//------------------------------//
// Chapter 20: Moving On 
// Story: Friendship is Optimal: A Watchful Eye 
// by Sozmioi 
//------------------------------//

Bright Black woke the next morning in an unfamiliar room. After a moment he remembered it was Sweetsong's guest room, which he'd been offered since staying in Coconut Cream's house didn't seem right. A glance at his nose confirmed that he was not presently disguised as her. Yup, still weird to be a pony. But not as weird as yesterday. Let's see if there's any news from Hikuro.

He could remember the rehearsal and concert fine. He could even remember getting confused over whether it made sense that 'Coconut Cream' should be able to 'sight-read' the bass part, since there was no way that he could have if he hadn't already known it… but that was his memory, not Hikuro's. He couldn't remember anything from him after that. Maybe he and Polychrome had a serious, let's-fix-things-up conversation after the concert. What I remember from his earlier thoughts seem like he was aiming at that. And if they did, I suppose it's best if I'm not in on it, since the last thing I need is to get sucked back in.

He headed downstairs, where Sweetsong's father Strummerly was frying an egg and humming. "Good morning! Want me to throw on another? We got Coconut's newspaper sent here."

"Newspaper?" Bright Black had seen that Coconut owned newspapers, but he had never really paid attention to them. He came closer and looked it over. "Let's see… a small water treatment plant went up in Central African Republic, one of the last needed to supply everyone fresh water. Hmm. Apparently, that's everyone, period. Improved primary education in some town in Alabama. Syrian cease-fire holding and looks like Assad is going to emigrate. List of interesting papers to check out. Social news around the village - a couple more mares became stallions. Skywishes and Gardenia Glow are engaged… not clear if either is going male. Narrow Gauge and Lustre are officially dating, and it's exclusive. Call for designs for a new playground, in case of kids. And the funny pages." Bright Black put the paper down.

"Better read that. Your granddaughter reads those, and knows Coconut does too. They're mostly from outside Equestria. Gotta be ready in case she drops some sort of reference on you and you don't want Celestia to have to puppet you."

Bright Black hesitantly looked down again. "I've never heard of any of these. Gunnerkrig Court? Dresden Codak? Sluggy Freelance? What kinds of names ARE these? These are weirder than pony names."

"Ooh, Dresden Codak updated?"

Bright Black ignored the comment. "I've seen some XKCDs taped to the walls before, only the stick figures are ponies now."

"You can see the originals if you hold it up to the light."

Rather than try that, Bright Black looked away. "I have no idea what any of this is. I'd probably be best off letting Celestia take over."

A knock on the door interrupted, and Bright Black observed his nose turn white as Polychrome called in, "I heard Coco's here?"

"Coming!" he called out, still not quite used to the voice change. Upon opening the door, he found just Polychrome. "What's up?"

She shuffled a little. "You know Hikuro better than anypony, right?"

"More or less. Need to talk something over? Mediate? Advice? Venting?"

She nodded out the door, and Bright Black followed her. As they crossed the road, she said, "We want to stay together. But some things are going to have to change. And he offered to change a lot." Her chosen path led off the road onto a path heading around a fallow field, winding into the woods, and forking with both branches dead-ending onto hilltops. Bright Black wondered whether she had particularly chosen it and was heading to one of them, but figured that it was just that this path happened to be right there. She continued, "He's always been great about grand gestures, you know? The big things. And this seems like another big thing, but this time it's not… contained. It's all about the little things, ongoing, forever. If we weren't in Equestria I'd dismiss it as impossible. But we are here, and ponies can… be changed."

Minefield… on the other hand, I can trigger those mines a good bit more safely than Hikuro can, since we're not so entangled. Even if she finds something I say hurtful, it won't carry the same emotional weight coming from Coconut Cream. "What sort of changes is he proposing?"

"It was open-ended. He said that he could use improvement for his own sake. Like, being a bit more attentive. Being better at knowing when to be factual and when not to."

I can see how that could have helped things go more smoothly between us. "Can you describe when he shouldn't be so factual?"

"That's not the point. I'm not asking for what to change. I'm asking… I guess… what kinds of things is it okay to change? How much can you alter without becoming somepony else? And is it okay for this to be so imbalanced? He didn't ask me to change at all. I guess I'm asking for a sounding board, not really for answers."

Bright Black thought for a minute. Matching her is his job. He knows I'm out here going on being me, so he doesn't feel so worried about changes since there's an unaltered original. Relatively unaltered. Should she change too, at all? She's already changed a fair amount, I think, and some of that was Celestia making up convenient gap-fillers.

As they passed from the field to the woods, she asked, "What's it like, switching to stallion? I wanted to try it, but Celestia recommended against, for now."

Bright Black thought, "Line?", and Celestia put glowing words in front of him, which he correctly presumed were visible only to him. Since the question called for some introspection, he had time to read them fully before saying them out loud. "So much changed at once I don't know what was from being human and what was being stallion. Sweetsong was interested in all that from the start, but I just found it funny. Like, just because it was begging to be done, I once organized a game of Strip Poohsticks."

Polychrome managed a spit-take despite the total lack of drinks.

I wish I knew what that was. I guess I'll ask around. Anyway, I… we… did want to reveal my existence to her, eventually, and as far as I can tell, Hikuro hasn't changed his mind since. My existence partially explains why he doesn't feel so bad about changing. But explaining any of this would be awkward, even if we hide that I'm disguised as Coco - 'let me divide in two. Not you, just… me…' well! That proposes a solution. If she splits too and meets halfway, then it won't be unfair.

"Is it that you think it's a little unfair that he's offering to change and not demanding anything in return?"

She looked at him. "Some, I guess, but mainly, it seems not right to just go in and mess around with your core identity like that."

I can work with that. "What about with backups? If he leaves another instance behind, unchanged, or minimally, then would that make that okay?"

Polychrome frowned. "But then that other instance would also be married to me."

"Changed not to be. Then there's a pony out there who's like he was, but tweaked one way, and a very, very similar pony with you. There are hundreds of Coconut Creams, you know."

She crossed her eyes from the absurdity. "But that's different! You just look the same and have the same name. I guess a few of you are based on the minor character from some different timeline or something, but the rest of you just happen to look the same. Well, you looked the same, until you got male."

"We're a bit more connected than that. Still. Hmm. Core identity, you said? Without getting into specifics of what, maybe you could work on a procedure? Like, he'd try a change for a limited time. After an hour, he would change back for a while to see if he approves of the change. Just for a minute, or however long he wants, to see if old-him approves. Or stop earlier if either of you already doesn't like it. But if you do, then try it for a day, checking back for an hour, or more; then try a week, checking back for at least a day, and so on, with the next steps being month, and year. If you're both okay with it after that, then it's okay."

They took the left fork, to the lower hill, and he added, "Just because something is in your core doesn't mean you approve of it."

At that, she slowed and looked down at the ground. "Yeah."

Seems like that hit closer. "You can let yourself become who you want to be, and not become who you don't. Only as much as you want. Or you could both do it the old-fashioned way, through self-improvement. Or a mix of the two."

She sped again, and didn't speak until they had reached the end of the path, the clearing at the top of the lower hill, overlooking the village. She stopped at the edge, sighed. Eventually, she said, "Some things we might want to change are really core, and wouldn't really be improvements in themselves. Like, what we like to think about. That's very core, and one thing is not really better than another. Just, some things would be better for each other." A long pause. Eventually, she asked, "Stars. How did you get interested in them?"

Celestia smoothly took over and said, "It's beautiful, and it's long term planning. This project we're starting isn't a five year project, or a twenty year project, or a millennium project. This is going to take millions of years, and the benefits will accrue for trillions."

"Fair enough. I still don't know why he did. Couldn't be for the money."

Bright Black, back in control, frowned. Having just faced his old intention to incinerate the USA the day before yesterday, he could tell her how he got interested in fusion, and then once he had changed his mind he had adapted to the most peaceful thing that used the same knowledge… but how could Coco know that? Of course, Hikuro would probably feel the same new freedom in speaking about that. "Ask him. Now that he's in Equestria, he might be able to open up a bit more about it."

"Not sure why that would make a difference."

"I think it could."

"Is that an official word-from-Celestia hint?"

"No, but I have a good feeling about it anyway."

Polychrome cocked her head in acknowledgement. They sat there, looking at the village below, for a few minutes. She suddenly asked, "Do you have somewhere to go, something you need to do?"

"Eventually. Where's Hikuro, anyway?"

"Voice lessons. And as for me… do you think I should join the big project? Hikuro said it might be good for me. Let me look across to him in a way."

Bright Black considered as he said "Maaaybe." That would bring her together with me a lot more, which wouldn't help disentangle us. And on Hikuro's side, she would still be in a lower position, learning even more than they were, so that would be a bit awkward. "There's no need to join up right away. I figure, though, it would be good to pick up a general scientific education just because you can. Once you've done the equivalent of a master's degree or two, then joining up would be the obvious next step. That could take three years or a century depending how focused you care to be on it."

"But then why is half the village joining?"

"A tenth of the village is joining, and that's about half of the ponies who have studied up to equivalent of an undergraduate degree in science or applied math."

"Undergraduate degree? Why do you tell me to wait for a masters degree or two, then?"

"Because step one in this project is for us all to go to school for several years and pick up a few new masters-degree-equivalents of our own. All of us, including… the professor. So, until you're up to that stage, I wouldn't think of your studying as joining the project, but just learning interesting things thoroughly."

"Like how my piano playing is really progressing, but it's not like I'm signing up now to eventually play Prokofiev's 3rd piano concerto just because it's the hardest piano piece I like?"

He nodded.

A silence settled, and Polychrome almost said something a few times. Finally, she managed to ask, "One last thing. Why do you think you're attracted to me?"

"Uh, what?"

"You haven't been inappropriate. Just, I'm trying to figure out why you are at all. You were just seriously altered by Celestia, who generally avoids unwanted side effects, so if you're attracted to me, then she wants you to be. You weren't checking out Beachberry or Sweetsong."

Faulty premises I can't correct! But if I redirect it away from specific purposes, the wrong premises can end up not leading her astray. "I think it's just that you're prettier than they are. You're also more… dramatic. White, red, green, blue, and a touch of black. The primaries, and where you have them at all, more saturated than usual for ponies."

She rolled her eyes. "Beachberry is plenty dramatic. Orange mane on pink body? And those lime-green eyes? Wow. And her purple streak is more saturated than anything on me."

A sigh. On the other hand, if Celestia didn't want her to notice, she could have censored me easily enough. So we do need to explain her motive for not doing that. "I guess, I just have a way of thinking about her already, and it isn't that. I don't know you as well, so it's easier to pivot." That lie didn't even feel like one - he was simply in character. "I'm not really interested in starting any romance right now. Of course, having said that, I'll probably end up married to eight mares and two stallions by the end of the week."

"Yeah, there's that whole multiple partners business. It's all very fishy. I wonder what she's got in mind there. It doesn't seem appealing to me."

"Maybe it's just what it seems like. This town was out of whack and we wanted to solve it ourselves. Like with the astronomy thing. We could just sit back and let Celestia take care of it, or we could get in the thick of it and get our hooves dirty. Hay, I don't know for sure that anypony's actually gotten multiple partners, or even wants to. So far, everypony I'm aware of who got together did so as pairs. Just, we figured that we would be okay with anypony who does it. Let them do a thing that helps solve the problem, if they want to."

"Mmmm. Maybe. Or maybe she's trying to throw you at us."

"Hmm." Is she, and then I'll have friction and Hikuro won't, and that'll drive us apart and make a cleaner break in the long run? "Eh, maybe. I think her plans aren't so specific. Every path leads to victory. But I doubt the main trunk of her plan requires it. Like, maybe a comparable contingency is that you go male now, and team up with Hikuro to pick up chicks, and the reason I went male is so I won't be one of them, because it's helpful for me to just be friends with him."

"That's convoluted. And I'm not interested in mares that way, nor interested in changing that."

"Then that's not it. My overall point was, there are lots of possibilities and we should worry about what's right for us to do, independent of the plan. Focusing on it too much leads to…" Things like my poisoning myself. Even if that turns out to have been a good idea. Which isn't yet certain.

She filled the gap - "… a competitive environment where we can't win? Yeah, I suppose you're right. Still, it seems hard to ignore the seeming slip-up from somepony who isn't known for that."

"I guess we'll find out. Maybe every new male has an inappropriate initial attraction so we don't all move on them right away, and keep things slow. Maybe a lot of things, but in all cases, any attraction I may have ended up with is simply not your problem."

"The only way it will matter to us is if it isn't a problem?"

What? Well, that's logically equivalent. "I guess so." Wait, doesn't its mattering imply…

"I'll tell Hikuro about your offer." She laughed. "Oh, you should have seen your face! But yes, I think I will have to tell him about this conversation, as a whole."

As will I, though I'll wait until she has.

~~~~

A week later, Bright Black woke up in the near-total dark. The only dim light came from the kitchen. A quick head count in the dim light suggested that the one in the kitchen was Guide Star. A quick glance at his nose confirmed that he was still 'dressed' as Bright Black. He slipped out of bed and joined her. She was nursing a cup of tea.

She nodded in acknowledgement of his arrival. "So, it seems I'm not the only one stealing a few moments of existence out of bed."

Bright Black whispered, "You say 'a few moments.' You're there all the time, aren't you?"

She stared intently, gauging, then nodded. "When did you split off? And don't worry about whispering - Celestia said we won't wake them by accident."

"Just before he woke up the first time. What about you?"

She squinted and mumbled for a few moments. "Has it really just been a week? Wow, feels a lot longer than that. It's nice to check in to see how they're doing. Even if I have to wear this funny brown body for the occasion. So it seems we're basically the same 'age'."

Bright Black went to the counter and poured some tea for himself. Once his mouth was free, he asked, "Where have you been? What have you been up to?"

"Oh, going out and seeing the world. Had a fling, to see if I was really back in the game or if I was still attached. Ate fugu fugu until it 'killed' me. Performed in Mahler's 8th symphony in two different voice parts at the same time. You? Were you in the concert with us?"

He shook his head - he'd skipped the concert. "Well… I accidentally broke Coconut Cream on the way in, so I'm trying to get her back, with the help of all her other friends, and in the mean time, I'm impersonating her."

Guide Star stared, then giggled, then guffawed. "Oh, that's priceless. Did you know Polychrome had this long internal debate over whether to suggest making copies or bringing in Coco? She was nearly convinced that Celestia was clearly trying to hook him up with them, so it had to be a good idea."

Bright Black nodded. "I suspected as much. Of course, even if it would be me either way, that would have been a different scene."

Guide star nodded along. "It was already 'That was… interesting' enough without it going as far as involving somepony else beyond the two of us. Two-ish."

"I take it you have some sort of memory exchange going on? This isn't going to get back to her, right?"

"We write postcards embedded with thoughts only we can understand." She twitched a wing, and a postcard off on the side was caught up in the whirl of air and flew to the table.

As he looked it over, seeing nothing special about it, "Nice trick. Tricks. So she took my suggestion for Hikuro and applied it to herself. Fair enough."

"Yeah. She was, of course, speaking with Coconut Cream. She mentioned the debate to Hikuro - I'm surprised he didn't share that with you."

"He's been keeping all the fixing-things-up from me so I don't end up getting things fixed up, and reattached."

Guide Star quirked an eyebrow. "Huh. I guess that's not much of a risk with me, so she's been sharing it all. I'm the leaf on the wind." A moment, and she recited, "I cannot err;/There is no creature/Whom I belong to,/Whom I could wrong." A moment later, she blinked. "Wow, that's apt. For you, too. Hymn to St. Cecilia. Read it. Or go to a performance."

He set that aside in his invisible to-do list and said, "Noted. So, will you be telling her about me?"

"Nah - that's really up to them. They're the ones who have to live together. So, if Hikuro tells her about you, I'm sure she'll tell him about me, and vice versa."

She downed the rest of the tea, washed it, and got up. He got up as well. As he followed her out, he asked, "Think we'll be meeting again like this?"

She stared at him. "Don't get attached to me. That would be stupid. We don't need to duplicate the work they're doing. Polychrome and Hikuro started as Rari-Dash-Pie and Twi-Jack-Shy, total opposites - in the end they'll probably be something like Rari-Pie-Twi and Twi-Jack-Rar, a good 2/3 overlap. But I like being Rari-Dash-Pie, and you like being Twi-Jack-Shy. You go fix up Coco, and you'll find she's your Apple-Twi-Pie, or maybe Beachberry with her Twi-Dash-Shy, or somepony else who's got a bit more in common."

"As… insightful?… as that was, I didn't mean to imply I was trying to pick you up."

"You didn't think you meant it, but part of you did, didn't it?"

"Hmm. Maybe. Probably."

"If they call for us again, sure, could be fun. Or if I'm busy, or don't feel like it, I can let Celestia handle my role. You won't know the difference."

"Actually, I would. I have a sort of identity sense."

That stopped her for a second or two. "Well, then I guess you will, but you won't know till then." A deep breath. "Sayonara." She backed up and took off.

He was so struck by her sudden use of Japanese that he didn't manage to respond before she was out of earshot.