5083/Annual MainTAINTance

Annual MainTAINTance
Date of Scene:	11 February 2017
Location:	The Quilt
Synopsis:	The annual Taint, an artful protest against a technological reigme has come. Elites fight on both side, even when they don't want to.
Cast of Characters:	Tomoyo Daidouji, 20, 385, Deelel, 136, Sanary Rondel, 857, Staren

---

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    ATTENTION. YOUR AI HELPER OMNI WILL BE UNDERGOING A REBOOT PROCESS TO PURGE UNNECESSARY FILES SO AS TO CONTINUE FUNCTIONING OPTIMALLY. THIS WILL OCCUR IN 5 MINUES, AND THE PROCESS IS EXPECTED TO TAKE 9 HOURS, 37 MINUTES AND 51 SECONDS. DURING THIS TIME, ALL SYSTEMS ROUTED THROUGH OMNI WILL BE UAVALIBLE. HUMAN PEACEKEEPERS WILL BE OUT EN MASSE TO KEEP THE PEACE UNTIL THIS PROCESS IS COMPLETE. THIS MESSAGE WILL REPEAT IN 1 MINUTE.

    "Heh. Takes her longer every year," says a woman in a tunnel by the tracks of the city's subway. Despite the less-than-pleasant location, the walls are lively with images daubed upon them in spraypaint, regular paint and chalk. All the way up on the roof, from where the place receives its dim lighting from caged fluorescent lights, the word 'TAINT' has been chiselled into the concrete.

    It is from here that the annual Taint begins.

    There are many present, mostly youths but with a few older people who share stories of prior years with newcomers. Everyone wears dark, comfortable clothes and has some means of concealing their face, from hoods to bandanas to masks. Some carry supplies with them, ranging from cans of spraypaint to fully completed structures that only need to be erected.

    "All right, listen up!" the woman barks from atop a broken pillar. She's mostly bald, save for the mohawk that goes from ear to ear, spiked up and done in gold, orange and other bright colors to resemble a halo. A third eye has been tattooed on her forehead. "Most of you know me, but for the newcomers, I'm Iris. This is my fourth year organizing the Taint. You all might have noticed even more freaks among you than usual. That's because I got some extra help this year. C'mon up."

    She offers a hand to help amother girl get atop the pillar. It's Tomoyo Daidouji, clad in a black hoodie with gray cargo pants. "Good evening everyone~ I was contracted to use my connections to provide you all with materials this year." She gestures to the side, where rows of paint cans, boxes of spraypaint and all manner of creative paraphernalia rest, from old-school to technologically advanced. "You're all welcome to help yourself to whatever you need! I highly recommend the instant 3D printing pens~"

    Meanwhile, topside...

    The Peacekeepr Building only sees this level of activity once a year. Every member, from career to volunteer are gathered in the great assembly hall, all clad in the matching body armour with helmets baring impersonal reflective visors. Every one of them is packing a futuristic rifle slung across their back with underslung stun gun bayonets.

    In spite of thier menacing appearances, they're all chatting jovially, catching up with each other and placing bets on how many arrests they'll make. There's an atmosphere of calm preparation, like they know the night is not likely to be a big deal. They'll catch some dumb teens, give them a night in the cells to cool off and send them on their way.

    This atmosphere is immediately ruined when the commander strides in.

    He has hair so pale it's almost white, and skin so drawn it clings to his skull. He is also clad in armour and has his helmet under his arm. "To attention," he whispers into a microphone on a podium, and everyone immediately lines up.

    "I am Field Commander Hook. You all know what tonight entails. Tolerate none of what you see. Bring in as many as you can. To assist you with this, we have recruited some outside help from the new factions. Follow their orders if they do not clash with my own." His tone is grim and no-nonsense. It's starting to feel like tonight will not be a series of slaps on the wrist.

    THE TIME IS 10:00PM. OMNI WILL NOW SHUT DOWN. HAVE A PLEASANT EVENING.

    "Let's move! And remember, try not to hurt the cops too much, or they'll crack down harder!" Iris yells as a stampede of feet rush out of the tunnels.

    "Move out. Proportionate force permitted," Hook whispers, the Peacekeepers pulling on the helmets before saluting and marching out the doors.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    A person who's not really chattering in the Peacekeeper building is the blind teenager that stands by the back wall of the room, listening in. She's not wearing any body armour either, and she's not armed either. Just why is she here? This is something that she herself would have done just a few years ago... a stiffling environment where the kids are forced to obey without expressing themselves... So these kids come out every time this Omni is shut down in order and vandalise things? Hmmm, that's not good. Upon researching this place, its laws and whatnot Toph Beifong can't say she likes this, but... the Paladins needed people here to help the local law enforcement. This isn't the type of thing she signed up for, but maybe she can do something. Especially when her ears catches a specific wording. Just... maybe... it's risky, but... Maybe if she's lucky she'll run into somebody who actually does real damage who needs to be taken in.

    With a sigh Toph pushes herself off the wall and follows the Peacekeepers outside. "So... what can we expect from all of this? What do these people usually do?" Toph asks some of the nearest Peacekeepers in order to get a better idea of what's going on.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
She didn't realize just how far on the shady side of the law they were likely to be until she saw the others preparing for the 'Taint'.

Yuna's ponytail is gathered up into a series of braided loops tonight, and hidden underneath her hoodie, the fabric dark blue in color but laced through with strands of silver which might make it look vaguely mystical. She's wearing a blue tank top underneath that, but with her jacket zipped up, she doesn't expect anyone to see it; further down her body, she's wearing a well-worn pair of weathered denim jeans, and boots which strike a balance between stylish and practical. Again, they're pretty well worn-in; she doesn't know what the night is going to call on her to do.

And across her face, possibly the weirdest style choice you could expect, is a veil. Not a full-on bridal veil, of course, but a translucent curtain of gossamer yellow, as if she'd tucked some of her hair across her nose and mouth to help obfuscate who she is. Not that it's likely to help anyone who knows her and gets a close enough look; she'll just have to make sure as few people *get* a close look as possible.

Yuna's glancing around at her fellow 'malcontents' is interrupted as Iris calls for attention, and she listens closely to the mohawked woman's instructions. And then there's Tomoyo, who really seems to have gone all-out to contribute.

Once Tomoyo and Iris have said their pieces, Yuna heads over to where the supplies are lined up, grabbing one of the 3D pens and a few refills in different colors; a couple of small cans of paint and a brush are procured as well, just in case the more advanced hardware decides not to work properly. Her heart's all but fluttering in her chest as the clock ticks down - maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she should have Elner *here* with her, instead of ... wherever the little robo-faerie is right now.

This isn't a fighting situation. She knows that. But the chance of danger rearing its head ...

Well, the Light Suit would be way too recognizable in any case, even if her face WASN'T seen. So, run rather than confronting anybody. If she has to leave some decoration half-finished, at least it'll be an extra splash of color somewhere. That's really what it comes to.

Finally, OMNI shuts down for maintenance and Iris gives the go-signal; Yuna flashes a quick, high thumbs-up (to whomever's paying attention, really), and heads out not at a full-tilt run, but a more relaxed jog, already looking for good spots to liven up. She's trying hard not to sing anything - THAT would make her all too identifiable.

Deelel has posed:
A Culture witb out art? That was in many ways worse than even Clu. Clu did not crush all art he saw it had it's uses. This hit a deep cord with Deelel given she was given life to make art and music? he wanted to bring this shit down and bring it down hard. She has a few ideas, several things from back home have been made ready and taking hints from some other campaigns in the past she has some inspired stuff maybe they will have a bit of art and colours.

"I was made to make music and art, a world like this? Is the worst hell I can think of. A Culture iwthout art isn't worth remebering. I made myself ready for this."

She doesn't seem to ahve much on her but a number of small devices are fit to her clothing and she seems ready soon a helmet rezzes into place as does a phoncho she's ready, It's got no markings and doesn't have grid lines, so hopefully that would help but she knows she may be IDed and does not care at this point.

Rarity (136) has posed:
Dark concealing clothing only goes so far when you're a four foot tall equine with eligantly colored hair. But at least Rarity had tired her mane back in a bun to stay under her hood, so the regal purple locks weren't too obvious save the few curled bangs that stick out between the front of the hood and the pair of safety goggles on her forehead. The rest of the pony jumpsuit is dark grey to match, though she still manages to make it fashionable with the scarf around her neck that was knitted in various colors of yarn to give it a paint splattered pattern.

"Yes dahlings, do help yourselves." She tucks a spraycan into one of the boxes and turns to sit down and hold up a clipboard with her magic. "We have brought more than enough materials for you to express yourselves with. There is no reason to be stingy." She tucked the clipboard under a foreleg and smiled towards Iris and Tomoyo. "We are ready to proceed."

"You bet we're ready!" Energetic voices chorus as three smaller ponies, geared up like they just escaped a paintball arena, burst out of one of the boxes. Rarity bolts with surprise, then reels around to stare at the trio. "What are you three doing here?! You were suppose to be spending the day with Pinkie Pie."

Cue another box popping the lid open for said pink pony to poing out of it, causing Rarity to topple over in surprise again.

"Who's idea do ya think it was to stow away?" Applebloom drawls with a snicker.
"She said we could try and get cutie marks for art," Sweetie Belle adds.
"Or being awesome instigators of cultural change.. whatever that means," Scootaloo is confused past the 'awesome' part.
"And I'm gonna make sure you all have plenty of snacks and drinks and a victory party to come back to because that's MY art," Pinkie Pie sums up the motives.

Rarity lets out an exasperated sigh as she puts hooves over her face for a moment. "... I suppose an artistic rebellion isn't the -worst- thing for you to turn into a fiasco somehow with your... unique brand of creativity."

"Hay yeah!" It wouldn't fit in the boxes, so Scootaloo reachs into Pinkie Pie's mane to yank out her scooter and wagon the trio use to get around. "Thanks Pinkie. Let's do this girls." She hops on the scooter and stretchs her small wings a few times as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle dump some of the art supplies into the wagon.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
Although Sanary might have only planned on picking up dinner in her visit to this city (she really likes the nachos here), an opportunity to make a little extra money and keep an eye on some rebellious kidscertainly sounds like a nice change of pace from her usual schedule of pig-wrangling and training.

     Someone has to make sure they gethome safely and don't get too crazy, anyway. What's more surprising to Sanary, however, is the fact that Toph's in the Peacekeeper building as well. She strokes her chin lightly while pondering the Earthbender's question, eventually speaking up herself to follow up on it.

     "Is it anything dangerous? I mean... If they're not hurting anyone, do we even need to bring 'em in?" tellingly, the healer's not even armed today save for the tomahawk under her coat, but it may be rather obvious that she's not willing to bring it out yet. Still, maintaining the peace isn't necessarily a bad thing, and it's not every day she gets to see how things works on the other side of the fence.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve's not really that interested in civic defiance, and she finds this whole thing irredeemably silly. Freedom's worth fighting for, of course, but what kind of fighter goes around wielding hoodies and spraycans.

    Eve herself, it seems. Well, at least the hoodie part. She's drawn up one around her distinctive hair, and she's wearing a cliche neckerchief raised above her nose so she's entirely unrecognizable. Well, sort of. Those who know her might recognize her, though more by diffident mannerism than physical appearance.

    She may think fighting with art is kind of silly, but Eve's own desire for freedom has been shaped in part by art... or at least by the things she reads. And while she expects people to suffer the consequences of their choices, she's quite prepared to fight to give them those choices. When fighting's needed that is, of course. For now she shadows Yuna, and clutches one of the 3D pens to her chest almost reflexively. Maybe she'll create art... though like her it'll be small, delicate and hopefully powerful.

Staren has posed:
    Like Yuna, Staren didn't quite get the picture until they actually showed up. At least he's sort of dressed the part -- He looks like a wild west bandit, with leathery-looking armor rather than his usual power armor (Both to be less well-known and so as not to give police the impression he's looking for a fight) and a bandana pulled up over half of his face, together with matching cowboy hat. His ears and tail are hidden by the glamour-projecting pearl Iianor gave him years ago. (Those who've seen his piloting suit might recognize that this is the same model of armor, sand helmet and safety-orange color scheme.)

    He's brought a couple of suitcases containing nanofabricators that can make any basic art supplies and the like, and passes them out to some of the locals -- They're AI controlled and respond to voice commands, so people don't need to know computers to use them.

    When it comes to art, Staren would prefer to work in virtual or augmented reality, or perhaps music. He's not much of an artist, though... he views his role here as more of... supervising. To try and keep some of these kids out of trouble, and make sure they don't get out of hand and do something they'd regret.

    He does take a pen and some refills, and also has ready a technological device of his own -- A portable printer loaded with sticker paper. If drawing doesn't go so well, he has a backup plan.

    The people he knows get nods, but Staren's surprised to see Rarity. Graffiti seems... uncouth for the prim and proper pony. And oh Celestia the CMC snuck along. He's... concerned, but at least there are other adults here to keep watch.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    The Peacekeepers move like an oiled machine. Some rush into their transports and scatter across the city. Sanary and Toph walk alongside a career constable who explains the situation to them. "It varies a lot. The majority is just graffiti because it's fast and easy. But there's a lot more intensive stuff now and again. Sculptures, full paintings, dance parties, pop-up concerts.... it's kind of impressive honestly, but they're all public nuisances."

    Next, he looks to Sanary. "Most of it's not. But honestly, not everyone who gets involved is even an artist. There's a lot of hoodlums who just use the time to mask what they do. And some of the actual artists will... here, take this for example." He gestures at the road outside the building. All of them have a series of bright yellow lines on them. "Our transports use these-" He glance at Toph. "-these yellow lines to guide them around the city. If they're defaced, it can cause serious traffic problems at best. At worst, a traffic collision. It's happened before."

    Meanwhile, underground...

    Rarity is swarmed quickly by people looking to beef up their supplies. In spite of their rough demeanour, she gets plenty of pleasant thanks from the artists. Several call her cute, a sentiment echoed to the CMC and Pinkie. Staren does indeed get some people taking his nanofabricators, also expressing their thanks.

    When the signal is given, everyone begins swarming out! Those who know the underside of the city better slip deeper into the tunnels to pop out elsewhere, but the majority rush into the nearby subway station and head up there. This leads up into a open square commonly called the 'Painted Corner' due to how hard it's hit every year. And indeed, the first marks of the night are made on its walls, windows and floor.

    A team of participants do up a large section in purple and violet spraypaint, creating a checkerboard pattern. Amazingly, when they step on the squares, the colors light up! With this done, a boombox is set up to play this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUAq7-YpO0w

    The team begins dancing on the squares to the beat, creating a light show synchronized to their steps! It's an impressive show, but here is where this square got its second name. 'Newbie's Mistake.'

    Because this is a major exit point, this is where the Peacekeepers swarm first to try and stem the initial flow. The dancers do their best to dodge to the beat, but they are all cuffed in the end. Smarter artists slip further into the city first before starting their work.

    There are many sections to this hexagonal city, but most don't bother with the Defence District or the Politics District. This is where the Peacekeepers and politicians set up shop respectively, and the place the former defend the most rigorously. No one has ever managed to pull off something big there... will this be the night?

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's only when Sanary speaks up that the healer gets a nod from the blind earthbender, a wordless greeting as she waits for the Peacekeepers to explain the situation further to them. These guys seem like they've been through this before, so it won't hurt to hear their input.

    And she can't help but adapt a deadpan look when they speak of art as it's a crime. Well, it is in this place, but still... Sure, Toph is unable to appreciate paintings and such, but as an avid sculpturist herself she can't help but feel that this city really needs some new management. But as the officer continues, it seems that they have an option; it would be better to focus on the hoodlums rather than the actual artists. Those yellow lines seem like they can be troublesome, and well, traffic accidents is something that they can agree on.

    What she didn't expect though is the full dance party outside. Heck, the Paladin trainee stands there looking confused as the police rushes over to arrest them, all while the people flee. "Okay, I'm so glad it's not like this in Malibu..." Toph mutters. Not even Gaoling was this strict, and that's saying something. While she did read over the laws before coming here it's still a surprise that the laws are this heavily enforced. Just... what has she gotten herself into?

    With a heavy sigh and much reluctance the blind bender lets the Peacekeepers deal with the fleeing dancers and the people who were stupid enough to do it on the square¨, all while she heads for the alleys, her senses alert. Are there any hoodlums she wouldn't /mind/ arresting here?

Sanary Rondel has posed:
Now it's all making more sense to Sanary. "I ge tit... Hmm. Yeah, don't want anyone confusing those. And if someone's just breaking stuff just for the hell of it... Alright. I'm in. Let's..." The healer gives the constable a light nod before turning to Toph with a somewhat more awkward tone as she speaks up again.

     "... You okay with this, Toph? I mean, I can... Handle a different area if that's better for you?" Sanary sounds apologetic, at least, even if she's still following the Earthbender for the time being. The Peacekeepers seem like they can handle the dancers easily enough, although she does pause to watch them for a moment and... Definitely not feel jealous that they've got such impressive footwork despite being younger than her.

     Maybe a little. She slows down and eventually stops at one of the alleys Toph heads into to make sure she can still hear what's going on at Newbie's Mistake, glancing back just to make sure nobody's caught on fire or gotten shot just yet.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel luistens as the signal is given, she's got no need for spray paints and she does not intend to mess with the roads direcly no she's thinking building and laying a few things for later. If this was a world that needed a kick in the ass? She didn't know what was. Deelel's got plans and hardware that lets her get into places. She'll not be going out from the newbie's mistake. Nope she's got other ideas to hit up some of the big buildings with a few grid specials.

Knowing her luck some of the Paladins have shown up butif they do? She will not hestate to smack them down for backing a place like this. She might not be out too kill anyone but in her view smack sense into people? Hell yes. For now she's scopes out a tall builing and moves to scrart free running her way up to get to a good perch.

Rarity (136) has posed:
Rarity appreciates all the gratitude and compliments while handing out supplies, but the nigh literal mobbing does make it a bit hard to keep an eye on the trio of younger ponies.

Scootaloo leans over the handlebars of her scooter, wings flaring and somehow even making a 'click-clack' sound like cocking a gun. "Ready."
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom hop into the wagon with the supplies. "Set!"

And there's the signal.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ART REVOLUTION GOOOOOOO!" the trio cry out as Scootaloo beats her wings up to a freverous pitch. They may still be too small for her to fly with, but the young pegasus puts out enough thrust to literally rocket the scooter and its wagon trailer up the stairs and out through the subway station. The square may already be roaring with activity but the small and fast 'vehicle' weaves through the crowd to find a stretch of wall not already painted.

Sweetie Belle tosses up a brush for Scootaloo to catch in her mouth and hold out to the side, then shakes a couple of paintcans with her limited magic and starts spraying. Followed by Applebloom tossing hooffuls of glitter at the wall to stick in the paint and make it extra sparkly.

But that's not the only art the trio is doing tonight. Oh no, because art is more than just colors and drawings, and there is one other style that is often prevailent when a number of Equestrians get together for a big event.

o/~I can't believe what I'm feeling when I'm right near, Your vibrant colors makes the sadness disappear
Such is love, makes me happy we're both artists, We changed the world together, more than we first started! o/~

And that's the musical number. Not just a machine playing it either, no offense to the dancers, it's the actual crusaders singing.

o/~ Lets paint the world with the colors of the rainbow, Make vivid images to look outside our windows
So take your brush, dont be afraid to show your talent, Spread your designs and drown the earth with your palette! o/~

Eve (857) has posed:
    More or less, Eve just follows a crowd. That means she ends up in Newbie's Mistake. She's a newbie after all. She's not really much of a dancer though, so when the protest squares are set up she just stands off to the side, considering what needs doing.

    After a moment she starts constructing a symbol of freedom. Nothing big or grand, just a foot-high statuette. A woman wearing a crown, verdigrised, clad in flowing robes and holding a torch high above her head. New Yorkers would recognize it easily, even if they don't recognize Eve's own little additions of half-furled wings on the statue's back.

    For those who have never seen it, Eve's a surprisingly good artist. Or at least surprisingly good at creating 3D models based on things she's seen and imagined. The medium doesn't particularly matter either, so her 3D pen works quite well once she begins to get the hang of it. She doesn't get to finish the statue, however. She only gets the broad strokes complete, so to speak, before peacekeepers descend on the square.

    At first Eve's ignored, since she's not destroying or vandalizing anything. She's harmlessly expressing herself, that's all, and so is a low priority target. That and she's, well, low. She rises in outrage however when she sees the dancers, protesting harmlessly, rounded up and arrested in a display of naked force if not outright violence.

    Eve slips into the crowd and scoops up one of the spray cans. The ones that light up when their surface is danced on. "They're not doing anything wrong!" she protests shrilly, before unloading a blast of paint into the faces of some of the arresting cops. "Dancing shouldn't be illegal!" she insists, laying about her with her chosen weapon, and avoiding cops with all the speed and agility of her well-trained and well-honed tiny body.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
'Not everyone who gets involved is even an artist.'

If Yuna were aware of the Peacekeeper officer explaining that to Sanary, she would grin wryly at the very least; she doesn't consider herself an 'artist' in the visual media, true enough. Her forte is in music, and even that comes only by dint of dedicated practice and a love of making other people happy.

But she's still here to help, and what little she saw of the city on her way to the meeting place is enough to convince her that any little spot of color and brightness, any spark of life and emotion, can only improve the city as a whole. So rather than parking herself somewhere and getting started on a big thing?

She works small.

On a lamppost, on the back of a sign, in the corner where two blank walls meet, she uses the pen she got from Tomoyo to start 'doodling' little musical notes. The first one takes the longest, sorting out how the device works and what the physical limits of it are; after that, they come pretty smoothly. A half-note is easy and quick; a quarter-note has to be filled in, while an eighth-note - the most elaborate and most identifiable single symbol of music - takes just a little longer than filling in the circle. Sometimes she gets bolder, inscribing a treble clef, or even drawing out a musical staff and putting in a bar or two of one song or another.

And when she finds herself within earshot of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' singing? *That's* the music she inscribes, humming along with it.

.... and then she hears the fighting, and a familiar voice calling out in protest.

Time to change the mood, and the beat. She murmurs an apology into her radio - directed to the CMC, by way of Rarity - and then clambers up on top of a mailbox or something. One of the songs she's been learning - not one she's performed, not even one she's sure she *wants* to work into a concert or an album - but it really seems to fit here ...

o/~    When I was a kid, in a crazy dream
    I was gazin' up to the Promised Land
    Our dream's shape erupts in commotion, Heart! Beat!

o/~    Come on, let's go to that place
    I just can't stop anymore
    Jump out through the dark sky, fly into the light ...

Except for the tune and the rhythm, anyway. It's an attention-getting song, lively and uninhibited - although as soon as Yuna's *gotten* some attention, she jumps off the mailbox and sprints into a nearby alley.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "I signed up for this, I have to deal with it," Toph half mutters, though it should be clear to Sanary that the other girl isn't happy about this mission. If she doesn't follow orders here then it will reflect badly on the Paladins, won't it? This might have been part of why Tony had been against joining the Paladins, she realises.

    "And yeah, we can handle different areas. I won't be able to see what they do to the walls, so you do that. I can see where they are, so I guess I'll go through the alleys where they might be trying to hide and such..." Toph states, all before she turns her head sharply. Oh great, exactly what she feared; there are people here she /knows/.

    Just where is she supposed to start? Well, Eve is able to defend herself, so is Yuna... but three small figures that Toph knows well enough instantly catch her attention. Considering how eager the Peacekeepers are to arrest people and throw them into jail, she can't help but be concerned.

    So as the Cutiemark Crusaders are painting and singing their little hearts out, they might notice a shadow that falls over them...

    "What are the three of /you/ doing here?"

    The voice isn't sinister at all, and when they turn around and actually look at her, they should be able to see a rather concerned Toph Beifong, the Paladin badge worn on her chest. Her expression is one of worry, and she's idly rubbing the side of her head. "... you guys know that you're not supposed to be here, right? The local police are looking for an excuse to arrest kids like you." But... their just /kids/! Pony kids at that, and they only want to have fun and not harm anybody... Why did those dunderheads making the laws in this place make fun and harmless stuff illegal?

    "Now come on and pack up!" she concludes, clapping her hands to signal that she won't take no for an answer.

Staren has posed:
    "Hey, wait up!" Staren chases after the ponies, activating his wings -- although he cuts them off when he sees the conflict in the Newbie's Mistake. The art installation, and the artists' commitment to the bit, are impressive, but it seems they could use a little help. He pulls smoke grenades from his bag (which is inside a similarly-sized bag to disguise it) and throws them into the conflict. "IT'S THE POLICE! RUN!"

    Smoke + lightshow = colorful chaos!

    Once he's out of the square, as he comes across the work of other artists, he prints out large decals of cartoon 'admirers' whose expressions comment on the work -- excited and happy children and teenagers, stuffy old men with their monacles popping out, and adults showing a more subdued joy that's still inside them. The images are produced by CARDINAL -- he made a copy from the World Seed and fed it a bunch of 2D artwork.

    Sometimes he sticks them to walls and ceilings, other times he draws little stands for them with the 3D pen and glues them in place upright!

    And then...

    Toph.

    Staren's disappointment is clear in his eyes, at least for everyone else. "Aw come on, /seriously/?" Well, she's letting them go, rather than arresting them. Still, Staren stands in Toph's way, bag hanging from one shoulder, portable printer from the other, motioning behind him for the CMC to keep moving. "What is /wrong/ with this place? You know, maybe if art wasn't illegal here, it wouldn't have to come out all at once like this. It could be expressed in ways that inconvenience noone." He scratches the back of his head. "I... this is kind of a silly thing for people to fight over, you know?"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Newbie's Square is pretty brutal. One Taint participant who works as a statistician once crunched the numbers and calculated that about 78% of participants who get arrested are arrested there. But on this night, thanks to efforts made, Newbie's Mistake has the lowest arrest rate of any Taint previously held.

    Efforts such as Eve rushing in to spraypaint the visors of the Peacekeepers arresting the dancers, buying them time to salvage their boombox and head off further into the city to try again. They make a grab for the young girl, but her speed and their... well, color blindness makes it an impossible effort. Staren's smokebombs cloud the square, giving many a chance to escape. Several Peacekeepers point and rush at Yuna as she pulls aggro with their song, which probably let a couple more slip away.

    As Staren marches up to confront Toph, a couple of Peacekeepers rush up in defence of her! Their rifles are levelled at Staren, the stun gun attachments crackling. "Back away!" the nice Peacekeeper who let her and Sanary know the deal earlier. "Kid, sort these three out, we'll handle this guy, he says to the Earthbender.

    Meanwhile, artists scatter towards their grander ideas, with the Peacekeepers in pursuit. If Deelel is going for a big statement on a high building, her best bet is the centre of the city, where businesses construct their grand skyscrapers. Sanary can see that the Peacekeepers are keeping force proportionate as they were told. But she can also see some participants along the road, using Staren's nanofabs to construct a key to the box holding the controls of a set of pedestrian signals at a four-way intersection. That seems... super illegal.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
"Hm... Fair enough. Well, holler if you need a hand with... Whoever, alright?" Sanary leaves specific names unsaid as she starts moving again, scanning the walls and signage for discolorations and markings that might indicate potential danger. Hearing some familiar voices in various areas, the healer's starting to move towards the source of those voices even though they're a little more spread out than she'd like. She's pretty sure she's heard those ponies' voices before, and Yuna's singing isn't completely unexpected (but still surprising). Staren's actually got a point as well, and Eve's got that along with being a (relative) child. A powerful child, but still a child!

     Sanary's not about to try and go after any of them just for protesting and defending themselves for fairly harmless self-expression. Nobody looks like they need healing, there's Peacekeepers moving in to pursue Staren and Yuna, and the proportionate force used on the dancers and graffiti-artists looks... Proportionate!

     She's also learned what proportionate means.

     What's not being handled quite proportionally yet is the group by the pedestrian box. "Hey! What do you have over there?" The healer calls out in her approach, keeping her hands free of weaponry for the time being. She may not know what that box does, but whatever they're doing to it certainly looks shady! "You're not doing anything that might get other people hurt, are you?" She sounds and looks ready for a fight, but the cleric's holding herself back while trying to figure out just what that box is from a distance.

Rarity (136) has posed:
As the crowds are finally dispersing out into the subway and the streets above Rarity lets out a sigh of relief. "And that's another job well done." Considering she donated some the supplies herself out of her own generousity. It is kind of her thing, after all. She tucks a few stray locks back up in her hood, and tosses the scarf back over her shoulder. "Now if you girls are ready mayhaps we can find an out of the way place for you to--" She looks back to notice the scooter and three fillies gone about the same time Yuna radios her. "... Oh of course, why am I not surprised.." she groans over dramatically.

o/~ Your drawings look like heaven to me. Such piece of art makes a lovely gift to see
I hope one day we will share memories. You paint the world and Ill play my melodies! o/~

If you've never seen someone drift on a scooter now is your chance as Scootaloo drops a hoof to the pavement for some extra traction to help her turn a corner without losing much speed. Which brings them into one of the other gatherings of artists trying to work or evade the officers.

o/~ Like every artist we have ups and downs. Our closest friends cant always just bring us around. o/~
As they weave through the crowd Sweetie Belle and Applebloom toss some of their supplies to the other artistic rebels to 'reload' them as it were.
o/~ So just remember and listen to what I said, create as much art as you can before you will drop dead! o/~

That's when they come out of the crowd, only to have Toph?! coming up behind them? Sweetie Belle waves gleefully, even though it's clear the bender is playing for the spoilsports tonight. Opposite sides never really put much of a damper on the magic of friendship. "We're raising artistic awareness in a society suppressive of creativity and self-expression~!"
Applebloom looks confused at her friend for a moment. "... Yeah, what she all said!"
Scootaloo glances back over her shoulder. "Good job Sweetie, you managed to make it sound extra nerdy." Then turns forward again, hunching down and pumping her wings harder to capitalize on the other keepers and Staren distracting Toph for a moment. "Hold on girls, not even someone as awesome as Toph is gonna be able to catch us!" And hold on they do, especially when Scootaloo takes the next corner hard enough to scooter and wagon actually tilt up on one side of wheels for a few moments. Just like a real action movie!

Clearly they don't realize they might actually be in a lot of danger. Which wouldn't be the first time for them... But maybe Toph can heard them somewhere safer? If they're just thinking of this like a big game. Or like kids playing Cops and Robbers...

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Of course the pony girls aren't intimidated by her, and Toph sighs. "I know what you're doing," she confirms. And she wishes she could support it, raise some huge statues all over town and join the artists, but no... that's not happening today.

    Staren is here too? Another sigh escapes Toph's lips, and she rests her hands on her hips where she stands, her stance firm all while she doesn't hide her distaste for this on her face. "You're preaching to the choir, Cat Boy," she begins, "But as I'm here in official capacity I can't ignore this. So I'm breaking it up. Just be glad it was /I/ who found you and not the Peacekeepers." Those guys seem eager to use force, while so far Toph seems like she wants to solve this by talking. "I don't know who exactly made the laws here, but I think they have certain things shoved up you know where," she mutters under her breath to Staren. "It /is/ silly to argue over, and this comes from the girl who kicked Assmaster's behind for being a stubborn old fart." No, she picks her fights. "I have to prevent you from doing this guys, I'm... sorry." It sounds like she's honestly sincere judging by the expression on her face, but she's also not budging, not worried about Staren. "Now leave before--"

    Too late.

    The Peacekeepers arrive sooner than she would have liked, and Toph turns around, standing between them and the ponies. Ugh, it's the officer from before! And if she doesn't do anything in this situation then they won't be happy! But what can she do? It's not like she can let them leave right now, she was told to arrest those who break the law tonight! Clearly conflicted, Toph stands as if frozen in place, her mind racing as she tries to figure out what to do. After some seconds her eyes widen a bit though, and she clears her throat. "A-according to section 6, paragraph 2b kids under a certain age can't be detained in a holding cell in these circumstances!" she quickly blabbers, inwardly relieved that she did spend that hour going over the laws before coming here tonight. "And these three are clearly too young to be left unsupervised at this hour! At most their legal guardian should get a fine, right?" Sorry Rarity, but this seems like the best way to keep the ponies safe...! Somehow she doubts they would handle being in a holding cell all that well. "I volunteer to take them into custody and make sure they are safely delivered to their home." Sorry Staren, but right now she's got no idea how to use the law to protect you.

    And sure, the Cutiemark Crusaders think they might be able to escape it all, but even as the girls rush off around the corner, Toph raises her foot and kicks into the ground, shifting the ground underneath the scooter and wagon to turn it around. "Girls, you're under /my/ custody!" she declares in her most official voice before she raises her arms, erecting walls around them that rise from the floor, all before she bends bars on top of it. There's no way she's going to enclose them in total darkness. With another kick to the ground she launches herself up on one of the walls, and she lowers her voice for the three ponies to hear. "You can paint on these walls inside here, and I promise I will put them somewhere people can see them later, okay...?" she says, her voice gentler than it usually is. "Stay put here for a bit while I clear up some things, and I'll be back to take you home." That's better than the Peacekeepers putting them in jail... and now they can actually keep on painting. It's not like the Peacekeepers can get to them in here unless they do something drastic. Just in case she does radio the other Peacekeepers as she jumps down from the wall and heads off to reluctantly stop another artist. "Three minors apprehended, I've put them in timeout until I escort them home, according to section 6, paragraph 2b."

    Mental note; read the laws of places closer the next time, as without it she would have been unable to figure out this way to keep the Cutiemark Crusaders from experiencing something possibly traumatic.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna doesn't need to look over her shoulder to know she's being pursued; the Peacekeepers' boots hitting the pavement are loud enough to tell her that. And they probably know the alleys around here better than she does; she's navigating blind, and if she manages to blunder into a dead end? That's it. She can't call on Elner to teleport her to safety or to equip her so she can defend herself, and she knew the risks coming in.

She may not have realized they'd catch up with her this fast or in this form, but ...

She goes over her options again, even as she comes sprinting out the other end of that alley and instinctively turns hard right, nearly tripping over a step. She has the 3D pen and its refills, she has the -

Brush and paint cans.

The refills for the pen are transferred from backpack to hoodie pockets, and then she just sheds the backpack. It's local, it might have her fingerprints but not very well, and her fingerprints won't be on file in *this* world. She'll take her chances. She dashes across the street, vanishing into another alley -

And slams RIGHT into a fire escape ladder that somebody left all the way down. "Oww ... !!" Those bruises aren't going away fast. But she can scramble up the ladder and take stock of her condition on the roof or something; she didn't hear or see police aircraft yet. Probably, if they have aerial police, they don't dare launch anything with the master computer down - they probably depend too much on it for air traffic control.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel makes on her quest to get to the highest point she is able to do nd she keeos moving she doesn't yet make use of light craft as she bounds along the city scape her eand there though on the smaller building she leaves small devices they will start ticking down and once they timers hit Zero? They will start to speard out wild and very GRID style digital looking artwork across the smaller builings, though this leaves a trail that can be used to follow Deelel as she makes for the down town core.

Time to give this place some colour she mused.

Rarity (136) has posed:
If it had been anyone else the Crusaders might of escaped (or gotten into worse trouble!) but Toph evokes her future as a Long Arm of the Law to turn the speeding scooter around and then pen it in before the trio can get any more crazy ideas.

Upon looking in the bars Toph would see the adorable pleading looks of four po--wait, four?! How'd Pinkie Pie get in there?? She was no where in sight when Toph made the cage!

Actually the trio look just as confused by this as anyone else, once they notice her. "Uh.."
"Rarity was too busy having one of her panic attacks, so she said I had to come find you," the pink pony explains.

And then Toph says they can paint the inside of the 'timeout box' and she'll put it on display later. "OKAY!" And instantly everything is better as they get to work. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS REVOLUTIONARY INTERIOR DECORATORS YAAAAY!"

.. Hopefully it's not a bad sign that they apparently go into it so hard that there's paint splashing out between the bars.? On TOP of the box?

"Good job!" And then Pinkie Pie is back outside, patting Toph on the back. "I'll let Rarity know someone sensible picked them up before they got into trouble." And poings off like this was just another day of shenanigans.

Staren has posed:
    "Ssh!" Staren shushes when Toph identifies him. Of course, the illusion and unusual clothes won't fool /her/... As the other peacekeepers run up, Staren doesn't just stand there -- He's not sure how effective the stunguns will be, so he can't risk chancing it by standing there while they draw a bead. He pulls a small ball from his bag -- the dazzler is a little ball of lights and cameras that identifies eyes and shines blinding lights in them. Won't stop Toph, but the other peacekeepers... He drops it and runs.

    Since the peacekeepers are dazzled and Toph sees through the ground, Staren activates his wings and flies around a corner. "Take the deal, kids!" he urges the Crusaders as he passes.

    Staren flies for blocks, peeking around corners to try and stay out of sight of the peacekeepers, before landing elsewhere and resuming his contribution.

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve isn't here to attack the peacekeepers, fortunately. The spraypaint is a technicality, but she's spraypainting a symbol of authority. The local rebels will no doubt approve, right? But she doesn't stick around to abuse the cops. She's given the 'innocent' dancers a chance to escape, she's issued her statement of annoyance, and now she's running away. As quick as Eve is though, she's just an ordinary human when it comes to running away. Hopefully anyone with any real interest in targeting her has other things on their mind. Or their helmets.

    As she runs, Eve notices the others. Toph, Staren, the CMC. She turns, skidding to a stop. "Hey!" she complains. Then she actually SEES what they're doing inside their earthen cage. She pauses, confused. She WANTS to complain, to call Toph out for being a bully. But ... it's too weird. Eve's not sure she wants to defend them, not from Toph. And it's not like they're actually being hurt. They even seem to be having fun! But Eve's still stuck there, at least for a few moments, stunned and rather confused trying to take everything in. Easy prey, seemingly, for a peacekeeper or five. Or for a civic-minded Earthbender perhaps?

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    The traffic vandals gasp and look to Sanary, before breathing a sigh of relief. Because she's not in the Peacekeeper uniform, they're assuming she's an artist like them. "We're hacking the lights to make a show!" says a girl with a bandana covering her face. "You got a problem?" a swarthier companion says, stepping up and flexing his muscles. Not all artists are the sensitive type it seems.

    Meanwhile, a little bit of interpersonal drama occurs. Toph finally learns the value of studying as she pulls out a law that lets her simply put the CMC in detention. The Peacekeeper looks at her... it's hard to tell with the visor, but he seems to approve before turning his attention back to Staren. The dazzler might have worked... if not for their reflective visors tanking most of the flash. It does stun them for a moment though, and they can't pursue him into the air. However, Eve's stunned presence grants them a new target. "Hold it right there little lady," the nice Peacekeeper says as he walks up to her, hands raised in a placating manner. "Not gonna hurt you, but you can't carry on like this."

    As Staren flies about, he stumbles across Yuna's situation. She climbs up the latter and reaches the roof, Peacekeepers not far behind. Up on the roof, a bunch of artists have just finished using a collapsable bridge to cross to another when they see her. "Jump for it!" one yells, extending their hand. It's a long jump... can Yuna make it on her own?

    Meanwhile, reports blare over the radio as the Peacekeepers notice what Deelel is doing. "Be advised, grand-scale graffiti is being committed on the Schender building. All units in the area, please respond." She's certainly drawing attention!

     Tomoyo comes up behind Rarity and gives her a comforting pat. "I'm sure they'll be okay~" Her hood his up and a purple bandana is concealing her face as she records what has become of Newbie's Mistake. Art on the wall with Staren's own art complimenting them, Eve's half-done structure, Yuna's scales... it's nice, in a messy way. "I hope you contribute too~ I have a really good idea, so I must be off." The tailor heads away, holding a briefcase... just what is she up to?

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Well, Staren managed to get away, so that's good in its own way. Why did so many of her friends have to be here? Not that she can blame them, if she wasn't in the Paladins she would most likely be bending large statues all over the area. A huge badgermole, a silly looking Peacekeeper... stuff like that.

    It doesn't make it easier when Eve of all people run into her, and Toph surpresses the urge to slap her palm against her face. Ugh... If only Eve had stayed away from her, taken to the air like Staren, then she wouldn't have to do this.

    "You are aware you're breaking the law and I have to arrest you, Eve...?" Toph points out, though it sounds like she's not taking any pleasure in this at all. The younger girl is actually expressing herself, something that Toph approves of. And she suspects that the Peacekeepers won't be able to detain her unless they have some hidden tricks up their sleeve.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
In her Light Suit? It'd be easy. Without it? She'd need a running start under good conditions ...

And when she's got bruises across her legs, arms, and midsection, plus she hasn't caught her breath yet from fleeing the Peacekeepers, these are FAR from 'good' conditions. Yuna glances behind her - they're chasing her up the ladder? Really? Talk about stubborn. Yuna sucks in a breath, offers a quick prayer to whatever gods or spirits are watching over her right now ...

And runs for all she's worth, her attention narrowing down to the roof ahead of her, the retaining 'wall' at its edge, and the group on the far side beckoning for her to join them. Sure, there's a yawning chasm between safe ground and safe ground, but that shouldn't even be an issue, right?

A mini-jump from her last step on level roof takes her to the higher edge, and then she puts all her strength into a leap onwards.

And realizes, in mid-air, that it MIGHT not be enough ...

Staren has posed:
    Yuna is intercepted just as she starts to fall, Staren grabbing her with both hands in a clumsy hug. "Holy smoke, Yuna, be more careful!"

    This is a really awkward way to carry someone, and he's not used to carrying someone while flying or without his power armor's strength. "We're goin' down!" They go into a descending, glide-like flight path, and Staren makes something of a controlled, relatively low-speed crash. Staren's armor pretty much protects him, Yuna might get some scrapes. Staren's there with antiseptic-impregnated bandages, if so. "Are you alright?"

Sanary Rondel has posed:
Why would they...? Right. Sanary's not wearing the Peacekeeper's anything, is she? She's just here as a volunteer. Stepping closer, she sighs lightly and gestures at the light near where the vandals are doing their key-work. "Right. Abot that... Uh. How about you don't? If you do, people are gonna get hurt. You know how crappy drivers are even with these things working. How bad do you think it'll get if they don't have these working?"

     The healer sounds tired, but she looks amused when the swarthy one comes up like he's trying to intimidate her. "Oh... Oh, that's cute. Really?" That amusement all but dies after a few seconds, replaced with an expression that matches her tone. "You know if you break that and someone crashes, those Peacekeepers'll be on your asses for a lot more than just sprayin' paint, right?"

     Sanary steps right up to to the swarthy one and looks over at the bandana'd girl, jerking a thumb at the larger one who's more than likely taller than Sanary. "And I ain't with those guys or anyone, so... I'm not really gonna get in trouble if I wedge his elbow inside his ass."

     An eerie green glow starts to surround Sanary's hand as she says that last bit. Nobody needs to know that it's just her healing magic supplying that effect, of course!

Eve (857) has posed:
    Eve examines Toph in sudden startlement and mounting horror. Her disguise isn't working! Well, then again, Toph is blind and has other senses to recognize people by. She's not about to be fooled by a hoodie and bandanna.

    The little blonde bandit peers up at Toph, glowering, her arms crossed sternly. "I'm NOT breaking the law." she insists. "I'm protecting people who're protesting STUPID laws." she claims. "If you want to arrest someone who's hurting people, go right ahead. If you want to try to arrest me though..." she just glares, obviously annoyed. She's not sure what she'll do though. Fight? No, probably not. The only way she'd beat Toph is if the older girl LET her win. But she could probably flee at the very least.

    The question, for her at least, is what will Toph do? It's not like Toph's actually seen Eve break any laws, so she can't be sure Toph will actually try to arrest her. And if she does? Well, what's the worst that can happen? Plenty of people here are arrested, and nothing much happens to them from what Eve's learned. She's read of plenty of people who were arrested for political protests. She could even join the CMC and crew in their cell for a day. Or break them out. The key is very much what Toph intends to do in all of this. As much as Eve wants to resist the foolish Peacekeepers here, she wants to figure out what sort of person Toph is. Toph's not her role model, not really. She's Eve's rival. If they're going to fight, Eve wants to be sure of the reason.

Rarity (136) has posed:
The reassuring pat helps some and Rarity smiles a little in return. "Oh don't worry dahling, I contributed in my own way." Not just in the art supplies she helped supply. Amongst them were several scarves and bandanas with the same rainblow blotched design as her own scarf that several of the street artists would surely be sporting now. "Not like I can think of art when--"

"You have nothing to worry about Rarity!" Pinkie Pie actually just hops over, sparing her distraught friend an excessive scare. "Your sister and her friends were found by Toph. She put them somewhere safe to paint it up until she can bring them home."

"That is certainly a relief!" Rarity knows, even temporarily being on opposing sides, Toph would take good care of the trio. "And with that weight off my shoulders..." The unicorn pauses, rubbing her chin. "... Pinkie Pie, while this is likely a rediculous question, do you have your Party Cannon?"
"Well duuuuuh." Pinkie is already leaning against said cannon. "Why do you ask?"

A few minutes later both mares are pushing an almost literally bulging cannon up out of the subway station. Painted Corner is pretty clear now, with most of the artists and enforcers spreading across the city. It has a clear shot almost straight up, and that's all they need. "This good?" Pinkie asks as she pushes the cannon pointing as far up as it can angle.
"Perfect dahling, just perfect." Rarity steps towards the back, grabs the cord with Pinkie. "Ready.. and... fire!" It takes both mares yanking on the cord to get the cannon to belch out its payload. A few dozen of Rarity's enchanted gemstones soar into the air over the city, reflecting lights into dozens of colorful streams before finally bursting like fireworks into showers of glittering prismatic dust.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel's on her way now as she keeps on going harder and harder she knows she's got attention nd she needs to move hard. this is a lot like some of the stunts she's done back on her world after all. She bounds and leaps as she gets more attention but soons he makes iot to the top of one of the buildings and she drops four items on the roof and then is making for the edge. The art she makes it bight, it glows and it oddly avoids any obvious light fixtures, windows or doors at the veyr least as it moes to cover the buildings in colour which is so badly needed here.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's easy enough to recognise Eve, considering the metal in her body. There's almost a bored look on Toph's face as Eve protests, lowering her voice. "... I saw what you did with the spray. If they wanted to they could possibly arrest you for assaulting a Peacekeeper," Toph points out.

    "And if I notice anybody who hurts people, then trust me, I /will/ drag them off to a holding cell or make one for them myself. Unlike the Peacekeepers I intend to do so without using excessive force." If there's anything Toph prides herself on it's her skill, and she's got skill and power that makes it possible to detain people without harming them. She loves to fight, but not to harm. Unless they deserve a serious punch to the face, that is.

    "Let me take you to a holding cell myself, and I will see to that you're not harmed. The more time you spend here protesting, the less time I have to look for somebody who is a danger," Toph reasons with the younger girl. "You know you can't evade me." Time to use psychology!

Eve (857) has posed:
    What she did with the spray? "They were wearing helmets. I didn't hurt anyone." Eve protests, her voice suddenly rather much quieter. She's a little guilty over that, sure. Just not too much so. Eve's basically a good girl, and she doesn't exactly like being opposed to the cops. Or to Toph. "I was just giving some people a chance to get away." she explains. She wants to be sure Toph understands.

    Eve's jaw firms however. "If you arrest me though, that's less time hunting criminals taking advantage of all this." Eve notes sternly. "I'd rather spend my time hunting the people who're actually hurting others. But if you're just going to spend your time hunting helpless people who are protesting, then the more time you spend here the more innocents will get away." Eve squares up confrontationally, taking a step forward. "We can fight, if that's all you care about. Or you can hunt dangerous criminals." she suggests. "You know I'll stop them too, if I find any." she adds, actually rather quietly. Loud enough for Toph to hear though, considering Eve definitely knows her friend's sensitive hearing.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Staren and Yuna crash down to the street! The group atop the roof look down at them. "Are you okay?!" one calls down. The Peacekeepers haven't given up on their chase though. One is making that same jump, and is clearly fit enough to make it, sending them scattering. The other is coming for the crashed pair. "You two okay? If so, on your feet, hands up."

    Meanwhile, there is something of a standoff between Toph and Eve. A clash of ideals that was overdue with the reworking of the factions. However, it is rudely interrupted by one of those spraypainted Peacekeepers coming up behind Eve and planting a rough hand on her shoulder. "You little shit!" she snarls, before trying to wrench the girl's hands behind her back for a proper arrest!

    Meanwhile, Sanary produces something muscle can never mimic. The bulky fellow seems imtimidated, but also looks like he wants to show off for the hacker girl, so he stands his ground. Thankfully, she is made of less stern stuff, yanking her laptop from the controls. "Hey, hey. Okay, it's fine, we won't do it. We're backing away, see?" She edges away, followed by Bulk there who does the 'pointers fingers to his eyes then at Sanary.' What a tough guy. But now, Deelel's little stunt is very visible, and the radio is alive with commands to stop it. She should probably check that out.

    Rarity and Pinkie's Dual Tech SHIMMERING SKY DELIGHT fills the air with bangs and sparkles. However, in this charged climate, loud bangs are confused with gunshots, scaring Peacekeepers and protesters both. "Shots fires? Peacekeepers, please confirm if you have had to open fire!" comes over the radio, and now several of them are converging on the ponies. Might be time to go...

Sanary Rondel has posed:
Sanary grins slightly as the hacker girl calls for the meathead to back off, and she lets the healing magic dissipate just as quickly. "Smart. You kids play safe now. They're probably gonna headed for-"

     And then there's lights coming from all sorts of directions, courtesy of Deelel, Rarity and Pinkie. "-that... Way. Don't do anything stupid now!" The healer calls out, returning Bulk's eye-pointing with a similar gesture of her own and a brief flash of red in her own eye. Sure, it kinda hurt to switch the infrared function on the eye on and off like that, but...

     But dammit, she's going to show off just as much with the opportunity to. Turning her attention elsewhere, she takes off into a run towards where Deelel's bringing more color to the buildings. It's not even that it looks bad or anything, but who knows what else an innocuous color change could bring? After making sure there's nobody directly behind her, the healer pumps energy into her flight anklets, and she takes off to actually get to the top of that building!

Rarity (136) has posed:
"Now that should make an impression they will remember for some ti--ack!" Rarity yelps as Pinkie Pie yoinks her from watching the display and drag her back down to the lair after shoving her cannon back wherever she hides it. "Pinkie Pie! What has gotten into you?... Moreso than usual," Rarity protests as she stumbles a bit before getting her hooves back in order to keep following the other Pony.

"I got wobbly elbows, knocking knees AND tail twisting! That's my Pinkie Sense for Incoming Police Raid!" Unfortunately as she turns to try and demonstrate said twisty tail she trips over it instead, and the two tumble down. Complete with 'squeak squeak squeak' sounds from Pinkie Pie every time she bounces down a stair, and the duo land in a heap at the bottom.

Rarity props herself up partway, looking exasperated as she tries to untangle her leg from Pinkie's tail. "Why do you even HAVE a Pinkie Sense for that sort of occurance?!"

"You're better off not asking." Pinkie Pie replies shiftily. "Truuuuust meeeeee."

At least the Crusaders are still safe and happily occupied painting up their 'timeout' box.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Judging by the expression on Toph's face, it doesn't look like she's angry about what Eve did. Either that or she's hiding it extremely well.

    Is she seriously going to argue over this? But most of all, she knows Eve is right. Eve hasn't actively done any property damage, at most she's prevented the Peacekeepers from apprehending those dancers. This is even harder than having to deal with the Cutiemark Crusaders... Are there any loopholes she can use to her advantage here? Not any that she can recall right now... ugh. She won't lie, she's tempted to let the younger girl escape so perhaps she can help /control/ the situation, but that option is out of the window when the spraypainted Peacekeeper shows up and clearly intends to go for Eve.

    Immediately Toph steps forward, reaching her hand out to raise a pillar between the Peacekeeper and Eve. "I'm arresting her, you go cool down! We're the /law/, act like it!" Toph states, all before she reaches out to take Eve by the shoulder. She mutters something under her breath for the younger girl's ears only, then does her best to take Eve with her into custody.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Again: With her Light Suit, that would have been easy.

But without her battlesuit, Yuna's just a girl - maybe more accurately a young woman, and one who DOES get a fair amount of physical exercise: not just dancing on stage and the training and rehearsals related to that, but between being enrolled at Beacon Academy and being part of the Hikari Combined Fleet, and thereby subject to *both* institutions' physical fitness regimens, she's in remarkably good shape even by the standards of an idol singer.

She's still out of her depth trying to parkour from one roof to another, though - and as soon as she realizes both that she's not going to make it, and that somebody's grabbed her arms, she curls her legs up against her torso - a fetal position, minus her arms still being outstretched. Between that and her clothes, she may rack up some bruises but she's not going to collect scrapes.

... apart, of course, from the big (and metaphorical) one that she's gotten into with a Peacekeeper rounding the corner on her and Staren. Gasping for breath, she clambers to her feet, her hands raised ...

And there's a VERY brief whisper, barely loud enough for Staren to hear, before she throws herself at the Peacekeeper and --

Starts *bawling*.

"I'm sorry!!!" the clearly terrified young woman wails, clutching at the Peacekeeper's jacket, body armor, whatever. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anything, I just wanted to liven up the city! It's so dark and dreary, I never wanted to .. I'm sorry ... !! I just ... I just wanna go home ... !!"

And that's all anyone's going to get out of HER for a while except a torrent of tears, punctuated by heart-rending wails.

Staren has posed:
    Staren rounds on the approaching peacekeeper, reaching into his bag... But then Yuna whispers that she's sorry, and gives herself up. Well, if that's her choice...

    He turns and runs away while the peacekeeper is presumably distracted by Yuna. Geeze, he wonders if ALL the artists are facing peacekeepers at every turn now, or if he's just really unlucky?

Eve (857) has posed:
    This doesn't seem so bad. Eve's caught off-guard by the sudden assault of the Peacekeeper. She prepares for retaliation, only to have Toph step in. Well, shove in with a pillar of earth, breaking Eve away from the Peacekeeper. Eve stumbles but quickly rights herself, feeling a flush of warmth as Toph actually stands up for her.

    This will surely all work out, right? Eve decides Toph will surely understand, and once she gets her away from sight she'll let her go or something, so they can work together. Eve can accept that... which makes her go suddenly stiff at Toph's muttered words. That was NOT what she expected to hear! And no, Eve's abruptly NOT happy.

    She allows Toph to direct her away from the Peacekeeper however, more in shock than in cooperation. Meanwhile her mind races, deciding the consequences. Is being arrested such a bad thing? No, not really. Not in the face of Toph's betrayal at least. More importantly is Eve going to just stand there and accept this without a fight?

    Eve shakes her head, gathering her courage. "Not as sorry as I am." she claims sadly, before throwing everything she has at Toph. Almost literally, in fact. All the nanomachines she can spare, her entire offensive arsenal, rush through her, out the backs of her shoulders, at the earthbender. Toph will get very little warning, just a sudden rush as Eve triggers a transformation operating at the speed of instinct.

    It's not a deadly attack, of course. Even pissed off, Eve would never do that. This is purely blunt force, and it's not even intended to bruise. Eve's just creating distance, and as the nanomachines rush out they billow into a broad form. The silver wings Toph has 'seen' before. Not an attack or even a defense... an evasion. Within moments Eve will be airborne, trying to use Toph's defensive instinct to gain enough space and time to take to the skies and escape.

Deelel has posed:
It seems she's got a lot of attention now and even wose she may have got attention from another too as Sanary seems to be on the job. She sees someone comming up after her as she nears the edge of the building she's done what she planed to do here, it' time to move on but she might end up shot. However as she sees whose rising here? She has yet to forget what Sanary did in Hyrule tht she set Gandorf free into the world once more. She knows running would get an axe in the back in all likelyhood so out comes her staff which rezzes into being, and the tips power up with a humm as she stares Sanary down. Her apperance is masked as is her voice thankfuly.

<<So working for the machine overlord I take it?>>

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    The Peacekeeper is left at a loss for words as Yuna throws herself at him, bawling her eyes out about how she made a mistake and she just wants to go home. Will it work? Is this Peacekeeper a merciful one?

    The visor goes up, revealing the face of Field Commander Hook.

    "If you regret your mistake, you can regret it overnight in a cell," he whispers horsely. He goes for his cuffs, but then Staren makes the mistake of trying to run. IN a smooth motion, the cuffs are replaced by a taser, which is levelled at Staren's back, two electrified darts flying to strike at him! His other hand keeps a tight grip on Yuna's shoulder to try and stop her doing the same.

    Meawhile, the sudden earth pillar cracks the visor of the Peacekeeper trying to arrest Eve. Toph... might face issues later for doing that. Especially since it allowed Eve to make an attack and an escape! Peacekeepers are too stunned by the mass of nanomachine to line up a safe shot on her. It's all on Toph right now!

    As Rarity and Pinkie make their escape back down into the subway, a pair of hands reach out from a service tunnel door to grab at their tails! It's Iris, and she's trying to pull them into a safe place before the Peacekeepers come on down. "Get in here, quick!" she hisses.

    Finally, Deelel finds herself lit up by spotlights up on the tower as Sanary flies up to join her. From the ground, a voice is projected by megaphone from the Peacekeepers. "Put your hands in the air! You're under arrest for grand-scale vandalism!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    This is not now it was supposed to go at all. Perhaps she would have gotten a chance to let her go if the Peacekeepers didn't push the spraying she had done earlier. Maybe it would have worked, but it appears Eve isn't planning on going to holding. But as the younger girl speaks, it doesn't strike Toph immediately. It's only the moment the nanomachines react that Toph's eyes widen as she feels the metal inside Eve shift. Immediately Toph enters a defensive stance out of habit, ready to react should Eve decide to fight. Today it works against her as she only realises a bit too late that it's not an attack. There's nothing she can do about it as the wings sprout from Eve's back, not without outright seriously harming her. And that's something that's excessive force. So instead the blind girl remains standing, listening and feeling as the girl rises to the sky.

    Drawing a breath, Toph turns away and heads down the alley. "Let's continue," Toph says to the Peacekeepers, not even adressing the one with the cracked visor.

Rarity (136) has posed:
And once they're pulled into the access tunnel, Rarity takes off her scarf... and ties it around Pinkie Pie's mouth. "Trust me, it's the only way she won't give us away," she whispers to Iris. Pinkie Pie actually bobs her head in agreement. "Guess we attracted a bit more attention than intended. Sorry."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
Landing on the top of the building somewhat clumsily, Sanary shakes the numbness out of her legs before facing down the masked stranger in front of her. "Friggin'... Ah. Impressive show you got going here. Surprised you managed to get up this high, but..."

     She pauses when Deelel addresses her, not seeming to recognize her with the voice mod and the mask on. The healer narrows her eye at the sight of the staff, glancing from it to the masked person while her own hand reaches for the inside of her coat.

     "Wha? Hell no, I ain't working for them. I'm just here to make sure nobody does anything that'll get people hurt." She's talking fairly calmly while keeping her tomahawk hidden under the coat, a low grunt escaping her throat as she settles into a somewhat more defensive stance. "If you shut off this... Uh."

     Sanary gestures at the colors surrounding the building. Probably not the colors she'd pick personally, but it's at least more interesting than the surrounding drabness. "... This thing and take off? Doubt they'll be able to catch you if you're careful." And then her hand starts glowing that eerie green glow again as she gestures at the staff with her head "If you really want a fight, th-"

     Before the healer can finish posturing, the building her and Deelel is lit up! Literally, not figuratively. That does take some of the wind out of her sails, and Sanary's jaw clenches a bit as she tries to not look disappointed at the bad timing. "Well... You heard 'em. They might go easy on you if you surrender?"

     Sanary's not so sure about that, but it does seem like she's not going to do much else besides watch the masked stranger for now.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna's crying intensifies at Peacekeeper Field Commander Hook's words, but it's cover for a much deeper freak-out moment on the blonde's part. That didn't go according to plan at all, what is she supposed to --

Then he whips out a taser and shoots at Staren. Yuna lets out a loud scream of what could easily be genuine terror (but isn't really), and bolts in a very convincing show of utter panic. MAYBE it'll throw Hook's aim off. MAYBE it'll let her break out of his grip.

If she accomplishes the latter, she is *RUNNING*. And boy oh boy will she regret it later. If she managed the former as well, all the better for Staren - Yuna owes him, like she whispered just before she maybe-or-maybe-not 'betrayed' him, and helping him get away from the Peacekeepers is the *least* she owes him. They can figure out what it'll take to square things up after they're out of here safely.

And if she didn't break loose? She's going to give Hook as bad a time as she can in the midst of a tearful, panic-wracked struggle to escape from a very bad situation. It's not like she was lying, either - she really DIDN'T mean to hurt anybody, or damage anything; she was putting her musical notes and stuff where nothing would really be 'damaged,' and ... well, let's face it. 3D 'printing' is probably easier to clean off of walls or whatever than ordinary paint would.

But if they're invited back next year? Screw recognizability, she *WILL* wear her Light Suit.

Staren has posed:
    Yuna's scream makes Staren stop and turn around.

    Unfortunately for Field Commander Hook, he's simply technologically outclassed when it comes to Staren. The wild west bandit outfit Staren's wearing is actually Bandito Arms's eponymous body armor, made of high-tech materials. Ordinary bullets couldn't pierce it -- the taser electrodes fail to find purchase. Staren looks surprised, as it actually takes him most of a second to realize the peacekeeper is trying to taze him.

    If Yuna doesn't break away, he simply turns and runs again, ducking his head down a bit.

    If Yuna DOES break away... Staren draws what looks like a strange, futuristic pistol, that fires pen-sized rockets which explode into quick-hardening sticky foam, and tries to glue the officer's feet to the ground before making his own escape.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel has made a show and she hears the call to surrender she aheks her helemted head at them. She is getting out numbered abd she's not been violent yet and really she doe snot want to. There is no reply to the peacekeepers for a moment.

"I see."

The staff is held but she's backing off towards the edge of the building there's no where to go. She's backed into a corner or so it seems for a moment. She doesn't move to attack but she sees the wind she staggers for a moment.

"I'm afraid not but it's time to go. Do you think I'd come here without a means to escape?"

With that she turns to the edge of the building and just /jumps/

She hangs on to the staff which packs back p as she falls towards the ground it looks like she's going to fall to her death. She then shifts the rod forming it in a bright burst of wire frame into a small personal jet she's riding, she guns is and is going to try to flee the city by air.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Iris snickers and pats the ponies. "Hey, drawing attention is what we're all about. Just try not to use explosions, we don't wanna be labelled terrorists. C'mon, you can help me with my stuff." She guides them into the tunnels before popping out in another part of the city, apparently intent on drawing a clear sky on the inner roof of an open mall.

    Yuna's shriek does not throw off Hook's aim in the slightest, but it proves unnecessary. Staren's paranoia is proven right again! This does surprise Hook, enough that Yuna's thrashing lets her break free and run away. He curses softly, wanting to chase the idol... but those participants on the roof are holding a rooftop concert now, and they demand his attention. Down comes the visor and off he goes.

    Eve manages to escape, ascending into the sky! Toph gets a sour look from Cracked Visor, but it's not like she can see it. The rest of the night has more and more arrests made. Thankfully, several count as genuine vandalism, so those cuffs go on with a clear conscience.

    Deelel escapes, and Sanary is called down to continue her assistance. There aren't that many strange encounters after the first few hours, so it's just standard work for standard pay.

    Finally, the sun rises. OMNI reactivates, and all the cameras flicker back to life. The city is left significantly more vibrant for a while, until the cleaning crews are deployed to take everything down. Those who were arrested are let go, and Toph is cleared to escort the CMC back home.

    One of the strangest efforts of the night can be found above where OMNI's servers are kept. The building is adorned with a sign with one of her cameras built in, a funtional display. Someone had gotten up to it, and painted over it so the camera became the eye of a girl. Specifically, a humanization of OMNI herself. Whoever did it was never caught.