-"Excuse me, can anypony hear me? MRPD?"-

Coffee frowned as the voice buzzed in her radio not ten seconds after Leviathan had confirmed Bushwhacker's capture. She opened her mouth to tell off the pony who was interfering with Police work, but stopped herself when recognition hit. "Gray Ghost?" she hissed, trying to keep others from overhearing. "Why are you calling us?"

-"Refer to me as 'Untold Walker', please. Were you aware that there's an entire tunnel system beneath the city?"-

The officer froze up. "...What. In Tartarus. Did you just say?"

-"I detected and destroyed several Chamelogs that seemed to be keeping watch over something,"- 'Untold Walker' reported. Coffee nodded as she recalled what she was told about one's appearance at Median Park. -"When I investigated, I discovered an entrance and a concealed map. Far as I can determine, while there are multiple entrances around the city, the tunnels all seem to converge on Mocha HQ, with a few rooms along the way."-

Coffee worked past her surprise at this revelation after a short time. She remembered the MRPD's failure in finding any evidence of the late Cocoa Mocha's wrong-doing. There were a few who thought that Statuette hadn't been truthful when she'd confessed, but this knowledge could put an end to that. "This would explain a lot if it's true. What do you expect us to do about it?"

-"I expect to be out of contact for a time. Where is Leviathan?"-

"She's on her way back to the station. She has one of the opposing agents with her. ID'ed as 'Bushwhacker'."

-"Good. There are two children at the station: make sure they get sent home. If my hunch is correct, Leviathan's going to be confronting the Midnight Castle leaders soon. I don't want the children to be anywhere near them."-

"Understandable... er, Untold," Coffee confirmed. Two of Gray's children had already gotten involved with the enemy. She didn't like the idea of a third doing the same on impulse. "And what about the tunnels?"

-"I'm going snooping,"- 'Untold' said. -"If nothing was found at Mocha's place, then the tunnels were used to either hide the evidence or transfer it somewhere else."-

"If that's accurate, there's probably going to be a lot of those drones down there," Coffee warned. "If you get hurt somehow, we won't be able to help you in a timely manner."

-"Don't worry about me. I'm a professional. This will be a catwalk."-

Coffee started to sign off, then paused. "...Don't you mean 'cakewalk'?"

'Untold' chuckled. -"Officer, you know what I'm about."- A click, and the conversation ended.

Instead of the station's hub, Coffee takes us to the break room that Gray's children have been spending time in. Nopony else is in it, and a quick check of my surroundings shows that everypony is either minding their own business or are otherwise out of earshot.

Coffee takes a few minutes to quietly notify us of a conversation she had with Gray while I was on my way back (though she didn't identify her as such). The gist of it is that her own mission's taking her underground, and that she wouldn't be able to stay in contact. She wants Ebony and Zig-Zag to be taken home. The latter's not here to offer his comments as he's busy bothering those booking Bushwhacker, but Ebony's relieved to be taken away from the current goings-on.

Once the update is complete, I consider this. "Alternatively, they might want to consider a stay at Manehattan General," I suggest. "I imagine they'd at least want to see how Fiver is doing."

"Wait, wait just a second!" Ebony blurts out, eyes wide. "Fiver's in the hospital?! So that's w-what that scream I heard was about!"

"I'm afraid so," I confirm, wincing at the memory. My auto-repair got a minor workout fixing the damage to my ears, and this was without telling Gray in person. "Accidental smoke inhalation. They say she'll be fine; she just needs to rest for a little bit."

Ebony ponders this for a few moments. She opens her mouth, but takes back whatever she was about to say before the words leave her. Her eyes close as she makes her decision. "...I think I'll take my sibs to go visit Fiver. It'll mean a detour to grab Pure Energy, but they need to k-know what's going on."

Coffee nods in affirmation. "Do you want a lift back? It's against regulations, but given how your family's gotten connected to recent events, we could probably make an exception for the sake of personal safety."

"No, we'll walk," Ebony decides. "It's not good for Energy to s-stay cooped up for long, and..." She blushes and looks off to the side. "...I've been worrying recently that I've been gaining weight. Too much ice cream."

My navigator accepts this and turns to address me, her voice stern. "As for you, go to Sunrise Laboratories. Matters have escalated in importance there."

I'm sounding just as serious. For some reason, Ebony looks worried. "What's the situation, Officer?" I ask.

"Our spotter down there has gone completely silent. We haven't heard from her since before you confronted the changeling. She was supposed to keep us up to date on the situation." She glares at me to get its importance through, and I nod in approval. "Investigate the Laboratories. Based on Gray's hunch and the pattern we've been seeing today, you may be fighting Bastion and Iron Gates there alongside their attack force. Destroy any drones you find, determine why the Labs were attacked, and put those two behind bars for good."

I smile eagerly. It's a rematch, and this time I'm not half-dead. Besting them at 100% should put matters to rest.

...
...
...

"Leviathan, wait!"

I drift to a halt as I leave the building. Why's Ebony calling for me? "Yes?" I ask, not looking back.

"I need you to do me a favor when you get to the Labs," Ebony requests. I tense, not out of the idea of having my workload increase, but at her demeanor: the anxiety she normally experiences around me is gone entirely. Normally that would be good. Normally. "There's a pony who works there. Raspberry Torte. I need you to make sure he's safe."

"Not that I wasn't planning on doing that anyway," I answer, "but why that pony specifically?"

"I told you about Blue Raspberry, right?"

Yes, her best friend that she made amends with recently. But what's that got to do with---

"He's her dad."

---Oh.

"Torte's a single parent, and Bluey's his only child. He's really smart, like super smart, and he has an engineering job at Sunrise Labs. He's always been real nice to me and the gang, and he bakes the absolute best cakes. Helping him would mean a lot to me. And to Bluey."

"I'll try to remember," I promise her. "What does he look like?"

"Maroon coat, tail and mane are a reddish-brown, and he's got a shorter tail than most. He has his namesake dessert for a Cutie Mark, and he's blind in one eye," Ebony rattles off.

Fairly descriptive. Should be easy. "Alright. I'll keep my eyes open for him. Anything else?"

"J-just one," Ebony stammers: her anxiety has returned. "Could you turn a-around for a second?"

Not to rush or anything, but my assignment's important. I do what she requests, though. "What is it?" I ask as I face her directly---

"GOTCHA, SPIDER!"

Wait, where's a spider? What's---

...Oh. She's hugging me.

...Hold on. She's hugging me?

Ebony's reared up, both forelegs around me as best as she can manage. For a moment I wonder why she directly initiated this, but a memory from our first formal meeting at the Aquarium surfaces to answer my unspoken question:

...

"...Can you think of a better way for me to prove to you, once and for all, that I'm not going to hurt you? Here's an idea: try pretending that I'm a spider you're getting ready to squash."

She stammers, but sounds agreeable. "I... I will t-try," she forces out, closing her eyes. She tenses herself, and after a few moments she leaps at me with a hoof raised. "GOTCHA NOW, SPIDER!"

My hands reach out, one of them deflecting her strike and the other getting in position to catch her---

...

"..." I give Ebony a few pats on her withers. "I understand, Eebon," I assure her, using her favorite nickname to drive home my feelings on the matter. "I understand."

She withdraws after a short time. "T-that was for luck," she says. Her emotions shift, going from phobia-induced trepidation to an almost comical indignation. One hoof raises before her, and I imagine that she'd be clenching it if the motion was anatomically possible. "Now for innocent mares and fillies everywhere, get out there a-and give that sick jerk a buck to the face!"

Just because I'm holding back laughter at the way she conveys it doesn't mean that I don't find it agreeable. "That's the plan," I confirm, winking and giving her a jaunty two-finger salute with one hand. With nothing more to say or do, I wall jump my way up the building across the street and start my trek to the Labs.

Manehattanite teenager or not, Ebony was a kind-hearted mare at her core. As she watched Leviathan leave, she worried about what was ahead.

She knew that Levi had defeated several ponies and others just like the two thieves, but when she imagined them---both suited up, complete with helmets---she shivered in fear. The big stallion seemed nice enough, given how much he seemed to like talking to her father during Gray's challenge, but the smaller one was a menace.

And from what she'd heard, they both used to be part of the Royal Guard. She didn't want to think about what they could do working together against the city's self-appointed Guardian.

One hoof held itself against her chest for a few seconds. "Come back safe, Leviathan," she murmured to nopony. "Okay?"

Her wishes conveyed, Ebony turned to find Zig-Zag. She had a trip to the hospital to make and a little sister to support.

What snow that had fallen was swiftly melting. The entire city was awash in light and warmth as the final clouds were scattered to the winds.

Quarter was taking a moment to freshen up after losing a best-of-three round of Reversi against Caramel. She examined herself in the bathroom mirror, nodding in satisfaction. Ignition was right: that formula's working like a charm. My coat and mane are coming back in pretty nicely---

An odd feeling intruded on her thoughts. That feeling manifested itself in the form of her tail curving upward on its own and shifting from left to right, right to left before dropping. She recognized it for what it was: somepony was trying to call her on the radio she kept hidden in her suit.

She snorted, holding back a laugh. Back when I started honing that peculiar sense, I never thought I'd be using it in this fashion. She trotted to a corner of the bathroom to keep from being overheard and fished around for her radio. But then, it always was meant to be suitable for an endless variety of situations. That's why it's so tricky and difficult to harness.

She stood still as she recalled an experience from years ago: while still masquerading as Cocoa Mocha, he'd crossed paths with an oddball filly. She hadn't shown any signs that she'd make a good agent when she grew up, but he'd seen a little potential in her all the same. On a lark, he'd given her a few tips---no more, no less---on the uses of his danger sense. He'd needed to leave not long afterward, so he never learned if she'd progressed in its use or not.

Quarter smiled at the memory. Maybe I should return to that area someday and see if she's gotten any mileage out of it. It certainly seemed like it suited her...

Out at Ponyville, Pinkie Pie was running an errand for the Cakes when her ears began spasming. This was followed up by a violent sneeze that made those nearest to her duck and cover. "Somepony far away's thinking about me," she realized, rubbing her nose. "I wonder who?"

Quarter let go of her recollection as she found her radio and clipped it to her ear. "First Quarter. Go ahead."

-"Our business at the Laboratories is done,"- Bastion reported. -"The necessary materials have been retrieved and are now en route to the target site. The drone forces are covering our escape."-

-"While we're catching up, what's with the snow and the sunny skies?"- Gates cut in. -"I thought we were supposed to keep that storm running for longer than this."-

Which was true. One of Quarter's lesser agents was the chief of Manehattan's expansive weather team, though he didn't know whose payroll he was on or what causes his boss fought for. Through Ignition, a storm intended to be active long enough to keep Gray Ghost away from Sunrise Laboratories was orchestrated.

The storm's shortened length and the manner of its disruption suggested to Quarter that Leviathan had a hand in it. Between that and the fact that Gray had probably recovered enough from their little surprise, the Ghost had probably entered the field now.

Another voice entered the call before Quarter could answer Gates. She recognized the voice as another lesser agent in the MRPD, one whose capabilities were inferior to Trifecta's but still useful in their own way. -"Sorry to bother you, boss, but the Police have brought in a strange prisoner just now. I don't recognize his race at all."-

"Why not?" Quarter asked. "All of the races with representatives in the city are well-documented."

-"Well, have you ever seen a pony that looked like he was half-bug? He's got compound eyes that are making me crave oranges right now."-

Strange. I'd say it was Bushwhacker, but most changeling eyes are blue, and he's no exception. "What's the listed name?"

-"Bushwhacker. Why?"-

... Something's not right here. "Describe him for me, please."

...

Quarter was puzzled by the time the agent was finished. Is this an undiscovered metamorphosis of some kind? I've never once met a changeling that matched a description like that. When did this happen? Did he always have it, or did it come about after his assignment to Ponyville?

Or it could've happened here, and I just never noticed. I wouldn't dismiss that possibility. "Thanks for telling me. Put a pin on that, and we'll get into that topic another time. Continue doing your job."

The agent agreed, then signed off. -"Methinks Bushwhacker wasn't thorough in his debriefing,"- Gates griped. -"It would explain why he seemed to be in a better mood than usual. And given his normal temperament, that's saying something."-

"Possibly, but we'll worry about that later," Quarter uttered in low tones, hearing Caramel moving about outside the bathroom. "Where are the two of you now?"

-"The former Griffons for Equestria branch office,"- Bastion said. -"We will make our stand against Leviathan there."-

"However you plan to counter her, make it work," Quarter ordered them. "I'd prefer not to enter the game myself until the Prism Tower is finished." Though it may look like I'll need to do that. With these two occupied, we don't have anypony left who can counter the Ghost.

-"Don't you worry your little chocolatey brain any,"- Gates assured her happily. -"That Omega fellow the Minutes mentioned? I'm finishing what he started. She's not freezing us a second time."-

...

The transmission cut off, and Quarter took a few seconds to wonder. For a reason she didn't understand, hearing the name 'Omega' made her fearful and the slightest bit angry. But it wasn't anypony she'd met before, and she'd never come across any old legends attached to that name throughout her existence. All she had to go by was Leviathan's description of him in her first Minutes interview: she was spooked by a creature that wasn't native to this world and---per the Guardian's word---was long since destroyed.

According to the article, Omega was a "gargantuan attack dog". Whether that's meant to be figurative or literal, its might was very real. What level was he at to have left as powerful a warrior as Leviathan near death's door? She shivered. And what's with this fear I'm feeling? I haven't felt this afraid of something since...

There was a knock at the door. "Hazel?" Caramel called.

Clamping down on her fear and smothering it behind a lifetime of practice in calmness, Quarter stuck the radio back in her suit and trotted towards the door. "Sorry, Carrie," she apologized as she opened it. "Did I make you wait?"

"I'm still good, but Ignition's outside the suite," Caramel informed her. "He wants us both for something."

Both? Interesting. The two of them left the suite together to meet their official caretaker. Me I can understand, but what does he need Carrie for? He'd better not try to let her in on what's planned for Equestria, or I'm going to have a few words with him about his job performance later.

...

But as good as she was at hiding her fear from others, there was one pony that Quarter could never fool.

Leviathan's two partners flew straight to the Royal Police station after their business with the weather was concluded, as per their orders. "Maverick and Magnum, checking in," they told the staffer at the front desk, with Maverick asking where Leviathan was.

"She's out on business," the staffer informed them after a moment. "I've been instructed to direct you to Officer I-Like-My-Sugar-With-Coffee-and-Cream."

"There's a name that'll test your articulation," Magnum joked. "Where can we find her?"

...

The officer in question was in the archives, searching through the file cabinets. "Be with you in just a moment, you two," she greeted them distractedly when they announced themselves. "I'm in the middle of finding information on your old bosses."

"They on the loose again or something?" Maverick wondered.

"Probably, but we don't know for sure," Coffee said as she flipped through a few files. "We were contacted by somepony calling herself 'Untold Walker'. She said that it was likely that Leviathan would be fighting them today. And judging by our remaining enemies being busy today, I believe her. Having some means of confirming it would be nice, though."

"What exactly are you looking for, Officer? Maybe we could help," Magnum offered.

Coffee withdrew from the cabinet and exhaled through her nose. "I don't know how much Leviathan has told you, but her past battles here were tough enough when they were just one-on-ones. Trifecta, for starters..."

"I remember him," Maverick recalled. "We had to dodge him on a heist once."

"...a hunter, a figure skater, a changeling... all of them together comprised a motley crew," Coffee continued, ignoring her. "But Bastion and Iron Gates spent several years each in the Royal Guard. Contrary to what some believe, that job involves more than just slapping on plate mail and looking stern for the cameras. It requires training more intense than anything you can get here with the Police, and once you reach a satisfactory level you're expected to maintain it."

"If that's the case, why did Leviathan stomp us so badly that night at the Pyre?" Magnum asked, unsure.

"The limited space in the Pyre's alley was a factor," Coffee pointed out. "As was your crew's lack of defenses beyond physical prowess, Bastion not having access to the weapons he trained with, and all of you underestimating what your opponent was capable of even at low strength."

The officer turned from the cabinets to glare at them. "Let's assume that they've learned from their mistakes. An expansive battle arena, large enough for them to dodge Leviathan's wide-area strikes. Armor tougher than anything in the Royal Guard, and enchanted to boot. Bastion being able to fight at full strength with his preferred weapons. Knowledge of what their opponent can do. A two-on-one battle, a natural step up from her fights up until now." Her eyes narrowed. "I don't need to tell you that Leviathan's charging into serious trouble."

Both pegasi were nervous. Put it that way... "Ooh, boy... and this ties in to why you're in here?" Maverick brought up.

"Yes. I'm looking through all of our information on those two." Coffee returned her attention to the cabinets. "I'm trying to find something, anything that'll help keep Leviathan alive. Some sort of insight into how their minds work."

Maverick shrugged. "Why not just ask me?"

...

Coffee's ears pointed straight up in surprise, and she turned to face them again. "What?"

"Just ask me," Maverick repeated. "I was around them for almost four months, and I've picked up a few things from them."

Coffee looked hopeful for a moment, but she shook her head. "Forgive me if I'm doubting your ability to do that in that short a time. Unless you have a degree in psychology that we didn't know about..."

"Maybe not a degree, but we were in close contact with somepony who never figured out that loose lips sink ships," Magnum stated with a smirk, throwing her support behind Maverick. "You do remember that Gates loves to run his mouth, right?"

Coffee considered this, along with the possibilities of true inside information. Eventually she frowned, and if the parolees had been experts at body language they would've seen her concern. "One of the enemy agents, Statuette, informed us that those who do not oppose them aren't harmed. You deserve to be warned that this will be retracted if you take an active stand against them."

Maverick tried and failed to hold back a giggle. "Officer, Gates already hates me because I rejected his advances repeatedly. I've overheard him saying once or twice that he wished my wings would fall off in mid-flight. I'm not seeing much of a change in the status quo."

"There's also you being insubordinate to him while being respectful to Bastion, and what do you mean you rejected his advances repeatedly?" Magnum all but shouted, putting all the indignation she could muster into her sentence. "You never told me about--- ...huh." She cut off her tirade before it could really get started as a realization hit. "You know, this clears up so much."

"It happened before you were recruited, Magnum," Maverick consoled her, calming her down. "Bastion had already told me about why his partner's marriage failed. I knew to turn him down when he asked."

"Staying on topic," Coffee interrupted emphatically, annoyed. Her words made the both of them flinch, and they paid attention to her sheepishly. "If you're really set on this course of action, then any details about your former bosses would be nice. Your love life's irrelevant to this situation." She frowned. "And his, for that matter. Don't need to know his. Don't want to know."

Maverick swallowed, just a little bit nervous. No turning back. "Right. Sorry. Is there a... y'know, a spare interrogation or conference room we can use? This needs to be written down."

"...Alright. That can be arranged. Follow me."

...

Both thieves followed Coffee out of the archives. Maverick's nervousness took a few steps up the ladder as she considered how to phrase what she was going to say. Magnum kept a hoof resting on her withers the entire way, but it did nothing to calm her down.

Back when it had happened, she'd thought nothing of it. To her, they were just the rambling of somepony who practically had a romantic relationship with his own voice. There was no way they could have any basis in reality.

Now that she was thinking about it? Those old conversations could shed light on why two steadfast soldiers turned traitor against Equestria.

Author's Note

Music links include: "Misty Lake", from the Touhou fangame Scarlet Curiosity; Nycto's "The Ethereal Dream"; and a chill remix of "A Maiden's Illusionary Funeral ~ Necro Fantasy".

I've been waiting for a good while to make a reference to the cakewalk-catwalk meme from Elements of Justice. >^_^<

Ebony gets to have a little Ciel moment as Levi leaves on her mission. I'm not going to have her start offering to save her game or anything like that, though.

The sneeze cut involving Pinkie Pie was inspired by one of my parents' cats. Recently he's been getting agitated by ear mites, and when they get problematic he starts sneezing. On a related note, the idea of First Quarter teaching Pinkie her self-named sense---but not sharing all of the details about it in order to keep it mysterious---is an idea I've had as far back as "Neither Created Nor Destroyed".

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