I'd guessed that the enemy drones had been gathering at the docks for the sake of something big. Judging from all the activity I'd been seeing, perhaps they were going to attack me with something like the Gorridra I'd faced when this chain of events began.

I was wrong. The drones weren't attacking. They were leaving.

The drones, one and all, are diving into the water---even the fire breathers. Each type that I'd confronted during these conflicts, including the Mettaurs and a few new designs I haven't battled yet, disappear into a violent whirlpool. By activating my alternate vision modes, I can see a true behemoth of a submersible hidden beneath the churning waves.

I'm really getting sick of having more questions than answers. Did ponies always have undersea travel and I just didn't know about it, or is this just one of those things that's exclusive to our enemies' magitech-happy operations? Where are the drones going that they have to travel by sea to reach it? What's waiting at their destination that requires the enemy to send their forces there?

The drones are too occupied with their escape to acknowledge that I'm tearing into what's left of them. They all just jump into the whirlpool and are drawn into the submersible. I'm only able to destroy about thirty-five of them before the last of them vanishes beneath the waves.

The whirlpool subsides, leaving only the stormy sea. The submersible's shadow fades from sight as it descends. I could dive down right now and pursue it, possibly destroy it depending on whether there's any ponies onboard or not. And in the event that I did, I would need to clean up this mess myself; I'm not going let the debris litter the sea floor.

But I'll have to wait. The safety of the citizens come first, and I did tell Gray that I would update her husband---

...

My radar tells me that it's here just before it breaches the water's surface, and I pivot to meet it. In keeping with the animalistic theme that the enemy has going, this latest obstacle's a combination of an electric eel and some sort of long snake. It's not as big as Tiffany, or as wide as the Gorridra, but it still stands out as it towers over me.

Though to be honest, I'm not impressed. Maybe they were going to attack me with something like the Gorridra, but that was more threatening than this thing is. It almost feels as if they were trying too hard in creating this.

The snake eel... the Sneel? The Eake? The Lee Ekans? What are you supposed to call this? The previous naming convention's not coming up with anything plausible. ... You know what? Fine. Whatever. That's what I'll call it. The Whatever is trying its hardest to be scary, but I'm just not intimidated.

Seeing that I'm not budging, it lowers its head towards me and hisses. A bad move on its part: a single swipe of the Javelin swiftly defangs it. "Two minutes," I tell the Whatever as it recoils. "Two minutes are all I can spare to play with you."

The drone doesn't take kindly to this statement. It opens its mouth and lunges at me. There's a purple glow building up inside of it.

Two minutes later, I'm allowed to enter the Ocarina Marina's main office. The Whatever has been carved into pieces and left in a large pile near one of the buildings, its power source crushed. If you thought its destruction was anything other than a foregone conclusion, I'm certain you're listening to someone else's memoirs. It never so much as grazed me.

That was still two minutes I wish I didn't have to waste, though. There go my chances of catching up to that submersible.

Everypony sheltering recognizes me, and a few of the ponies thank me for what I've done here. However, Ocean Guard is the one that talks to me face to face. "Thanks for clearing out the docks, Leviathan. What's going on out there?"

My chuckling's coming off as awkward. "Well..."

...
...

Ocean Guard's shaking his head by the end of my abridged explanation. "I love Gray. I really do. But sometimes I have wondered what goes on in her mind."

Kind of feeling sorry for him. He's the one that's had to put up with her the longest. "I have to assume she knows what she's doing," I try to assure him. "Let's trust that she does, okay?"

"Been doing that for our entire marriage," he says with a snort. "Doesn't stop me from wondering."

"Heh. Fair enough." I turn to leave, but pause. I may as well ask him this. "One quick question. Are ponies capable of traveling underwater with anything beyond standard scuba equipment?"

Ocean Guard looks befuddled at this, and it takes a few moments of silence for me to determine that he probably doesn't know. Oh, well; I knew it was a long shot when I asked.

Another earth pony is speaking up. "I have the latest edition of The Debate of Science and Magic," he explains. "Ponies have been trying to create a means of underwater transportation for decades. Nopony's succeeded yet with either science or magic. Flaws in the designs keep jeopardizing their lives when they try to put them to the test. Things like the water pressure damaging it beyond repair, water seeping in, or whatever they use to power it falling short." He grimaces. "There's also the little matter of there being things in the deep that could potentially crush them with nothing they can do 'bout it."

Oh. I guess they do exist in Equestria. In any event, somepony succeeded. I know what was down there. "I see."

"Why do you want to know?" Ocean's co-worker asks.

"I'm thinking somepony created a working design and just didn't notify either community," I tell him, my vision narrowing. "And I'm thinking that same somepony is associated with the party that's been causing trouble in the city recently---"

WARNING: Class-B threat detected.

"---and hold that thought," I smoothly finish. "I think said party's come calling." I level a stern look at the room at large. "By my authority as an affiliate of the MRPD, stay indoors until the coast is clear, storm or no storm."

"Do you think it's those two thieves?" Ocean asks just a bit nervously.

Right, he had his own experiences with them, didn't he? "No. Whoever it is, they're going it alone. Don't worry, Ocean Guard. If I encounter them, I'll be sure to let you know what happens. Alright?"

"Sure thing. Good luck out there."

I turn and leave while Ocean's co-workers talk to each other about what we just discussed.

I don't recognize the individual that triggered my alarm. For reasons unknown, it's a generic wolf that's waiting for me outside. It looks thoroughly bedraggled from being out in the storm, and it is panting a little from the exertion of running.

Is this an enemy agent? I don't remember any canines in those files.

The wolf stops panting and eyes me for a moment. It nods, and a wave of green fire shifts across it---

Oh. Right. Changeling.

"Leviathan," Bushwhacker greets me with a respectful nod. He's back in the earth pony form shown in his photo. His yellow-orange suit of dragon armor conceals most of him. "It's nice to meet you."

Gray had told me that he was willing to be friendly, and his file had stated that he was a law-abiding citizen prior to all of this happening, but seeing it in person is different from hearing about it. "Ah. Well, then. Hello to you, too."

Bushwhacker frowns. While he talks, a burst of thunder almost drowns out his words. "Are you alright? You sound like somepony's taken you off guard."

Coming from some I could name, that statement would've come off as a taunt. Not him: I'm hearing genuine concern in his words. "I'm fine. I'm just not in the habit of expecting congeniality from the enemy."

"Fair. Had it been a few years ago, I probably wouldn't have given you any."

Among other things, Gray had given me the backstory he'd provided her. There's no need to ask for clarification. "It's nice to see actual respect coming from the opposition. First Statuette, now you. You're a definite breath of fresh air compared to the kirin." Not that I know what fresh air smells like, necessarily.

Bushwhacker smiles awkwardly. "Witnessed her rude side, huh? My condolences. She got into a spat with Gates over his mareizing tendencies. She's been in a mood since." He frowns. "I hope she doesn't give the Police too much trouble."

Mareizing... I'm guessing that's the local term for 'womanizing'. One point more against him. "We'll probably never know. She fled our fight," I tell him, going on to provide him with a brief synopsis of Calico's Fiver-induced freakout.

Bushwhacker's well and truly dumbfounded afterward. "The mother's a threat to our plans, one child was a delight to have around, the second outsmarted our lunatic, and the third broke one of our more fierce operatives. What in the skies above and the ground below is that family?"

I shrug and smile. "Ponies are crazy," I utter with some affection.

He's chuckling. "I've been living around ponies for years. You'd think that lesson would stick by now." His laugh trails off into a sigh. "I guess I'm next in line to face the music." He braces himself. "Come on. Let's go."

...Huh? I take my standard pose while I voice my confusion aloud. "That's it? No combative one-liners? Everypony else has had something to say."

"I doubt anything I'd come up with would be very imaginative," he confesses.

Well. That's no fun.

A fiery green flare wraps over him for a moment. My grip on the Javelin tightens as he transforms---

Huh? Where did he go? I thought his power set involved shape-shifting, not teleporting.

Plain as day: he's disappeared completely. I'm looking around with all of my scanning equipment active, but I'm not seeing hide or hair of him. How did he...?

Wait a second. He couldn't have, could he?

I can think of one way that he'd be able to get around my optics: turning himself into something so small that I'd instinctively deem him beneath my notice. But that would be tricky and borderline impossible to do in this weather, considering the wind and the rain. I take three steps backward, readying the Javelin with power.

Another flash of green light is reflected in my weapon's blade---

...Why did it suddenly turn dark? Why can't I move? What is this sudden weight on my back? It feels like the whole world just landed on me.

And why did I suddenly choose to examine the pavement up close and personal---

...Oh. He just landed on me, didn't he? I guess he'd used his first move wisely after all.

Whatever it was backs off, wraps something around me and pulls me out. I see what Bushwhacker has turned himself into for the moment. I wouldn't be able to tell you exactly which species it is, but I don't think it matters: even the smallest full-grown elephants are really hefty.

And immediately following that moment of realization, Bushephant flips me upside-down and tries to smash me back down into the ground. I release the Javelin's gathered energy while I'm still descending; it's less a directed attack than a multi-directional burst, but it's enough. His trunk reflexively lets go of me as he recoils from the sheer cold, trumpeting (right in my ears, why even). My landing isn't the best, but at least I'm not nursing the Reploid equivalent of a concussion.

I get to my feet and slash at Bushephant. He reassumes his default form and raises a foreleg to block the strike, but that leaves his left side open for a sweeping kick. He takes the blow in full and is spun away, though his armor effectively absorbs the damage.

Getting all four legs beneath him, he transforms again---this time into a polar bear. Smart move: while it doesn't grant him immunity, it would give him a measure of resistance against the cold. He lunges and swipes at me with a roar; I plant my feet and block the strike, though the Javelin trembles from the power it's keeping at bay. For a minute we trade swipes, blocks, stabs, jabs, slashes and counters, with neither one of us gaining an edge.

All the while I'm getting fond memories of a spar I once had against Poler Kamrous, a former bear-like subordinate of mine. She was dim intellectually, but she knew how to use what power she had. Still, I remember the spar ending just like this: a contest of attacks and counterattacks, with it only being a matter of time before the contest concluded in my favor.

I end the contest with Bushbear the same way I ended that one: with a powerful diagonal slash from the right shoulder to the left hind leg. He has several advantages over Poler, though, and in the split-second before my weapon drops he transforms into a blue jay. My attack whiffs entirely as it passes below him.

The jay does a 180 and shifts into an earth pony---though not Bushwhacker's default. This one's orange with a blonde mane, apples on either side of her. "Greetings," she starts to say before both hind legs lash out in mid-air--- "...from Ponyville!"

...Oof, talk about strength. I had the Javelin positioned in time, held with a two-handed grip. I had both feet braced against the pavement. The buck struck the Javelin, a gong rang out, and now there's a seventy-foot mini-trench outside of the marina's office. I'm not going to get charged for that, am I?

I wasn't hit directly, so I'm not damaged. I'm just taken a little off guard from the power behind that kick. His default form must not have the strength for that, so he turned into somepony he knows from that Ponyville place. Something about that's giving me deja vu.

And he says he isn't any good with imaginative one-liners? Nonsense. That line was pretty clever.

Applebush awkwardly waves at those watching from the safety of the office, returning to normal. "Sorry about that!" I can see him wince from here. "I hope there's enough in my account to cover all this..."

I can't help but laugh at both how genuinely apologetic he sounds, and how that same thought was on my own mind. "Kyahahahaha! You're certainly the most considerate foe I've faced in my life!" I call even as I hurl the Javelin at him. As I've decided to give the Airborne Ranger a try, the weapon spins as it flies.

Bushwhacker shifts into a unicorn---not Illudere, happily: this one's white and purple with a sublime manestyle. She catches the Javelin in her telekinesis, halting the weapon's flight and letting it drop to the ground. So much for that idea. "Don't expect this from the rest of my race," she says in a refined voice as I dash forward. "I had to work for this. I can think of only one or two changelings---" I scoop up my weapon and jump at her, swinging. He shifts into a hawk long enough to dive out of the way, then turns back to normal. "---who are like this normally."

A thought crosses my mind that serves to make the situation somewhat more awkward. It doesn't stop me from connecting with my next slash, though. "While I'm thinking of it, I guess I owe you my life. Thanks for making those Heartbreakers available to the public."

Bushwhacker skids back, but recovers from the strike quickly. "I'm glad it's enjoyed for reasons beyond the most obvious," he states. He holds up a hoof before I can resume my attack. ...Oh, alright. I may as well hear what he has to say. "As I told Gray, the only thing I can think of that would give you any nourishment from them would be..."

"The Zap Apple jam," I finish. "I've heard of it, but I know nothing about it."

"Zap Apples are grown under very specific circumstances," the changeling tells me. "Only the Apple family knows how to process them safely. As you can guess, the fruit's very electrifying." He sits up and moves his forelegs about, illustrating his statements. "I take a minute amount of jam no bigger than the tip of a toothpick, and I smother it in a core of sugar and fruit flavoring. In light of your recorded statements about your sense of taste, the jam's probably the only part of it you can detect."

Along with maybe the love that goes into it? I wonder, having learned of the changelings' affiliation with the concept from Gray. I decide not to call him out on it. "Let's assume for a moment that I captured you. Would that impact your production in any way?"

"Not terribly so," he admits after a moment's consideration. There's something calculating about his gaze. "After the candy started becoming a hit, I taught a few new hires the whole process." As if guessing what my next question is, he keeps talking. "And I'm careful enough to only use a tiny amount in each one, so it takes us a while to run out of jam each year. Provided you're good at rationing your intake, you should be able to keep functioning year-round. That's my guess, anyway."

"You're very forthcoming for somepony on the opposite side," I reply, bemused. "I appreciate your information, but you still have to finish fighting me."

"Heh. Yeah, I know."

...That's it? "Yeah, I know"? He's got something planned. "You have something in your wardrobe of species that you think can destroy me?" I wonder, cautiously readying myself.

Bushwhacker smiles. It's not the devious kind of smile, or the one that tells me just how big of a mess I'm in. It's just that: a friendly smile on a friendly face. "Maybe, maybe not. This whole thing's contingent on watching how you lived and moved until now, so it's iffy. But it's as they say: nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right?"

He rears up and vanishes within the emerald fire---

Power on. Systems activating... done.
Systems scan initiated. Processing... done.
Current Power Output: 100%.
Energen Levels:100%.Reserves:100%.
Solar Energy Backup: 100%. Currently unusable.
Structural Integrity:100%.
Auto-Repair Systems:100%.
Armor Integrity:100%.
Motor Control:100%.
Dash Thrusters:100%.
Double Jump:100%.
Coolant Levels:100%.
Combat Capabilities: 100% overall.
Ice Manipulation: 100%.
Frost Javelin:100%.
Armed Phenomenon:100%.
Variable Weapons System:100%.

All systems green. Ready to go.

Both eyes opened. An entire world's oceans and wonder were shown in them.

Author's Note

Music links for the chapter include: "Motorized", from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, and "Nectarine Nightmare", from Copy Kitty.

Chapter's still not complete, obviously. I have a decent chunk of the third (and final) part written, but it’ll be a week and a half or so before I can post it. After that, I'll need to take the time to plan and write out this year's Anniversary Chapter, which will be a beast in itself.

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