Dragon's Feud

Atlas nods slowly. "Well, as long as we're only scaring them a little, and not actually hurting them that much..." He winces when he thinks of the bruises that he probably gave the poor things. He reminds himself to apologize to them later.

"Although, I still think we should try a more friendly route first. And, if worse comes to worst, we do have the breezie..."

He grimaces at the thought of unleashing the little ball of fury onto the dogs.

"Ahem, yes," Rarity interjects. "Well if we have need to be particularly diabolical, then we certainly know who to turn to." She seems unimpressed, and then sets about the kitchen. "For the moment, the fact of the matter is that we have two more than expected, and my team is entirely detail oriented- we will take the necessary time to reevaluate our position before we enact the interrogation." She brings down several glasses and a pitcher of water, tea boiling on the stove. "However, I am glad you are so interested in helping question them, as it was the first mission I had for you. So, instead of running off to help the other teams, you can rest here, eat up, and then get to it as soon as we're ready. Cherry, if you'll give me just a moment, I'll show you tot he guest room and get you settled for a well deserved nap." She sets a few plates down, and then looks at Peony. "Oh, so sorry dear. Um, what do Breezies eat? And Eagles, for that matter?"

::::::

At the farm, Chassis easily makes her way through the workers, who are quick to get out of her way when they see Mossburg behind her. The group is actually not crowded around the barn, but rather the cellar at the back of it. The cellar door is wide open, and as Chassis approaches, Twilight and Applejack both ascend from it, followed by Big Mac. "I still don't think this is a good idea. When it wakes up it could tear the whole barn down and then escape, burn up the orchard-" "Applejack, please, I understand your concern, but that cellar is the safest place in town to keep it contained." "Eeyup." "What if it melts the chains?" "The chains have been magically immobilized- nothing can affect them in any way unless the spell is broken first." "Eeyup." "Well what if-" This time Applejack cuts herself off, spotting Chassis and Mossburg. "...I don't get it, is my farm just the place where we keep big, crazy, destructive monsters now?!" On cue, a roar echoes from Fluttershy's area off in the distance. "...Eey-" "NEVERMIND! Y'all're the ones that gotta tell Granny why the farm burns down!" Applejack cries out, exasperated, and trots off in a huff.

Chassis watches AJ leave, her expression deadpan.

"My insurance agent just dropped off the replacement for my workshop," she says, her voice equally deadpan. "It's currently blocking the road to Rarity's place. The cables I need to hitch Mossburg to it were still in the wagon I left over here with you."

She looks toward where AJ had just gone, and then to Big Mac.

"I brought Mossburg because he owes your family an apology for the damages incurred during his previous visit. If you'll point me to where my stuff is, I'll go get what I need while the three of you work out how to manage that."

I FEAST ON THE SOULS OF MY ENEMIES--

A quick bottle shake later, Peony coughs and rectifies her statement. Fruit is fine. Hellie is vegetarian eagle. And... sweets?

She looks up at Helmaroc expectantly, who sighs (as much as a bird might), and nods. ~A small slice of cake wouldn't hurt, I suppose.~

"Got any coffee?" Pumpkin asks, predictibly.

The pegasus is just as confused as everypony else, but as Kabra'za explains his idea, a grin begins to steadily grow on her face.

"Oh, you are a smart one! I like you!" she decides. "There's a place a couple blocks away from Town Hall called Ginger Ale & Apple Cider. They only sell two things so this shouldn't be a problem. I can fly over there and get some. Oh, and I got ALL this cool stuff from last Nightmare Night to help decorate! This is going to be fun!" she says, jumping into the air and hovering in place in anticipation. She stops flapping, dropping a little before catching herself at Peony's declaration of her snack choice.

At this point, she's actually not sure if the little breezie is joking or not. Maybe they don't even need all those props. They can just send Peony.

"I don't know what you all need to prepare for, though," she comments to Rarity as she flutters to the ground again. "I mean, we just got to get them to talk, right? We act all scary... Or I guess friendly," she says looking to Atlas. It's pretty clear which plan she thinks is cooler. "And then they tell us what we need to know! What's there to 're-evaluate?'"

Rarity frowns, silent, as Pumpkin elates over Kabra'za's plan. She produces some fruit and snacks from the fridge. "I don't appear to have any cake at the moment- nor coffee, but there's some tea on the stove." Setting it all down, she takes Cherry by the hoof (who apparently has zoned out again) and leads her upstairs, leaving you all to further develop your plan.

::::::

Big Mac nods stoically, glancing at Mossburg. "Long as he stays outside, ain't no problem." He retreats into the barn. Princess Twilight is let staring after Applejack with a sigh.

An awkward moment passes in silence, and then Chassis speaks up.

"Overheard you talking about our guest. What all do you have keeping him restrained in there?"

Peony shears into the little bits of fruit that Helmaroc carefully sections and drops into the bottle, devouring them in angry, tiny breezie bites.

"ANOTHER!" She squeaks, but Helmaroc puts the cap back onto the bottle and shakes her head, causing her to grumble in annoyance.

Peony seems on board with the intimidation plan, but Helmaroc shakes her head, fluttering her wings a little.

~Cooperation is the better part of survival. If we can convince them it is beneficial to help us, rather than just bully them into it, we would have much more reliable help.~ Helmaric caws. ~And indeed, with Peo here, we won't need an elaborate intimidation routine, anyway (though it would be helpful.) I think we should concentrate on befriending these dogs.~

"As I have said, kindness is the first step to happy coexistence." Atlas raises up a finger. "We shouldn't have them cooped up like livestock. Maybe we can negotiate? Ask what they want? I definitely want a word with one of them, if I can."

"At least I want to make sure they're properly provided for and not mistreated," Atlas glances at Kabra'za. "A little bit of spooking is fine, I guess. But we're the good guys here. I enjoy a good tussle like any other minotaur, but... I don't like the sound of actually hurting anyone. Physically, or mentally, more than is necessary to subdue them."

After a brief delay, Cherry follows after Rarity. "Yes, thank you... I doubt I'll be much help with the interrogation, my impatience would probably ruin our efforts... although I am curious about the zebra's plan..."

While at least one pony seemed to admire his idea (and he offered the coffee desiring mare in question a small smile and a respectful bow of his head), it was quickly apparent that several other members of the team were somewhat more... uneasy about his first suggestion. Fair enough; After all while it wasn't illegal or evil per say, it did rather have a strange aura about wrongness about it that could cause those unsuited for such a thing to back away. He could clearly tell that it had met with Rarity's disapproval and that was going to be the end of it right there and then.

Still, Kabra'za was a cunning zebra and he could read a room well enough to know that it was time to try a different approach. Raising his hoof to make a dismissive wave with it, he quickly muttered "No, no you're right. The situation doesn't appear so dire as to warrant such a twisted approach." Glancing towards the minotaur as he returned his hoof to the ground, he decided to offer a rather simple plan B instead to see how it floated with the rest of the party "Considering that you managed to beat them into submissive as well as their dragon overlord, I suspect that you all have gotten a degree of respect in their eyes... Still, how would you feel about a bit of 'good cop, bad cop'? Just to make them a little more inclined to accept a hand or hoof in friendship when it is offered."

"Tea?!" Pumpkin Spice goes wide-eyed, now in full scrunch mode. She turns her back, crossing her forehooves.  "I thought you were supposed to be civilized," she mutters under her breath.

Espresso wrote:"I don't like the sound of actually hurting anyone. Physically, or mentally, more than is necessary to subdue them."

"Well, we won't offer them tea then," Pumpkin Spice says. "But you're probably right. Friendship is magic and everything..." Sigh. She was kind of looking forward to making lighting strike just outside a window at all the right dramatic moments. I mean, what pegasus doesn't dream of doing that?

Pumpkin Spice shakes her head at the zebra.

"They seemed pretty loyal when we talked to them before, though. They didn't even know why they were doing this or what they were getting out of it. It was just 'follow the alpha! Do what dragons say! Yes sir how high?' They didn't even seem to care about what we could offer them. I don't know if we can really bribe them. This... might have to be like one of those actual friendship things and not just being manipulative. You know, the kind of actual friendship where we give them space and trust and end up regretting it at the end becomes it comes back to bite us in the our collective flanks."

She taps her chin.

"They're probably in a lot of trouble right now. The other dragons aren't going to be happy once they go back - or their alpha. I guess we could try to give them a better option."

Peony will show them better option! Peony swings her tiny hooves around in a way that might be threatening if she's anything but a tiny bug pony.

~Well first things first, we have to apologize, as Atlas says. I don't believe we'll be able to befriend them fully - we did just beat them up - but we could at least make them see the benefit of cooperating with us. Hopefully remove the antagonism between us.~

"I guess I could start by giving them a closer look once we're down there. Make sure they're alright. A few of them did take a blow or two to the head. They'll probably want something for the headache, too..." Pumpkin frowns. "Actually I probably should have thought of that earlier and checked on them. Kind of got caught up in, you know, how awesome we were. I think I might have just lost some medical pony cred there," she admits, rubbing the back of her foreleg with a hoof.

"So, besides Peony scaring them into friendship, do we have any other ideas or do we do this Team Fabaceous style and just make it up as we go along?" The way she says the second option makes it clear she doesn't really think that's an unrealistic plan after how all their other plans had gone.

(After private session on Skype)

Chassis emerges from the cellar to Mossburg addressing the big red stallion, an old green mare, and a yellow red-maned filly, with Chassis' scrap wagon near Big Mac.

"...wished no harm. I made an error in calculating the force exerted on your tree during 'applebucking' process. I made another error in my attempt to remove it." The robot pony lowers his head in submission. "Sincere. Requesting forgiveness."

"Guess I'll throw in an apology of my own," Chassis says as she joins them. "I forgot that Mossburg can be bad about taking things literally. So when AJ made a joke about seeing him try to applebuck I didn't stop to explain that she didn't mean to actually try it."

Upstairs:
Rarity leads Cherry to the Master Bedroom. "Over time I've added extra security against disturbances- you should be quite free to get some desperately needed rest, dear." Showing her to the spacious, luxurious four-poster bed, her horn lights up as she closes the blackout curtains, the room growing quite dark. "I had Twilight enchant the windows to be mostly soundproof." She pulls the covers back and allows Cherry to get comfortable. "I will come get you once your group is ready for you." She smiles in the dim light, and trots to the door, closing it gently, and leaving Cherry alone...

Downstairs:
A few minutes into your discussion, Rarity returns. "So then, have you all decided on a plan? I still think you should give my team some time to prepare before you start."

Farm:
The trio of ponies look at Mossburg and Chassis with mixed emotions, but its the elderly matriarch that speaks up. "Well shoot, ain't like that barn wasn't comin' down soon enough anyway. S'why we always keep buildin materials ready to go anyway. An' the Apple family ain't in the business of holdin' grudges or bannin' ponies from the farm. Course we forgive you, ya big ol' doohickey." She smiles, and the other two nod their head, with Applebloom speaking up. "And don't y'all worry about my big sis. She's just havin a rough time, she'll be fine soon enough." "Eeyup." "Long as y'all ain't suddenly afraid of apples an' start smashing the whole danged orchard, y'all're always welcome to come by."

"If you desire, I could go in first in order to check on how they are doing. Being a relatively neutral party and all that... Kabra'za offered respectfully, before turning to the returning Rarity "It would also give our lovely hostess and her team a bit more time to get ready because anyone does anything... rash." While he didn't do something as crass as looking in Peony's direction as he said this, sicking a rabid breezie on them could be considered to be a rash action if nothing else.

"I'll make sure it doesn't come to that," Chassis chuckles as she hitches herself to her scrap wagon. "Take care."

As they leave Sweet Apple Acres, Mossburg comments, "Observation. We did not speak with Applejack."

"No, we didn't. It didn't look like she was ready to listen, and we have other things to get to. We'll have to come back for that."

Once back at Rarity's, it takes little time at all to hitch Mossburg to the new workshop coach, move it across the bridge, and park it in front of the boutique so it didn't obstruct the doors and windows. Retrieving her belongings from the IBOTI container and returning them to their proper places took no more effort than it took Chassis to remove them from the previous coach.

When she had her home restored to its previous state, Chassis posts Mossburg at his usual spot next to it, uses the coach's shower to clean herself up, and sets her wardrobe aside to wash later. A quick dry-off with a towel and blow dryer, and then Chassis heads back inside to join the rest of the party.

"I think we're alright with waiting until your team does whatever it is they're going to do," Pumpkin says to Rarity. "Though I should probably come along with... Kabra'za." It takes a little effort for Pumpkin to recall the name. What was a kabra'za, anyway? She'd have to ask sometime.

"Just to make sure they're alright," she says quickly. "I won't start questioning them or anything until everypony's ready."

"Not sure how much time we'll have for that," Chassis says on her way in. "I didn't see your pink friend at the farm, so she's probably back at her bakery loading that cannon of hers."

Seriously, how in blazes does it even work?

"I might have a suggestion, though."

She opens her IBOTI box, and withdraws a Lt. Derringer. Without the chaos of battle, those present can more clearly see him to be a toy pony soldier often seen as a Hearth's Warming decoration. This one has clearly been modified--its rifle is beefier, and it has a tiny jetpack--but it is still unmistakably a toy.

Until it suddenly snaps to attention and salutes.

"Lieutenant Derringer, reportin' as ordered, SIR!"

"At ease." The toy relaxes its stance. "Had the thought on the way back over here that those Diamond Dogs will talk with each other about the dragons' plans if we leave them alone long enough. We can set up the Lieutenant down there as part of the decor, have him listen in for us."

---

Mossburg watches his creator enter the Carousel Boutique in silence. Once she is gone, Mossburg glances at the Team Amaranth ponies, and resumes a neutral stance by the coach.

Mossburg's eyes go dark, then come back on a fraction-of-a-second later. If it was noticed at all, it was long enough to be mistaken for a blink.

The large robot stands still for a moment, then looks around at its surroundings. Its gaze stops at the door to the workshop coach.

It moves closer and gingerly works the door's handle with its hoof. When the door opens, it pushes its head inside and finds what it was looking for.

A thick, spiral-bound book with the word ATLAS on it, lying on a table next to the door.

The robot slides the atlas to the floor with its chin, and then again out the door and onto its hoof. Balancing it carefully, it turns in place, and rests it on the ground. Then it lies down and opens the atlas, and begins to study its maps.

Cherry allows herself a smile. Fate would, perhaps, interrupt her as usual, but there was no point in worrying, especially when presented with such hospitality! As Cherry removed her suit, she suddenly became aware of the sweat that had formed while she was using it. She frowned. Her hostess seemed like a very clean and proper mare, did Cherry dare sleep in such a wonderful bed while dirty? Cherry, being an engineer, was never much concerned with grime, but the presence of such a pristine home made her self-conscious. She put a hoof to her chin, and after a moment's thought elected for the best option that occurred to her - she trotted to a nearby bathroom to freshen herself up... a quick rinse and brief scrub was all that was needed before she could return to the bed...

Cherry finds the bathroom easily enough, but after turning on the shower, she discovers that Rarity's selection of shampoos and soaps is... enormous. Bottles upon bottles, for all manner of occasions, and all of them too stylish to be clearly labeled. Furthermore, Cherry can only seem to find three sets of towels- and all of them look like the decorative towels that Mares keep for display but no one is allowed to use....

While Cherry rests upstairs, Rarity listens to your conversation with interest, and when Chassis returns, she heads out of the room toward the basement. She returns a few minutes later with news. "Well, my team says the dogs are beginning to wake up. If you wish to interrogate them, the time is now. They have them restrained yet comfortable, and will be on hand to assist at any time." She shows you all to the basement, the door now unlocked.

Descending the stairs, you all find the basement rather cozy. It looks like it was previously unfinished- storage boxes and dusty mannequins line the walls. There are small makeshift cages, lined with plush fabrics and cushions, one for each dog. There are scented candles lit around the room, and the dogs sniff as you all approach. "You no get away with this, Po-nees! Alpha will send the whole pack to save us!" Two ponies from team Amaranth, a unicorn stallion and a pegasus mare, sit on some provided chairs, and visibly roll their eyes. "This is all they've had to say so far." The stallion comments. "Dogs will say NOTHING! Po-nees cannot make us talk. You are DOOMED!"

.....

Mossburg opens the Atlas to study maps, but is surprised (as surprised as an emotionless robot can be) to find that the maps are gone. They seem to have been ripped out and stolen.

The robot stares at the empty book a moment, then looks to the coach door. Its eyes blink again, and Mossburg rises and approaches the Team Amaranth ponies still outside.

"Somepony has tampered with Brass Rivet's navigational reference. Inquiry. Did any of you see anypony access this vehicle during our absence?"

---

Chassis shrugs and puts Derringer back in the box.

"Stand by, Lieutenant."

Down in the basement, Chassis rolls her eyes at the dogs' banter, but lets somepony else take the lead.

Pumpkin tilts her head to the side as they enter.

"Those cages might be decorated better than my room is," she says before approaching.

Well, time to execute the plan they're making up as they go along.

"Before we're all doomed, mind if I take a look at all of you? I'm a medical pony. A few of you had some pretty hard knocks to the head. I just want to make sure there's no lasting damage. How are you feeling?" she asks.

Skill: