As Twilight and Alister led the way, a new creature appeared in their way, a purple and blue gator/fish creature their scanners identified as a Flabberfish. It proved to be inconsequential, however, as a single shot from any weapon sent it head over tail. It was just yet more fodder for them to get past as they moved along the wooden platforms and leapt form one to the next across the backs of giant turtles.
At the edge of the wooden platform, they came across a sonic pylon designed to attract one of the giant turtles that were swimming around. Upon ringing the pylon, one arose, allowing the four to hop onto its back to lock onto nearby swingshot targets. Further along, a possibly more serious threat arrived, giant electric slugs known as Slorgs. They were still some distance away, and seemed to be sleeping.
"So...how should we approach this?" Alister muttered to Twilight.
"Guns blazing," Twilight stated firmly. "I need some catharsis after the freeze gun..."
"Maybe I can offer some?" Nefarious suggested as he caught up, reconfiguring his right hand as he approached. "I managed to get ahold of some of your blueprints of recent weapons...and I have a question for you."
"Oh?" Twilight asked curiously. "Something you don't understand in the blueprints?"
"Not exactly," Nefarious countered, shaping his right hand into a baton of some sort. "I was wondering if you knew how many squishies it took to change a lightbulb."
Twilight's eyes widened. "Wait a minute...you mean-"
"Fireball!" Nefarious shouted out, launching a ball of flame from the baton, blowing up the Slorgs from a distance. "Both problems fixed!"
Twilight couldn't help but burst into giggles, causing a wide grin to cross Nefarious' face. "How'd you manage to adapt your robotic body to access etheric energy?" she demanded curiously.
Nefarious chuckled. "I managed to find a good amount of the crystals you used to convert Mr. Zurkon into Zurkon the Bearded," he explained. "They're very effective energy channelers, so I put quite a few into my own systems. It wasn't that much of an adaption to tap the etheric fields. Still working on making it do so efficiently..."
Twilight immediately started talking about her own endeavors regarding building magic using robotics, smiling happily as she geeked out with Nefarious. Alister shook his head ruefully as he watched them interact. "And now he's proving to be good boyfriend material too," he muttered. "Knowing just what to say to cheer her up when she's down."
"Now let's not be hasty," Qwark cautioned. "They still haven't dated yet."
As the group approached a settlement, they found it completely abandoned...leading all four of them to slowing their approach, taking care to see what could have caused the abandonment of the town, and cautious of any threat that might come after them next.
"It's quiet..." Qwark murmured under his breath. "Too quiet..."
"You're still talking, so I'd say not quiet enough," Nefarious sniped waspishly.
"Shush!" Twilight and Alister insisted in stereo.
Ringing another sonic pylon lifted them up to see an Armored Slorg awaiting them, plainly guarding the path. As it approached them, however, the whole group pulled out their Warmonger Rocket Launchers, and a single volley from all of them blasted its armor off, letting Twilight fling it into the water. "Can't have been just that," Twilight murmured thoughtfully.
Finding no other clues in the settlement, the group headed for the docks where a fishing vessel could be distantly seen moored. As they approached the docks, however, a massive waterspout could be seen in the distance, looking like an upside down whirlpool. "What the heck is that?" Alister demanded, staring in shock.
Looking near the top, Nefarious was able to spot a device of some sort manipulating the waterspout and clouds. "Looks like some sort of weather manipulator," he muttered.
"Probably what drove off the locals," Twilight added.
"So...that means we blow it up?" Qwark suggested.
"That means we get closer and examine it to make sure damaging it won't cause something worse to happen," Alister corrected.
"Then we blow it up," Twilight concluded.
"Let's see about finding a way there first," Alister chided gently.
The group continued carefully along the wooden platforms, clearing the path as they went, only for a crimson tentacle to snake out of the water and smash through the bridge in front of them.
"Whoa!" Qwark gasped out, leaping back. "The heck was-" He paused when he found Twilight clinging to his head. "Twilight?"
"I've seen enough borderline Hentai with Talwyn to know where this is going!" she shrieked out. "Keep that slimey thing away from me!"
As the group stared, the tentacle quickly withdrew. "It's safe now-" Alister began, only for another tentacle to smash through the platforms further up.
"How about you stay up there with Qwark?" Nefarious suggested. "I'm sure Qwark knows that sort of thing could never happen to him!"
"Not so long as I'm protecting Twilight!" Qwark proclaimed proudly.
"But BBBFF, we watched that old web series together," she pointed out plainly. "You remembered what happened in that dream sequence-"
"And I'm plainly the green guy!" Qwark proclaimed, pointing to his suit. "Note the absence of forehead dots."
"Does that mean you don't have a penis?" Nefarious cackled tauntingly.
"That would explain how Skrunch's sister was able to handle him," Twilight offered playfully.
"Hey!" Qwark snapped angrily as Twilight and Nefarious burst into laughter. "Stop teaming up on me, you two!"
"Technically, you started that one," Alister pointed out with a soft chuckle.