You've been walking a while when you realize you are at half health, and have no way to heal. The healing supplies that Amelie used on you has yet to fully recharge, Lena has nothing on her, and Poppy can't carry anything his size or bigger, so you have to progress without it.

You are walking through the snow, exhausted, when you feel something land on your head. Your sensors tell you it's a bird, probably friendly due to its diminutive, harmless size, but the second you raise your hand to touch the adorable animal, loud, angry stomps are heard on your left.

Funny… there's nothing but trees there...

Your suspicion is replaced with fear when you hear in what is a practically ancient Omnic language,

?: HANDS OFF MY FRIEND!

Poppy, Lena and Amelie start screaming as the trees on your side crash to the ground. The dust and snow clear around...

(MS: Bastionboogie)

(Enter Battle:

It's A Bird-Lover! It's a War Machine! It's E-54!

ACT - Check

E-54 a.k.a. Bastion - a badass, battleborn, bane of existences used in the wars to mow many men down in less a minute. Wait a minute… weren't they all deactivated?

ACT - Communicate

In an Omnic language you explain your plan to free everyone.

E-54 can speak the language but does not understand what you are talking about. In his confusion his gun starts firing on its own! You realize this Bastion unit was probably reactivated in that forest after a long time of being destroyed, but how did that happen? Plus, how did it get here?

Before coming to a conclusion, a bullet zips by your head. You realize Amelie is firing at E-54.

The Bastion unit, thinking Amelie is an enemy, goes into its turret form. Amelie, luckily, is fast enough to grapple out of the way.

ACT - Calm

You run up to E-54, which causes this bird on your head - Ganymede, you remember Bastion calling it - to fly off. It lands on Bastion's side, and it calms down almost immediately.

ACT - Explain

You make your way somewhat hesitantly and explain what you know about the Underground's past, helping catch Bastion up with the present.

You don't mention most of Poppy's tale, feeling like such would be personal to the plush.

The technically Iron Giant calms down, having not only found his bird friend, but found 4 new ones as well!

You Won!)

Bastion apologizes for attempting to kill you, and even heals most of your wounds with its repairing "claw."

Before you continue making your way to Snowdon, however, Bastion politely asks you to follow it and Ganymede (his little bird friend) into the forest, through the "clearing" it created. You agreed, so long as the fellow Omnic does not turn on you, and Bastion cheerily agrees.

(MS: Uuu)

As you start walking through, Bastion starts to rabble about some cool statue he found. It's not long before Lena soon pulls you aside. Her face is stone cold, similar to what you'd guess Amelie's face would look like if she'd decided to kill you. Lena shushes you before you can say a word.

(MS: Lena's Lament)

Lena: Hey, love, I'm feeling I can trust in you, so I'm gonna tell you a story of my own. The Underground, while populated without Omnics for a long time, had a floating colony of animals a long time ago. My family used to live there, 'cuz my pop worked with the gorillas.

Lena: They were trying to increase all the animals' intelligence in order to create warriors to take revenge on the Omnics. One such animal, who lived long yet short, was Winston. Anyway, y'see, the animals got too smart. They rebelled, and the whole thing, and everyone except for of me and Winston, went kablooey. That was my Tragedy Number 1.

Lena: I'm trusting you to not tell a soul, especially not Amelie, okay?

You make an X across your chestplate.

Lena: Thanks, love! Anyway, the second tragedy. Winston and I grew up. He was thankfully favoring the humans, having been mentored by their head scientists. He then became our own Head Scientist, and began the work on the PASSION PROJECT. The idea was to transfer an Omnic's SOUL into a beam used to kill Omnics in a single shot. Winston also created my Chronal Accelerator, allowing me to sort of travel myself through time, though only by a few seconds. His last creation was the CORE, the final path to our Lord's castle and the main source of Underground power.

Lena: I don't know how, but somehow he just… disappeared, leaving the PASSION PROJECT unfinished. There's me Tragedy Number 2.

Lena: All of a sudden, everybody forgot about him. It was like he never existed, and I'm trying to figure out why. And then I met Emily and Amelie, the two girls who gave me purpose, when I was without it. I can't tell anyone without giving them a massive headache the next day, and I have tried and proven that correlation!

Lena: And then Tragedy Number 3 happened today, which was the breakup. Emily believes I'm being too dangerous, fighting smaller blokes like Junkrat and Roadhog. She was afraid of the sadness that comes with a possible death if I joined the Guard or something else and got hurt. She still loves me, but she can't be dating me…

Lena: Then again, I found someone else that I could love, and while I'm not sure she'll love me back, but I'll give it a shot. For the record, I'm talking ab-

You are interrupted by Bastion stopping in front of a statue. It features an armored gorilla with glasses. Huh. Modern art sure is weird. Or is it modern, considering it's in the middle of a forest…

Lena's eyes widen at the sight of it. She takes off at breakneck pace for the statue before anyone can comprehend it, and then proceeds to trip over a root.

...wait. Is this statue of Winston?!

Your thoughts are interrupted when the ground starts to shake from under you. Seeing yet another fight coming, you ask your friends not to fight whatever is coming, because peace is always viable and maybe, just maybe, you can pacify this enemy.

The statue cracks open, and what may be Winston jumps out with a loud roar. His eyes crackle with something like electricity, and his skin is a redder shade than you think it normally would be!

(MS: Scientist Business)

(Enter Battle:

Winston's feeling angry!

ACT - Check

Winston - Wait, why does he have half a soul?

You theorize his split SOUL is why he's in such a rage, as if he was possessed! You feel like you could give him your half, but would that not kill you?

No, that would not, your SOUL grows back.

Wait, who is this? Who are you?

(MS: Your Arch-Ally)

Not important, kodomo. I am the one who gives you the ability to Check people, and if you want to continually receive that information, I advise you not tell anyone about me, especially Poppy.

Why keep hidden? And what is your deal with Poppy?

I have my reasons. For now, worry about this task.

(MS: Scientist Business)

You tentatively walk up to the enraged Winston. In his enraged form, he starts swinging at you. You dodge every attack and shoot some of your PASSIONATE energy at him. Every hit lands there, and he... falls asleep?

Now that you see him better, you notice that Lena is standing on a now-cracked pair of glasses. You ask her to step off of them, thinking they are the reason Winston went… ape.

Amelie smirks at this terrible pun, but Lena interrupts.

You Won (I Think…) )

Lena: These were Harold's glasses…

Lena: For the record, I'm talking about Dr. Harold Winston, the man who taught Winston everything he knew. Is he alive too?

Her thoughts are quickly interrupted by who is clearly Winston coming to consciousness, getting up to his hind legs.

Lena approaches him somewhat tentatively, as if he'll go back to swinging at you, Poppy and your newer friends.

Lena: That really you, love?

Maybe-Winston: Ugghh….Lena? Wait - I'm FREE!

Lena: Definitely you, love. Come here!

Now that Winston is conscious, Lena jumps into his arms, creating what you imagine is a bearhug. Or is that a gorillahug?

Amelie: Who is this, cheri?

Lena: It's Winston, an old friend of mine! I never admittedly told you about him, but I could if you'd like!

Winston: I hate to interrupt, but, I'm guessing you guys want to know where I was for the last 5 years?

Lena: Oh, you know it! I knew you fell into the SOURCE, but what happened there?

Winston: ...alright. Sit down, everybody.

Everyone (including Bastion) gets themselves comfortable.

(MS: Winston's Story)

Winston: Well, okay then. When I fell in, I landed between two realities, not in one but not in the other. I was somehow able to watch over the entire Underground of this reality, but not outside of it, nor in the other reality's Underground.

Winston: However, I recently figured out how to leave - I needed the presence of an Omnic SOUL to escape, but to escape my ANGRY form, I needed the half-SOUL. Thank you, by the way, young Matta.

You give a thumbs up.

Winston: Anyway, the other Underground had the same people in it, but they seemed to take different roles in this child's story. For example, Mako - the man in the pig mask, remember? She took Amelie's role in the other Underground Matta's story, while Jamison takes yours, Lena.

Lena: WEIRD…

Winston: That's my story. I'm glad you are all safe and sound after these 5 years…

Winston: Matta, young one, remember that pretty much everyone in the Underground is out for your SOUL. Keep it safe, please. If the Underground's Lord gets it, Omnics will probably cease to exist soon after. If you need advice on where to go, visit me after you proceed from Snowdon. I know how the Underground works, so I can help out.

You thank him, and ask him and Bastion if they'd like to join you, Poppy, and the two girls on their way to Snowdon. The two agree.

It is not long before you reach Snowdon. It's a bright, homey town, but everyone scrambles into their homes to grab weapons the second they lay their eyes on the two Omnics, one of which is carrying a gun for a hand. They have probably been practicing, because in no time at all, many crosshairs are pointed at you and Bastion's heads.

Before the people can begin shooting, Lena speaks.

Lena: You all back off from shooting them. I'm taking them to the outskirts for an official fight, and besides, the small one not only promised not to kill me, but will attempt to break the barrier on his own!

Someone speaks up. Their voice is angry, but the fear of seeing two Omnics is obvious, "And how can we trust them to keep this promise?"

Amelie retorts almost immediately: "If they were fighters, the small one would have killed me already, and the Bastion seems to be content in life without killing. If they were not, we would not stand here before you. The small one - Matta, you said? Yes, this one is weak, and could be scrapped easily if they even tried.

A voice cuts through the arguing that ensues.

?: I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Lena seems to freeze up, and tears begin to appear.

You figure out almost immediately that this voice was Emily's.