[MLP] Cloudbreak II: Towards the sun

[BlasTech]

"That's all..." Luminark's mind was jolted out of the important process of political analysis by the implications of that last sentence. "They're planning to attack the Bunker? Another attack? They attacked it before? Why?"

Immediately he kicked himself. Why did he still care about that place? It was a toxic pit of vipers and the Enclave was probably going to do everypony a favour by attacking it. Damn it, he had a good thing going here and he needed to not ruin it by doing anything stupid.

"You know the place?" shrugs the Pegasus.

"Well, we raided one of the Enclave's groundside bases. The Rangers and I had been trying to find out what their next move was, and this guy" she said, hefting his limp form "got signed up to help."

"Turns out the Enclave are after the stuff that's stored there as they think it'll let them restore the cloud cover. The comms logs we took had a long list of things they were trying to acquire, most with names that sounded like magical spells, projects or artefacts."

"Either way, they've been apparently trying for this place for a while now. Mentioned that they were seeking to infiltrate it, although how exactly they think they'll pull that off I'd love to know - not exactly that many pegasi around down here to blend in with."

"Anyway, the Rangers were going to head there soon. Between them and us, we'll see what kind of a defence we can muster with the locals."

[Elanorin]

"Almost all of them are." replies House, after a moment's silence. "Morgue records only have Tree and Power Overwhelming as being killed in the last six months."

"Big Bang is listed as having been in medical, which I'd guess means he was injured in the surface bombing. No records for the others having been hurt recently, or at least not having visited the Bunker's medical facilities."

Milliway sat down. Without rifling through each of their offices she was struggling to see how she could find out who had taken the shards and, more importantly, where they were.

"Any surveillance footage in the offices of the surviving department heads?" she asked. Going outside felt like a suicide mission and as fuming as she was over the heart having been looted she was in no hurry to die.

[TheAmishPirate]

<What?! Why the hay would I protect him? He’s the worst! Like, literally, one of the worst ponies I know!>

Click, click, click, the gears start to turn.

<...that was it. That was your entire plan. Right there. I thought...I thought you had to have something I wasn’t getting, but no. No. That was it. That was it.>

Down, down, down, the dominos start to fall.

<But. I, you, you’re a Princess. You’re supposed to have a plan. Princesses have loads of plans. And magic. And miracles. And, and...and they’re supposed to be better. You’re telling me you…>

Crack, crack, crack, the trust starts to break.

<...what else? Was there no big, smart reason for the Friendship Patrol? Were the Re-Education Jail Torture Things what I thought they were? How close were you really to catching that jerk who kept bombing us?>

Princess Starlight Glimmer, have you ever seen the Scrapscallion angry?

<What else?!>

[Balmas]

<What?! Why the hay would I protect him? He’s the worst! Like, literally, one of the worst ponies I know!>

Click, click, click, the gears start to turn.

<...that was it. That was your entire plan. Right there. I thought...I thought you had to have something I wasn’t getting, but no. No. That was it. That was it.>

It was a good plan, she almost says. But even to think it sounds false. But it was her plan, right? She doesn't make bad plans! She's Starlight Glimmer!

Down, down, down, the dominos start to fall.

<But. I, you, you’re a Princess. You’re supposed to have a plan. Princesses have loads of plans. And magic. And miracles. And, and...and they’re supposed to be better. You’re telling me you…>

The sound Starlight makes is not quite a snort and not quite a laugh, but instead sits in that unfortunate bitter vocable valley of, "yeah, I used to think that too, until I tried it and found out I'm still me."

Honestly, it's a quite expressive noise.

Crack, crack, crack, the trust starts to break.

<...what else? Was there no big, smart reason for the Friendship Patrol? Were the Re-Education Jail Torture Things what I thought they were?

She brightens up. <No, that actually was a quite clever solution to a limited population and a need to keep dissidents in line without killi-->

How close were you really to catching that jerk who kept bombing us?>

Oh. Oh right. That had been. That'd been an entire thing, hadn't it? With a funeral, and everything.

Very small casket, she remembers. Saves space when a pony is in several bits.

Gah, why does she remember that, of all things? She's trying and failing, and for the life of her, she can't even think of what the dead pony was named. Botanical, or Trees, or something like that. How could she forget that?

How could she just forget about the bomber? That hasn't gone away, but... Somehow, until Scrapscallion mentioned it, it was like the bomber had just ceased to exist. Just, poof. Problem solved, crisis vanished, what's for breakfast?

Why doesn't she remember? Isn't that important?

What was her name?

Princess Starlight Glimmer, have you ever seen the Scrapscallion angry?

<What else?!>

He's breathtaking and terrifying, all at the same time, and Starlight's mouth opens without any consultation of thought or brain.

"I don't know how to fix us."

...

Well, s***. Bluff, Starlight. You planned this. He's angry, wants the truth, and you're fairly sure you've damage controlled your way out of worse.

Probably. Not sure when, but probably.

But it's fine! Look at you, being open and friendly and honest. You got this! You're great! You're Princess Starlight Glimmer, and you...

You still can't remember her name. And you're worried, and tired, and overwhelmed, and you're pretty sure that grieving someone you planned to murder is not normal, and wouldn't it be nice to be less of a princess? You know, for five minutes.

[Thanqol]

"You know the place?" shrugs the Pegasus.

"Well, we raided one of the Enclave's groundside bases. The Rangers and I had been trying to find out what their next move was, and this guy" she said, hefting his limp form "got signed up to help."

"Turns out the Enclave are after the stuff that's stored there as they think it'll let them restore the cloud cover. The comms logs we took had a long list of things they were trying to acquire, most with names that sounded like magical spells, projects or artefacts."

"Either way, they've been apparently trying for this place for a while now. Mentioned that they were seeking to infiltrate it, although how exactly they think they'll pull that off I'd love to know - not exactly that many pegasi around down here to blend in with."

"Anyway, the Rangers were going to head there soon. Between them and us, we'll see what kind of a defence we can muster with the locals."

"Oh. Well. Er..." said Luminark. "They should be fine. They'll be fine, right? Enormous magical bunker full of wizards. They'll be fine. Just shut the door, bing bang boom. Easy!"

He got up, realized he didn't have anywhere to try and go, and trotted about in a circle and tried to pretend he meant to do that. "Do you need anything for the trip? Or would you like a place to stay? Anything you need!"

[BlasTech]

Milliway sat down. Without rifling through each of their offices she was struggling to see how she could find out who had taken the shards and, more importantly, where they were.

"Any surveillance footage in the offices of the surviving department heads?" she asked. Going outside felt like a suicide mission and as fuming as she was over the heart having been looted she was in no hurry to die.

"I can, although tapping into the feeds directly might generate some attention." replies House, before a number of the monitors flicker to life.

"Let's see. Doc Kleiner … Crossed Wires … " he moves down the list, as monitors flicker to life showing the former accompanied by other ponies near the main entrance, firing at something offscreen and the latter working in the engineering bay.

"Big Bang, Bitter Pill" as the camera shows the two ponies talking around a table, armed guards looking on. More and more department heads pop up on the screen, either marshalling their militias, conducting experiments or fighting amongst themselves. It doesn't look like unity outside the bunker means much anymore. Neither does law and order.

"Aaand …. that's it." finishes House, as the monitors turn static.

"No sign of Proper Process, Ooky Spooky or Administrator Glimmer … let me try something."

The camera switches to a hallway view, you recognise it as the outside of the necromancy wing. A cluster of ponies are there, dressed like maintenance workers - one is applying a blowtorch to the locked doors of Ooky Spooky's lab. You see them turn off the torch, and inspect their work for a moment.

What are you looking for as you watch all this? Are you trying to read the sitch of the bunker? Or is there something you have planned?

What do you do?

"Oh. Well. Er..." said Luminark. "They should be fine. They'll be fine, right? Enormous magical bunker full of wizards. They'll be fine. Just shut the door, bing bang boom. Easy!"

He got up, realized he didn't have anywhere to try and go, and trotted about in a circle and tried to pretend he meant to do that. "Do you need anything for the trip? Or would you like a place to stay? Anything you need!"

"Not a clue." replies the Pegasus. "I mean, the troop lists we saw listed a bunch of assets being brought online. Probably more than a few of those dragonkiller cloudships that levelled Canterlot, and not to mention squadrons of power-armoured pegasi, bomb chariots, possibly mind-controlled hellhounds and Celestia knows what else."

"I guess, anything you'd have that'd help fight against that would be nice." she chuckles, before continuing. "More seriously though, since it sounds like you know the place, anything you can tell us that would help us with mustering a co-ordinated defence would be appreciated. Like who's in charge and what they'll need to get the rest of those … what did you call them? Bunker wizards ready for a proper fight. I'm guessing they probably can use some of that stuff the Enclave's after as part of the defence."

"I was going to ask him about that stuff, but we had … other things to talk about first." she finishes, jostling the unconscious Scraps.

[Thanqol]

"Not a clue." replies the Pegasus. "I mean, the troop lists we saw listed a bunch of assets being brought online. Probably more than a few of those dragonkiller cloudships that levelled Canterlot, and not to mention squadrons of power-armoured pegasi, bomb chariots, possibly mind-controlled hellhounds and Celestia knows what else."

"I guess, anything you'd have that'd help fight against that would be nice." she chuckles, before continuing. "More seriously though, since it sounds like you know the place, anything you can tell us that would help us with mustering a co-ordinated defence would be appreciated. Like who's in charge and what they'll need to get the rest of those … what did you call them? Bunker wizards ready for a proper fight. I'm guessing they probably can use some of that stuff the Enclave's after as part of the defence."

"I was going to ask him about that stuff, but we had … other things to talk about first." she finishes, jostling the unconscious Scraps.

"Yes," said Luminark weakly. "Fine."

He wished he knew a spell to summon a fainting couch.

"I'm sure you two will have it handled," he said and it felt like an excuse. "Sorry - I'll just -" with a disturbing lack of etiquette he gave a vague wave and walked out into the street with a lump in his throat.

[BlasTech]

"Yes," said Luminark weakly. "Fine."

He wished he knew a spell to summon a fainting couch.

"I'm sure you two will have it handled," he said and it felt like an excuse. "Sorry - I'll just -" with a disturbing lack of etiquette he gave a vague wave and walked out into the street with a lump in his throat.

You end up walking slightly down the main street of the town, passing two Applejacks and a Pinkie Pie. Whether by chance or some dint of the spell you had used, it seemed most of the shades you had in town were those of the earth pony ministry mares. Only occasionally would you spot the glimpse of a purple or yellow coat in one of the buildings.

Why was that? Who knows. A trifling problem for some other time.

Ponies plod past, carrying goods, dirt or just themselves from one place to another.

Life in the town goes on. Such that it is.

The air is cool, hinting towards rain, as the sun starts to dip towards the horizon. But for now, the warmth of the day still lingers.

The calm is only slightly disturbed by the sound of quiet hoofsteps behind you. They approach with purpose, but stop a considerate distance away.

"Did you ... want to talk about it?" asks Rarity.

What do you do?

[TheAmishPirate]

He's breathtaking and terrifying, all at the same time, and Starlight's mouth opens without any consultation of thought or brain.

"I don't know how to fix us."

...

Well, s***. Bluff, Starlight. You planned this. He's angry, wants the truth, and you're fairly sure you've damage controlled your way out of worse.

Probably. Not sure when, but probably.

But it's fine! Look at you, being open and friendly and honest. You got this! You're great! You're Princess Starlight Glimmer, and you...

You still can't remember her name. And you're worried, and tired, and overwhelmed, and you're pretty sure that grieving someone you planned to murder is not normal, and wouldn't it be nice to be less of a princess? You know, for five minutes.

<You don’t know->

The Scrapscallion’s thoughts collapsed into an incomprehensible slurry. It took some time for a clear, steady voice to rise above the anger and disbelief.

<Come on. Princess. You fixed me before. You...I was gonna die, and, you, you did something, and there’s not even a scar. You fixed me before, and you didn’t even ask for anything.>

His mind shuddered.

<That’s...that’s not…?>

And you could snap him in half with a word.

[Thanqol]

"I don't want to go back," Luminark said quietly. "I hate it there."

He rested his head against the cool metal of a streetlight.

"It's so cold," he said. "It was as cold down there as it was on the surface, before the sun. Science and funding and control. Everyone seemed like an inanimate object, and even those that didn't -" he trailed off as Milliway's face flashed behind his eyes, "- changed, so that they did. All I ever wanted to do was read because the words in those books were warmer than anything else I'd ever seen."

Even as he was saying it, he knew it was unfair. He loved his moms, and the children, and... there was a reason this was hard.

[BlasTech]

"I don't want to go back," Luminark said quietly. "I hate it there."

He rested his head against the cool metal of a streetlight.

"It's so cold," he said. "It was as cold down there as it was on the surface, before the sun. Science and funding and control. Everyone seemed like an inanimate object, and even those that didn't -" he trailed off as Milliway's face flashed behind his eyes, "- changed, so that they did. All I ever wanted to do was read because the words in those books were warmer than anything else I'd ever seen."

Even as he was saying it, he knew it was unfair. He loved his moms, and the children, and... there was a reason this was hard.

Rarity is silent for a moment, but when she speaks it was with certainty.

"But you will be going back ... won't you?"

She steps alongside you, watching you closely with sapphire eyes.

"I don't pretend to know what it was like there. But, from the short time I've known you, I'm certain that there is something about you that would stop you from just walking away."

"Just like how there's something about me that means you won't be going alone."

[Balmas]

<You don’t know->

The Scrapscallion’s thoughts collapsed into an incomprehensible slurry. It took some time for a clear, steady voice to rise above the anger and disbelief.

<Come on. Princess. You fixed me before. You...I was gonna die, and, you, you did something, and there’s not even a scar. You fixed me before, and you didn’t even ask for anything.>

His mind shuddered.

<That’s...that’s not…?>

And you could snap him in half with a word.

<Psh.>

Did. Did she just think the word Psh?

<Scrapscallion, you were only dying. Dying's easy. Do you know how much experience I have in not dying? In not letting those around me die?>

The face of the dead pony--who she still can't remember--swims in her mind and she sobers up.

<More seriously, I was doing something familiar, with the full resources of the bunker behind me, and with Ooky Spooky and the rest of the department heads assisting. This...> She frowns, and gestures at her own body. <This is unexpected. Unanticipated. Unprecedented.>

Wait. Simple words.

<New,> she clarifies. <And whatever is letting us do this? I don't know what it is, or how to it came about, or how to solve it. And I need my staff and resources to figure out the solution.>

[Thanqol]

Rarity is silent for a moment, but when she speaks it was with certainty.

"But you will be going back ... won't you?"

She steps alongside you, watching you closely with sapphire eyes.

"I don't pretend to know what it was like there. But, from the short time I've known you, I'm certain that there is something about you that would stop you from just walking away."

"Just like how there's something about me that means you won't be going alone."

"Yeah," said Luminark, and the acknowledgement hung there for a moment. Somehow no matter what his panicking, squeaking, begging mind threw at him those two points hung immutable.

"Guess I should... pack," he said. Another silence. "What season is this?" he asked, glancing up at the distant sun above the mountains. "I want to wear something appropriate but I literally have no idea how to tell."

[Elanorin]

"I can, although tapping into the feeds directly might generate some attention." replies House, before a number of the monitors flicker to life.

"Let's see. Doc Kleiner … Crossed Wires … " he moves down the list, as monitors flicker to life showing the former accompanied by other ponies near the main entrance, firing at something offscreen and the latter working in the engineering bay.

"Big Bang, Bitter Pill" as the camera shows the two ponies talking around a table, armed guards looking on. More and more department heads pop up on the screen, either marshalling their militias, conducting experiments or fighting amongst themselves. It doesn't look like unity outside the bunker means much anymore. Neither does law and order.

"Aaand …. that's it." finishes House, as the monitors turn static.

"No sign of Proper Process, Ooky Spooky or Administrator Glimmer … let me try something."

The camera switches to a hallway view, you recognise it as the outside of the necromancy wing. A cluster of ponies are there, dressed like maintenance workers - one is applying a blowtorch to the locked doors of Ooky Spooky's lab. You see them turn off the torch, and inspect their work for a moment.

What are you looking for as you watch all this? Are you trying to read the sitch of the bunker? Or is there something you have planned?

What do you do?

Getting an idea for what's going on around the bunker is not a bad idea. When she sees the images play on the screen she steps a little closer. Why hadn't it occurred to her to check on things before now?

"Keep cycling through high priority cameras," she said and continued to watch.

[Rolling to Read A Sitch of what's going on out there: 4+2+0=6 Asking 1 anyway: What should I be on the lookout for?]

[TheAmishPirate]

<Psh.>

Did. Did she just think the word Psh?

<Scrapscallion, you were only dying. Dying's easy. Do you know how much experience I have in not dying? In not letting those around me die?>

The face of the dead pony--who she still can't remember--swims in her mind and she sobers up.

<More seriously, I was doing something familiar, with the full resources of the bunker behind me, and with Ooky Spooky and the rest of the department heads assisting. This...> She frowns, and gestures at her own body. <This is unexpected. Unanticipated. Unprecedented.>

Wait. Simple words.

<New,> she clarifies. <And whatever is letting us do this? I don't know what it is, or how to it came about, or how to solve it. And I need my staff and resources to figure out the solution.>

<So. I was just another experiment.>

No miracles. No greater purpose. No real magic. Just an alicorn in a lab coat tinkering with a half-dead wastelander.

<And you can’t keep working on me until you steal your lab back. For...for...for whatever the hay you were using it for. Or was that pointless too?>

And then, a thought so small, he hardly knew he’d thought it.

<was i?>

[Balmas]

<was i?>

<No!> Starlight's hooves shoot out, and then falter when they find no body to hug.

<...maybe?>

Faltering. Faltering is bad, and she can see a dozen ways this conversation could be turned around. But this is Scrapscallion. And he, if anypony deserves it, has earned the truth.

Which isn't to say she doesn't require a couple tries at it. It's an unfamiliar muscle to pull on. But eventually, she musters up enough of a mental run-up to blurt out, <I don't... actually know what past me was thinking or feeling. I want to tell you that I was purely selfless, and loved you like a son from the start. Want to make myself look good. But I don't remember, Scrapscallion. Don't know, for 100% certain, what was going through my head.>

She's quiet for a while. <There's a lot of things I don't remember, if I'm honest.>

[BlasTech]

"Yeah," said Luminark, and the acknowledgement hung there for a moment. Somehow no matter what his panicking, squeaking, begging mind threw at him those two points hung immutable.

"Guess I should... pack," he said. Another silence. "What season is this?" he asked, glancing up at the distant sun above the mountains. "I want to wear something appropriate but I literally have no idea how to tell."

"Fret not, darling." replies Rarity, "I've undertaken some travels in my time and will make sure we have everything we need."

"I must say, I was expecting you to put up more resistance to the idea. To convince yourself that you were done with that place, or that they could handle it without you."

"It's refreshing not to hear that tired old script again." she continues, looking at you from the corner of her eye.

She pauses, and you can hear the unspoken "Why?" hanging between you.

What do you do?

Getting an idea for what's going on around the bunker is not a bad idea. When she sees the images play on the screen she steps a little closer. Why hadn't it occurred to her to check on things before now?

"Keep cycling through high priority cameras," she said and continued to watch.

[Rolling to Read A Sitch of what's going on out there: 4+2+0=6 Asking 1 anyway: What should I be on the lookout for?]

You find it eventually, almost accidentally, while scrolling through the cameras.

A darkened room, from the equipment around it, you judge it to be one of the lower storage bays. The ones that connect to the maintenance tunnels that underrun the entire Bunker.

There's a pony, standing next to something mechanical, something big. You can guess it's probably a mare from the build, but all her features seem shrouded in the darkness. It's almost unnatural.

You see her lift something that glimmers with blue light and place it into the construct. The screen fuzzes with static, before the construct - a large robot - comes to life.

The pony steps back, before turning towards the camera. All you can see against that matte black silhouette is their eyes.

Red irises, against green and purple.

The camera cuts out.

Each of the monitors fuzz to static one by one.

"I ... I seem to have been shut out of the system." replies House, surprise in his voice. "I'm sorry, Milliway."

What do you do?

[Thanqol]

"Fret not, darling." replies Rarity, "I've undertaken some travels in my time and will make sure we have everything we need."

"I must say, I was expecting you to put up more resistance to the idea. To convince yourself that you were done with that place, or that they could handle it without you."

"It's refreshing not to hear that tired old script again." she continues, looking at you from the corner of her eye.

She pauses, and you can hear the unspoken "Why?" hanging between you.

What do you do?

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I want more than anything to stay as far away from that place as possible. I want more than anything to avoid risking my life. I'm terrified, putting myself between an army and a pack of lunatics - it's... I don't want to..."

He trailed off.

"I have no idea why I'm doing this," he said. "There's no logical explanation for it. I just don't think I can... not."

[TheAmishPirate]

<No!> Starlight's hooves shoot out, and then falter when they find no body to hug.

<...maybe?>

Faltering. Faltering is bad, and she can see a dozen ways this conversation could be turned around. But this is Scrapscallion. And he, if anypony deserves it, has earned the truth.

Which isn't to say she doesn't require a couple tries at it. It's an unfamiliar muscle to pull on. But eventually, she musters up enough of a mental run-up to blurt out, <I don't... actually know what past me was thinking or feeling. I want to tell you that I was purely selfless, and loved you like a son from the start. Want to make myself look good. But I don't remember, Scrapscallion. Don't know, for 100% certain, what was going through my head.>

She's quiet for a while. <There's a lot of things I don't remember, if I'm honest.>

<Yeah. Well...maybe I'm better off not knowing.>

Weird. Sharing this crap was supposed to make you feel better, right? So why did he feel even worse?

<Look. I should...go> Even the attempt at making that sound cool wasn't cool. <I'm gonna go. You...you figure this out. And get back to me if you find anything good.>

His mind fell silent.

So, so silent.

Incredibly silent.

Very much silent.

Couldn't possibly be more silent.

The most silent you've never heard.

Except for, maybe, the dawning realization that he had not actually left, and would not be leaving anytime soon. A realization which perfectly crystalized into:

<oh>

[Elanorin]

You find it eventually, almost accidentally, while scrolling through the cameras.

A darkened room, from the equipment around it, you judge it to be one of the lower storage bays. The ones that connect to the maintenance tunnels that underrun the entire Bunker.

There's a pony, standing next to something mechanical, something big. You can guess it's probably a mare from the build, but all her features seem shrouded in the darkness. It's almost unnatural.

You see her lift something that glimmers with blue light and place it into the construct. The screen fuzzes with static, before the construct - a large robot - comes to life.

The pony steps back, before turning towards the camera. All you can see against that matte black silhouette is their eyes.

Red irises, against green and purple.

The camera cuts out.

Each of the monitors fuzz to static one by one.

"I ... I seem to have been shut out of the system." replies House, surprise in his voice. "I'm sorry, Milliway."

What do you do?

Milliway stared wide-eyed at the screen. About as wide-eyed as she'd ever stared at a screen ever (and that's saying something). Vivid memories of fighting a deathbot played before her mind's eyes and while she'd made the whole thing look pretty cool at the time she did absolutely not want to have to do that again. Had some crazy wannabe-Milliway pony taken it upon themselves to upgrade the goddamn deathbot with her crystal heart shards?! She rubbed the shard at her chest and looked at the rest of it still hooked in to House, glowing faintly. How sickeningly derivative, it was borderline plagiarism. How. Dare. They. The soul-inducing element of the crystal heart in to an AI was her experiment!

She shook her head as the anger began to simmer up and the last piece of Realisation fell in to place in her mental jigsaw scramble: she did not want to be the pony that armed herself to the teeth and shot the damn bot to kingdom come. Not anymore. She was the robot-builder. She was THE robot builder. So what if she'd gotten a bit distracted lately, ditched her workshop and... turned... librarian...

THAT WAS NOT THE POINT!

She only wanted to destroy this thing so she could loot it for parts and show this upstart wannabe how it's really done. No. Not even that. She was claiming that robot. It was hers. That demented pony had used her experiemt, her knowledge and HER crystal heart to create some princessforsaken frankenmonster. It was her civic duty and responsibility to confiscate that thing and fix it before it... did... whatever!

"House. Identify all access points in the library to the lower service tunnels and lock them. Monitor and set alarms. Top priority. And tell me... that thing we just saw... tactical suggestions on bringing it in?"

[Rolling Acquisitive Eye on the deathbot: 5+3+3=11 How can I make this mine? Who will stand in my way? Will my hoard accept it?]

[BlasTech]

Milliway stared wide-eyed at the screen. About as wide-eyed as she'd ever stared at a screen ever (and that's saying something). Vivid memories of fighting a deathbot played before her mind's eyes and while she'd made the whole thing look pretty cool at the time she did absolutely not want to have to do that again. Had some crazy wannabe-Milliway pony taken it upon themselves to upgrade the goddamn deathbot with her crystal heart shards?! She rubbed the shard at her chest and looked at the rest of it still hooked in to House, glowing faintly. How sickeningly derivative, it was borderline plagiarism. How. Dare. They. The soul-inducing element of the crystal heart in to an AI was her experiment!

She shook her head as the anger began to simmer up and the last piece of Realisation fell in to place in her mental jigsaw scramble: she did not want to be the pony that armed herself to the teeth and shot the damn bot to kingdom come. Not anymore. She was the robot-builder. She was THE robot builder. So what if she'd gotten a bit distracted lately, ditched her workshop and... turned... librarian...

THAT WAS NOT THE POINT!

She only wanted to destroy this thing so she could loot it for parts and show this upstart wannabe how it's really done. No. Not even that. She was claiming that robot. It was hers. That demented pony had used her experiemt, her knowledge and HER crystal heart to create some princessforsaken frankenmonster. It was her civic duty and responsibility to confiscate that thing and fix it before it... did... whatever!

"House. Identify all access points in the library to the lower service tunnels and lock them. Monitor and set alarms. Top priority. And tell me... that thing we just saw... tactical suggestions on bringing it in?"

[Rolling Acquisitive Eye on the deathbot: 5+3+3=11 How can I make this mine? Who will stand in my way? Will my hoard accept it?]

"Yes Milliway." replies House.

The few frames of visual reappear on the monitors, overlaid with analysis of various dimensions inferred from the surroundings. Whatever the robot is, it's big. Easily four times the size of a pony in volume and multiples of that in mass. A few notations highlight possible weapons and defensive measures.

"Beyond just smashing it, which is always a viable approach." he continues, after a few moments of this. "A hack attempt is another possible method, but there's a lot of unknowns with that. Mainly: we just what the Heart fragment is going to do now that it's plugged into that thing and how it'll interact with my systems. It could make things a lot harder if there's another intelligence in that bot."

"Can't say more until we see it up close. But if you're able to disable it, or at least damage it, then our options multiply." replies House.

A few more of the monitors display stills of the unidentified pony and their only visible features; red irises against green sclera.

Milliway - you don't know who exactly that mare is. But something tells you that whoever those eyes belong to - they're the one who has been causing you so much trouble for so long. The hack. The thefts. Maybe even the inexplicable run of bad luck you had with the Friendship Patrol. Whoever that is, they'll stand in your way no doubt.

But that's no different than normal.

"I have to warn you though, the Library isn't designed to be defended from that direction." House's voice cuts into your moment of introspection. "I'll move what mobile assets we have to that area, but it's not secure in the long term."

"Milliway ... if that ... thing is coming for you. I want to fight it. I don't want to let you face it on your own." he continues. "I think ... if it's okay with you ... I'd really like that body we were talking about."

What do you do?

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I want more than anything to stay as far away from that place as possible. I want more than anything to avoid risking my life. I'm terrified, putting myself between an army and a pack of lunatics - it's... I don't want to..."

He trailed off.

"I have no idea why I'm doing this," he said. "There's no logical explanation for it. I just don't think I can... not."

"I understand." replies Rarity.

"Back before the war. Back at the very beginning of everything. I was in a very similar position." she continues, staring at the horizon.

"Do you know the history of Nightmare Moon's return?" she asks. "Not the fables, but what actually happened that night when I first became a Bearer of Harmony?"

What do you say?

[Balmas]

Except for, maybe, the dawning realization that he had not actually left, and would not be leaving anytime soon. A realization which perfectly crystalized into:

<oh>

<Yeah.>

You see, Starlight? This is why you don't trust ponies.

This is why you lie. This is why you fake it and pretend and bluster and never tell the truth. Because the instant you do, you open yourself up. You give that other pony leverage, a grip on your heart. You did it with Luminark, and he stabbed you in the back. You did it with the Scrapscallion and he...

The thought that he stabbed her in the back dies unspoken. Because he didn't. And hasn't. He's left her, certainly. Probably forever. Or at least, until he dies, or she dies, or he figures out a way to cut her out of his life. And a nasty part of her mind can't help but dig at itself and add, just like everypony else. But he's been loyal, true. Gone with her farther than anypony else, without expectation of reward.

Well, with minimal expectation of reward. She'd promised him something, she vaguelly recalls. Something about the bike.

Of course she remembers that, but not the dead pony's name.

And what does he have to show for it? A washed-up has-been without a bunker, without a plan, without a clue, and without a friend, all tucked away in his mind forever.

And she's not going to cry. She's not! She's already hurt him, so the current plan is to just bottle up the tears and... something. Plot. Scheme.

Awww, who is she kidding? She's got nothing.

Moping is an option, of course. Just, sit here forever, alone. Give names to the bobblebirds. Suppress the emotions for the next hundred-odd years. Try to avoid bothering him. Wonder how many pre-programmed messages the Pink One actually had set away before she, too, leaves her forever.

Although the ghouls will probably get antsy if she just sits here forever. That's a possibility, too. They genuinely need a mechanical and medical expert, and they don't have a leg to stand on about melty, oozing skin. She'll be that one mysterious kook, living in the attic and occasionally dispensing sage advice about the before-times. Except... some of the ghouls here must have been there before, as well. And her normal plan of outliving dissidents and indoctrinating the new children won't work, since the ghouls probably will last longer than she will.

So it's back to plan "sulk behind the me-only shield for the rest of time."

Groaning, she drags herself over to the control console and stares at a bobblebird. That one looks like a Preston, she decides. And his brother can be Percival, who has a love-hate relationship with Patricia. Idly, she reaches out a hoof, about to tap the birds into further motion, before hesitating.

The tape recorder is still there. She hesitates, before flopping onto her side and lazilly bapping at it until one lucky slap glances off the "Play" button.

"Soooo," she begins, and again hesitates. "Iiiii... don't actually remember your name. 'n'I can't keep just thinking of you as 'the pink one, the one that was always meddling.' Hi. You know me. Who're you, again?"

[Thanqol]

"I understand." replies Rarity.

"Back before the war. Back at the very beginning of everything. I was in a very similar position." she continues, staring at the horizon.

"Do you know the history of Nightmare Moon's return?" she asks. "Not the fables, but what actually happened that night when I first became a Bearer of Harmony?"

What do you say?

"Not the slightest," he said. "I'm not even fully sure what is meant by that. Where I'm from... well, harmony wasn't a research priority."

Old stories. Legends. Myths. Things that might have grains of secret, ancient truth hidden inside of them. Stories and knowledge. But not history, not politics, not life events. He knew more about Princess Luna's musculature arrangements and the bloodflow requirements to support an Alicorn's physiology than he did about her personality.

[BlasTech]

[SIZE=1]Groaning, she drags herself over to the control console and stares at a bobblebird. That one looks like a Preston, she decides. And his brother can be Percival, who has a love-hate relationship with Patricia. Idly, she reaches out a hoof, about to tap the birds into further motion, before hesitating.

The tape recorder is still there. She hesitates, before flopping onto her side and lazilly bapping at it until one lucky slap glances off the "Play" button.

"Soooo," she begins, and again hesitates. "Iiiii... don't actually remember your name. 'n'I can't keep just thinking of you as 'the pink one, the one that was always meddling.' Hi. You know me. Who're you, again?"

Well. With a question like that ...

In all the planets around all the stars in all the galaxies in all the universe. In every branch of every reality in the wider multiverse. In every permutation, every instance, every possible combination of chance, fate and conscious determination.

When that question is asked of that pony. There will only be one response.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!"

Nailed it.

"And you're Starlight Glimmer. And that pony in your head is The Scrapscallion - good luck with Milliway, by the way!" continues the recording, which barrels on before you can ask it what the hay it's been imbibing and where you can get some.

"Now, there's no need for any of you to be grumpy guss-es. In fact, you can all just turn your frowns upside down, because ... if you're listening to this message, well, then things won't be too bad. You just need to be true to each other and things will work out. I Pinkie Promise you that."

"And nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise." it continues cheerfully.

"Now, you really need to get out of here. And I don't want to keep you waiting any longer on that. So - taped to the bottom of the console, by the back right leg, are a couple of things you'll probably need. Take them, share them with your friends and use them when the time is right."

The recording pauses, as if waiting for you to say something.

What do you say?

"Not the slightest," he said. "I'm not even fully sure what is meant by that. Where I'm from... well, harmony wasn't a research priority."

Old stories. Legends. Myths. Things that might have grains of secret, ancient truth hidden inside of them. Stories and knowledge. But not history, not politics, not life events. He knew more about Princess Luna's musculature arrangements and the bloodflow requirements to support an Alicorn's physiology than he did about her personality.

"Ah. I see" continues Rarity, barely missing a beat. "Well, without wanting to recount all the details, let's just say that I was once in a similar place to you. On the edge of a disaster, with no rational reason to step into the thick of it. I didn't know Twilight at the time, and was definitely not close with any of the others who would soon become the Elements. So, when Twilight said that she'd rather tackle the problem on her own, I had every reason to let her do so."

She pauses, giving you a glance.

"Every reason ... save for the idea that I could help. And the thought of the ponies who would suffer if I walked away."

"It's part of being a Bearer of Generosity, my dear. I couldn't abandon them and still be me, just like you can't abandon the ponies back there either. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I suspect you'll follow this colleague of yours right into the heart of the storm, just like I did with Twilight. And you'd be right to do so."

"Twilight once said to me, that the only thing that can turn back the darkness is ponies willing to heed the call of the light." she finishes, motioning to lead you back to the campfire. "I earned my Element that night ... maybe this is your chance to earn yours."

[TheAmishPirate]

The Scrapscallion’s mind was no longer silent.

A choir of denials sprang to life, singing a tasteful selection of the old classics. They were immediately interrupted by no less than seven different abrupt, yet totally natural changing of the subjects. Who might’ve won the day, had it not been for the flood of questions that swept them all off their hooves, which gave just enough of an opening for a little note of gratitude to step into the fray.

Poor guy never stood a chance.

But the resulting melee sent the lot of them tumbling down the stairs in a tangle of limbs and ideas, leaving one coherent thought to rise above the chaos:

<Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhwakingupnowgotta gocan’ttalkbye!>

************************************************** ****************

The Scrapscallion groaned as a different sort of painful reality re-asserted itself. He blinked blearily at the blurred, winged, and decidedly smokin’ hot shape standing over him, and came to the only reasonable conclusion.

“Am I dead? Are you an angel?” He croaked.

[BlasTech]

The Scrapscallion groaned as a different sort of painful reality re-asserted itself. He blinked blearily at the blurred, winged, and decidedly smokin’ hot shape standing over him, and came to the only reasonable conclusion.

“Am I dead? Are you an angel?” He croaked.

The pegasus just arches an eyebrow, and raises a hoof until your bleary-eyed gaze can fix on it properly.

She only speaks once your mind is awake enough to parse the question: Would an angel pummel you if you give her any further lip?

"Snap out of it, Scraps" she says, quickly. "Your 'colleague' is on his way back, but before he gets here I need to know ... do you trust Luminark?"

[TheAmishPirate]

The pegasus just arches an eyebrow, and raises a hoof until your bleary-eyed gaze can fix on it properly.

She only speaks once your mind is awake enough to parse the question: Would an angel pummel you if you give her any further lip?

That depends. Is she gonna give him some more lip? Because hot dang that was - okay no no no no put the hoof down we’re all friends here that was the emotional turmoil crippling radsickness innocent and confused Scrapscallion talking.

"Snap out of it, Scraps" she says, quickly. "Your 'colleague' is on his way back, but before he gets here I need to know ... do you trust Luminark?"

"He is literally the worst pony I know." Scraps whispered back. "So. Y’know. There’s that."

[Elanorin]

"Yes Milliway." replies House.

The few frames of visual reappear on the monitors, overlaid with analysis of various dimensions inferred from the surroundings. Whatever the robot is, it's big. Easily four times the size of a pony in volume and multiples of that in mass. A few notations highlight possible weapons and defensive measures.

"Beyond just smashing it, which is always a viable approach." he continues, after a few moments of this. "A hack attempt is another possible method, but there's a lot of unknowns with that. Mainly: we just what the Heart fragment is going to do now that it's plugged into that thing and how it'll interact with my systems. It could make things a lot harder if there's another intelligence in that bot."

"Can't say more until we see it up close. But if you're able to disable it, or at least damage it, then our options multiply." replies House.

A few more of the monitors display stills of the unidentified pony and their only visible features; red irises against green sclera.

Milliway - you don't know who exactly that mare is. But something tells you that whoever those eyes belong to - they're the one who has been causing you so much trouble for so long. The hack. The thefts. Maybe even the inexplicable run of bad luck you had with the Friendship Patrol. Whoever that is, they'll stand in your way no doubt.

But that's no different than normal.

"I have to warn you though, the Library isn't designed to be defended from that direction." House's voice cuts into your moment of introspection. "I'll move what mobile assets we have to that area, but it's not secure in the long term."

"Milliway ... if that ... thing is coming for you. I want to fight it. I don't want to let you face it on your own." he continues. "I think ... if it's okay with you ... I'd really like that body we were talking about."

What do you do?

There was absolutely no way Milliway could deny that. None. Hell, she wanted him to have a body. If only so she could have some tangible company that she could trust not to slap her in the face or stab her in the back or be inexplicably amazing at kissing. Also, backup would be good. Especially as she'd abandoned her gang of homicidal maniacs. This thing was likely armed to the teeth and able to burn the entire library down.

Thing was... building him the kickass amazing body that he deserved was going to take time. And resources. And the careful execution of a carefully detailed plan. All of which would take a lot longer than they had if he wanted to be 'suited up' and ready in time for this thing showing up. It was obvious enough that creepy pony was getting ready for launch and somewhere a clock was ticking.

There was only one thing for it. It was far, far, from ideal. But it was fast. It was convenient. And it might just do short term.

"Alright," Milliway said. "I'll... I'll be right back." And then she zipped off at a gallop down the stacks, scanning her carefully reorganised system, racking her brain for what among the countless things she'd seen when she had sorted through this place would suffice.

[Going in to my Hoard to look for something useful: 1+6+3=10 +0 hunger, Looking for a body for House that will allow him to fight]

[BlasTech]

"He is literally the worst pony I know." Scraps whispered back. "So. Y’know. There’s that."

"So you don't trust him ... okay" replies the Pegasus, eyes calculating. "I thought ... nevermind."

She glanced up as Luminark and "Rarity" approached the fire.

"We're coming with you, darlings." says Rarity, before anything can be said by those at the fire. "Just give me time to pack a few things and, Olive, please keep this place safe while we're gone."

And with that, we zoom out. Away from the campfire on a plateau of Rainbow Falls. Away from the time-ravaged ruins of the Ministry of Morale. Away from the twisting, neverending stacks of the Library.

Time rolls on, not for long, but long enough for ponies to gather their things, take one last breath and prepare for the coming storm.

[Ending Session - Feel free to make any wrap up posts. Please see the notes in the OOC thread and the final items for each of you below.]

************************************************

Starlight Glimmer: Stuck to the bottom of the console, right where the tape said it would be, is a pair of faded saddlebags. Retrieving and upending them reveals a confusing selection of items. The one thing that you might have expected is a canister of glowing Pink Cloud, with a taped note on it saying "Eat me". Less expected is the coconut that rattles when you shake it, the two pink feathers and the tiny statuette of the Ministry Mare of Image. The final item you pull out is a old, time-worn book. On its cover, is a cutie mark that is all too familiar - a purple star trailing teal waves. Turning to the first page, your eyes are drawn to the words at the top.

"Dear Diary"

---

Scraps: The pegasus glances at the others, then at yourself. You can see tension in her eyes - she's definitely taken to heart your view on Luminark. What do you do as the four of you prepare to head back to the Bunker? As an aside - how much can the Peregrine carry in the way of ponies and luggage?

---

Luminark: Your town will endure without you for now. But you know better than any pony what it might mean if the Bunker falls into the wrong hooves (or wrong-er at any rate). As you travel back to the Bunker, ensconced in the Peregrine with Rarity and Scallion, what are you thinking about? What fears go through your head as to what the Enclave might be seeking? And is there anything you are looking forward to seeing again?

---

Milliway: The stacks hold many secrets, and many options to help your case - However, you might not like what you find. Deep in the stacks you find something, tucked away behind some old sheets, old party supplies and a pinata lies a solid metal cylinder - with enough lights and tubes connected to look like a Hearth's warming tree of SCIENCE. A stack of papers next to it identifies it as a pre-war experimental flash-cloning device. Given time, you might be able to use this to give House a body. You'd just need a viable DNA sample and to figure out how to connect him to it.

[TheAmishPirate]

There were three things that the Scrapscallion did with the limited time they had to prepare:

First, and most importantly, he took every opportunity he could to register his displeasure at the company he’d been saddled with. If Luminark sought to pack anything, his things would constantly and mysteriously wind up spilled on the ground or relocated one street over. When the pretty white unicorn was nearby, he’d loudly ask him if he was sure he was alright riding in the cargo hold again, he knew how sick he’d gotten last time. And - perhaps his best work yet - the Peregrine’s squirrly engine revved just as Luminark was stepping into the back, and the nerd faceplanted right in the dust.

Classic.

Second, when he had a moment with the Pegasus, he gave her another helpful warning: “If that guy does any weird magic crap, or gets a hold of something glow-y and science-like, don’t let him out of your sight, and don’t let him get behind you. Remember the Prin…” He coughed, momentarily and unsuspiciously. “...that alicorn I was travelling with? Remember her, uh, condition?” Raised eyebrow, and a knowing nod to the jerk in question. “Guess who made that happen.”

And third?

Man, third, he sat his on his bike and sulked waited patiently for them to just go already. Even clowning on Luminark wasn’t helping, and chatting up that other unicorn didn’t feel so good was off-limits while Pegasus McNofun was on his case. This whole trip had gone from bad to worse, and the only way it could get any worse was if he had to sit here and remember be bored out of his skull.

At least he didn't have to bother much with the loading process. The Peregrine's spacious cargo hold could fit the two extra passengers and their luggage easily, with him and the Pegasus sharing the driver's seat.