-Reconfiguration Complete. EX Skill gained: Airborne Ranger. When thrown, Frost Javelin will rapidly rotate in mid-air for a short time before returning to your hand. Two units of energy per usage. Fourteen units total.-
-Password broken. Overdrive operational. Sharply boosts all capabilities for up to thirty seconds. Emits an aura around the user that freezes everything in a meter radius. Once energy is expended, this function is locked for twenty minutes to allow the user to cool down sufficiently.-
...
Analyzing memories...
DNA scan in progress. Priority set to "lowest".
Defragmentation: 62.4% complete. Completion time: unknown.
Damaged files: 68.7% restored. Completion time: unknown.
Solar Energy Backup offline. Reconfiguration in process; do not interrupt. Please wait.
Analyzing core. Software under construction. Scanning subroutines. Priority set to "low".
Core elements incomplete. Appropriate data missing.
Updating operating system. Reticulating splines. Restructuring data library.
...
... "that no force on earth could stop"---
...
...
A half mile from the docks, my radio buzzes. I answer the call as I run. "Yes, Officer Coffee?"
-"Right idea, wrong pony."-
What? I put on the brakes, quickly slowing to a stop on the rooftops. "Gray? I'm trying to work. ...And how are you talking to me?"
-"I had a spare radio stashed at the hospital."- Her crackling voice takes on a cautionary tone. -"You don't want to know why I have it here to start with. Trust me."-
That probably has to do with whatever it was she was talking with her family about that one day. I don't really need to know about it, though I'm still irked that she'll trust her family with that knowledge but not me. "That answers the 'how'. Now, what about the 'why'?"
-"When you're done at the docks, tell my husband what's going on, would you?"- Gray requests. -"I appreciate it."-
"Right. Sure," I acquiesce. I wonder for a moment how she knew about the hotspots... eh. Maybe somepony at the station clued her in before she left. "What are you going to be doing?"
-"I'll be here a few more minutes to make sure Five-of-a-Kind's going to be cared for properly. ...Oh, and before I forget: try to double-check with Pure Energy. I don't mind a bit of catnip now and then, but that much all at once is dangerous. I want it all disposed of before I go home."-
"Did you happen to catch who sent that package?" I ask just in case her kids didn't tell her, or if she'd been too out of it to realize it earlier.
-"Yes. I didn't think anything of it at first when it arrived. We've been getting chocolate powder in the mail for years. It being sent from Mocha HQ instead of the nearest Tavern should've been a dead giveaway."-
Wow, she sounded embarrassed. "So now that you know, what are you going to do?"
-"Same thing that you're doing now,"- she drawls. -"Just not quite so openly."-
Uh-oh. "I shouldn't have to tell you to be careful. If they sent you that package, they had to have known about your weaknesses. And something tells me that this storm being brought about at the same time isn't coincidence."
-"I'm not comfortable around dogs,"- Gray states plainly. -"As you saw earlier, I can be overwhelmed by too much catnip. Mirrors make me suspicious. I hate rainy weather of any kind. I dislike getting wet unless I absolutely have to. And I'm helpless when it comes to my loved ones' frustration. But do you know what takes priority above all of those things?"- Her next sentences are spoken in an angry hiss. -"My city, friends and family being threatened. I'll go out in a full force hurricane if that's what it takes to keep them safe."-
"Be careful," I warn. "They're ready for you."
-"I could name a half-dozen others that were ready for me,"- Gray answers. -"Didn't stop them from striking up a dysfunctional relationship with their prison cells. Enjoy your hunt, Levi."-
The crackling cuts off, telling me that the conversation's over. "Some people's kids," I say to the empty air before opening a new line to the Police. "Officer Coffee? I've been contacted by Gray. She's just got done telling me that she's going to be taking the fight to the enemy in her own way."
Coffee's unsure of how to take that. -"Codger's brought her up in conversation before, and he says that she was 'a force on the force'. Has she ever talked to you about her past assignments? It would be nice to know what she's capable of."-
"She dueled me once as a test," I inform her. "I'd rather not divulge the results of that test or her abilities if I didn't have to. Orders from the Crown. And she's gone up against a creature called an 'ettin' and won without injury, if that means anything to you."
It doesn't mean anything to Coffee, or to several others I can hear her talking to. I'd better assure them that I know what I'm talking about. "Look. Even if you don't know what ettins are, you can at least trust that I recognize strength and skill when I see it. It will be safe to let her do her own thing as long as our enemies are worse off."
She considers this. -"Just be sure that you keep an eye on her. If she's not acting in her old role as an officer, we don't want any of her actions to blow back on us if she's deciding to play vigilante."-
"Noted," I agree, if only to keep her calm. Something in the direction of the sea catches my attention. What is that? "I'm a half mile from the docks, and we have a situation over there. Dealing with it now."
-"Good luck, General,"- Coffee tells me just before the transmission cuts out.
Now let's see why the enemy has been gathering over there. Presumably there has to be a reason for it beyond just getting my attention, right?
At Sunrise Laboratories, a pony sipped his coffee as he looked out the window. All of the strange animal-like machines out there had surrounded the building, keeping everypony from entering or leaving. He was irritated at this deviation from the norm.
Irritated, but not scared or angry. He felt safe. When the laboratories were built, the engineers had incorporated some of the toughest glass known to exist into the structure. It could stop ballista bolts dead, they'd said. Nothing that those machines out there could do would let them into the building. It was just a matter of keeping everything locked up until Manehattan's Favorite solved the problem for them.
The pony finished his coffee. Speaking of, where is she? I know she's probably busy, but still. He shrugged. There was nothing he could do about it until she got here. He shuffled towards the hall. May as well ask the team for a progress report---
A light pinging pulled him away just as he reached the door. A red beam of light was focused on one corner of the window, creating a hissing noise that was barely heard over the storm. Suddenly anxious, the pony looked outside to try and learn more.
The light didn't seem to be coming from any of the strange machines. Instead, the beam was coming from somewhere beyond them. The pony squinted and immediately noticed something strange: the rain seemed to be splashing off something in mid-air, but what---
The beam swept across the window four times, leaving a square-shaped mark that encompassed the entire pane. Several of the machines hurled themselves at the window and crashed into it, and the glass collapsed into the office.
The manager didn't feel safe anymore. "Emergency!" he screamed, sounding the alarm as he panicked and fled the office. "Emergency!"
Behind him, two storms were blowing into the office: one was natural, and the other wasn't. The latter continued to grow as Bastion targeted select windows across the building, giving the drones free rein of the Laboratories.
...
A few buildings away, the spotter responsible for keeping the Police updated raised a hoof up to her radio as she witnessed what happened. She didn't get the chance to say anything before a combat knife whizzed past her, carving through her radio without so much as nicking her face. She gasped and whirled to see what happened.
Something bright and blue crashed into her.
...
Gates took a second to make sure that the radio was destroyed and the spotter was knocked out. Upon confirming that both had happened, he grinned behind his helmet and slowly pumped a hoof. "I... am so awesome."
-"If you're done massaging your ego, golfer boy...?"- Quarter's voice pointedly cut in. -"Stash the spotter someplace out of sight and get to work. Everything needs to be out of the city and on its way to Fat Stallion Island before Leviathan closes in on your location."-
"Just having my cake and eating it too," Gates muttered as he resumed his assignment. "Sheesh."
So the Ghost has fought actual ettins before? That's nice to know. It gives some weight to Quarter and Ignition's claims that she's a legitimate threat.
From within some damaged roofing while in the guise of a rat, Bushwhacker had listened to Leviathan's conversation with Gray and the Police. Once it had been confirmed that the Reploid had taken Calico's bait, he'd placed himself on the path between the mall and the docks in order to watch for her. It was pure serendipity that he'd picked the precise location needed to eavesdrop.
He and Calico were both meant to be distractions. During their final meeting, Quarter had even said as much to their faces: they were to occupy as much of Leviathan's time as they could while Bastion and Gates assaulted Sunrise Laboratories. If they succeeded in destroying her, great, but otherwise it was no big loss if they failed and were arrested. Quarter could always break them back out herself, she claimed.
But while Bushwhacker hadn't been as open about it as Calico, he'd had enough.
While Calico hadn't cared about being used as bait, he'd thrown his all into the mission. He saw this as an opportunity to not just battle Leviathan himself, but to give himself an out from the organization. There was a very real chance that he would lose no matter what creatures he threw at her, and in that event he had no excuse for not giving one hundred percent. This way, there would be no suspicion directed his way for throwing the fight.
Aside from that chance, there was another. There was always the possibility that no matter what resources and tools Quarter used to ascend to the throne, the coup would ultimately fail. The odds of it happening were about the same as Gates taking a vow of celibacy, but it still might happen. And if it did, Princess Celestia would need to be notified of Chrysalis's plans. If he had any say in it, the Queen was going to be thrown into the deepest pits of Tartarus, and that was if there was anything left of her afterward.
Bushwhacker perked up when he heard Leviathan end her conversation and make tracks for the diversion he'd set up. It wouldn't keep her busy for long, but every minute spent keeping her away from the Laboratories was a good minute. He shifted into the form of a myna. "Quarter, she's heading for the docks. I'm going to meet her," he spoke, making use of his new form's ability to mimic pony speech.
-"Got it,"- Quarter confirmed. She sounded curious. -"Are you okay? Did you catch a cold or something?"-
"Nope. Myna."
-"Ooh, right. I'd almost forgotten those existed. Well, more power to you, then. Gotta meet Carrie for a few rounds of Reversi, so good luck."-
Bushwhacker would've smiled if his current permitted him to. "You too, boss. And if I don't make it back, thanks for everything."
-"Hey, it was my pleasure."-
On ending the call, Bushwhacker flew out of his hiding place and descended to the ground, mindful of the wind. The moment he felt safe doing so, he shifted into a wolf and raced towards the Ocarina Marina.
...
...
~"In the dusk, I see the gulls flying about
seeking out their fav'rite fare
They're alive, with all their energy and flight
surpassing this tired mare."~
Gray hummed quietly as she stood near Fiver's bedside at the hospital. The song she was crooning for her daughter's benefit was a lullaby that Ocean Guard had written for her to use when Ebony was still an infant. While all of them except for Zig-Zag had technically outgrown it, she still sung it for the children sometimes if she felt that their nerves needed suitably soothed.
As Fiver's eyes slowly closed for her nap, Gray continued to sing:
~"In the dusk, I see the gulls flying about
seeking out their fav'rite fare
They're alive, with all their energy and flight
surpassing this tired mare.
Every day, I look and see
all the flocks of birds taking flight
And I picture my dear foals
Joining them at morning's first light."~
"That's a nice melody, Gray."
Gray's eyes lit up at the familiar voice. She stopped singing and turned in the direction it came from. "Hello, Junie," she greeted Juniper Leaf as her old caretaker walked into the room. "Health issues?"
"It's the joints," Juniper complained. Gray noticed that she was walking the slightest bit slower than was normal for a pony. "I have to see the doctor about them every few weeks. The weather scared off my clients, so I had some time to get in early." She shook her head. "I could hear you screaming earlier. What happened?"
"My daughter willingly put herself in harm's way," Gray groused. "I had about as much success talking sense into her as my own parents did talking sense into me. Worst part is that she didn't even say where she was going, so to me it felt like she'd disappeared into thin air..."
Gray explained to Juniper what little she'd been told from Leviathan and Fiver about what had happened at Maximum Millions. "...So the long and the short of it is that I'm going back to work," she finished after a bit, glaring off at nothing. "It's bad enough that they're causing trouble in Manehattan. To bring my family into things just because they want to target me? They're not getting away with this."
Having intended to be a scientist in her youth, Juniper was inclined to think logically. She understood what Gray's problem was. "But you don't want to leave the children alone?"
"I trust the Police to take care of Ebony and Zeke," Gray clarified. "And Energy and Echo are more capable than I gave them credit for." She sighed. "It's Fiver's situation that's bothering me. She'll probably be good to go in a few hours, but..."
Juniper smiled reassuringly. "Say no more, Gray. I'd be more than happy to look after her for you until you get back."
Gray looked up hopefully. "Are you sure? You have the time to spare?"
"The Daycare's closed today and I didn't have anything planned aside from my appointment," Juniper said. "I'll stay here. Your family's met me before, so I can at least be a familiar face for when she wakes up."
A weight disappeared from Gray's shoulders. "Thank you very much, Junie," she said with relief. She reached out and gave her a quick hug. "I'll pay you back for this somehow, I promise."
"I imagine you will," Juniper answered, her voice teasing a little. "Don't think I didn't see that photo of you in the paper with the scarf and sunglasses."
Gray frowned, though it didn't last. "I still don't see how that sort of stuff earns ponies money, but what do I know? I'm a housewife, not a talent scout." She turned and trotted for the exit. "Take care."
"You too."
...
Juniper watched Gray leave, shaking her head wistfully. It's hard to believe that this is the same pony who freaked out when she saw her reflection. What happened to yesterday?
There was a distant thump. "Ow!" Gray was heard squealing. "Hey, who put this window here?"
Her expression wavered. ...Though it's good to know that at least some things stay the same.
A short and quick flight---albeit one that had her fighting the wind the entire way---took Gray to the cellar of Hay's Pizza. She slipped inside after assuring herself that there was nopony around to see her, whether they were alive or were one of those drones that she destroyed at Median Park. She took an extra minute to dry herself off, then set about getting ready.
A hidden wardrobe was opened, revealing two black suits hanging within. Gray selected the one on the right and proceeded to get dressed. While most ponies who looked at the suits would've thought them to be the exact same, she knew that this one was specifically made to be waterproof. It would serve her well in this weather.
Running a brush through her mane and tail to undo their natural styling.
Replacing her earrings.
A black fedora---also waterproof---placed and secured on her head.
Retrieving several small items that she felt she would need and stashing them in her suit.
Grabbing a pair of shades, looking them over briefly to ensure that they were in fine condition, and placing them on her muzzle.
Pulling the case containing her clawed gauntlets out from beneath the floor and slipping them on.
Fully prepared, Gray left the cellar behind and slipped out into the storm. She couldn't resist the urge to affect a brief swagger as she departed.
Having set aside the duties of a housewife, the formality of a retired officer, and even the quirkiness of her casual self, Gray was on a personal mission. Its sole objective: to make somepony smile.
