Angel Beats

After being introduced to the team, Castor decided to show Ryder around the school.

"This school is huge.", said Ryder admiring it.

"Oh, it's mammoth, over two thousand students are all living in dorms. I have no idea who...", said Castor

"Hey, is.., is it okay to talk out here?"

"Sure, just don't talk about our battle plans."

"I feel like I was tricked."

"What?"

"Nothing. So, is that canned coffee?", asked Ryder pointing to a vending machine.

"It's Key Coffee. It's pretty good. Was that your question?"

"Uh, no... What's with them?"

Ryder pointed to the courtyard which had a bunch of ponies minding their own business.

"Huh? They're either going home or to club meetings.", explained Castor

"Are any of you in clubs?", asked Ryder

"No, we'd get annihilated if we were."

"What?"

"We ponies will get obliterated if we attend classes and clubs like Angel wants."

"We ponies? You make it sound like those guys aren't ponies."

"Yep, they're NPCs."

"NPCs?"

"Don't you know? It means non-player character."

"Like in games?"

"It's a comparison. It means that they've been in this world from the very get-go."

"Will they repeat themselves if I talk to them?"

"Give it a shot. Since you're new here, I doubt you'll notice a difference between us."

"So, they can hold a conversation ?"

"Why not go up and slap a mare on her flank?"

"Do what?"

"She'll either run away or smack you."

"Th...They're well-made, at least. The teachers too?"

"Yep, just for the record, the NPCs don't age. That goes for us as well. Anything else?"

"Yeah, how violent is Angel? She stabbed me when she first met me."

"Uh, Yeah. I saw that go down. You pretty much asked for that yourself. You asked her to prove if you are alive. It's no wonder she stabbed you dead in the chest. Look! To her, that kind of question was no different than asking where the teacher's lounge is."

"So, you're saying Angel obeys all of the rules in this world?"

"She's just inept."

"Is she sentient?"

"It's a mystery. What makes her unique from NPCs is that she is motionless, unsociable and she doesn't talk much."

"So, she doesn't normally just go up and stab ponies in the center of the chest or beat ponies up."

"The ones who failed to obey the school rules get a verbal warning first. She'll chase you if you run and cut off your escape routes. You don't need to wanna know what happens then."

"Did she attack?"

"An eye-for-an-eye! But only when we pick the fight."

"So, she kills ponies like she did me?"

"You bet! Finally, try not to act like a model student. People have gotten obliterated doing that."

"Got it. Now for my last question. It's about Faust. Does She exist?"

"I believe in Her, not that I've seen Her anywhere."

"Have you ever tried asking Angel?"

"Apparently, she has “no comment” regarding the fundamentals of this world. That's it! Our study session is hereby over."

"In all honesty, I'm not sure I'll join them", thought Ryder "The most important thing for me now is to buy time until I get my memories back. That's all. After that... After that, we'll see."

Later that day, everpony was at the anti-Angel Spot. Suddenly, Castor gave Ryder a gun.

"Here, locked and loaded.", said Castor "Even newbs can fire this."

"Is that effective?", asked Ryder

"Aim for her legs. That way she can't chase you."

"But she's a girl. Will she heal quickly?"

"You should learn that at your first-hand experience. That's all of us know how to learn rules."

"Fine then."

"Just kinda answer I'm looking for. Now, to help you get up to speed, we're gonna have you participate in a simple field exercise. Consider it part of your training. Code name: Operation Tornado!"

"All righty. Let's get started!", said Heavy Lifting

"Tornado?", asked Ryder

"We're gonna blow away the student's meal tickets!", explained Castor

"You're stealing?! That's not huge! It's bullying! I'm so disappointed. You're just a group of bullies with weapons!", yelled Ryder

"Watch your filthy mouth, punk! That's a direct insult to Yurippe. You take it back!", yelled Blade grabbing his axe.

"Why should I!?!", asked Ryder

"Because members of the distinguished Anti-Barnacle Extinction Battlefront would never threat normal students through sheer numbers or weapons.", explained Heavy

"They 're endangered?", asked Chestnut

"They will be someday.", explained Heavy

"But you just said you're going to steal them!", said Ryder

"Yep, we're literately going to blow them away.", explained Castor, "Listen, you're going to be on Team Barricade, which prevents Angel from intruding. Everyone will arm themselves and take key positions surrounding the cafeteria, where the plan will take place. Don't worry, I'll give you an easy location. Check with Chestnut or Speckles to learn your exact position. Soft Note, you're up again today."

"Got it", replied Soft Note

"Fire a few shots if Angel shows up. That's our signal that you need back-up. You hear a gunshot, I want you to make sure you move in to help. The operation starts at 18:30. Operation: Start!", ordered Castor