//------------------------------//
// Chapter 37 
// Story: Don't Bug Me 
// by Starscribe 
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Compared to all the chaos surrounding their arrival, Amie and Ivy's return to Agate was relatively uneventful. There were no more missing campers to find along the path and heal, no attacking pony soldiers to confront Amie with the truth of her transformation and throw her in prison. 

Instead, they walked in relative silence. This time it was different from the peaceful walk that was an opportunity for physical exertion and personal growth. There was something subtly awkward about the silence between them, a change to their relationship that could never be completely reversed.

That hurt Amie a little, though she knew it shouldn't. Deep down, she had to accept that her friendship with Ivy was ultimately the product of a contract. That didn't mean she just walked in silence, of course. 

"There's still time to change your mind," Amie said, after they'd finally made it down the difficult part of the climb, and back onto a proper trail. From there it was just the hike, with little danger to worry about. "Deciding to help us, it's—I know it's a big thing. Even if it goes well, you let your dad talk you into leaving somewhere you wanted to live."

And if it went poorly, the possible consequences were too terrible to contemplate. A pony army marching on Stella Lacus, Ivy in jail for conspiracy, worse? The less she thought about that, the better.

"He won't be talking me into anything," Ivy said, resolved. "This is my choice. Not his, not yours. It's something nopony else in the world could do."

She looked up, smiling weakly at Amie. "If I get caught, I'm going to tell the princesses about you. How you're not trying to hurt anypony, and you just want to go home. Maybe we should do that anyway, tell them about your tribe. All they hear is from my dad, about how scouts see the changelings braving further and further as they get desperate for food."

Amie nodded. Going to the Equestrians with an honest request for help had been on her mind a few times. So far, she had a pretty good success rate convincing them that she wasn't actually an evil monster. Maybe she could do that with their princess, too?

But if they didn't trust her, if they threw her in jail, who would care for her kids? There were campers she still had to get out of Stella Lacus, and a scheme bubbling away half-formed in the back of her mind. "I will tell them eventually," Amie promised. "But please don't go there unless you don't have a choice. Things are... tense, right now. If I go to Canterlot on a diplomatic mission, then I won't be here to hold things together.

"The longer we're stuck here, the worse camp morale is getting. I'm working on solutions to getting ponies the food and supplies they need, but it's a struggle. If I'm not here, there's nopony to take my place."

Ivy looked her over, then sighed. "Worth a shot to make you come with me. It's a long, long ride in that train all the way to Canterlot."

"I'll make it up to you one day," Amie promised. "But you saw those bugs last night. Their condition... it wasn't much worse than the rest of camp. Someone needs to do something to protect them. That someone is me."

They walked the rest of the way back to Agate without much conversation between them. Amie unloaded her satchel, passing back everything else to the quartermaster. 

"Commander is not happy with you, Ivy," he said, when they'd passed back the last of their supplies. "I'd get back to him before he finds out you're on base. Reverse goes for you, Rain Fly. Make yourself scarce for a while, get me?"

She nodded gratefully. "Thanks. I think the hike was enough of a workout for today, anyway."

"See you tomorrow?" Ivy asked. "We can catch up on anything I need before I go."

"Will do." Amie hugged her. She wasn't sure if it would be for the last time, but she wasn't going to waste it. "Thanks for a great trip, Ivy. You were amazing out there. More than anypony could expect."

She broke away, grinning back. "Yeah, I am kind of amazing. Sometimes it's good to have a reminder, though."

Amie left the base in a hurry after that, before Commander Path could demand a personal meeting. No small part of that were her other fears—even if Ivy didn't intentionally give Amie away, a casual remark, a slip of the tongue, or some magical interrogation... who knew how many ways there were to extract information from her?

She didn't run, and her invisible senses easily told her that nopony followed her. She was just another pony in Agate—a regular by now, one that many recognized coming and going across the city. The food-vendors didn't bother her like the miners. They knew she wasn't going to buy.

By the time she reached home, it was slightly after noon. She ascended the steps, and found the building empty except for her brother.

Wes was tucked in near the window, surrounded by library books. He had a pad of paper in front of him, and a pen hovering in the air.

"Was getting worried," he said, without sitting up. "Did something go wrong out there?"

Amie tossed her satchel onto the kitchen table, and broke into energetic laughter. She kept at it for almost a minute, with her brother staring in growing concern. Finally she said, "I think everything went wrong. But maybe in a good way? Things might be about to go to shit. Anything important to you, update your bug-out bag. We might need it."

Wes snapped the book closed, then stood. "That bad, huh?"

She told him. What Amie really wanted was a prolonged, hot shower. She was covered in dirt, smoke, and mud from the night before. But the urgency of the danger against them was too high, so all that had to wait.

She told him in a rush, spilling from one topic to another in a desperate avalanche. She kept going until her voice went hoarse. All the while Wes gathered his meager possessions into the saddlebags hanging by the door.

"So let me get this straight," he continued, when she finally collapsed by the table to catch her breath. "Rick and Beth were on the mountain, you admitted to your client you were a changeling. The client that happens to be the daughter of the base commander here. And now we're depending on her mercy to go to Canterlot on our behalf, and not just turn us in?"

"Yeah. Also I can like... connect with the minds of bugs. See through them, walk around, hear their thoughts. That part freaked me out a little more. God, if Albrecht knew how to do that..."

"I want to see," Wes said, settling down in front of her. "Do it to me."

She turned her attention on her brother, focusing on his thoughts as she had with the campers the night before. 

She felt his anticipation easily enough, and a little dread. He didn't like what this power implied. But no matter how long she stared, or how much she focused—she could get no more. No thoughts, and none of the bond that let her see through another's eyes. 

"Woah." She opened her eyes again, standing up. "You're immune. Just like ponies seem to be."

"I guess I'll see a demonstration when the others get here," he said. "Can't believe they learned how to fly on their own. We should ask them for tips—that sounds awesome!"

"If we're not all on the run from the law in the next few hours," Amie said. "Yeah. We'll work on it. I'll have to find Bud and talk to him about having more bugs around. Maybe... a bunch more. We'll see."

So much for spending her next few months gradually building resources and preparing for a trip to Canterlot. But she should've realized the problem with that plan. She couldn't just close her eyes, stick her hooves in her ears, and pretend that her friends in Stella Lacus weren't starving. 

I still have to make good on our half of the promise we made to Pachu’a. They'll be getting back soon.

Just one more item for her growing list. 

"I need you to write down everything you know about portals and magic for going to other worlds," Amie continued. "Every detail, no matter how inconsequential. I'll give it to Ivy, and she can use your list for her search."

"It won't be a long list," Wes said. "A few names, maybe. Equestria knows about at least one other world. Most books don't get very specific about what travel is like. But someone built a portal once, some kinda mirror. I'll scribble down what I've found."

"Perfect. Portals sound great. Just put that on the list with all the other impossible magic we've been doing lately."

Amie finally crossed back into her bedroom after that. She nearly tripped on a thick envelope tucked under the door, but caught herself with a bit of magic, levitating it up into the air.

It had Bud's flowery hoof writing all over it, not that it could be from anypony else. 

She dumped it out onto the table in front of her. There was a single thin sheet of paper inside, along with a stack of bit cash certificates. 

"Amie,

Congratulations on completing your first assignment! I've just received a message from Commander Bravo Path expressing his satisfaction. I was beginning to wonder if anypony could meet his strict demands, but you've gone and delivered. 

With his approval, we'll be able to open sister locations across Equestria. I've included the remainder of the payment for this contract term, even though serving it will no longer be required. 

Consider your probationary period over. You've proven that ponies with your unique upbringing have a lot to offer. Please make time to visit with Stratosphere sometime in the next few days. You will be taking on a new contract next Monday, playing a hippogriff, details attached. 

I have a stack of opportunities for your brother still sitting on my desk as well. See what you can do to convince him. I will be occupied over the next few weeks in negotiation to build our Manehattan flagship location. If you know any promising talent who don't mind relocating, bring them to my office.

-Bud Bonzer"

Amie turned over the stack of bills. Each one listed bit amounts of a hundred or more. Together they made for several times as much pony money as she'd ever seen in one place.

Too bad we can't eat it.

Amie concealed it with the rest of their cash in a hollowed-out book on her shelf, then finally stepped into the shower. She rinsed thoroughly as Rain Fly, before changing back into herself and turning the hot water all the way up.

Amie wasn't rushing anymore. Of course she should've known that Ivy wouldn't try to screw her over. They'd climbed the tallest mountain they could find together. Now thanks to Ivy, she had someone on the “inside.” I wish I knew how that peace envoy was going. I would know if the Equestrians caught the expedition, wouldn't I?

Finally she felt clean enough to switch off the water, and she did. She froze, staring back into the shower's mirrored walls. 

Her reflection was... different. Some things were subtler—her legs didn't look quite right, and there were green accents on her body that had been missing before. But her head fin was... not a fin anymore. It looked a little like a mane, albeit one that had only started growing. A few strands fell in front of her face, and she had to brush them back with magic.

Most striking of all were the eyes, though. Amie stared back. Her eyes weren't multifaceted, alien bug things anymore. They were blue again, with familiar white sclera, albeit a feline slit instead of the shape familiar to ponies or humans.

"What's... happening to me?" she asked no one.

It was Tailslide who answered, however, walking into the empty bedroom beyond. "Something wrong?"