It didn't take me long to clean up the pool room.
I walked around the perimeter and tapped any and all water that wasn't where it was supposed to be with the Javelin, using the liquid as material for mini-ice dragons instead of my own generators. One by one I directed each dragon back into the pool and let them dissolve there. Some of the water had gotten into the balcony seating, so I had to clean that up as well. From there, it was just a matter of putting everything else away.
Thinking about it, I'm a little surprised that the tornado hadn't caused more damage. I can tell you just by getting caught in it that it was equal to a low-end EF3 (you'd be surprised what you could learn by associating with Harpuia long enough). Yet, the walls and ceiling were fully intact. How much of that was pegasi being pegasi, and how much was physics packing its bags and going on vacation? Something else to let my viewers make the judgment call on.
Gray hadn't finished her own cleanup by the time I was done, so I sat down next to Shining and Cadance to wait for her. As the minutes passed, I engaged in conversation with them about what life was like in Canterlot compared to Manehattan. I learned that if I valued my sanity to never seek out a residence over there: apparently some of the unicorns with rank and prestige are jerks and snobs of the highest order, most notably Princess Celestia's own nephew. Shining even did an impression of him that I didn't think was real, but Cadance swears is 85% accurate: "I don't want that robot in here! I don't want to be turned into a machine! How would I enjoy my collection of fine teas that I never let anypony else try for fear that they would get their grubby hooves all over them? Oh, the horror!"
Yes. Enough said.
Cadance told me that there is a fair amount of prejudice and hatred towards me among those in the upper class and those who have Celestia's ear, but surprisingly less than there was when I granted Buried Lede's interview. Apparently one of Celestia's favorite musicians was present when I had that discussion (not an argument) with Gray over what my clothing was called. Her first day on the job, she took umbrage with somepony's belief that everything I'd told the newspaper had been pre-calculated to drop everypony's guard. "What sort of 'murder-happy robot' would take part in a vaudeville act with a random pony about their clothes? The lot of you should be ashamed of yourselves!" she was quoted as saying. She then went on to recite as much of my discussion as she recalled, and as a result a few ponies actually reconsidered their opinions, including one of Celestia's own aides.
Part of me thinks it shouldn't be that easy. The other part of me says not to look a gift horse in the mouth...
...Gift horse? Sigh... Well, I guess I had to use that one sooner or later.
Anyway, there's probably a few "murder-happy robots" out there somewhere that would try something like that just to yank everypony's chains. My detractors aren't too far off the mark if they're thinking like that. Still, it's nice to know that some of the mundane citizenry over there are in my corner.
Gray finally exited the locker room after Cadance was done with her account, completely dry with her coat and mane in order. In her teeth was the handle to an armored, sealed briefcase that lacked a discernible way to open it. When she said that it was used to store her gauntlets, we nodded and asked no further questions about it. If anypony wanted its contents, they'd better know how to phase through solid objects.
"So I'm going to ask these questions in order, starting with you," Shining begins the interview by addressing me. "At the start of the fight, you made what looked like a second jump in mid-air. Was this something you were keeping a secret from the local newspaper to keep potential enemies from finding out?"
I shake my head. "Actually, this was something I only found out I could do after that edition was published. At some point in my life, my blueprints and hardware were tampered with to keep me from being aware of what I'm supposed to be fully capable of. I have my suspicions as to the culprit, but without being able to conduct a full investigation I don't have solid proof. I've been chiseling away at the passwords protecting them since the discovery, and the first ability was unlocked last night."
"First?"
"Of eight, yes." I glance off to the side. "Though can I have a guarantee that you're not going to take this to the newspaper? I'd rather that this be kept off the record. You three and Drama Heart are the only ones that know about the finer details, and I feel it's a good idea that it stays that way."
"You have my word that this will stay strictly on a need-to-know basis," Shining promises entirely earnestly. That's the best I can probably get from him, considering his duties. "Cady, could you not...?"
"...tell everyone and their dog? I promise," Cadance agrees. "Gray?"
Gray nods, her expression as close to serious as I've ever seen without it dropping into full-blown anger. "I can keep secrets."
I smile thankfully, then begin my explanation. "The first one, as you've all seen, is..."
...
The next few minutes are spent giving the three a rundown on all eight abilties and what they're supposed to be used for. The second question Shining asks, however, isn't about any of those but is instead about something I've had since the day I was given the Javelin. "You being able to fire off the tip of your weapon as a rocket doesn't surprise me. What I'd really like to know is how you can create replacements for it that quickly. It's not like there's extra space in the weapon to store more."
Gray perks up at this. "Yeah. I wasn't thinking about it at the time, but that does seem weird. How do you do that?"
"That's something you'd have to ask whoever it was that created the weapon," I say, shrugging. "It was worked on long before I was ever conceptualized, let alone built. The homing projectiles are best used underwater, but they have their uses in the air, too." I nod at Gray. "And it means I still have a mid-range attack if something happens to my Ice Manipulation."
"That's what I ended up cutting? I was hoping I'd hit a coolant line," Gray says wonderingly. Cadance flinches at how casual her words sounded. "I was curious why you didn't use any more ice the rest of the fight. That answers that."
"How many of those projectiles can you keep in the air at once?" Shining continues.
That warrants a frown. "Just up to three. I tried spawning more once, but it wouldn't let me. The notes I was given on the weapon said something about 'hardware limitations' and 'too many sprites'. I couldn't make sense of it and its designer was long dead by the time I entered the picture, so finally I gave up, accepted that it could create multiples in the first place, and moved on."
The looks that the three of them are trading each other are the same ones I had when I first learned of that flaw. "Let's just move on to the next question, Shining," Cadance decides as she shakes off her confusion.
"Yeah. Good idea." The Captain's puzzlement is gone by the time he's done with his next inquiry. "I was watching your reactions to Gray's Phantom Slicer---"
"Still can't get over the fact that she names her attacks," Gray mutters.
Shining ignores her. "---and you seemed to piece together how she could do that quicker than expected. If there was anything about that in the Minutes, I don't think it was ever elaborated on."
For the sake of proving a point, I remove my helmet and place it on the bench next to me. Cadance is smiling at me, and I don't get why. "How familiar are you with computers, Captain?"
"There are a few in operation, but they're reserved strictly for research and analysis," he explains. "Large, very bulky and heavy. Just one of them is about as big as any classroom here, and they take some time to handle complex calculations. I hear the setup period's a drag."
I was under the assumption that they would only be familiar with computers by way of comic books and the like. It's nowhere close to home computing, but that's still better than I expected. "Give it time. Centuries from now, this world might end up having computers that can think as fast as any pony. Of course, the key word there is 'might' due to differing technological paths, but that's irrelevant. My point is that my creators were at the same stage you're currently at a long time ago. But as the decades and centuries passed, they were able to invent computers that are small and capable enough..." I tap my forehead. "...to function as brains all their own."
"Like in 'Millions Umbra'," Gray comments, the tip of her tail twitching. "Neat."
...Okay, that's a derailment. "What's that, now?"
"First horror story I ever read," she explains. "The central character's basically a robot stallion who was created to think like a pony. It didn't straight-up call him a 'robot', but all the similarities are still there. He was made of metal and everything, without any magic of his own."
Not as much of a derailment as I expected. Very well. "You get what I'm talking about, then. Good. As I've made clear in the past, Reploids in general were made to be able to make conscious decisions and think like our creators. And for all of us, that's how we'd like to think most of the time. But if you're involved in a battle that requires hair-trigger timing and split-second decisions, where every movement can mean the difference between life and death, you have to think quickly. You have to possess laser-like focus, not the addled mind of an organic lifeform.
"If ponies here are anything like my creators, they should be capable of burning through many trillions of calculations a second at their peak. The problem is that they don't have the means of consciously comprehending everything the brain does. They're completely blind to how much work goes on behind an average thought process. They decide what to have for breakfast in the morning, go 'okay, neat', and devote nothing else to it. A random carriage goes by, they register that image in their minds, and then it's forgotten about a second later. Reploids are the opposite: our brain capacity is a mere fraction of ponykind's, but we know everything that runs through our CPUs. If we so choose, we can shut out everything irrelevant, devote all of our attention to a single topic (maybe two at most), and arrive at the answer that makes the most sense to us within seconds regardless of the subject. We simply have that much focus to spare."
Maybe that was a bit too much like boasting? They all have their jaws hanging open. Gray's the first to get her act together. "Wow," she breathes. "All that, and you still faceplanted into a door."
I tighten my grip on the edge of the bench to keep from falling off. I've heard of facefaults, and I don't want to experience one today. Or ever. "I said 'if we so choose', Gray!" I protest indignantly, noting that her comment managed to jar Shining and Cadance back to their senses. "It's not something we do all the time! If I had a bit for every time I did something without thinking, I could probably buy your lunch everyday for a week!" I sigh, forcing myself to calm down. "And a lot of it depends on the state of mind combined with what's going on. I feel that if your tornado hadn't dazed me, or if we'd been fighting outside the pool the whole time, I would've had the presence of mind to evade your Slicer."
"I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that your personality factors into it too," Cadance brings up.
"Bingo, Princess," I acknowledge her. "That can get in the way sometimes. My fellow Guardian Fefnir..." I roll my eyes. "He was like a brother to me, but he was as hotheaded as his element. Outside of combat affairs, he could be reasoned with like any rational being. In battle, he was a shoot-first-ask-questions-never kind of guy. Really easy to rile up, and he takes fighting more seriously than I do. He's capable of the same thought processes I am, but he prefers to think for the moment instead of the future. A real combat nerd."
"May I interrupt with a side question?" Gray asks. She gets a nod from Shining Armor before continuing speaking. "This Fefnir fellow. You're saying he was hotheaded, so I'm guessing fire?"
"Yes. And with that in mind, I think you would have had a higher chance of beating him than me if he'd been the one to appear here."
"What do you mean?"
"Even assuming you fought with the same rules--you get three hits, he keeps going until he wins or loses, and the duel takes place someplace where he'd have an advantage--he'd be worse off. After all, his biggest weakness was something your race is naturally capable of harnessing, Gray. And since none of his ranged attacks were capable of homing... well, you're smart. Do the math."
The three of them are silent for a time as they contemplate this. "I overheard you telling Drama once this past week that you have issues with fire," Gray comments. "While lightning you shrug off like a day at the park. So I'm guessing if you and Fefnir fought, he'd win more times than not. Whereas he's poor at dealing with excess electricity and lightning."
"He's won more than his fair share of spars against me," I confirm. "Knowing how he fights wasn't enough to give me an edge. Even getting him underwater isn't a guarantee."
"Reading into this, you have a third Guardian who harnesses electricity but is weak to ice?" asks Cadance. "That's a strange little elemental triangle you have going there."
Come to think of it... "It is, now that you mention it. Huh."
"You said before that you were one of Four," Shining cuts in. "Did your fourth have any particular connection to this 'triangle'?"
"Not in the sense that he was strong or weak against a particular element," I answer, thinking about Phantom. "He was the most... I don't know if 'normal' is the right word here. Whenever we sparred, he was roughly equal to all of us. Any given fight against him, the chances of winning or losing were even."
"Non-elemental?" Cadance suggests.
"Sure, that works. In regards to the analysis you noticed, Captain, did that answer your question?"
Shining smiles. "And then some, thank you. That's everything I needed from you, so you're free to go if you like. Cadance and I still have some things we need to talk to Gray about."
Sounds like a good idea. I re-don my helmet and start to stand up---
...
...Blast it, I sigh internally. Curse my curiosity. There's too many things about her that I'm wondering about.
"Is something wrong, Leviathan?" the Captain wonders, watching as I re-take my seat.
"This might sound like a silly question, but is anything you have to discuss with her supposed to be confidential or otherwise private? I'm feeling like I should be staying here."
"Don't worry. We'll tell you if we have to broach a sensitive topic," Shining assures me. "You're curious about her, right?"
"...Yes."
"Well, that makes two of us. Stick around for a bit." He turns away from me, setting his sights on my recent opponent. "On the tornado you whipped up, Gray. Have you ever undergone an official wingpower test?"
Gray's wings flare outward for a few moments. "Several times. The most recent one was a year before my accident. Rated a 13.4 at the time. I let myself go after I got married, so I don't know where I stand now."
"I'm guessing that's meant to measure the strength of the pegasus's wings?" I ask.
"Both that and how fast they're able to fly," Shining responds. "The higher it is, the better physical shape they're in. In general, if your wingpower is thirteen or higher, it means you're among the fittest and quickest that Equestria can offer. It's tough to have one without the other."
Hmm. "In terms of speed, how does wingpower measure up?"
"If I recall, one unit of wingpower is about 19.5 miles per hour," Cadance explains. "But the tests aren't meant to measure a pegasus' absolute top speed. It's more like what they're able to achieve when they put in a bit of effort. If they measured their best, you'd probably be seeing wingpower of at least 35 on average."
Some quick math reveals what that number is. "Pretty close to the speed of sound. That's about how fast I figure Gray to be at her peak."
I just can't get over how fascinating eyebrows can be sometimes. "How do you figure?" Gray asks skeptically. "Was it just from watching me fly during the duel? I don't feel I was anywhere near that quick."
"No, it was from the day we met."
This gives Gray some pause. "Why, what happened back then?"
"Remember when I threw Drama across the street to keep that lightning from hitting her?" I reminded her. "I saw you swooping in to cushion her landing, and I was able to track you in that moment. Given local conditions, I think you could've hit the sound barrier if you had a few more seconds to work with." I'd mused at the time that her speed would impress Harpuia, and I still believe that. Some pretty good acceleration, too.
Pretty sure magic's messing up the equation somewhere, though. Those were some incredibly tight turns Gray was making to create that tornado, never mind the one she pulled to rescue Drama. Realistically it shouldn't have happened without serious injury, but it wouldn't be the first time that this universe's physical laws made a mockery of mine.
Gray's finding the balcony railing more fascinating than her eyebrows. "I wasn't trying to achieve anything flashy. I was just trying to save a friend from getting hurt."
One of Cadance's hooves rests over Gray's as she speaks. "And that's all you really need sometimes to motivate yourself. Your love for your friends and family is a very precious thing. Don't ever lose it."
"Don't teach Coloratura how to sing," Gray retorts without any heat, one corner of her mouth tilting up. "I've always known where my priorities lie, Princess. I don't need my Cutie Mark to tell me that. Don't need it to tell me that you're in the same boat that I am, either."
Both Shining and Cadance blush at this---what? "You're not wrong," Cadance admits a bit awkwardly.
"Is there something I'm missing?" I ask. "How'd we get from flight speed to that?"
"Not much of a romantic, Fairy?" Gray jokes.
A mild huff. "You're the one who keeps accusing me of having a murder-crush on Zero. You tell me."
Shining clears his throat. "Let's get back on topic. Leviathan, do you have any further questions for Gray on the subject of wingpower?"
Let's see... "Not on that specifically, but I can link that with something we brought up earlier. Is weather manipulation something that all pegasi can do, or do you need specialized training to pull off phenomena like pinpoint lightning strikes?"
"'How often' and 'when' you train varies depending on where in Equestria, but if you're a pegasus, you're typically expected to learn at least the basics of weather control even if you don't intend to make it your career," Gray clarifies. "Unless you have some sort of physical ailment that keeps you from flying, you may be needed to help out in some way down the line, so it helps to be prepared. You were born a pegasus, weren't you, Princess?"
"Yes, and I went through the same instructions," Cadance confirms. "Though creating a tornado on a whim typically isn't something I set out to do."
A bit distracting, but level with me here. She was born a pegasus? Then how did she get that horn? Is it possible for ponies to gain extra appendages over time? Would that come about via spontaneous mutation, or some sort of twisted magic-centric growth cycle?
"I picked up the basics as part of a required course in my fillyhood, and some more advanced stuff as an elective here at Bronclyn High before I decided on my career path," Gray continues. "I went through specialized training after I joined the Police, though for the sake of security I'd rather not discuss the specifics of that training. I will say that's where I learned to use tornadoes to drop bulky enemies on their heads and set them up for a finishing blow."
What kind of Police force that operates almost entirely in urban environments teaches their officers to use natural disasters to subdue lawbreakers? There's something deeper there than that, but I'm guessing that falls under "you don't need to know". Fair enough. You've got to keep at least some secrets, right?
Shining takes my silence as an excuse to continue. "I think we've gotten all we can from that. Moving on, what's the story with those gauntlets? I realize they fit in with the whole 'cat' motif, but I've never seen that type of weapon used in law enforcement."
"I was trained with those police batons, but I always found them awkward to use at best." I imagine I would too, if I had to wield them with my teeth. "My assigned partner and I went to our direct superiors and explained the problem, and after some discussion they agreed to have these specially-made for me. Thing is, there aren't any real good blacksmiths in Manehattan, so I had to commission these from the Royal Guard's smithy in Canterlot. Gave up a month's salary to pay for them, but they've proven that they're worth every bit since."
"Steel of some variety?" I inquire. "They'd have to be, in order to damage the Javelin in any way."
"Partially. There's steel like you said, but we've got silver and moonstone in there, too." Gray fishes one of her gauntlets out of the briefcase. Watching her do that is just... weird. Her leg's not even turning invisible as it happens like you'd expect: it's just a solid object passing through another solid object without damaging it. It's a bit uncanny, and the slight glowing of her Mark just adds to it. Shining and Cadance's faces are indications that they agree with me. "There's three enchantments on this, one for each substance. The first grants it some extra durability and keeps it from getting rusted or chipped. The second magnifies the claws' sharpness to the point of letting me fire off projectiles at will. And the third protects it from magnetism."
'Amused smirk' is go. "I take it that magnets were a common problem in your line of work?"
Gray puts the gauntlet back, chuckling. "You have no idea. One year the Police ran a contest to keep morale up; I took part and received a ticket to one of Celestia's galas as a prize. While I was there, this helmeted loon turned up from out of nowhere to cause trouble. He called himself, and I quote, 'the master of magnet'. One second I was charging him, the next I was waking up with my face in the punch bowl wondering if I'd somehow gotten drunk. After that incident, I went to the smithy and asked for that last enchantment to make sure it didn't happen again. Sure enough, there were some chumps in the following years who thought to try using magnets to keep me off-balance." She looks up at the ceiling, a hoof on her chin. "I still wonder what happened to that loon. Nopony heard anything from him again after that incident, at least according to the rumor mill."
"That experience had to have been embarassing," Cadance comments with a hint of sympathy.
Gray shrugs. "Not really. The fruit punch was delicious. What was embarassing was that I thought I was seeing magnets everywhere the rest of the evening. Alas, they were mistakes, not magnets."
...It feels like every serious conversation I have with this pony has to have some kind of joke I don't understand. No wonder she gets along fine with Drama. And why did she have her claws if she was attending a party? "Gray..."
And lo and behold, an innocent face. "What?"
"...Never mind. The gist of what you're saying is that they're reliable, tricked out, and comfortable, correct?"
"Yes, essentially. I could have simplified it, but I've been to a few debriefings in my time. The details matter."
"Though some of those details probably could be called into question..." Shining remarks under his breath. Cadance nudges him in response, though her half-closed eyes are telling me she's no less bothered. "...Right. Next question. Princess Celestia described you to me as an 'absolute beast in combat', and I went into this believing that she was talking about your combat skill. From everything I've seen since I arrived, I've determined that she was talking more about your 'feline' habits. What drove you to start acting like that? How does behaving like a cat get you a Cutie Mark?"
Gray lays down on her seat, propping her head on her hooves. Outwardly she's not showing much emotion, but a few swishes of her tail are giving away her irritation. "That's as big a mystery to me as it is to you."
The three of us frown at Gray's comment. "How could you not know that?" I ask. "This theme of yours... I was assuming that this was something you'd just decided to do one day, and you ended up receiving your Mark by fully immersing yourself in the role. How could you not know when all of this started?"
Frustration. Exhaustion. The world getting brighter. A flurry of leaves on the wind.
Freedom. Elation, a family reunited. Confusion, then a shrug.
"I just don't know," Gray tells us, shaking her head. "I've always felt that everything I've done was what I should've done. From kindergarten on, I've been seeing the world through a specific lens that I can't describe. All this time, I've been living my life as my whims dictate. Other ponies tell me that my behavior is off-kilter, and I've tried to keep that reined in... but it always overcame me without it trying, and eventually I decided not to struggle against it anymore." She's looking at us, but I'm getting the feeling she's not really looking at us, if you understand what I'm trying to say. "I can't give an answer for why I act the way I do, why I'm as strange as I seem to others, or why I've just gone with the flow for most of my life. All I know is that it just seems right."
Translation: there's something wrong with her mentally. Can't think of any other reason why a representative from a herbivorous species would behave like a carnivore, unless it was all done for grins and giggles. "Have you ever seen a doctor about it?" I inquire.
"A few times," she admits. "I'm banned from one office because I wouldn't stop falling asleep on their couches mid-appointment. The second one eventually told me not to come back unless I was convinced that I 'wanted to improve'. The third decided that I was taking an interest in their office aquarium for all the wrong reasons."
"...That last one doesn't seem like they had a proper reason to block you," Cadance tentatively brings up.
"I think what convinced them that I was beyond hope was when I went up to their secretary and asked for some mayonnaise."
"Okay, never mind!" Cadance hastily backpedals. Yeah, I think that's where I'm drawing the line, too.
Gray chuckles again. "Just as well. I've always been more partial to tuna."
"Right..." Shining shakes his head. "Well, I do have one more questions..." He frowns at me, and his voice becomes apologetic. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave for this. It's for the Crown and its representatives' ears only."
About time. "Just as well. I have to get to the library anyway." I stand up, going through the motions of stretching my arms out in front of me. "Nice meeting you both, Captain, Cadance. If you ever see that musician, could you tell her I said thanks for her support?"
"Sure," Cadance agrees. "I can do that."
"Thanks for your time, Leviathan." Shining offers his hoof, and I accept it with a fistbump. "Hope you find something over there you can use."
He doesn't sound very hopeful, but I'm going there anyway. I don't have anything to lose by doing so. "You're welcome."
"Tell the foals and Drama that I'll be back at the Pyre after lunch, would ya?" Gray requests.
"Certainly. Which way is it to the library from here, by the way...?"
...
Leaving the school the same way I entered, I decide that even if the debriefing left me with more questions than answers, it's still been a good morning thus far. The only way it could be better would be if the answer to my dilemma appeared out of thin air, though that's as likely to happen as Dr. Weil becoming a humanitarian.
I've taken part in a friendly competition to see how I stack up against the locals, I had a nice swim, and I had a great fight. The fight in particular was especially satisfying; it gave me the same sort of rush I got whenever I fought Zero. In at least one way, however, I'd rank this one higher than any of those. Do you want to know why?
It's because there was nothing at stake.
Shining Armor watched as Leviathan departed, continuing to stay quiet for a full minute after she was gone. It was only after he was completely positive that she wouldn't be able to listen in that he returned his attention to Gray Ghost. "Now, then. Were you aware that you're pushing the envelope where your special talent is concerned?"
Gray's eyebrows furrowed. "In what regard, Captain?"
"If Twily were here, she would probably give a big lecture as to how magic has its own set of rules, that they're expected to be followed. One typically doesn't expect a pony to be able to break those rules the way you did. Cats might be slippery, but they aren't that slippery. I don't own any, and even I know that."
"Nice observation..." Gray stifled a yawn, then turned to stare longingly at the patch of sunlight that was no longer situated over the diving board. "Though it's off just a little. It's not really breaking the rules, just exercising them in a different way. If I were trying to break the rules, there's no way that I would be able to do what I do."
"What's this 'different way' you're talking about?" Cadance wanted to know.
Gray took a moment to clear her throat. "...Excuse me. When I was younger and putting my abilities through their paces, I discovered that a lot of them are contingent on my physical health if I want to use them actively. The weaker I am, the less likely they are to work. I can guarantee you there's no way I would be able to get the Phantom Slicer to cooperate if I were at, say, my youngest child's level of strength."
"Could you give me an example of a more 'passive' ability of yours?" the alicorn asked. “For a frame of reference?”
"My sixteen-hour sleep cycle. If I don't have to work, then I rest as much as I can."
"...I think I've been at a loss for words more times in the past half hour than I have in the past half year," Shining muttered.
A fanged smile that was present one second and gone the next. "I get that a lot. Anyhoo, I've had a few ponies tell me when I was active that my techniques were 'broken'. After I worked out what that word meant in that context, I had to tell them that no, they weren't. The Slicer isn't something I can just do casually; it takes a fair amount of concentration and physical effort. If I'm distracted or tired, they start to falter. That's how I got in that accident at the bridge: I'd been fairly stressed that day due to a prank gone wrong and there were foals among the hostages, so I wasn't in the best of moods. I got mad and charged one of those responsible, and... well, to summarize, it ended with me struggling to stay afloat in salt water with a busted wing.”
A few seconds passed as everypony processed what they were told. “With that in mind, you sleeping when we arrived makes sense now,” Cadance remarked, the dots swiftly connecting. “Getting all the rest you need does wonders for your thought processes. If you can think clearly, then you aren't likely to waver when it comes time to act.”
“Yeah, pretty much.” Gray unfurled one of her wings, examining it as if contemplating how to clean it. “Though that's not the end of it.” Closing her wing, she fixed the both of them with a deadly serious gaze. “When you get back to Canterlot and have one of your private meetings with the flake---”
“The 'flake'?” Shining and Cadance echoed in disbelief.
“...Well, she is,” Gray defended herself half-heartedly. She lowered her voice far enough that their ears only barely managed to pick up her words. “But anyway, when you do that, ask her about what the contents of File C184-GG-N0-RE-SPR1 had been. That flurry of slashes at the end? That wasn't my first idea. There was something else I could've used, but I decided it wasn't worth it. I don't care how much she wants me to take her seriously in a fight: I cannot in good conscience use that against a friend, and there's no way I can handle it in my condition even if I was willing.”
Shining took in her words and her eyes. “It's that serious?”
“Serious as a heart attack, Captain, and I mean that literally. Don't breathe a word about it to anypony. That goes for you too, Princess. What you learn from that file does not leave Celestia's chambers. Verbally or otherwise.”
Solemn nods from them both. “You have our word,” they promised.
Gray's demeanor shifted back to its more natural state, with her volume following suit. It was a fairly abrupt transition that took them both off guard. “Wow, you really are meant for each other if you can talk in unison like that. Been dating a while?”
Cadance recovered first and decided to field this one to keep Shining from stammering the entire time. “Well, yes. Since our school years, we...”
…
With the most serious stuff out of the way, the three of them engaged in lighthearted conversation for a few more minutes. Gray tried to talk the two of them into visiting her apartment after she got off work, all the better to meet the whole family at once. She succeeded with Cadance, but Shining begged off while citing the need to return to Canterlot and deliver his report to Celestia. With that they went their own ways: Shining to return the school keys and get to the train station on time, Cadance to offer income to the city's tourism industry, and Gray to the Pyre (after making sure first to remove any remaining evidence that the four of them had been present, then to return the briefcase to its hiding place).
On her return trip, Gray decided that the sensation she had been experiencing since the fight ended was regret. For fifteen years she was content to laze about and take care of her children, her glory days--such as they were, considering S.M.I.L.E.'s clandestine activities--far behind her. She had promised herself when she had married Ocean Guard that she would never fight again. She did not want to get involved in another situation where she would be required to use that technique, as not only would it require her to kill, but it would put her own life at risk as well. She did not want to take another life while her children were alive, be it someone else's, or...
When she said that she was as “serious as a heart attack”, she wasn't referring to the Captain or the Princess. Nor was she talking about Leviathan and her power generators. In all reality, she was talking about herself.
…
A glowing Javelin swinging down at her---
Evading an ice dragon that could swallow her whole---
Whipping up a tornado, taking care not to damage her surroundings---
Feeling her gauntlet's claws tear through something in passing---
Surprise when a plastic ring snared her snout---
Giving in to her instincts in a last ditch effort to overwhelm---
Listening to the ecstatic enjoyment of one who sought to challenge herself---
…
Gray smiled sadly, slowly shaking her head as she flew. If only we had met while I was still with the Police. I would have loved a chance to fight you again, Fairy Leviathan. At my core, testing you made my heart beat like you wouldn't believe. Unfortunately...
Mental images of her husband and children crossed her mind one after another. She recalled their patience, their kind words, and their love. Time changes a mare. I can't afford to let myself get drawn into this any more than I already have. I'm okay watching you on Celestia's orders, but no further than that. No amount of fighting is going to replace my biggest trophies: a husband and children who understand, and can put up with, little ol' me.
The cat who walks by herself has been fully tamed.