Gray's Analogy
All five of First Quarter's agents escaped. Alerted to the presence of the K9 unit, they took off once again across the city with their airborne drones covering their tracks. Unable to finish their assignment, the Police were left with no choice but to retreat. At the end of the night, Gray's family was still in danger.
Leviathan and Drama Heart were taken back to the Pyre, where the latter was woken up one more time. With her help, Levi quickly composed two messages: a loud and clear warning to Illudere indicating that she should tread carefully, and a plea for assistance to Gray. Once both messages were dragonfired off to their recipients (with Drama sending the warning to her old rival herself), the both of them well-deservedly retired for the night.
The revelation that Leviathan had awakened from Illudere's spell and was straight-up peeved put a damper on the agents' spirits. Once all of the agents had arrived at their new hiding places, Ignition confirmed to them that their bluff had been called: even if Gray didn't turn up at noon, Quarter's mandate that civilians were not to be harmed remained active. The rest of the plan was still in motion, however: if the Ghost's family was to be rescued or otherwise released, the agents would need to be confronted directly, deadline or no deadline.
At the back of the Golden Bell, the Police's cleanup team finished disposing of all of the shrapnel and debris. An investigation of the apartment turned up the items that Leviathan had already discovered, alongside several that she'd been too stressed to look for. In addition, a hidden alcove was located in the wall behind where the screechy drone had been stationed. Within that room was the most secure safe the team had ever encountered, with nopony able to access its contents regardless of their skill sets. Attempts at removing the safe from the floor ended when one of the specialists got magically repelled out of the alcove, so they opted to keep tabs on it for the moment.
Arrangements were also made to repair the building, but in the meantime they had no choice but to have a tarp hung over the back entrance.
By sunrise, a letter detailing what had happened at the Golden Bell was sent to Alexandrite in Las Pegasus. No one at the MRPD knew where she had taken off to, and thus they had to inquire at the Manehattan Minutes' offices as to her location. Alexandrite still owned the property, so they felt she deserved to know about recent events.
A partial report detailing the incident, including the story given by Leviathan as to what had happened to her, was provided to the Minutes. It was too late for the report to be publicized in that morning's edition, but those present promised the Police that it would be printed as soon as feasibly possible. Those that were antagonizing Levi and Gray were likely to take advantage of the new information somehow, but it was still the quickest way to let the city know that they were in need of help.
"Closed today due to personal circumstances. We hope to see you again soon! -- L. and Salamandra
To our remodelers, ring the doorbell when you arrive and one of us will let you in."
The sign on the Pyre's doors didn't stop Gray when she arrived the following morning, but not because she couldn't read. She took wing and tapped on one of the upstairs windows a few times, this time remembering not to fly face first into it.
First the blinds, then the window opened up. "Come on in," Drama hissed, walking away from the window. "And keep it quiet for now. Fairy's still asleep."
Gray flew inside, closing the window upon landing. "She must really be out of it," she mused. "Normally she's up earlier, isn't she?"
"She had a rough go of it last night," Drama told her, keeping her voice low. She opened her bedroom door and gestured inside.
Gray solemnly surveyed the room. As stated, Leviathan was fast asleep in Drama's bed. Her ankles and feet stuck out over the edge of the mattress, requiring a box to keep them propped up and an extra blanket to keep them covered. Her lips were set in a troubled frown, and her eyebrows were furrowed in such a way that showed something was still tormenting her. "What happened?"
...
...
Gray's tail was lashing by the time Drama finished giving her the rundown on what Leviathan had experienced. The both of them had moved the discussion to the kitchen to keep from disturbing the Pyre's long-term guest. "That's not right," she whispered, her voice a hair's breadth away from snapping. "That just isn't right."
"I have an idea of what spell Illudere used, but part of me doesn't want to believe it." In-between sentences, Drama was nibbling on a slice of bread that was smeared with pear jam, having finally decided to give it a try. "Sugarplum might have taken our rivalry too seriously, but she used to be a decent pony. I would've thought she was better than to try learning a spell that dangerous just to try and one-up me."
"Unless it was something she learned after she went off the deep end," Gray suggested.
"I doubt it," Drama said, shaking her head. "There's too many similarities to that incident that landed her in isolation. The only thing that's different is that Leviathan woke up while the first victim still hasn't. And she couldn't have learned it while she was in rehab. Everypony would've been watching her like hawks."
"And isn't that a question for the ages," Gray wondered. "The spell obviously worked, and they were blatantly trying to render her comatose. How did she wake up early?"
Drama finished her snack and magicked her plate into the sink without looking. "That's one I don't have an answer for. Maybe it's tied to her mind being mechanical, or something? I don't know."
Before Gray could answer, dragon-like laughter went off close by. Drama trotted out of the kitchen for the exit. "Probably Mortar & Son. I'll be back in a minute."
...
It took closer to three minutes for Drama to return, and she was carrying something in her magic. "Both the remodelers and the mail," she commented. "There's a few letters here for Fairy."
"Who from, Sally?" Gray asked. "Just random fan-slash-hate mail?"
"That's the strange part." Drama placed the envelopes on the table, looking as puzzled as she sounded. "Both of the letters here are from Ponyville. I think this is the first batch of mail she's gotten from outside the city, not counting the Princess's."
We'll give those to her when she wakes up. "What about the remodelers? What do they still need to do?"
"They just have to install the new door and clean up any remaining debris, and that shouldn't take very long. I've already arranged for somepony to come in later and put down new carpeting. Also, you're off the hook."
Gray's tail twitched. "Sally, if you think I'm crazy, just say so."
Drama giggled. "No, silly pony. I mean that you and Ebony don't have to work for me anymore if you don't want to. Making you work with your current circumstances being what they are is entirely poor form."
...Oh. Right. "Um, thanks? I guess?"
Drama started to say "you're welcome", but an off-hoof look at a clock told her what time it was. She decided that it was time for the delay to end. "It's well past the agreed time. I think we've let her sleep long enough. Gray, do what you do best."
Gray climbed down out of her chair and trotted towards the bedroom. "One wake-up call, coming right up."
Where am I? How did I get here? Why is there a group of alligator Reploid clones clustered around a gate clamoring to reach me? And why do they all have those odd little sunglasses?
There's pressure on my chest and stomach. My surroundings are dissolving. The dream has ended. The emptiness returns.
I'll be honest: I don't feel like getting up. I don't want to open my eyes. I'm afraid of what I'm going to see. But that child wants me to go home and be a hero, so I guess I must. No point in delaying the inevitable.
There's something brushing against my chin and left cheek. Feels like sandpaper. I didn't fall asleep with any, so wha...?
With some effort, my eyelids pry themselves open---
Yellow-green irises right in my face. "Good morning," a familiar voice greets me.
4-3-2-1 WHY IN BLUE BLAZES
It takes a second for me to realize that I'd just thrown my first pony friend off of me and across the room, or tried to; I couldn't get much leverage from my position, so she didn't make it to the wall. She's now hovering over me like nothing had happened, wings slowly flapping. It takes me another second to realize that I'm screaming her name. "GRAY! Don't you ever do that again!"
That face of genuine confusion, seriously. "Do what again?"
Before my CPU can tell my body to act differently, I'm lunging out of bed and grabbing Gray out of the air, holding her against me. That awful noise is threatening to escape me again. "Gray... Gray, I'm sor---"
She silences me by bumping her forehead against my chin. "I got the story from Sally," she assures me gently. "You don't have to say a thing." The gentleness gets swapped out with some irritation. "Now would you mind letting me go? You're squeezing my ribs."
Chastised, I release her. She lands on the floor and gestures for me to follow her. "Let's take this to the living room," she says. "We need to talk."
I don't know if I want to, but she takes one of the blankets in her teeth and drags it off of me. Doesn't look like I have much choice. And she is right: I did ask for her help.
Drama's running one of her records. It's not the relaxing one, but the volume's low enough that it's just background noise. She's sitting on the couch behind me, while Gray's draped herself across my legs.
I'm getting some updates that I hadn't gotten at the police station. Or maybe I did get them, and I just don't recall them. I don't know, and I'm having trouble caring.
Those two what's-their-names ... alright, Maverick and Magnum. Why am I having so much trouble remembering that... anyway, those two were fooled by the same illusion that tricked me into thinking Illudere was a different pony. That billboard that I thought was there but had vanished was still present, and they'd crashed into it. They were taken to the hospital, probably in case of a concussion.
They should be fine, if they're as hard-headed as Gray. I don't feel like considering if that's a common trait for pegasi.
"Before we get much farther, you did get some mail this morning," Drama's telling me, hoofing over a few envelopes. "Not much. Just a few letters from Ponyville of all places. You feel up to looking at them?"
If it helps my mood any. Feels like it's been shifting from angry to sad to down in the dumps since I woke up from that illusion. This sort of thing shouldn't be happening to me, and yet it is.
The first envelope has the return address and destination in very rough, somewhat blocky writing. It's not so bad that it could be mistaken for a child's, but there's no attempt at feigning proper handwriting (hoofwriting?). The letter within is the same, and---
Oh.
...
Howdy, Levy-however your name's spelled.
I don't normally pay attention to what goes on over there. None of my business, and I have enough on my plate without worrying about life outside of Ponyville. But the family has a few relatives in Manehattan, and they wrote us that you did one of them a big favor recently. It didn't seem right not to thank you for your effort.
You did mighty fine by us, helping little Babs Seed like you did. First getting her out of danger and saving her life, then finding her somepony who wouldn't mock her for not having a Cutie Mark? That was right nice of you. A lot of ponies out there probably wouldn't go out of their way, from what I recall of the place.
Anyhoo, on behalf of the Apple family, thank you. You get yourself back home, you hear? We'll be rooting for you.
Applejack
...
Gray whistles as I put the letter down, reflecting my own surprise. "The Apple clan? I've heard of them," she comments. "They're one of Equestria's big-name fruit producers. They've got branches of the family all over the place."
It wasn't why I was surprised, but I'll consider that a bonus. It's reaffirming that it really was a good idea to stop and help that little child. Hearing it from them feels... nice.
The second letter has neater writing, at least to an extent. Words are crossed out and replaced four or five times as if the writer was indecisive: Applejack's letter didn't have that problem. All the same, while this one is shorter as a result, it still strikes me as heartfelt and sincere.
...
Hello.
I'm sorry if I'm taking time away from you. I've just finished reading about your recent work in Manehattan's Median Park. I think it's wonderful what you did. All of those animals living there didn't deserve to be threatened with being injured or trapped. Even if you were just doing your job, it still means a lot to me that you took their needs into consideration.
Please, take good care of yourself.
Sincerely, Fluttershy
...
Hmm... ...I did talk to that large weasel on the way into the Park, didn't I? I got wrapped up in my mission and the aftermath, so I'd forgotten that the animals would want the traps gone too. I guess I needed that reminder.
Drama had been reading over my shoulder: I turn my head no more than a few degrees in her direction, and she shows up in my peripheral vision. "So, how do you feel about this?" she asks.
The letters were nice, but if I'm feeling honest... "I feel like a dog with a mile-long chain that's just gotten yanked back all the way."
The both of them wince. "Ooooh."
"Don't feel encouraged by either of them?" Gray wants to know.
"Not enough to make a difference," I tell them, letting the letters fall from my hands. "I just feel completely inadequate right now. That's why I asked for your help, Gray. I agree that your family needs saved, but that old desk jockey at the department was correct in that I'm not in my right mind. Without triggering our last resort and trying to call Celestia for help, you're the only one here I can call on."
Gray stares at the floor, cross. "Well, if you want my expertise... then I'll tell you right now that I find something suspicious about those lowlifes ambushing us right at Hyacinth," she complains. "The only ones who know about where I live are ones that I trust completely."
"And anypony who's smart enough to piece things together just by reading the paper everyday," Drama dryly reminds her. "You were part of that interview after Fairy got here, remember?"
"They knew enough to catch us in the building we lived in. You're not going to find that out by reading the paper," Gray refuted. "I saw it too, you know. All it said was that I found her at Flower Row. Nothing about the specific apartment building." Her stare shifts to a glare. "I have a hunch that somepony was listening in on our conversation in the auditorium yesterday."
"Who?" I ask. "The remodelers? The ex-prisoners? Somepony I missed?"
"None of them." Gray gets up off of me and paces around the living room. "By your word, Mortar & Son weren't close enough to hear the conversation. Maverick and Magnum are victims of all of this, too. All of those in attendance at Drama's last show of the day were gone. And before you ask about yesterday's part-timer, I've gotten to know him in the time I spent working here: he's your average young stallion without any of the qualities of a proper spy."
"So who does that leave?"
Gray's eyes close for about ten seconds, and she sighs when they open again. "I think it's more likely a 'what' than a 'who'. Drama, I'm going to go down and look around the auditorium for anything out of place. Excuse me." She circles around out of my field of view, and I can hear the door opening and closing.
I tilt my head back against the couch. When I close my own eyes, I'm sitting in a gazebo next to Honoré, enjoying Neo Arcadia's first wholly natural park. I open my eyes, and I'm laying against furniture while picking out tiny nicks in the ceiling. "I hate feeling like this, Sally. I hate it so much."
"I imagine most right-minded ponies would." One of Drama's hooves rests on my shoulder. "We've probably got a few minutes before Gray comes back up here. How about you share a story or two about your life in Neo Arcadia?"
"Real, or imagined?"
"Whichever keeps you from dwelling on the negatives the most, dearie."
My chuckle is empty with a dash of bitterness. Of course she would try to distract me from my problems. It's not going to work... but I should do it anyway.
A figure spoken of in hushed whispers crosses my mind, and just like that I have the perfect tale to tell. Who better to talk about than the ace of legends? "I don't know if I feel up to discussing that, but I think I've got something a little better. Let me tell you about a Reploid known only as the Green Biker Dude..."
As Gray entered the auditorium and switched on the lights, she had a sneaking suspicion that she was missing out on something awesome. She reluctantly dismissed the feeling and focused on what she was looking for.
She searched around and under the seating, intent on finding anything unusual. As she looked, her thoughts continued to linger on her family. They were out there somewhere: worried, afraid, possibly crying, maybe angry, maybe in pain. Scenarios involving Ocean and each foal crossed her mind, none of them good. She whined to herself.
The instincts brought about by her experimentation mixed with her natural worries as a mother, spurring her to keep moving forward to help her friends however she could. "Please, everypony," she whispered. "Please be safe."
"No!"
Pure Energy scampered down a hall as Ralph the crab enjoyed his new hangout on the colt's head. Illudere pursued him, teeth gritted.
"Gimme back Ralph! That crab's like a crab to me!"
"No no!"
"And sit back down so I can tie you up again!"
"No no no!"
Energy didn't let the dead-ended hallway he was confronted with stop him: at full speed he galloped across one wall, down another, and passed Illudere going the other way. She tried to put on the brakes and turn around, but her momentum caused her to skid on an old rug and crash into the wall. Her unarmored face took the brunt of the impact, and for a few moments she was knocked more senseless than she already was. Swiftly recovering, she growled, got up and resumed the chase.
"I want my crab! Gimme!"
"No no no no!"
Illudere was seething, too upset to consider using her spellcraft to end the chase early. In her state of mind, she stood little chance of catching the colt: aside from him being both younger and fitter, he had kept his birth name for a very good reason. Only the triple-locked doors kept him from easily escaping.
"Crab want now, you lunatic!"
"I'm a frying pan, not a kettle! Speaking of, thanks for breakfast!"
"TSSSSSHHAAAHHH!"
"Hahahaha!"
Ralph was having the time of his life. To an extent, so was Energy.
"..."
"Stop staring at me and say something!"
"..."
"For the love of...! SAY SOMETHING! Please, you're freaking me out!"
"..."
Calico turned away, grabbed a pillow and slammed it against her mouth in time to muffle a scream. "I knew it! She was over there somehow, and they took away her voice! Why in the world would they do something like that to a random child?!"
For her part, Five-of-a-Kind didn't understand what Calico was talking about. The more vindictive side of her decided to keep up the act for a little while more: she deserved it for snatching her away from her family like that. ...On the downside: that. On the upside: she hasn't tried to hurt me yet. I'll give it six more minutes.
As Calico bemoaned whatever decision this "Rain Shine" had made---almost sounding like she was crying---Fiver took a pack of cards that she'd found in the room and set to work trying to imagine a new Solitaire variant. ...Let's see... two free spaces, or three? ...It would probably work better with four...
"...So for that reason, Rainbow Dash tried to prank me by giving me what she called a 'cloudberry'. She said that it was a 'cirrus' fruit."
Zig-Zag was still at the age where he felt that puns were the highest form of humor. He rolled onto his back laughing at Bushwhacker's recollection of an event that happened in his hometown a month before.
Of the four groups, they got along the best. After being given a full-sized bed to sleep on, the colt decided that he trusted him enough to finally rest peacefully. In exchange, after he later woke up at a new place and had something to eat, Bushwhacker told him a story about how he got his name: via accidental destruction of somepony's foliage by falling into it. This led to sharing other anecdotes about his life that kept Zeke entertained.
In his heart, Bushwhacker was the least on-board with Ignition's plans for Gray (though he was still on the fence where Leviathan was concerned). He was of the mind that barring Celestia's removal, the eventual coup was supposed to be bloodless. He dared not speak his mind on this: he didn't want to be seen as disagreeing with Quarter's proxy, as he felt that would be viewed as a desire to leave the group. He genuinely wanted to see Quarter placed on the throne, and he sought to see it through. He would not leave until that was accomplished.
Still, at the back of his mind, he didn't believe Gray---as seriously as she was taken by his superiors---was worthy of their animosity. That and his perspective of her as an adored family mare was enough to make him waver.
After all, obviously only somepony as loving as Gray would produce a child that radiated love left, right and center. The sheer amount of affection being directed at a complete stranger such as himself awed him.
Zig-Zag got back onto his hooves. "Dog change," he requested. "Dog change!"
"You want me to turn into a dog?" Bushwhacker considered this before finally shrugging. "Well, alright." A wave of green flames heralded his change into the same mastiff form he'd assumed yesterday.
It wasn't the Diamond Dog he was probably expecting, but it was still enough to amaze Zig-Zag. "So cool!"
When Ebony woke up, took a long look at him and Bastion, screamed at them and passed out again, Gates was able to condense his surprise into one word. "Huh."
Ocean Guard, who'd woken up shortly beforehand, shook his head from where Bastion was guarding him. "I don't know who you are, but if you're going to stay in that bizarre armor, you'd better be prepared to hear that a lot from her. That phobia runs deep."
"And she's never seen a psychiatrist for that?" Bastion wondered.
"Several times, but nothing's worked out yet. She's been trying to brute force it by visiting Leviathan deliberately."
Hatred of the robot aside, Gates could see why she'd try that. "Walking metal, white clothes, realistic facial expressions? Passes muster."
Ocean shifted uncomfortably, not liking his current prospects (though he figured that most ponies wouldn't). "I don't suppose there's some way you can let my boss know that I won't be at work this morning, is there?"
Both armored ponies wondered silently where he got off saying that, deciding that his situation hadn't fully sunk in. The captives weren't supposed to be in a position to make any demands. That was how it was supposed to work, plain and simple.
But for their desire to destroy Leviathan and all of their willing crimes, they didn't have the capacity for wanton cruelty to their own kind.
In the end, the professionalism that had marked their short-lived careers as Royal Guards scored a minor victory. They told themselves that he wasn't asking for his freedom or any special privileges, just insurance that he wouldn't lose his job because of circumstances beyond his control. And it was technically a request, not a demand. "I'll see what we can do," Bastion grunted, activating his suit's enhancements and surprising Ocean by fading into the air. "Gates, watch him. I'll be back in fifteen minutes. And don't talk their ears off about your love life this time."
"Yeah, alright. Whatever." Gates turned to Ocean as the door closed. "You're lucky that we don't have anything against you personally. A lesser pony would've clocked you for that request."
Ocean frowned as he tried to digest the implications, still reeling over what he'd just seen Bastion do. "So... you're saying that you're not a lesser pony. Is that accurate?"
For once, Gates didn't have a witty response handy. "...Yes. It is. Just leave it at that, sit down, and shut up."
Gray shook her head as she tried to focus. Be safe, everypony. I'll be by for you soon.
Her search continued. She meticulously checked under and in each seat, but didn't see anything suspicious. Beyond a few crumbs and minor odds and ends that yesterday's post-matinee cleanup had missed, nothing was found.
She took flight to check out everything above the floor: the bat-shaped light sconces, the comedy and tragedy skulls, the winged terrors in each corner of the ceiling, and the horned Exit signs over the doors. Second verse, same as the first.
Gray frowned as she continued to hover, her forelegs folded together. The conversation we had post-performance was at the back of the room. If there's some device or magical object capable of picking up our voices, it would've needed to be in our immediate vicinity. But there's nothing on the seats or the walls, nothing on the decorations, so where could it---
Realization struck, and she whirled towards the one place she hadn't looked. Dropping down a few feet, she removed the cover from the auditorium's large boxy wastebasket. The trash bag within was partially full, but she removed it and set it to the side. Tilting the basket towards the lights gave her a better view of its interior.
There it was. Taped at the bottom of the wastebasket was a headset radio like those used by the modern Police force. Unlike theirs, there were no identifying marks signifying its ownership. Clever, she thought. Nopony would have thought to check here normally. But when all other possibilities are eliminated...
Gray hovered upside down inside the wastebasket long enough to rip off the tape and claim the radio. I wonder if Drama will mind if I borrow her toothpaste, she wondered, disgusted as she spat the tape into the trash bag. She straightened the container, then flew off and landed a few rows away to prevent anypony outside from hearing what she was about to say.
Steal my family away from me, will you? You're not the only one here who can play mean.
Ignition was in his office, shaking off the effects of a sleep that wasn't as helpful as he'd liked. He had just finished his usual breakfast: a spiced chocolate coffee and several orange fritters. Mentally going over his tasklist, he knew it was going to be another busy day: monitoring the agents, his usual duties as head of security, checking in with the twins at the hospital during visiting hours...
But that was as far as he got before it became even busier.
On his desk, the headset that he'd been using to ascertain the Ghost's home hissed and screeched, sounding as if tape was being ripped apart. There'd been several other noises in the background in the minutes prior, but this was centered directly around the radio that Agent #7 had hidden.
Following some other noises he didn't bother identifying, a mare's raspy voice could be faintly heard. -"Hello? ... I don't get how this thing works."- The perplexed tone of voice sounded fake to Ignition's ears. -"Hope they can hear me... Hello? Y'ello? Blue? Orange? Green?"- The wondering voice dropped sharply into a low hiss. -"Gray?"-
With long practice, Ignition kept the curses in his mind from manifesting in his voice. He reached out, claimed the headset and secured it. "Gray Ghost?"
-"And you would be the engineer that would stoop so low as to separate me from my family,"- the mare hissed. -"Did you think that just because my friend's self-confidence was destroyed that you would not face retribution?"-
Leviathan wasn't destroyed, but her self-confidence was? We can still work with that. "Elaborate."
-"The self-confidence thing? How would you not know about that? If that was your plan, it worked perfectly."-
"The spell wasn't meant to incapacitate her," Ignition told her dispassionately. "It was supposed to kill her."
-"...So for whatever reason, you want the both of us dead and out of the way."- There was 'angry', and there was 'peeved'; Gray was the latter. -"You've got plans that are influenced by more than just paranoia for an alien robot landing in your city. You've got something planned for Manehattan.
-"If it was just Leviathan, that would be one thing. But you were desperate enough to get me involved that you yanked my family into this. Be honest with me: were you serious when you had your friends tell me that I wouldn't see them again if I didn't turn myself in?"-
The way the ultimatum had been worded, Gray had to have been led to believe that her family would die. Alternatively, it could also mean that they would be split apart and scattered to any remote towns and villages in Equestria, places with very little contact with the rest of the nation. Forbidden spells that would render them permanent amnesiacs could be used, even if Ignition thought them repugnant.
If Gray was desperate enough, she would leave the city and uproot Equestria in her search for them, not stopping until she found them all. If she wasn't, she would probably lose her will to live without them. Either way, Equestria would be under First Quarter's control before she received a chance to stop the coup.
Ignition didn't say any of this to Gray, instead letting her draw her own conclusions. He was not foolish enough to outline his plans to the enemy.
-"Well, if you're not going to answer me, then I'm going to tell you just how badly you messed up,"- Gray warned. -"Are you sure about this?"-
He was.
-"Alright, if you insist. Part one: Leviathan's awake, and she's fluctuating between depressed and furious. Your plan had been to kill her, then either do the same to me or else leave me out of the way. You're banking on us---that is, the MRPD---being too prideful to message Canterlot for direct assistance, thus leaving ourselves out in the cold. The thing is, whatever your long-term goals are, they're contingent on Levi being dead. As long as she's not, your actions against me are complete farces. She's without her equipment for now---guessing that your illusion-happy unicorn had something to do with it---but you can't really expect that to last. And when she gets it back, you're done.
-"Part two: Levi's status could normally be dealt with either by sending a large enough wave of those fancy machines of yours, or instructing your agents to correct it. Neither option is viable now. The problem with the first is that with nothing tying me down, I'm available for defense. Quite frankly, numbers mean nothing to me. And the problem with the second is that you effectively fired a crossbow bolt at your own hoof."-
Ignition didn't know why he raised his eyebrow in response. It wasn't like anypony was present to see it. He guessed it was just reflexive. "And that means... what?"
-"And that means part three."- Glee colored Gray's voice. -"Your friends are stuck keeping their eyes on my family, with everything that entails."-
"Your family is made up of average ponies and children who cannot fight to save their lives, Gray Ghost," Ignition said confidently. "I'm not worried."
A series of wheezing hisses crackled in his ear. Is that meant to be laughter? -"All that means is that you don't know my family. I might obsessively worry over them when I can't see them, but I'm not blind to their quirks and personalities. In fact... ...would you be interested in a challenge?"-
Ignition had been in the game long enough to know that hearing somepony grin boded trouble. That pause suggested that she'd just had a nasty idea mid-sentence. Still, he refused to be intimidated. "A challenge?"
-"A simple one. On the condition that my husband and children are treated fairly and stay unharmed---physically, mentally, and emotionally---then I'll let you and your little army look after them for the next three days, starting now. For the duration of that period I will take no action against you, either personally or via proxy. IF all of your forces can maintain decent relations with them by the end of the third day without looking like they need a week's vacation, then I will turn myself over to you, no questions asked. If the Pyre, myself or my friends are attacked in that time span, or if your agents violate the rules, then the challenge is null and void and I will enter the fray personally. The rules will not take the Police and Leviathan into account if they decide to get involved without any input from myself. Do you accept these conditions?"-
That would buy time for both the prototype's development and Lady Quarter's treatments to progress. The safe with Leviathan's equipment can be recovered. And without all of her extra equipment giving her an edge, any of them should be able to kill the robot if she chooses to attack. I'm sure that the agents can deal with mere children and a civilian lifeguard, and the Police aren't even worth mentioning. "Your challenge is accepted, and I will expect to see you at the predetermined meeting place in three days. If you're going to match wits with me, then I will enjoy crushing you into the ground," Ignition told her, smiling mirthlessly.
-"You will try. You will fail."- There was no overconfidence in Gray's tone. It was just a statement of fact backed up by a chill worthy of her name. Those factors quickly wiped out Ignition's smile. -"Recall the old expression: 'never wake the sleeping giant'. Congratulations, mister. You just woke me up."-
A crunching noise and a short staticky burst signaled both the transmission's end and that of Gray's radio.
...
Ignition was silent for a short time as he considered this new development and its ramifications, turning off the headset and putting it away. The full realization of what Gray had been planning by delivering the challenge penetrated his mind.
The heat of anger was fast blossoming. Soon it would follow the actions of his name and spring to life.
'Soon' arrived earlier than expected. Eyes flaring, Ignition opened his mouth to utter the first of the curses that he'd been suppressing---
The narration quickly took steps to supersede his authority, cutting the chapter off.
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Man, Ignition is quite the fitting name. He has no idea just how hot the fire he's started burns, and he will be BURNED by it.
So the heavily-spelled safe containing Leviathan's equipment was close to where she woke up after all. Now how to open it......
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Methinks it would be a grand idea to let Levi at the safe. It is her stuff after all.
Heh, they're already doing their parts without needing to know there's a plan.
Wonder if some of that red stone restoration stuff can help Leviathan? If her degradation is in part due to physical over-stress of her thinky-bits, perhaps repairs could help the reprocessing efforts.
Here's to hoping the might of the machine can solve the impenetrable safe.
Oitnofnall the agents Calico is the one i sympathize thhr mlst. We knkw how crappy her race is right now and maybe it is brought to light earlier so Celestia can say a few words to rainshine.
And somewhere at see a man reborn as a pegasus and is an admiral sneezes
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To paraphrase DBZ Abridged's Android #16, Reddocite heals physical damage. Only therapy will aid emotional trauma.
haha the update was great!
Gray is officially on the war path. God speed you crazy, wonderful mare.
YOU CAN HIDE, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE!
monty aside, oh boy. can't wait for ignition's suffering arc.
Pure Energy has some hardcore wit! XD
I am so happy that you know about Freedom Planet, and that you are specifically a fan of Serpentine. XD
were
Right, she DOES have a candle... Maybe she still wants Luna, but for psychotherapy... and countering a Lotus-Eater DREAM might be especially up her alley either via magic, or just understanding the psychology of it through experience with dreams in general... huh... I wonder if she went crazy because she accidentally created that spell when trying test what should have been something harmless on HERSELF? Maybe it originally had a duration of seconds but she got addicted and kept it up for hours (or recast it several times) before she managed to break free?
So... Gray Ghost, Gray Ghost+Vision System (or is that part of the helmet inside the safe?), or a 4 to 5 part combination that each agent has one part of?
Or Luna is still hocks-deep in the gears of her mind trying to sort things out...
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Also, it seems she didn't have Luna working on her? Actually she might have seen no reason to mention it. Probably not, there was no mention of her Dragon-firing a message to Luna, and I doubt she would have been sure Luna would show up without being explicitly requested.
Argh! Luna is still locked in The Moon right now!
I am reminded of the line "That snorkel's been just like a snorkel to me!" from 'Weird' Al Yankovich's song "Albuquerque".
Also, I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but I have a silly head canon that that crab is a distant ancestor of Sir Snips-a-lot, Hitch Trailblazer's crab from G5.
Ah... I had wondered if, due to her madness, she was no longer capable of anything that was debilitating without doing lasting harm.
Going to do a fake planning session with some horrific ideas from Salamandra?
Huh?
I guess that is a "No" on Ghost helping with the safe in that time period.
Well, I don't think I get it her purpose...
(Sun has set so no more chance of yardwork. Still might be slow.at picking my way through this...)