He did it. He actually went and did it. I'm standing before me now.

Yes, you heard that correctly. Bushwhacker went and transformed into me. The form change materialized clothes, armor, and everything. It even created a copy of the Frost Javelin.

Is that a trick natural to changelings, or is his dragon mail enchanted to support him in this way? Evidence supports the latter, but I don't know enough about his race to draw a definite---wait, never mind. I can see a faint glow: the same sort of shine that several of my prior enemies had when they were using their abilities. Even if I can't see the dragon armor, it's still providing benefits. Interesting.

He's... no. Leviathan has her eyes closed for the moment. At a guess, she's coming to terms with the differences in behavior and thinking that a mechanical lifeform has. Probably undergoing a regular startup and systems scan like the ones I experience whenever I wake up.

If only you could see my face now. Normally when I laugh, there's at least some dignity to it. But now I'm feeling the urge to just straight up giggle like a schoolgirl. It's taking all of the decorum I have not to. The thrill of an honest and enjoyable duel is rising in my heart. I haven't felt like this since Madisoat.

How would I fare in a fight against myself? I'll be finding out soon, and I'm happy for it.

Leviathan opens her eyes, her visage wondering. "Amazing. All of this information... all of this awareness... is this really how you see the world?"

I smile. "It's a blast, isn't it?"

"An odd feeling is what it is. We can turn into inanimate objects if we need to. Rocks and the like." She raises a hand before her and turns it from side to side before tightening her grip. "But this is the first time I've turned into one that was alive and could move on its own."

"Does your shape-shifting include instinctive knowledge?" I inquire.

"Some. Otherwise, I'd be falling over." She seems irritated. "But I can't quite feel how to control your innate ice talents. This might've been a bad idea."

I could take advantage of this to claim an easy victory, but come on. I want to have fun in battling, and I haven't been able to fully enjoy myself just yet. "Care for a crash course in being me?"

"You'd freely offer that?" Leviathan seems a bit put out for understandable reasons. "Information is one thing, but this involves deliberately increasing the chances of me destroying you."

"It's as I told Statuette. Just because we're on opposite sides doesn't mean we can't be friendly enemies," I assure her. "I like being able to enjoy myself in combat; otherwise there's just no fun in it, and it becomes little more than duty. And if enjoying myself means raising you to my level..."

This gets Leviathan thinking, but it only takes a few seconds for her to come to a decision. From the looks of things, she's at least figured out how to slow down time from her perspective to better focus on consideration. "Alright. I suppose I shouldn't be complaining. What's your plan?"

Hmm... what should we... ah! I know.

I wasn't built to be a mind reader, and by extension neither is Leviathan. Otherwise I think she'd be frowning at what I have in mind. As things stand, she's only curious and just a trifle suspicious. "Come up with something?"

"Yes. First, I'd like you to remind me of something. How long has this storm been hitting the city?"

"For the past hour and a half or so," Leviathan says.

"And how long are they supposed to last?"

"About 30-40 minutes on average, give or take. Though the clouds can last for hours longer before the weather team disperses them," she informs me. That's a definite frown: she's realized something that she hasn't been thinking about so far today. "I don't know how it works where you're from, but this storm shouldn't still be in effect."

"Our control over the weather's not quite as encompassing as the pegasi's. Without machinery to keep it in line, it just runs wild. Was this storm pre-planned?"

"Yes, but not for this length of time." Leviathan taps her weapon's shaft. "The weather team notifies the public in advance of rain and awful weather. Sometimes we get bad ones like this, but I think I'd remember if there was any information about it."

Suspicious. "Then we're just going to have to put a stop to it."

Oh-ho, she's looking puzzled. "Just like that? Just the two of us? The articles said that you had a stint on weather control back home, but can we alone really change the weather for a city of this size?"

I grin. I'm too eager not to. "Your lessons in being me begin now, Bushwhacker. Lesson One: I am the cold incarnate, and where I'm from that lets me cheat against storms. Now watch closely, follow my movements, and do as I say..."

Magnum huffed as she gave her section of the cloudbank a good stomp. A mild crackling up top served as a contrast to the lightning bolt that lanced down towards the city below. A delayed escort of rain descended.

She and Maverick had been going through this for an hour and a half easily. She knew this was supposed to be a big storm, but they were both starting to become weary. Part of her acknowledged that at least they weren't quite as tired as they could've been: Fleetfoot and Gray's workouts had provided results.

She was still half-tempted to speak her mind to the weather crew's manager, but forced herself to keep quiet. The two boxed crooks had promised that they would help as much as they could, and that was what they were going to do. Instead she looked around for another segment of cloud that wasn't in the middle of emptying its supply of rain.

Somepony else didn't have the same level of self-control she did. "How much longer do we have to do this, chief?" she heard a stallion shout in the distance. "I don't think this was on the schedule!"

"Twenty more minutes!" the manager shouted back. "We want to get all of the rain out of these clouds, not just some of it!"

You want it done so bad, why don't you help us out? Magnum complained, though she didn't voice the thought aloud. He's barely even trying. Dude's probably smelling like a flower right now---

Beneath her hooves, Magnum felt something in the clouds shift. Frowning at the new sensation she was feeling, she sought out another cloud section and stomped down on it.

No lightning crackled, and no rain fell. If anything, there was...

"Hey, manager!" Magnum heard somepony call. "Is it normal for the clouds to get this cold in the summer?"

"Cold? What are you talking about?" the manager answered. "You'd better not be trying to get out of work!"

"She's not wrong, boss!" Maverick spoke up from nearby. "The temperature over here's dropping rapidly! Stick your hoof in the cloud and see for yourself!"

Frowning, the manager did as Maverick suggested. The frown deepened as he pulled his hoof out and looked at what was on it: multi-pronged crystalline works of art. "...Snowflakes? What in the skies...?"

Another pegasus flew on over. Magnum vaguely remembered him as one of those who had been assigned to work the city's western sectors during their meeting that morning. "Sir, has something gone wonky? The weather's completely changed."

"What are you talking about, Dizzy?" the manager protested in disbelief. "What's happening?"

"The clouds have gone way cold. Below freezing," the stallion informed him. "There's no more stored lightning, and all the rain's gone. It's all just snow in there!"

The manager mouthed 'snow' in disbelief before turning to Magnum. "Somepony messed up, but I'll deal with that in a moment. You're supposed to be fast, aren't you? Get beneath the clouds and find out what's going on!"

"Yessir!" Magnum confirmed, her wings flaring. She lifted off and jetted to the storm's western perimeter. Those nearest to her had to brace themselves against the clouds to keep themselves from being pulled along in her wake.

...

"Well?" the manager asked when she returned a few minutes later. "What's the situation? And..." His tone softened for a moment when he saw how frazzled she looked. "...are you okay?"

Magnum noticed that there were other pegasi confused as to what was going on, but she ignored them. She took a second to allow air to fill her lungs, then explained the reason for her anxiety: "Dizzy's right. West of the clouds, the air's as warm as it should be. Beneath the clouds, the temperature's dropped past freezing! Snow's dropping, and the wind's still howling. Manehattan's facing a potential blizzard!"

Most everypony in earshot gasped. "Spread the word to the rest of the weather team!" the manager ordered. "We've got to clear the clouds, now---"

"Sir!" somepony shouted, hoof raised towards the west. "Look!"

Some of the clouds in that area were rapidly changing in shade. A howl like that of the storm reached their ears... and then two long serpentine dragons, the sunlight reflecting off of their frozen scales, exited the cloud bank. Most everypony's mouths fell open in surprise as they gaped at the new arrivals.

The dragons soared further into the sky for a hundred meters, twisting around each other like a double helix. At the height of their flight, they roared before they burst apart in a dazzling explosion of ice particles. All of those looking on had to shield their eyes as the sunlight reflected off of the falling dust.

For several long seconds, the only sound was the howling wind beneath them. It was only when the last of the particles settled into the clouds that Magnum heard Maverick utter a word that conveyed exasperation, disbelief, and fondness all at once. "Show-off."

Magnum heard the other ponies believe that Maverick was talking about her. She made no effort to correct them.

"W..."

Quarter and Caramel turned away from their Reversi match as snow flew into their windows. A snowstorm in the summertime wasn't the strangest thing Quarter had seen in her life, but it was still easily in the Top Twenty.

...

"...h..."

Pure Energy, having finished cleaning the apartment in the aftermath of the catnip explosion, stared out the kitchen window in wonder.

...

"...a..."

Looking out of her jail cell's tiny window, Statuette was stunned at the out-of-season weather she was seeing.

...

"...t."

Limefrost Spiral was dumbstruck at the abrupt weather change as she worked in her personal studio. Working on autopilot, she began adding snowflakes near the raindrops that had previously filled her canvas.

The both of us lower our arms as we finish funneling energy into the clouds, and their glow recedes down to nothing. I haven't done anything like that in a good long while.

As I stated in my initial interview, I did a stint at a weather control station. That wasn't my only foray into that field: prior to becoming a combat specialist, I've also worked in tandem with Harpuia to reclaim territory for humans. At times, that meant putting a stop to inclement weather that was hindering recovery efforts. Once or twice it became necessary for me to stop a terrible storm all by my lonesome if circumstances required it.

It was tiring, but doable. I suppose it could be considered a violation of natural laws if you weren't familiar with me. Whether you think of it that way or not, the abilities I've had from my creation onward let me dissipate the electrical charges in clouds. Worst case scenario, it prevents that storm from discharging any further and causes it to start snowing instead. Best case scenario, it scatters the clouds entirely, as it did the last time I tried it. Dissipation on a more personal level is one of the things that make me such a pain for Harpuia to duel against.

I'm not going to waste my time explaining the intricacies of that particular function to you. If my outright negation of a lightning strike my first day in town didn't demonstrate that I'm electricity's bane, nothing will. But if it makes you feel any better, this ability's utterly useless in combat: summoning a blizzard with my power alone leaves me open to attack for a long stretch of time. Just about anyone would be able to destroy me long before I could get any worthwhile results from it.

...Though I'm thinking Leviathan's probably agreeing with you regardless. "I'm not well-versed in the sciences," she admits in awe, "and even I think that shouldn't be physically possible without magic."

That gets a laugh from me. "Like I said: when it comes to storms, we're allowed to cheat," I say. "And in the end, none of that's as important as a good fight. Do you think you have the hang of my abilities now?"

Leviathan considers this. She lifts her copy of the Javelin up near her face and watches some snow gather on it... then swings it off to the side, flinging the snow away. The confidence she's showing is a mirror of mine. "Yes. I do."

And she demonstrates that her confidence isn't a farce by jetting towards me, the air around her heels distorted with heat. Two Javelins clash, the metal ringing on impact.

Battling in the rain was fun, but snow's more of a novelty. Let's see if we can get this done before the clouds are cleared away.

After a brief exchange of parries, I'm able to score the first hit when Leviathan misjudges where my weapon's going and is struck by it. She grunts at the impact and skids back a little bit, but stays on her feet and launches the Javelin's spearhead. I'm not the type to let as basic an attack as that hurt me, so I slash it apart when it gets close.

Thankfully, she did what I would've done and used it as a distraction. A powerful leap takes her into the air, with a Double Jump boosting her even higher. Well, if she wants to play that game, so can I. I follow her into the air, triggering a Double Jump of my own, and aim a slice at the knees as she descends---

A translucent sheet forms beneath one of her feet, and she kicks off of it--- What?! ---I'm unable to readjust my attack in time, and it misses by centimeters---

One of the techniques I've been practicing as of late involves an axe kick delivered after a Double Jump-assisted boost. It's because of this practice that I'm able to recognize when Leviathan attempts it, though the flip she does in mid-air helps. As soon as my feet touch the ground I'm diving away, and her boot splits the ground open instead of my helmet. Too close.

That extra platform had to have been a her thing instead of a me thing. I don't have anything like that, or at least I don't yet. I believe I know which of my remaining hardware's going to be activated after I win this battle.

I roll back to my feet in time to stave off another slash, and for a few moments we engage in another game of Strike and Counter-strike. This is solidifying my belief that Leviathan's dragon armor is what's helping her to keep up: her style is a one-for-one match for mine, and I can't think of any other way that she'd be able to do that just by watching me for a few minutes.

The docks are slowly brightening, which means that the weather team's taken the hint and begun breaking up the clouds. As they say around here: aw, shucks. I wanted to finish the duel before it stopped snowing, but it doesn't look like I'll have that.

Leviathan slams her Javelin against mine, putting all of her strength into it. She wants to do that? Fine, I can play that game: I arm wrestle a minotaur for fun. I push back, giving as good as I'm getting---

And then she opens her mouth and exhales an icy blade at me!

I'm more startled than hurt for a very good reason. I was operating under the assumption that the Ice Slasher could only be fired through the feet. This takes 'I use very minty toothpaste, and I'll prove it' to the next level.

Also, just because I'm strong against my element doesn't mean the Slasher didn't hurt. It has its name for a good reason: those things are sharp (and the fact that my previous statement holds true should give you an idea of just how surprised I was). My system's damage assessment has just informed me that my helmet's been chipped, and there's a cracked line leading down across my nose to my upper lip.

Leviathan's leveling her Javelin for another strike, and I act quickly to make sure it doesn't connect. One of my hands snaps up, and a blast of Arctic Pulse catches her in the face. She cries out in surprise and backs off, shaking her head furiously to try and get the icy spray out of her eyes.

I would've lost my rank in the Squadron if I didn't take advantage of an opening---or an opportunity---like that. My dash thrusters burn as I slam into Leviathan in a full-body tackle. A Fahrenheit Hammer to the chin lifts her up into the air (and partially freezes her chin, though there's no doubt she'll be ignoring that), and a leaping kick blasts her away---

---and down into the ocean water with a violent splash. "It's nice to see these things work out," I say to myself as I dive in after her.

...

Leviathan's already recovering from the hits and is clearing the ice off of her chin when I reach her. "You did that on purpose," she accuses me, feet slowly kicking as she hovers in place.

I smile unashamedly. "Wouldn't you do the same in my situation? All of my fights this past month have been on land. I was built for the ocean. I want an aquatic duel."

Leviathan closes her eyes for a moment, smiling to herself even as she shakes her head a little. "Matilda's never going to believe this story," she murmurs, giving her Javelin a twirl. That little spin picks up speed as she summons more and more power into the weapon, drawing on the water that surrounds us for fuel.

I back off a short distance to give myself time to evade if I have to. Time slows down from my point of view as I consider my options for a counterattack. Assuming that she's going to summon a Spirit of the Ocean, I could always counter with one of my own. Darting in for a quick slash before she can finish is a possibility. Or---

A yell and a sudden wave of iciness interrupts my thinking and brings me back to real time. There's a white aura covering her, pulsing like a rapid heartbeat and emitting brief bursts of very light blue. The aura's causing her to look distorted, as if her image was struggling against it. The water that comes in contact with it quickly freezes, creating an additional layer of protection in the form of a full-body shield that moves as she does.

Overdrive!

In response to the increased power output, the energy being drawn into the Javelin intensifies. I can see Leviathan's beaming grin past the pulsing aura. "Ah-hahahaha!" she crows, gripping the Javelin two-handed as she draws it back for a swing. At least she didn't copy my laugh. "I'm just getting what I can out of this. Don’t mind me!”

All of the ideas I had to counter disappear, leaving one behind. I seize that thought and go with the flow. A signal is directed to a specific piece of hardware.

An electrifying rush of power from my generators fills me. Wintry energy escapes past my frame and synthskin. As my own Overdrive triggers, every movement feels a hundred times easier. It’s beautiful...! It’s marvelous...!

It’s only going to last for thirty seconds. I shake off that bit of euphoria and focus on the here and now. “Your final exam is in progress!” I call to her, readying myself for an attack of my own. “Leave the paper on my desk before you go!”

I hear her laugh loud and clear just before she swings her blade down---

I’d expected a Spirit of the Ocean, and I was right. The difference between the ones I’m used to and the one that Leviathan just spawned, though, is as vivid as the one between the sun and moon.

For a quick illustration, I’d seen a number of smaller homes during my mission to Diarchs some time ago. Unlike most of the buildings in Manehattan, these were built specifically for individuals or small families instead of groups of them. While smaller in scope, they’re larger than any pony and far larger than me. And the incoming Spirit is large and wide enough to swallow any of those buildings whole: that's what Leviathan's Overdrive has done to it.

It’s bearing down on me, its roar closer to a glass-rattling hiss. If I squint, I could probably see my reflection in its teeth. Anypony and anyone confronted with it, barring true warriors, would be filled heart and soul with terror.

I remain unfazed: I know how to win this battle. Trying to overwhelm me with sheer power, are you? That's not how you fight with the ocean's grace!

I draw back my arm, send a signal to activate the appropriate technique, then hurl the Javelin forward with all of my strength. The Airborne Ranger spins spins spins, the energy gathered in collaboration with my Overdrive turning my weapon into a disc of destruction. The blade meets the amplified Spirit, comes into contact---

---and carves right through it. The Ranger continues spinning through the entire length of the ice dragon and exits out the tail, splitting it cleanly in half. Both halves continue flying forward on momentum but fall to either side of me, sinking towards the seafloor as they dissolve.

Leviathan sees the Ranger flying at her. Her reaction just before it reaches her is less 'Oh no!' or 'I'm going to lose!' than it is 'Well alright, whatever'... and then the blade slashes through her in full, her ice shield doing nothing to stop it. Her aura dims, then goes silent as her eyes widen reflexively. Her mouth opens in a silent gasp. For a short second I'm treated to the sight of a mirror of my own internal workings visible through a body-spanning gash...

The familiar flaming shroud covers her, and I'm reminded of who my opponent is. I don't see what Bushwhacker's turned into, as my returning weapon blocks my line of sight for a few moments, but it doesn't matter. A moment later he shifts again, transforming into a dolphin and swimming for the ocean's surface.

I catch my weapon and de-activate my Overdrive with a few seconds to spare, and I can see a timer activating in one corner of my vision as my systems tell me how long I have before I can use it again. Whoo... that was a rush. I can see why it's best that I don't use it too often.

I follow Bushwhacker's lead and swim up to the surface after him. When he breaches the water's surface, he shifts back to his default form before he lands on the docks. I jump out to join him; it seems to me like all the fight's been taken out of him...

Amend that last thought. It's not just him that's finished: it's his armor.

In my battles here, the enemy armor had been doing a magnificent job shrugging off everything it was hit with. As I help Bushwhacker get some water out of his lungs, I note that the dragon scales were finally hit with something they couldn't stand up to. The Overdrive-charged Ranger had mauled the mail, having sliced through it the same way my opposite self had been. It's about time.

Bushwhacker coughs as the last bit of water leaves him. "So, Ms. Leviathan. How did I do?" he asks me like a student would ask a teacher, managing to smile as he recovers.

May as well humor him. "A-. You lose points for not destroying me."

He's not upset. "I knew it was a long shot when I tried it... the form change, not the dragon," he clarifies. "Though that could probably be seen as a long shot too. Soon as I saw your weapon destroy it, I knew I was finished. My changeling biology was the only thing that saved me there."

Piecing things together there, it sounds like changelings revert back to their normal states if they take a hard enough hit. Makes sense. Bushwhacker continues: "I don't see much point in continuing fighting now. A lot of what I was able to do during that fight was because of the suit. With it damaged, the enchantments aren't working right. I'd say you earned this win."

I ease him up onto his hooves. He does nothing to stop me from taking his Reddocite out of a compartment that barely escaped the Javelin's blade, nor does he stop me from removing the remains of his suit from him. "Remarkably graceful in defeat. I like that," I compliment him.

"I had a good influence," Bushwhacker admits, wistful.

I'm curious as to what that's about. Maybe it has to do with that 'Matilda' he'd mentioned a minute ago? For that matter, that name stands out compared to everypony else's here. ... Eh. It's none of my business. Let's just take care of some of the damage here and get him over to the Royal Police.

The sunlight hits us both as the clouds above us are broken apart. The docks are fully illuminated.

MISSION COMPLETE

MISSION -- 100 -- 20p
CLEAR TIME -- 17'15 -- 10p
ENEMY -- 35 -- 3p
DAMAGE -- 15 -- 17p
RETRY -- 0 - 20p

TOTAL: 70p
AVERAGE: 80p

LEVEL: C
CODENAME: NARCISSIST

One of these days, I'm going to find the subroutine responsible for these analyses and figure out how to make it stop insulting me.

...My free hand's moving on its own: I've gained a new ability. As Bushwhacker watches interestedly, an icy line snaps into existence between my palm and a chunk of pavement left over from our clash's first phase. My hand shifts, and the debris is tossed to the side. The line vanishes, and I'm left to consider the messages that my systems have left for me.

-Reconfiguration complete. EX Skill gained: Tundra Tether. Generate a tether that can latch on to nearby objects. Objects lighter than you can be thrown around. If latched on to heavier objects, the tether can be treated as a retractable grappling hook. Seven units of energy per usage. Twenty-eight units total.-

-Scanning... password broken. Frozen Aerial operational. While in mid-air, create icy platforms beneath the unit's feet to traverse gaps. No more than three platforms can be active at a time, and each will dissolve after ten seconds.-

"You must have a bit of changeling in you too, being able to copy techniques like that," Bushwhacker remarks. "That must be a useful talent."

"I wish I'd known I could do that before I came to Equestria," I admit. "It would've saved me a lot of stress. But it's saved my life a few times against your teammates, so I can't complain too much."

"That tether looked like it was trying to mimic unicorn magic," he muses. "But I only used it once, and briefly..."

"I gave up trying to understand how that process works. It's probably for the best if we don't dwell on that," I suggest, winding up and smashing the Reddocite into the ground. Though it repairs me and some of the damage we inflicted to our battleground, it does the same for Bushwhacker's suit. He makes no move to steal it back, having accepted his defeat, and without further delay I signal the MRPD to pick us up.

...
...
...

"...So right before I was struck, I saw 'Mission Failed' flash before my eyes," Bushwhacker asks once we're on our way. "Is that normal?"

I sigh. I don't know how I'm going to explain this one to him.

"They're here!"

Once we get Bushwhacker's armor turned over at the station, Zig-Zag spots us from down the hall and announces our presence. He waves cheerfully and rushes up to greet us, with Ebony and Officer Coffee not far behind him. "Hi, robot lady! Hi, shiny bug! I told you. You're okay!" he greets us happily.

Bushwhacker chuckles and ruffles his mane a little. "That you did, Zeke. It's good to see you again."

...Wait a moment. I need a moment to catch up. "'Shiny bug'? Zig-Zag, what are you talking about? Why are you calling him that?"

"Because he's shiny. And a bug," Zig-Zag tells me.

"That's what I mean. I know where you're getting the 'bug' part, but not the 'shiny' part," I say. "Where'd that come from?"

Zig-Zag turns to Bushwhacker with a secretive smile, or tries to. He's always been good at smiling, but not so good at keeping secrets. "Bushwhacker, show her! Please?"

The changeling looks at both me and Coffee. "With your permission?"

Coffee nods, trusting me to keep him in line if he acts up. I shrug, indicating that I have no problems with it. Seeing these reactions, he triggers another transformation. The flare briefly makes Ebony rear up in surprise, but I ignore that in favor of...

...Of...

... "Alright," I admit slowly, halfway confused. "I need context for what I'm looking at."

Bushwhacker gestures helplessly. "As of a week ago, this is my real self. Something happened during Gray's challenge, and it caused me to undergo a metamorphosis."

"I've heard stories about changelings," the wide-eyed Coffee comments, effectively taking the words out of my mouth. "Dark pony-like bugs a little smaller than I am with lots of holes in them. At what point are they supposed to be colorful like us?"

Bushwhacker is the opposite of 'dark' right now. His new form is the perfect fusion of Equestrian pony and insect, standing at approximately the same height as most of those I've met here. His color scheme is nearly the same as his default disguise, with his carapace being a mix of auburn and a yellowish shade. Ditto with his eyes, which are a bright orange like the fruit and fairly compound-esque. No Cutie Mark, so I'm assuming they just don't have them normally. The holes that Gray had told me marked his legs are gone, and his wings are perfectly formed.

Zig-Zag's beaming again. "Like I said. He wanted love. Gave him love. Got it back. Now he's shiny!"

"I'm going to need to save up for some larger flyswatters," Ebony muses in awe.

"Save your money," I chastise her as Bushwhacker eyes her warily. "Bug-ponies are not for swatting."

"Aww..."

A few of the Department's staffers approach. Coffee takes her eyes away from Bushwhacker and gestures at them to escort him away. One of them cuffs his forelegs, though all of us know that if he wanted to badly enough, he could escape his restraints without issue. Zig-Zag follows after them as they leave, insisting: "Treated me well. Treat him well!"

Now that the oddity of our changeling's true form has passed, Coffee seems anxious about something. "Follow me, please," she says to me in a low voice. "I've got some news for you." She nods at Ebony. "You too, young lady. This concerns you too, in a way."

Ebony's rightfully confused. She looks from side to side and sees no other young ladies around, then says something that makes no sense in light of that: "M-Me?"

"Yes. Come along now. And let's be quick. We don't have a lot of time to waste on this." Coffee turns and trots down the hall, moving as quickly as would be considered safe in this environment.

Ebony looks up at me questioningly, though I still see a shiver going down her spine. "May as well see what she wants," I answer her unspoken request as I follow after Coffee. Ebony takes a few seconds to do the same, and the look I cast over my shoulder at her tells me that she's wondering what she has to do with any of this.

Here's hoping it's nothing major.

A short time later...

...

After he was properly booked, he was led to an interrogation room. The questioning began immediately once they'd arrived and were properly seated. The muttered complaints of Zig-Zag as he was led back to a break room faded. "Alright, suspect," said the officer taking the lead. "Our records state that your name is 'Bushwhacker'. Is this accurate?"

"Yes and no," the insect-pony informed him. "Years ago after I started living among ponies, I accidentally fell into somepony's foliage and damaged it, and the offended party demanded a name from me. 'Bushwhacker' is just a name I whipped up on the spot."

"I see," the officer murmured as he jotted that down. "What's your true name, then?"

"Kevin."

The officers glanced at each other in confusion, then back at Bushwhacker. "A strange name."

"We'd be in agreement on that," he agreed. "Most changeling names have something to do with insects. I once spent an entire day trying to research my name's origins, and the best I could find was that it's derived from a word that's sometimes used to describe monarch butterflies."

The officers shrugged at this, but opted to make a note of it and continued the questioning. "Current residence and occupation?"

"I'm a remodeler based in Ponyville. I also run a side business as a candy maker."

"That matches up with what we have on you," the lead officer confirmed a moment later. "But here's where we're going to have to press you. What can you tell us about recent events? Who's behind them?"

"I can't share any information on my boss, unfortunately," Bushwhacker informed them with some regret. "However, I can provide you with some insight on the actions of the changeling Queen Chrysalis, my previous boss. With her around, the entire nation's safety is at stake. And that's not an exaggeration." The officers paid close attention as he continued, realizing he was completely serious. "She has her eyes on Canterlot and aims to strike within the next few years..."

Author's Note

Music links include: The remastered "Dive Into Depth" from Mega Man ZX Advent; the remastered "Crash II" from Mega Man Zero 2, "The Very Very Strongest" from One Piece, and a pleasant little tune called "Italian Morning" that some of you may recognize.

Science was one of my worst subjects. Does it show? ... What am I saying? Of course it does. Thankfully both series allow for some suspension of disbelief, though the elemental triangle does make one wonder. Still, shenanigans with ice and electricity notwithstanding, I had a fair bit of fun working on the battle itself.

Some trivia regarding the Ice Slasher: both official artwork of Ice Man and his battle in the first Mega Man game has him treating it as a breath weapon, so the idea of Bushwhacker using it as such holds water.

So, yeah: there were a few of you who guessed it, but I can safely confirm it here. Bushwhacker's true identity is Kevin, the actual name given to that changeling who attended Cranky and Matilda's wedding in the "Slice of Life" episode. I love having all of this space to work with where characterization's concerned.

The story proper is temporarily on hold while I work on this year's non-canon Anniversary Chapter. See you later in August!

Ko-Fi!

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