing up against your reach. You also see the guardponies starting to draw on the griffon, but she doesn't seem to be bothered by that fact - intent only on the sputtering face of her quarry.

Now's your chance. What do you do?

[Elanorin]

"Back at'cha ground-pounder." says the Pegasus - as her hoof bumps yours tiredly. "Scraps doesn't deserve you."

Milliway falls a bit more serious.

"No, he doesn't," she said and in her mind she saw how he'd looked that day when he'd walked away. All was cool. All was fine. Except it wasn't. She'd seen through him and she'd seen the complete heartbreak she'd caused him.

The way he'd brushed off, flicked his mane, the tone of his voice, it had hit her square in the chest that he not only had feelings for her but had had them for some time. His ability to mask them, pretend like everything was fine, there was so much practice behind every move. She'd not only managed to not see that a pony cared for her, a pony right in front of her, the whole time, but she'd managed to stomp her hooves all over it with more brutal precision than she think she'd manage if she'd tried.

"I get that you may have meant that as a compliment... a sort of 'you can do better' thing but..." Milliway cleared her throat a little. "Truth is I hurt him. I hurt him a lot. And he's all full of... well, Scrap, but he didn't deserve that."

Levering herself with a wing, the pegasus rolls over so that she can look at you in the - well, from the side of your eyes at least.

"When are you going to tell him?"

What do you do?

"What? That I know he has feelings for me? Or had feeling for me." Milliway turned her head to look at the pegasus for a moment and then shook her head.

"I honestly don't know. I'm not even sure I should?" She stared at the cracked ceiling. "For all I know he's trying to move on and get on with life and stuff and likely only came back here because I called and he's the To The Rescue! type and..." she breathed a deep sigh and realised at least one rib was well and truly bruised. She winced.

Her eye and throat began to ache and she pushed the feeling back down.

"But I will apologise," she said with a firm nod and a deep breath. "As soon as we get a moment together alone."

[BlasTech]

Milliway falls a bit more serious.

"No, he doesn't," she said and in her mind she saw how he'd looked that day when he'd walked away. All was cool. All was fine. Except it wasn't. She'd seen through him and she'd seen the complete heartbreak she'd caused him.

The way he'd brushed off, flicked his mane, the tone of his voice, it had hit her square in the chest that he not only had feelings for her but had had them for some time. His ability to mask them, pretend like everything was fine, there was so much practice behind every move. She'd not only managed to not see that a pony cared for her, a pony right in front of her, the whole time, but she'd managed to stomp her hooves all over it with more brutal precision than she think she'd manage if she'd tried.

"I get that you may have meant that as a compliment... a sort of 'you can do better' thing but..." Milliway cleared her throat a little. "Truth is I hurt him. I hurt him a lot. And he's all full of... well, Scrap, but he didn't deserve that."

"What? That I know he has feelings for me? Or had feeling for me." Milliway turned her head to look at the pegasus for a moment and then shook her head.

"I honestly don't know. I'm not even sure I should?" She stared at the cracked ceiling. "For all I know he's trying to move on and get on with life and stuff and likely only came back here because I called and he's the To The Rescue! type and..." she breathed a deep sigh and realised at least one rib was well and truly bruised. She winced.

Her eye and throat began to ache and she pushed the feeling back down.

"But I will apologise," she said with a firm nod and a deep breath. "As soon as we get a moment together alone."

The pegasus lifts herself up to watch you as you speak, before turning back to the ceiling for a good long while.

"Okay, listen up girl ... because I'm only going to tell you this once." she says, breaking the silence.

"Installation XF-0362: Bright Point proving grounds and munitions depot. Eight years ago." she says, her flat voice sounding like she's reading something by rote. "I was a young almost-twenty-something, serving my first tour there. Lucked out with my orders in that alot of my cadet group were posted to the same facility. Featherweight, Gold Spark and ... Wind Whisper.

She sighed.

"We'd all been friends for a while by then, but Wind ... he and I were more than that. We'd met in school, done the prom thing, hung out at each others' for countless evenings, just watching the sun set on the clouds and talking until the moon was high in the sky. The Enclave has alot of rules: food rationing, strict controls on population ... we'd filed the paperwork, hoping to start a family some day. The military gets preference so we thought that a few years service would be all it took to get us across the line."

"All that changed when we found the sky chariot." she said, her voice strained. "It had been a routine patrol when we saw it, crashed above the cloud cover. Orders were clear though, anything from the ground needed to be destroyed - no exceptions - due to risk of contamination. But Wind thought he saw something moving and went down to check it out."

"It turned out to be a family. A mare, three foals. The husband hadn't made it. They'd been ... well, the details don't really matter." she continued, chuckling darkly. "Wind sent me back to report to command while he kept watch. He wanted to find out what had happened. Y'see, we all thought the ground was uninhabitable - that's one of the lies they tell us all the way from basic. Repeated so constantly that you never really get it in your head to question it."

"The base's colonel reacted quickly, taking his own personal wing out with him. Ordered me to stay behind but I snuck out after anyway ... I thought they were going to help. I thought ..."

She drew a deep, shuddering breath.

"That was the day my world ended. Everything that came after was just fire and noise." she continued, voice emotionless. "Waited till the others were on a patrol. Faked an injury. Broke into the armory."

"With nothing left above, I came down below. Branded my mark off myself and promptly tried to bury it all with drink and stallions." she says, a smirk tugging at her face now. "But every morning after, I'd see the same face in the mirror. And no matter how many fights or nights that passed, that look never changed."

In somewhat more control, she glances at you and gives a grin.

"I admit, I did think Scraps was just going to be one more of those stallions. He seemed the type when we first met. All suave smiles and empty promises." she chuckles, her hooves up in front of her as if she's trying to paint the scene on the ceiling. "But after we kissed, and it was a terrible kiss, by the way. I caught that look on his face."

"Of course, I did the only thing a mare could do at that point: Punched him in the gut and made him tell me the name of the mare he was caught up on."

Standing up, she brushes herself off and offers you a hoof up.

"I didn't tell you all that to saddle you with baggage, or even to needle you about kissing him. Again: terrible kiss." she says. "But I wanted you to understand that what I say next is said without exaggeration. I loved Wind Whisper. When I lost him, I took out an entire military base. I blew a hole in the sky."

"But if I looked the way that Scraps did when he finally told me your name?" she whispers. "All the pegasi in the Enclave wouldn't have stopped me from burning Cloudsdale itself away."

She shook her head.

"He's not trying to get past you. He can't." she finished. "Trust me on this. If you've hurt him, then apologise, sure. But then - make. It. Better. Don't sacrifice what you could have just because you're afraid of what he might say or you're waiting for the perfect moment. Life doesn't wait and you never know if the two of you will see tomorrow."

[Thanqol]

Moondancer laughs at that, resting her head against your flank.

"Thank you." she sniffs. "I'm sorry to force that, but with the odds you're facing ... that we're facing, I didn't want the risk of dying before hearing that."

"I've never been happier or sadder at the same time" she continues, chuckling sadly. "You beautiful idiot. Do you have any idea what you've done? Saying that ... I can't just let you go out there alone anymore, but at the same time I know how it's going to end."

"I mean, I've scanned over five million potential outcomes of this battle. Do you know how many of those were ones where you say those words and we both somehow survive the coming fight??" she sighs. "Three. And two of those are these complete edge-cases where ponies have somehow managed to resurrect both an Element of Harmony and the Crystal Princess of Love.'

"Oh, did I not mention that Minister Rarity was not only revived and given physical form by my spectacular necromantic abilities, but that she is also here in this very bunker as my guest and friend?" said Luminark, faux-casual. "I have not yet turned my awesome cosmic power towards reviving the Crystal Princess but perhaps the time can be made."

He may have been hamming this one up a bit, but he was also fairly sure that this was his one and only chance to impress the Archmage with his magical abilities - especially given that under normal circumstances levitating a book for extended periods gave him horn strain.

[Elanorin]

The pegasus lifts herself up to watch you as you speak, before turning back to the ceiling for a good long while.

"Okay, listen up girl ... because I'm only going to tell you this once." she says, breaking the silence.

"Installation XF-0362: Bright Point proving grounds and munitions depot. Eight years ago." she says, her flat voice sounding like she's reading something by rote. "I was a young almost-twenty-something, serving my first tour there. Lucked out with my orders in that alot of my cadet group were posted to the same facility. Featherweight, Gold Spark and ... Wind Whisper.

She sighed.

"We'd all been friends for a while by then, but Wind ... he and I were more than that. We'd met in school, done the prom thing, hung out at each others' for countless evenings, just watching the sun set on the clouds and talking until the moon was high in the sky. The Enclave has alot of rules: food rationing, strict controls on population ... we'd filed the paperwork, hoping to start a family some day. The military gets preference so we thought that a few years service would be all it took to get us across the line."

"All that changed when we found the sky chariot." she said, her voice strained. "It had been a routine patrol when we saw it, crashed above the cloud cover. Orders were clear though, anything from the ground needed to be destroyed - no exceptions - due to risk of contamination. But Wind thought he saw something moving and went down to check it out."

"It turned out to be a family. A mare, three foals. The husband hadn't made it. They'd been ... well, the details don't really matter." she continued, chuckling darkly. "Wind sent me back to report to command while he kept watch. He wanted to find out what had happened. Y'see, we all thought the ground was uninhabitable - that's one of the lies they tell us all the way from basic. Repeated so constantly that you never really get it in your head to question it."

"The base's colonel reacted quickly, taking his own personal wing out with him. Ordered me to stay behind but I snuck out after anyway ... I thought they were going to help. I thought ..."

She drew a deep, shuddering breath.

"That was the day my world ended. Everything that came after was just fire and noise." she continued, voice emotionless. "Waited till the others were on a patrol. Faked an injury. Broke into the armory."

"With nothing left above, I came down below. Branded my mark off myself and promptly tried to bury it all with drink and stallions." she says, a smirk tugging at her face now. "But every morning after, I'd see the same face in the mirror. And no matter how many fights or nights that passed, that look never changed."

In somewhat more control, she glances at you and gives a grin.

"I admit, I did think Scraps was just going to be one more of those stallions. He seemed the type when we first met. All suave smiles and empty promises." she chuckles, her hooves up in front of her as if she's trying to paint the scene on the ceiling. "But after we kissed, and it was a terrible kiss, by the way. I caught that look on his face."

"Of course, I did the only thing a mare could do at that point: Punched him in the gut and made him tell me the name of the mare he was caught up on."

Standing up, she brushes herself off and offers you a hoof up.

"I didn't tell you all that to saddle you with baggage, or even to needle you about kissing him. Again: terrible kiss." she says. "But I wanted you to understand that what I say next is said without exaggeration. I loved Wind Whisper. When I lost him, I took out an entire military base. I blew a hole in the sky."

"But if I looked the way that Scraps did when he finally told me your name?" she whispers. "All the pegasi in the Enclave wouldn't have stopped me from burning Cloudsdale itself away."

She shook her head.

"He's not trying to get past you. He can't." she finished. "Trust me on this. If you've hurt him, then apologise, sure. But then - make. It. Better. Don't sacrifice what you could have just because you're afraid of what he might say or you're waiting for the perfect moment. Life doesn't wait and you never know if the two of you will see tomorrow."

Milliway listened in complete silence. At first with casual curiosity but as her new friend went on and she began to realise the significance of what she was saying, how much this moment meant to her, how life changing it had proven and how much it might cost her to recount it simply in trying to help, Milliway looked up and paid close attention, ears pricked.

She returned to her hooves as the pegasus helped her up and despite a few moments when she was tempted to interrupt, she did not.

She bowed her head as the last of what she'd heard tried to sink in.

Images swirled in her mind of that family scared and hurt, of Wind Whisper, even though she had no idea what he looked like, of a strange world in clouds, of a hurt so great it blew a hole in the sky. She thought back to when she was captured by the Friendship Patrol and her Friendship Training. How for a while she had wanted to level this place, leave nothing but a smoldering crater, but she had lost that spark by the time they were done. She imagined what Scraps must have looked like to make a complete stranger see through his practiced facade. All because of how she'd hurt him, and because of how he felt about her. How could one thing, one piece of news, one image make her heart both plummet and soar at the same time? And then there was the kissing thing. Arguably the most insignificant detail out of everything she'd just heard and yet it seemed to demand much more of her attention than she intellectually knew it deserved. She didn't like it. She didn't like it at all. And then the thought of something happening causing her to truly never see Scraps again. Ever. Not, he's-run-off-because-he's-mad-and-who-knows-what's-going-to-happen-never. No, like dead-never.

When she picked up her head once more to look at the pegasus in front of her she was still struggling with what to say and without putting enough thought behind it to give herself a chance of overthinking it and talk herself out of it she simply just wrapped Cloudburster in a tight hug and didn't let go.

It was pure emotional chaos inside her but she still felt oddly warm and even her anxiety struggled to kick off because standing perfectly still within all the whirlwind emotions stood the conviction that one way or another, things were going to be okay. Eventually. She had no idea whatsoever on how that was going to happen but she could feel it. And it didn't scare her that she didn't know how to get there or how long it was going to take, because she wasn't alone.

She wasn't alone.

Was this... friendship? Was this what it felt like?

"Alright," she mumbled and finally let go. "I will," she promised. "I will make it better." She nodded and bit her jaws together hard against the lump in her throat. "And thank you for telling me all that. It means a lot. And I'm sorry about what they... about what happened." She shook her head. "I can't imagine..." she didn't know how to finish the sentence.

"I'm kinda glad you wiped those jerks out though. Saves me a trip." She offered a little tentative half-smile, unsure if the comment was crossing some line. She hoped it didn't. That tale, the look on her face, the flatness of her careful voice, it really did make her inclined to go hunting down this Installation XF-03...whatever and levelling it to the- well... clouds?

"Wait," she said, looking around, as if suddenly realising where she was. The subject of hunting down a bunch of goons and killing them had reminded her of "the execution!"

[BlasTech]

"Oh, did I not mention that Minister Rarity was not only revived and given physical form by my spectacular necromantic abilities, but that she is also here in this very bunker as my guest and friend?" said Luminark, faux-casual. "I have not yet turned my awesome cosmic power towards reviving the Crystal Princess but perhaps the time can be made."

He may have been hamming this one up a bit, but he was also fairly sure that this was his one and only chance to impress the Archmage with his magical abilities - especially given that under normal circumstances levitating a book for extended periods gave him horn strain.

Moondancer stares at you with a deep intensity and, for a moment, you're not sure if you've somehow managed to impress her enough for a kiss.

Of course that's silly. Kisses are not to be had until step fifty six according to Introduction to Courtly Romance. Well, unless it falls under the exclusions in chapter four or nine, but you're pretty sure there aren't any dragons in the office for you to Slay In The Lady's Name.

Before you can pursue that line of thought any further the Archmage is dragging you out of the office and back into the Library.

-==-

A few minutes later, the two of you are standing in front of the dull husk of what used to be the Crystal Heart. A forest of wires trailing to an empty metal cylinder that you recognise as Library artifact #31569218-D, a pre-war experimental cloning device.

There's a deepening silence, broken eventually by the Archmage.

" ... Huh."

What do you do?

When she picked up her head once more to look at the pegasus in front of her she was still struggling with what to say and without putting enough thought behind it to give herself a chance of overthinking it and talk herself out of it she simply just wrapped Cloudburster in a tight hug and didn't let go.

Cloudbreaker returns the hug with strong forelegs and, when you finally break it, she's got a smile on her face.

"I'm kinda glad you wiped those jerks out though. Saves me a trip." She offered a little tentative half-smile, unsure if the comment was crossing some line. She hoped it didn't. That tale, the look on her face, the flatness of her careful voice, it really did make her inclined to go hunting down this Installation XF-03...whatever and levelling it to the- well... clouds?

"Wait," she said, looking around, as if suddenly realising where she was. The subject of hunting down a bunch of goons and killing them had reminded her of "the execution!"

"Right!" Cloudburster says, glancing around. "Let's roll. Do you want to carry the mysterious bundle of black-cloak over there or shall I?"

Whatever the answer, the three of you are soon sprinting through the halls towards the main cafeteria.

Milliway, you arrive through the doors just in time to see a griffon(!) shout something and shove Target Practice against the containment bubble housing the prone form of Starlight Glimmer. Is this a rescue attempt? If so, even though the mess hall is crowded with practically everypony in the Bunker, there doesn't seem to be many ponies rushing to help her.

Meanwhile, the four Friendship Patrol ponies accompanying Target Practice look like they're about to go for their weapons.

What do you do?

[TheAmishPirate]

Scraps. Even though you've never played Super Mare-o Sisters you must have somehow gained their abilities, since you manage to execute a textbook Goomba Stomp™ on the unfortunate mannequine.

Unfortunately, in the act of piledriving him ... it(?) ... into the ground, your forward momentum carries you into a stack of prop crates. The outcome of which is you have just enough time to utter a small epithet before being smooshed by the collective costumes of the Bunker's last four seasons of community theater.

The good news: you're not too badly hurt. The bad news; you're stuck, pinned and out of action.

The kinda-sorta-potentially bad news? While Proper Process and her mooks are still out of action, and you did have a split second to throw a nearby grip rope around her hooves, you're now just lying here amidst a pile of unconscious bodies. It's not the most resounding of victories and, absent context, you'd admit it's not clear whether you've won or simply not-lost.

While you're trying to figure out what to do next, the door to the backstage opens. Seems somepony has heard the ruckus at long last and come to investigate.

It's Paddy, the large - barrel chested - Friendship Patrolpony that you took on a brief and bloody excursion to the Wastes some time back. His eyes look a lot older than when you last saw him, as if he's been privy to a few too many of the universe's secrets in the intervening time. The presence of bandages around his neck also indicate recent wounds - although whether they were taken in the course of duty or by virtue of involuntary surgery following Luminark throwing a Library critter at him (as a completely random example) you can't tell.

Nonetheless, his eyes are suspicious and he's carrying a shotgun, which is quickly trained on your prone form.

What do you do?

This has not been the Scrapscallion’s day. Scene? Few minutes? Life?! Ugh.

Maybe the usual Scrapscallion would’ve had a witty rejoinder all cooked up, ready to fire off moments before he swung out the window with his bounty in tow, to land in the arms of the nearest, prettiest mare. But today, not even a single part of that felt like fun. So if he wasn’t the usual Scrapscallion...who even was he?

Like he said. Ugh.

So instead of the wit and the escape attempt, ol’ Paddy just got a deflated nod (barely more than a rise, and flop of the head) and a monotone, “Sup, Paddy.”

[Spending final Read a Sitch hold: What’s my best way in/through/past?]

[Elanorin]

"Right!" Cloudburster says, glancing around. "Let's roll. Do you want to carry the mysterious bundle of black-cloak over there or shall I?"

"Oh. Uh. I better... yes." Milliway said and helped the cloak-covered popcorn-eating House back up on her back. "I'll tell you about this later," Milliway said, as she shifted the weight to a position that would allow her to move quickly.

Whatever the answer, the three of you are soon sprinting through the halls towards the main cafeteria.

Milliway, you arrive through the doors just in time to see a griffon(!) shout something and shove Target Practice against the containment bubble housing the prone form of Starlight Glimmer. Is this a rescue attempt? If so, even though the mess hall is crowded with practically everypony in the Bunker, there doesn't seem to be many ponies rushing to help her.

Meanwhile, the four Friendship Patrol ponies accompanying Target Practice look like they're about to go for their weapons.

What do you do?

Milliway took a cautious step or two backwards, just enough that when she sat herself down for a moment, House could slide off her back quietly and sit under the cloak in the corner, right by the doors. Then she returned to Cloudburster's side.

"We need to get that... bubble-thing..." Milliway said from the corner of her mouth, half to herself as her eyes roamed the room and the scene before her and she desperately tried to come up with a plan.

[Rolling Acquisitive Eye on the Starlight Bubble: 2+4+3=9 Asking 2: How can I make the Starlight Bubble mine? and Who will stand in my way?]

[BlasTech]

This has not been the Scrapscallion’s day. Scene? Few minutes? Life?! Ugh.

Maybe the usual Scrapscallion would’ve had a witty rejoinder all cooked up, ready to fire off moments before he swung out the window with his bounty in tow, to land in the arms of the nearest, prettiest mare. But today, not even a single part of that felt like fun. So if he wasn’t the usual Scrapscallion...who even was he?

Like he said. Ugh.

So instead of the wit and the escape attempt, ol’ Paddy just got a deflated nod (barely more than a rise, and flop of the head) and a monotone, “Sup, Paddy.”

[Spending final Read a Sitch hold: What’s my best way in/through/past?]

"'lo, Scraps" he says, cocking his head slightly.

Thinking about the scene you're in, it's not exactly one that would endear you to a member of the Friendship Patrol. After all, you're lying there amidst a mess of broken equipment next to the unconscious, bound, body of the Administrator.

Your best way through is to talk and talk quickly, before Paddy makes up his mind that you're in the wrong. On the upside, there's presumably some evidence around to back your side of the story. You'd just need to convince him to search the Administrator: His boss, and the person to whom he nominally owes his allegiance to.

And then convince him that that pony was trying to kill everyone ...

Good luck!

Milliway took a cautious step or two backwards, just enough that when she sat herself down for a moment, House could slide off her back quietly and sit under the cloak in the corner, right by the doors. Then she returned to Cloudburster's side.

"We need to get that... bubble-thing..." Milliway said from the corner of her mouth, half to herself as her eyes roamed the room and the scene before her and she desperately tried to come up with a plan.

[Rolling Acquisitive Eye on the Starlight Bubble: 2+4+3=9 Asking 2: How can I make the Starlight Bubble mine? and Who will stand in my way?]

Honestly? Your best bet is a simple smash and grab.

The scene in front of you is only a couple of seconds away from becoming a full on fight, but if you use the distraction that griffon is providing to Seize the casket you might well be able to get away before the guards around it know what has happened. They'll give chase, so you'll need to lose them on the way back to somewhere safe like the Library.

Target Practice will stand in your way and he still has the Friendship Patrol on his side, but the institution is a shadow of what it once was and is definitely not up to breaching the Library's defences on their own. Get back there and you'll be home free.

"On your lead" says Cloudburster, eyeing up the crew in front of her.

What do you do?

[Balmas]

Now's your chance. What do you do?

This is the moment. Everyone's eyes are on the fight about to happen, which means that eyes aren't on her. All she has to do is muster the energy to reach a tendril out, grab the release button off his belt, drag it back through the crack...

[5,5, -1 Cool. 9 on Act Under Fire.]

Clink.

Um. Drag it back through the crack?

Clunk.

Maybe it'll fit if she turns it sideways? Come on, come on, fiddle faster before they notice the noise she's making...

[Thanqol]

Moondancer stares at you with a deep intensity and, for a moment, you're not sure if you've somehow managed to impress her enough for a kiss.

Of course that's silly. Kisses are not to be had until step fifty six according to Introduction to Courtly Romance. Well, unless it falls under the exclusions in chapter four or nine, but you're pretty sure there aren't any dragons in the office for you to Slay In The Lady's Name.

Before you can pursue that line of thought any further the Archmage is dragging you out of the office and back into the Library.

-==-

A few minutes later, the two of you are standing in front of the dull husk of what used to be the Crystal Heart. A forest of wires trailing to an empty metal cylinder that you recognise as Library artifact #31569218-D, a pre-war experimental cloning device.

There's a deepening silence, broken eventually by the Archmage.

" ... Huh."

"Urgh, Milliway!" said Luminark, trotting ahead quite thoughtlessly and starting work on the thankless and pointless task of straightening the cables. "The whole library is like this! She's a menace! I swear, I thought I'd have a heart attack when I saw Artifact Containment. The books are going to be furious!"

The significance of the moment seemed to be going a bit over his head. To be fair, Milliway's cable organization was truly nightmarish.

[BlasTech]

"Urgh, Milliway!" said Luminark, trotting ahead quite thoughtlessly and starting work on the thankless and pointless task of straightening the cables. "The whole library is like this! She's a menace! I swear, I thought I'd have a heart attack when I saw Artifact Containment. The books are going to be furious!"

The significance of the moment seemed to be going a bit over his head. To be fair, Milliway's cable organization was truly nightmarish.

"Please, Luminark. Can we focus on what's really important here?" replies the Archmage, her voice lightly scolding. "I mean, yes, the cable management is terrible, but look at the paperwork! It's completely out of order. It's not by year of publication, author's name or even by subject."

She peers closer. And when she next speaks her voice is full of dread.

"I think she's filed these by colour."

Eventually, the two of you manage to organise the mess to an extent that you're able to notice the drained crystal heart and the cloning chamber.

At that point, what do you do?

[Thanqol]

"Please, Luminark. Can we focus on what's really important here?" replies the Archmage, her voice lightly scolding. "I mean, yes, the cable management is terrible, but look at the paperwork! It's completely out of order. It's not by year of publication, author's name or even by subject."

She peers closer. And when she next speaks her voice is full of dread.

"I think she's filed these by colour."

Eventually, the two of you manage to organise the mess to an extent that you're able to notice the drained crystal heart and the cloning chamber.

At that point, what do you do?

"Well..." said Luminark, looking at the tank. "This could be an impossible coincidence, but I doubt it. I've... developed a theory that Magic is basically good. That it's basically on our side. And that problems only really occur when we dig in and try to push against it. We could track this thing down, investigate, run tests, try to be sure. I think that's a mistake, though. I think we should proceed based on the assumption that this is a good thing. We should proceed on the assumption the universe has our backs."

He smiled and offered his hoof. "What do you say? Now can we go save the world?"

[Elanorin]

Honestly? Your best bet is a simple smash and grab.

The scene in front of you is only a couple of seconds away from becoming a full on fight, but if you use the distraction that griffon is providing to Seize the casket you might well be able to get away before the guards around it know what has happened. They'll give chase, so you'll need to lose them on the way back to somewhere safe like the Library.

Target Practice will stand in your way and he still has the Friendship Patrol on his side, but the institution is a shadow of what it once was and is definitely not up to breaching the Library's defences on their own. Get back there and you'll be home free.

"On your lead" says Cloudburster, eyeing up the crew in front of her.

What do you do?

Exactly that.

"Alright," Milliway muttered under her breath. "On my mark. Oh, and I'm trusting you to get the mysterious cloak bundle out of here, Feathers. Unharmed. Do you know where the library is? Rendezvous there if we get separated."

Heartbeat.

"Now."

And with that she charged headfirst through the crowd straight for the Bubble holding Starlight. The griffon was a very welcome distraction and perhaps a creature she'd venture to ally with if she'd had time but really, right now she just wanted to get Starlight out of here with as little risk to herself and her friends as possible. She'd just gone a major round with her new pegasus buddy and she was still aching all over. If there was a way through that promised less hurt, she'd take it.

[Rolling to seize the Starlight Bubble by force: 2+4+1=7 Choosing to take definite control and suffer little harm]

[TheAmishPirate]

"'lo, Scraps" he says, cocking his head slightly.

Thinking about the scene you're in, it's not exactly one that would endear you to a member of the Friendship Patrol. After all, you're lying there amidst a mess of broken equipment next to the unconscious, bound, body of the Administrator.

Your best way through is to talk and talk quickly, before Paddy makes up his mind that you're in the wrong. On the upside, there's presumably some evidence around to back your side of the story. You'd just need to convince him to search the Administrator: His boss, and the person to whom he nominally owes his allegiance to.

And then convince him that that pony was trying to kill everyone ...

Good luck!

“So, Proper Process is in cahoots with the pegasi army that’s about to bust down the Bunker’s door.” He rattled off without a hint of preamble. “Had an idea to catch her. Even filled out a form right to trick her. Didn’t work. She had a big red button or something she was itching to push. Probably still in her jacket, if you look.” He’d have gestured, but that would require a free hoof, and a solitary care to give, and, wouldn’t you know it, he was fresh out of both. “Anyway. Had to improvise. She tried to kill me, I knocked her out, mannequins came to life, tried to kill me too, and then I wound up here.”

A tuft of his mane - his pride and joy - hung dull and limp over his eye. He blew it aside with a dispirited huff, and watched it fall back over his face. “That’s pretty much my day. Just another grand adventure for the great Scrapscallion.”

The Scrapscallion hadn’t gotten his name for his intimate relationship with the truth. A pony could be excused for thinking the sorry wreck of a stallion, trapped beneath a box of lame theatre supplies, was actually a cunning fake who hadn’t done nearly enough research.

But a pony like Paddy? Who’d tried to chase him down more times than either of them could count? Who’d shared the road with him, however briefly? He'd know this was the real deal. And a pony like him could tell something was very, very wrong when the Scrapscallion’s only defense was the honest truth.

[Rolling to Manipulate Paddy into focusing on the true problem here: The crushed spirits of his one-time road trip bro, the Scrapscallion. 6 + 3 + 2 = 11]

[BlasTech]

Exactly that.

"Alright," Milliway muttered under her breath. "On my mark. Oh, and I'm trusting you to get the mysterious cloak bundle out of here, Feathers. Unharmed. Do you know where the library is? Rendezvous there if we get separated."

Heartbeat.

"Now."

And with that she charged headfirst through the crowd straight for the Bubble holding Starlight. The griffon was a very welcome distraction and perhaps a creature she'd venture to ally with if she'd had time but really, right now she just wanted to get Starlight out of here with as little risk to herself and her friends as possible. She'd just gone a major round with her new pegasus buddy and she was still aching all over. If there was a way through that promised less hurt, she'd take it.

[Rolling to seize the Starlight Bubble by force: 2+4+1=7 Choosing to take definite control and suffer little harm]

The griffon is just about to draw back and clock Target Practice when your execution of the military manoeuvre known as the "bum rush" manages to catch all parties by complete surprise. One of the guards manages to give you a hit with his truncheon but it ends up glancing off you and hitting the capsule. In return, your headbutt knocks him down before the three of you trample over him.

"No!" shouts Target Practice. "After them!"

[Exchange of 1-harm in each direction]

As this is happening, a pony by the name of Pleasant Ambiance is making his way through the throng of ponies in the mess hall. A relatively unremarkable pony in the Bunker, his main job is ensuring that the posters, potplants and other decorations in the Bunker are maintained and cycled through enough to keep the whole place feeling fresh.

Right now though, he's making the most of his downtime to make his way to the Jukebox.

He hits a button, before the discs cycle and a new tune starts playing over the speakers.

This is the moment. Everyone's eyes are on the fight about to happen, which means that eyes aren't on her. All she has to do is muster the energy to reach a tendril out, grab the release button off his belt, drag it back through the crack...

[5,5, -1 Cool. 9 on Act Under Fire.]

Clink.

Um. Drag it back through the crack?

Clunk.

Maybe it'll fit if she turns it sideways? Come on, come on, fiddle faster before they notice the noise she's making...

You're there, with the keycard hanging halfway in and halfway out when Milliway suddenly slams into you and sends you careening off down the corridors of the Bunker.

You barely manage to hold on to the card, which is now hanging precariously on the outside of the capsule.

The good news is, you do have a hold on it, so you can eventually bring it back inside.

The bad news is that, when that guardpony hit the capsule, it triggered something. Right now, there is an automated voice stating that a breach in the capsule has been detected and a purge will commence in ten seconds unless it is re-sealed.

Bumping along like this, do you hold on to the card and hope to weather whatever the capsule throws at you (you'll probably survive), or do you drop it to shut the capsule and avoid the damage?

What do you do?

In the meantime, you're treated to a front row seat to Milliway's escape attempt as she tries to lose the Friendship Patrol in the maze of the Bunker's hallways.

What do you say to her as you're running?

“So, Proper Process is in cahoots with the pegasi army that’s about to bust down the Bunker’s door.” He rattled off without a hint of preamble. “Had an idea to catch her. Even filled out a form right to trick her. Didn’t work. She had a big red button or something she was itching to push. Probably still in her jacket, if you look.” He’d have gestured, but that would require a free hoof, and a solitary care to give, and, wouldn’t you know it, he was fresh out of both. “Anyway. Had to improvise. She tried to kill me, I knocked her out, mannequins came to life, tried to kill me too, and then I wound up here.”

A tuft of his mane - his pride and joy - hung dull and limp over his eye. He blew it aside with a dispirited huff, and watched it fall back over his face. “That’s pretty much my day. Just another grand adventure for the great Scrapscallion.”

The Scrapscallion hadn’t gotten his name for his intimate relationship with the truth. A pony could be excused for thinking the sorry wreck of a stallion, trapped beneath a box of lame theatre supplies, was actually a cunning fake who hadn’t done nearly enough research.

But a pony like Paddy? Who’d tried to chase him down more times than either of them could count? Who’d shared the road with him, however briefly? He'd know this was the real deal. And a pony like him could tell something was very, very wrong when the Scrapscallion’s only defense was the honest truth.

[Rolling to Manipulate Paddy into focusing on the true problem here: The crushed spirits of his one-time road trip bro, the Scrapscallion. 6 + 3 + 2 = 11]

The shotgun lowers slightly, a frown creasing the big pony's face.

"Really?" he asks, his voice scratchy from the effects of recent unspeakable events.

At your tired nod, he shoulders the shotgun and reaches down. The meaty hoof that pulls you out from under the pile of boxes in one smooth, strong, motion is lucky to not tear your forelegs out, but your soon standing free and patting yourself free of dust.

Paddy meanwhile, has made his own way over to Proper Process, taking only a moment to frisk her and find the remote you talked about, he hoofs it over to you before tossing her prone body on her back.

"I never really thought you were that much trouble laddyo." he says, as the two of you head towards the exit to the Auditorium. "But you sure have a way of finding it in a hurry. What do you plan to do with her?"

Before you have a chance to reply, you're nearly bowled over as Milliway barrels past you pushing a transparent capsule containing Starlight Glimmer.

A second later, Cloudburster comes running past with a black-cloaked bundle on her back. She chucks you a "heyo!" as she bolts past.

A second after that, Target Practice and three Friendship Patrol ponies charge past with murder in their eyes.

Finally, following with an air of curiosity more than malice, Regina comes flapping past.

What do you do?

"Well..." said Luminark, looking at the tank. "This could be an impossible coincidence, but I doubt it. I've... developed a theory that Magic is basically good. That it's basically on our side. And that problems only really occur when we dig in and try to push against it. We could track this thing down, investigate, run tests, try to be sure. I think that's a mistake, though. I think we should proceed based on the assumption that this is a good thing. We should proceed on the assumption the universe has our backs."

He smiled and offered his hoof. "What do you say? Now can we go save the world?"

"You know, the Determinative Sentience theory of magic is one that has been thrown about for a while. Given the sheer improbability of this branch playing out naturally, I'd say we have some pretty strong empirical evidence in support of this if we do end up all not dying horribly in the next five hours."

Moondancer blinks.

"What I mean to say is, yes, let's go save the world."

The two of you head to the Library's main entrance, side by side. Before you reach it though, the doors chirp recognition of an Authorised Representative and slam open.

Milliway - after running what feels like two marathons, the Friendship Patrol was almost upon you before you had the bright idea of detouring through the Physics department's experimental teleportation labs. After a merry chase which saw you managing to leave through a different lab than you entered, you ditched your pursuers and made your way down to the Library with Cloudburster and House in tow. There's also that griffon lady, who didn't get fooled with the rest of the Friendship patrol and may have actually helped by locking one of the lab doors before they could exit.

After piling through the doorway, you're greeted by the sight of the Archmage herself standing (noticeably very close) to Luminark.

Scrapscallion - If you followed Milliway, you manage to get to the Library with Proper Process and Paddy just before the doors are slammed shut behind you all. If you went somewhere else, where did you go?

Starlight Glimmer - Irrespective of which option you chose regarding the keycard, you are now at the Library and are face to ... well, face to bubble, with Luminark.

What do you all do?

[Elanorin]

The griffon is just about to draw back and clock Target Practice when your execution of the military manoeuvre known as the "bum rush" manages to catch all parties by complete surprise. One of the guards manages to give you a hit with his truncheon but it ends up glancing off you and hitting the capsule. In return, your headbutt knocks him down before the three of you trample over him.

"No!" shouts Target Practice. "After them!"

[Exchange of 1-harm in each direction]

As this is happening, a pony by the name of Pleasant Ambiance is making his way through the throng of ponies in the mess hall. A relatively unremarkable pony in the Bunker, his main job is ensuring that the posters, potplants and other decorations in the Bunker are maintained and cycled through enough to keep the whole place feeling fresh.

Right now though, he's making the most of his downtime to make his way to the Jukebox.

He hits a button, before the discs cycle and a new tune starts playing over the speakers.

Milliway - after running what feels like two marathons, the Friendship Patrol was almost upon you before you had the bright idea of detouring through the Physics department's experimental teleportation labs. After a merry chase which saw you managing to leave through a different lab than you entered, you ditched your pursuers and made your way down to the Library with Cloudburster and House in tow. There's also that griffon lady, who didn't get fooled with the rest of the Friendship patrol and may have actually helped by locking one of the lab doors before they could exit.

After piling through the doorway, you're greeted by the sight of the Archmage herself standing (noticeably very close) to Luminark.

What do you all do?

Once Milliway had managed to come to a screeching halt inside the doors, do a quick check that the Starlight Bubble was intact, Cloudburster and the cloak-covered House had made it in one piece, she stopped to catch her breath for a second because that was one hay of a chase! The huge grin on her face was hard to miss. After a couple of gulps of air to satisfy her aching lungs most immediate cries she even gave a brief laugh, quite delighted with herself.

She raised a hoof to Cloudburster for a celebratory high-hoof. "Now tell me that wasn't fun," she grinned.

Give Luminark back the library - check.
Meet up with mysterious pegasus - check.
Stop execution of Starlight Glimmer - check.
Only one thing remained on her mental checklist, and it was by far the hardest and, well, yeah, that one would have to wait for now.

"Oh, hi, Moondancer," she said with a happily surprised smile at seeing the Archmage out of her office. "Luminark found you, that's good." Asking him to come here had been a good idea, then. Good. "That's," Wow, they seemed really... close... like close close. A cloud threatened to pull in over her beaming face but no, she was not going to go there. Right now everything was going her way. She was on a roll and felt like she was on top of the world, that was not something that happened down here. Not to her. This was a moment to savour.

"I'm not sure what this bubble thing is. But I'm sure we can pop it somehow." She gestured at the bubble and directed her eyes elsewhere, and noticed that Scraps of all ponies had managed to join them before the doors had slammed shut. Her heart felt like it skipped a beat.

Had he seen it? Had she just managed to pull off a big daring rescue while he saw the whole thing?

While her heart fought to resume normal operations, she stepped back to stand with Cloudburster. There were at the very least three ponies that outranked her here so the issue of what to do now didn't feel like it was really just up to her. She tried not to stare at Scraps, but her eyes just seemed to be drawn in that direction.

"Hey, Starlight Glimmer, can you hear us in there?" She said, trying to focus on the big bubble in the room.

EDIT: Forgot to roll Harm with Juggernaut [5+2+1-2=6]

[Balmas]

The bad news is that, when that guardpony hit the capsule, it triggered something. Right now, there is an automated voice stating that a breach in the capsule has been detected and a purge will commence in ten seconds unless it is re-sealed.

Bumping along like this, do you hold on to the card and hope to weather whatever the capsule throws at you (you'll probably survive), or do you drop it to shut the capsule and avoid the damage?

What do you do?

Oof. She is not in good enough shape to take whatever purge means. And Target Practice is exactly creative enough with weapons to make it suitably nasty.

On the other hand, if she lets go here, in the middle of a high-speed chase through the bunker, there's no guarantee she'll be able to get it back. Anyone could pick it up, or smash it, and she'd be stuck in this trap for who knows how long?

She grabs the keycard, tucks it away inside herself, and hopes purge isn't as bad as it sounds.

In the meantime, you're treated to a front row seat to Milliway's escape attempt as she tries to lose the Friendship Patrol in the maze of the Bunker's hallways.

What do you say to her as you're running?

"Lieutenant!"

No, that's not right. Maybe? She never took the rank back, never demoted her. But Milliway didn't do well in the position, didn't thrive? Point of fact, ran and hid.

Why did she think Milliway would do well in this job? She must have had a very good reason to give second-in-command authority to a pony so ill suited for the job, right? She had files on everyone! She knew everything about the ponies in her bunker!

So why can't she remember it? Yeah, she had a psychological profile, and a name, and aptitude results, but, well, how often had she even talked to her?

"Milliway," she amends. "Perfect timing. If I'm not ash in a few seconds, maybe we can get a drink."

Starlight Glimmer - Irrespective of which option you chose regarding the keycard, you are now at the Library and are face to ... well, face to bubble, with Luminark.

What do you all do?

She ought to be angry. Ought to be smashing herself against the bubble to get at him. He's alive! That's the bastard who turned her into this! She should be tearing him limb from limb!

Not, you know, suddenly apathetic?

He was dead. She heard the message from Milliway, same as Scrapscallion. She'd been conflicted then, but... Well, she's still conflicted. She'd almost felt sad he was gone, sad she wouldn't get her revenge.

"... You're still alive, I see. Not sure how to feel about that."

[BlasTech]

Oof. She is not in good enough shape to take whatever purge means. And Target Practice is exactly creative enough with weapons to make it suitably nasty.

On the other hand, if she lets go here, in the middle of a high-speed chase through the bunker, there's no guarantee she'll be able to get it back. Anyone could pick it up, or smash it, and she'd be stuck in this trap for who knows how long?

She grabs the keycard, tucks it away inside herself, and hopes purge isn't as bad as it sounds.

If you weren't a magical abomination of science - it likely would have been terminally bad for your health. As it is - you can thank your incredible resilience that the electrical currrent that passes through the entire capsule only really really, really stings.

[Take 2 Harm ap]

The other outcome is that you are slightly charred and smoking a little bit for the remainder of the scene.