Dessic and the other Bureau officers were fast—they were trained to be prepared, after all—so they were up out of their seats just a moment after Scootaloo thrust herself backwards on her chair. But what they didn't have was the advantage of time, or a plan; they had not been the ones to make the first move. So in the split-second before Dessic and Butternut sprung from their seats, Scootaloo was able to leap up from the tipping-over chair, buzzing her wings so that she'd fly up and miss the two stallions by a hair as they pounced on her seat. Kicking off their heads for good measure, she skidded up onto the surface of the table, glancing over to Later.

Luckily, the green-coated mare seemed to have taken the hint. Scootaloo turned just in time to see Later's hoof contact Anna's cheek with a thwack, and then the mare leapt over her, dashing towards Haze. Mochi, on the other hoof, was struggling with the other stallion. For a moment, it looked like he had the upper hoof, pushing her back against a wall, but then she thrust her hooves out, knocking him back. Scootaloo turned away just as Mochi started kicking his side.

Kaylee and Flight were pressed against the wall, in the corner, worried looks on their faces. In all the commotion, they too had left their seats and seemed to be inching towards the exit. Perfect.

"Come with me, guys!" Scootaloo called, sliding off the table and onto the floor alongside them. They both looked relieved to see her, but then Kaylee opened her eyes wide and opened her mouth to say something, but Scootaloo had already whipped her head around and then quickly ducked away from Butternut's orangey hoof. She kicked back wildly, not sure if she was even making contact, but before she could find out, Scootaloo took off. She darted past Kaylee and Flight, stealing a glance behind her to make sure they were still galloping on her tail. Letting out a sigh of relief, the filly turned her head forward to focus on running towards the door and—

"Now where in the hay do you think you're going?" a familiar voice snarled and as Scootaloo saw Gloss standing menacingly in the doorway, she blanched.

"Crap crap crap crap," she repeated out loud, her eyes flicking back and forth as she searched for some other way out of the room besides this doorway in which Gloss stood... but there was none. She would have to go through him, and she only had a few seconds to figure out what to do.

For a moment, Scootaloo closed her eyes and took a breath. Then, she opened them, and spotted her point of egress: the small space between Gloss's hooves.

"I ain't stopping!" Scootaloo yelled as she charged the stallion, galloping faster than before. For a moment Gloss looked surprised, but he pulled himself together with a brisk nod and stood there with a resolute look, bracing for impact.

The impact never came; Scootaloo ducked at just the right moment and although her head brushed up against Gloss's fur, she was able to compress small enough to make it through before Gloss had even realised what she was doing. And yet Scootaloo was barely able to skid to a stop outside on the wood, feeling her hooves scrape against the nicely-polished wooden floor. For a moment, her heartbeat relaxed, and she took a calmer breath. Then...

"Scootaloo!" Kaylee's voice called frantically behind her. "Help! What do?!"

"Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap!" Scootaloo exclaimed, and whirled around to see Gloss had already turned to face her. He was still standing in the doorway, though his legs had snapped close together. His cheeks were beet-red, and his face was curled up in a vicious scowl.

"Don't suppose we could just... talk this one out?" Scootaloo offered with a shrug, a sheepish look on her face.

Gloss didn't look amused.