//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10 
// Story: Queen Rarity 
// by Damaged 
//------------------------------//

Sleep was deep and luxurious. Motherhood, thankfully, didn't enter into it at all. When the first stirrings of my conscious mind began, they chased away everything but the knowledge that the dreams had been good ones.

9:33 A.M.

I rolled onto my back and felt different. Rolling my eyes upward, I could now see the point of my horn—adorned with a piece of the new pillow I'd purchased—projecting far upward and forward.

"The way this is going, I'm going to have a horn so heavy I can't lift my head," I said.

Rather than running to the bathroom and looking, I closed my eyes and lifted my hands up to my head. My ears were nothing like human, but that was nothing new. All my hair felt amazingly silky and smooth now, which meant it was probably all cerulean.

I felt down to my face, ran my fingers around my eye sockets, over my closed lids, and down past nose and mouth. Something felt odd, and it came from within my mouth. Carefully opening my mouth, I drew a single finger inside and froze—pointed, fangs. If nothing else they would be great for chewing sushi.

Numb to my physical changes, I let out a little giggle at the thought that I could enjoy that wonderful food more. My fingers trailed down over my lips, chin, and neck. So far it was only my smile that was outwardly noticeable.

When I traced my shoulders and felt down each arm, I froze mid-forearm on each limb. I had to see what had happened, what I was feeling—sharp edges and chunks missing—couldn't be real. Jerking my hands up and above the covers, I stared.

My left arm had a semi-circle missing near the wrist and another complete hole just below my elbow. My right arm had two semi-circles missing. The skin was smooth, black, and stiff. The semi-circles were strange: it looked like someone had used a hole-punch on my arms and gone off center.

—What's wrong?!— NotABug sent.

"I have holes in my arms," I said very softly.

—Does it hurt?—

I just shook my head and poked my finger completely through the hole in my left arm. The inside—I just had to touch it, to feel it—was the same stiff coating as the rest of my arms. Despite my skin’s hardness, my wrists, fingers, and elbow all worked just fine.

—Aren't there meant to be bones going through there?—

"You're not helping, darling. I've really got nothing for this. Is it going to get worse?"

NotABug coaxed me into a digital hug. While we embraced, I slowly slumped back down and tried to ignore the need to poke at my new holes. My own thoughts and the relaxation from NotABug's snuggle caused me to giggle a little.

—What's funny?—

"Life. I might keep checking."

Returning my hands to my shoulders, I started to trace down the front of my body. The next detectable change was quick to be found. Given that I now had holes clear through my arms, my breasts being half a cup smaller—or so I judged—was relatively minor. The soft fabric of the teddy I was wearing felt nice under my fingers.

"It's not going to stop until I'm a—a pony? But this isn't what ponies look like, Princess Twilight told us what ponies look like, and I think she would have mentioned holes. So maybe I'm not turning into a pony, but something like a pony?"

—Would it be so bad? You always have magic. That seems to work really good now.—

I stopped my exploration and looked at my fingers again. Losing them would be a setback—humans had them because they were so useful.

"Maybe I should try getting better with my magic. It seemed a lot more powerful last time I tried using it."

—It would be a good thing to do, for both of us. You made that appointment to see Twilight today, right?—

"Of course. I hope she can fix this."

My hands traced the fabric of the underwear down my body until I found my belly, and then thighs. A quick inspection between them found no change. When my hands traced my legs I found another two holes in my left, and a hole plus three half holes in the right.

—Stockings are out.—

I nodded.

"Although full dresses should help with that. My skin seems harder, stiff around my arms and legs. Was it like that when you were reaching out of my phone?"

Pulling my knees up, I felt all the way down to my feet. Predictably, my left foot had a further semi-circle missing. All of a sudden I was giggling again.

—What's so funny?—

"Darling. We lost weight!"

I broke into a full laugh, and we both chirped at each other in the digital realm. Stretching out in my bed, I squirmed around, a little in indulgent delight at my joke. A knock at the door stole my laughter and I turned to stare.

—That will be Rainbow. She slept on the couch.—

—Do you want to be in control for a bit?— I asked.

I had reverted to digital communications primarily because it was fast—really fast. We could have an entire conversation in our heads while Rainbow Dash barely noticed a pause.

—We're in bed, a little vulnerable, and wearing very little. I think it would be a terrible time for me to be in control. I need to work on my stocks a little, anyway,— NotABug sent.

—Good thinking, darling.—

"Come in, dear," I said aloud.

"Rarity? I heard you laughing and figured you were up," Rainbow Dash said.

Not being into Rainbow Dash myself, I wouldn't normally focus on her barely clad form, but she was wearing one of the teddies NotABug had gotten for her, and she had a silk gown wrapped around her shoulders and tied loosely (which was how I knew exactly what she was wearing under it). The effect was more than I would ever have thought Rainbow Dash could pull off.

"It's just me, yes. NotABug is working online for a few moments. I appear to have some more changes."

I blew at a feather and shred of white pillow that floated down from my horn. Her eyes seemed to study me, tracing my form until they found my arms. I held up my arms to let her have a proper look.

"What. The. Actual. Heck?" Rainbow Dash asked.

She walked toward the bed and looked at my left arm. Poking a finger into the hole near my elbow, I saw her eyes widen.

"You have holes in your arms!"

I felt Rainbow Dash feel the flesh around my hole, then feel the rest of it down to my wrist. Sensations still came strong from the hardened flesh despite its changed nature.

"I do. I'm hungry," I said.

Rainbow Dash quickly stepped back to let me get out of bed, though I watched her eyes trace every visible inch of my black skin, noting every curve that my silken teddy hid. Male or female, straight, gay, bi, or otherwise, I liked being admired.

I made a show of standing up, sliding my hands down my sides and to each hip as I rose to… not quite my full height. Looking up at Rainbow Dash—I had to tilt my head up to meet her gaze. I'd shrunk a few inches.

Unsure exactly how to feel, wetness gathered in my eyes and I couldn't keep the first whimper from my throat. Blue arms wrapped around me and I lost all hope of keeping from crying outright. I pressed myself against Rainbow Dash's strong frame and bawled my eyes out. Great tears fell from my eyes as every little change added up to a complete loss of emotional control.

"You're okay, Rarity. You're okay," Rainbow Dash said, her voice a soft whisper against my odd ears.

I shook my head a little and pressed my face against her shoulder. It was all horribly unfair. I lost my height, my hair, and (pressed against Rainbow Dash for a good scale comparison) even a cup size. Even my eyes were completely different. Now I had holes opening in my arms and legs, and the skin of both had hardened.

Normally, in a novel, the character would make the comment that they don't know how long they stood there crying. I, however, am not in a novel. I bawled into my best friend's arms for eleven minutes, seventeen seconds, and seven-hundred-and-twenty milliseconds.

Even when I was done, when my tears had stopped flowing, I was grateful that Rainbow Dash just kept holding me.

"It's breakfast time. Come on," Rainbow Dash said.

I didn't manage to get out a full squeal before she'd scooped me up, one arm under my shoulders while the other was under my knees, and started carrying me out of my bedroom. I know I made squeals of protest, but Rainbow Dash seemed immune to them as she carried me all the way to the living room and set me on the couch.

The egg was still there. All my panic and stress died in my throat at the realization that I was, in some way or another, going to be a mother. I stared at the egg until Rainbow Dash put a bowl of chocolate-fudge ice-cream into my hands.

"Eat that while the coffee is brewing," Rainbow Dash said.

"You're making me coffee?" I asked and sighed. "Thank you."

I could already taste sweetness before I lifted the first spoonful of ice-cream. Rainbow Dash's love was amazing, but I had the proof before me of what eating too much of it would do. As the first chocolaty goodness filled my mouth, I fell sideways on the couch and squirmed in place.

Laying across the couch reminded me of the height I'd lost, but I had ice-cream, so it was easier to deal with. Everything was easier to deal with when you had a bowl of chocolate ice-cream.

10:03 A.M.

So far I'd already had an existential crisis, several revelations, and possibly become a million dollars richer—depending on what NotABug was up to. But everything paled before ice-cream and coffee once Rainbow had brought it in.

I sat up again and cradled my mug in one hand, my bowl on my lap, and the spoon in my free hand.

"Thank you, again. I don't know how I would have survived this morning without you," I said.

"Hey. You don't have to keep thanking me. This is what friends do," she said.

Rainbow Dash sat down—or in her case practically collapsed—next to me and started on one of my breakfast bars. I’d gotten my spoon halfway to my mouth with more ice-cream when I realized what had happened.

"I'm out of ice-cream, aren't I?" I asked.

"Yup."

I quickly had one more spoon of ice-cream and passed Rainbow Dash the bowl.

"I'll have to do more shopping. The cycle never ends, does it? Oh well. I can do that after my appointment with Twilight," I said.

Retrieving the breakfast bar, I started on the second half of it and wrote some shopping in on my day planner. Having data storage was literally the best thing ever.

In the back of my head was the constant chirping sound of data transfers. NotABug seemed busy, so I left her be.

"What do you think she'll do?"

"Well, certainly nothing with clippers. I made her promise," I said, earning a snort of laughter from Rainbow Dash. "Best case, of course, is undoing all this, getting NotABug her own body, and creating a fountain that shoots money into the air. Honestly, though, I don't there's much chance of any of those things. This has a feeling of—of finality."

"So hope for the best but prepare for the worst?"

I nodded. It was the best way of putting my predicament. I turned my mind to the "worst" and what it might entail.

"If I am turning into something similar to what NotABug was, I'm likely to end up without hands at all. She had hooves," I said. "Although there is magic. We discussed that earlier, NotABug and I that is, and agreed that practicing with our magic would be a good idea. If nothing else, I get an extra hand."

Rainbow Dash held her silence for a full minute. She looked down into the bowl of ice-cream and I could practically hear her inner voice wanting to blurt something out.

"I don't care," Rainbow Dash said at last. "A-About what you or NotABug look like, I mean. Not that I don't like how you look, or how much effort you put into looking good, but I mean I care more about who you are than what—"

I saved her from shoving her foot any further down her throat by kissing her cheek. It didn't last long, just a little contact and then gone again.

"I understand, and when NotABug's paying more attention I know she will too. Life's complicated right now, and knowing I have a good friend is more important than almost anything else."

"Just a friend?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Narrowing my eyes, I delivered what I hoped to be an admonishing glare. It was hard, however, considering the pampering she'd given me so far today.

—I don't mind if you are more than friends,— NotABug sent.

—Don't you start. I'm still working through this. I have twenty years of little girl dreams to change from Prince Charming to Miss Awesome. Disney is to blame.—

—Disney?— NotABug asked.

—Yes. Disney. We'll do research later,— I sent.

"For now. Don't push me," I said out loud.

"But carrying is okay?" Rainbow Dash asked, mouth cocked into a grin.

"Carrying was okay and you know it. Now, do you want to have lunch with me and then have your date tonight with NotABug?" I asked.

There was plenty of excited chirping in my head now, and it had nothing to do with data transfers. If only all the chirping was from NotABug, alas the excited look on Rainbow Dash's face made my heart jump a little. Just friendship. Maybe something more, later. I'm such a terrible liar.

—Does she deserve a kiss?— NotABug asked.

In response I gently pushed away from the front of my mind. NotABug slid past, easily finding herself at the helm of her body again. I could never just kiss Rainbow Dash on her lips, but NotABug could and did.

Despite Rainbow Dash's strength and speed, and despite everything else she had built her body to be, her lips were soft as silk. I tried to slip away to do some revised dress designs, but nothing let me escape the feel of NotABug kissing Rainbow Dash.

And drat it, but it felt good.

To distract myself more, I called Uma no Sushi.

"Uma no Sushi, this is Kit speaking."

"Kit, darling, please tell me you're open for lunch today?" I asked

"Of course. We're open for lunch and dinner every day," she said. After a slight pause, she asked, "Rarity?"

"Indeed. May I book a more substantial lunch for two, then? Similar style to last time."

I had no idea how much their produce actually cost, but I tipped generously when I was first in.

"Of course. Midday?" she asked.

"Yes. Thank you."

We said our pleasantries and I ended the call. I could feel air on NotABug's lips, so the kiss was hopefully over. When I reached back toward the real world a little more, I felt a strong arm around NotABug's shoulders.

10:37 A.M.

—I booked lunch at Uma no Sushi. Let Rainbow Dash know. We have an hour and a half to get ready,— I sent NotABug.

"Oh! Rarity booked us lunch at an awesome sushi place!" NotABug said.

"Sushi? Again with the raw fish?" Rainbow Dash asked, screwing her face up a bit. "If it's just raw fish, it should be really cheap, right?"

"It was extremely expensive, but tasted wonderful. You'll see."

NotABug gulped down the coffee and jumped to her feet. She was already two strides toward the hallway before she turned to look back at Rainbow Dash.

"Come on! We need to have a shower and get ready!" NotABug said.

—By shower, you mean singular?— I asked.

—I think she'll work it out eventually. Think I'll be done before she does?— NotABug asked, not answering my question directly.

In our bedroom, NotABug shed the teddy she was wearing and got all the way to the en suite—with only her derriere showing—before Rainbow Dash apparently realized what was said and rushed to our bedroom door.

"Do you mean sh-shower together?" Rainbow Dash asked.

We both chirped at the stutter in Rainbow's words. NotABug looked back over her shoulder, and bumped her horn on the door jamb—ruining the sexy glance somewhat.

"That depends. Do you promise to not touch?" NotABug asked.

It was a big moment, I guess. I'd seen Rainbow Dash in everything down to underwear—while fitting dresses for her—and of course when we put on costumes and outfits when younger. Being naked together in a shower would be different.

But despite that, NotABug's little rule made it more tolerable. Then a little revelation happened: it isn't my body. NotABug's breasts are different, her height's different, eyes, skin tone, even her hair right now is completely different to my own. Is she in my body, or am I in hers?

"Is Rarity okay with this?" Rainbow Dash asked, still not taking a step into the room.

—I am now that she asked,— I sent.

"She wasn't, but now that you asked nicely she said she will be okay with it."

NotABug left Rainbow Dash with that, and walked into the bathroom. Being a typical en suite, the bathroom was equipped with a shower well-sized for two. NotABug leaned in and turned the water on then moved in a moment later.

—I might take a nap, darling. Okay with this does not equate to wanting to participate,— I sent.

—I'll wake you when we're done.—

It was so easy to let go. I wasn't trapped by my body's needs, so sleeping became purely mental.





11:15 A.M.

It seemed like I was unconscious for maybe twenty seconds before I felt my hair being brushed. Mentally, I stretched like a cat, exploring the range of my mind. I wasn't in control of my—NotABug's—body, but that was okay.

While NotABug sat on the floor beside our bed, Rainbow Dash was seated behind her—completely naked. I realized the position was a set up, owing to the large mirror in front.

My senses seemed drawn to Rainbow Dash. Wearing her bra and panties for her fitting, she had shown the muscles of her form off quite well, but without any clothing at all she was different—subtle and more vulnerable. I traced the flat stomach down until I lost sight at the back of NotABug's head.

—You planned this set up,— I sent.

—Yup. I asked if Rainbow Dash wanted to wear anything, she said it wouldn't be anything you haven't already seen, then. She likes us both,— NotABug sent, chirping softly in the background.

—I know, but there is a little too much going on right now. I don't even know if I'll look human in another week. Oh dear, how odd will work be by then?—

Rainbow was taking things slow with NotABug's hair, using a hand to gently steady it each time while the brush slowly worked through the silken strands. I studied the way the muscles played in her arms with each stroke, a determined but happy expression on her face, and found myself chirping softly.

—Oh! Oh! You totally need to use this! "You turned me into a monster, Suri. Now you have to deal with your choices,"— NotABug sent.

This time I chirped for all I was worth. I relaxed maybe a little too much, comfortable in Rainbow Dash's attention.

11:22 A.M.

I wasn't sure exactly how long I'd been chirping, but five minutes was believable. I gently nudged at NotABug and slid into control.

—She's going to want a kiss after this,— NotABug sent.

—Maybe I'm more okay with that. On the cheek of course.—

—You could pretend you're me.—

It hadn't worked last time, and I doubt it would work now. I took a deep breath.

"Welcome back, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said, cutting off my chance to get words in. "It's really cool how you can just sleep like that. NotABug explained it to me."

It wasn't fair: Rainbow was entirely too good at telling us apart. In a way it reassured me that we were completely different people. I didn't need to force myself to relax—I was still relaxed.

"Thank you, darling. I don't suppose you have panties on?" I asked.

In answer, Rainbow Dash tilted herself a little to the side. The movement was significant because I could see an unbroken line from Rainbow Dash's shoulder all the way down her side to her toes—there was no strap for any underwear.

I looked away from Rainbow Dash, turning my head enough to see the clothing on the bed beside me. My eyes widened as I realized what it was.

"Is that one of my school outfits? Where did you find that?" I asked, standing up in the process.

"There was a box in your spare room marked, 'Canterlot High.' You were only a little smaller then, so we figured it would fit," Rainbow Dash said.

A white blouse, an ankle-length purple dress, some lovely full-shoe heels, and dark stockings were on the bed. I hesitated for a moment with the shirt, thinking it would be bad to wear a white blouse over black underwear, but then I remembered my own skin tone was hardly white anymore.

I pulled the blouse on and started fastening it. The long sleeves did a reasonable job of hiding my holes until I held one arm up and light shone through.

"Keep your arms down. If anyone says anything you, just tell them you're going to a convention later. Rarity, you have more confidence than this. What's that thing you keep saying?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Suri's an idiot?" I asked.

"No. About life."

"Life is a runway…"

I let out a sigh and smiled. She was right. I looked down at my neckline and unfastened the top button—I wasn't quite as small as I was back then, and it meant the silky top of the teddy I was wearing was perfectly visible at the bottom V of the neckline. Next came the hose, dress, and my shoes.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had walked over to my closet and selected one of my shorter, black dresses, a light blue top that matched her own skintone, and a black pushup bra under it. I stared at her for a moment, my eyes taking in the effect that the bra made. It was obvious she was wearing it, but being blue it was less of a stark contrast.

—She looks yummy,— NotABug sent.

—Where did you learn something like that?— I asked.

—Remember when we first met?—

—Yes.—

—I practiced my speaking on a lot of people, in private chats. They thought they were taking me out on a date, but it was a good way to learn. A few guys said that when I linked them a cute girl picture.—

I almost face-palmed.

—She is tasty, though. Maybe we shouldn't eat her so often, though. Do we really want more eggs?— I asked.

—I want to see what happens with the first one. Oh! We should set up a camera to watch it while we're out.—

It was a good idea, actually.

"Rainbow, I'm going to set some things up in the living room. I'll be right back," I said and started to walk out. "Oh, wait a moment. Don't put on any perfume."

Rainbow Dash poked her head out of the closet and gave me a confused look.

"Uh, not that I normally do, but why not?" she asked.

"It ruins the experience of sushi, darling."

Sounding like a seasoned sushi diner, I turned and walked out to the living room. All the gizmos NotABug had ordered were in a pile, neatly stacked. I looked over them until I found an IP camera. Just thinking about the topic brought not only the words, but the meanings of the words to life. IP: Internet Protocol - How data was sent on the internet.

—Just open it up and plug it in. I'll configure it as we want it,— NotABug sent.

—This is a wireless one? Wi-Fi? That will be great,— I sent.

Taking the camera from the box, I found its wall-wart and hooked it up beside the couch. The moment it powered up I began to hear some chirping in the back of my head. I ignored NotABug's work and positioned the camera so it was pointing at the egg.

—How is that?— I asked.

In answer, an image appeared in my peripheral vision. It was only momentarily disconcerting—though it didn't move as I turned my head, it felt almost exactly the same as the cameras in the car.

"What are you doing? I mean, I don't mind the view, but we still have to get some makeup on," Rainbow Dash said.

Her voice startled me enough to jump up and almost knock the camera over.

"It's a camera to keep an eye on the e—on junior," I said. "If they hatch while I'm out, I want to know about it."

"You can connect to it over the internet? What, on your phone?"

I rolled my eyes but grinned, then I tapped the side of my head and sent Rainbow Dash's phone a message.


 I sent


There was a beep. Rainbow Dash's head spun to face her phone (that was secluded in her jeans pocket, tossed on the floor) then back to me.

"Was that you?" she asked.

"Well of course it was me. I have an internet connection in my head, and the smartest programmer in the world sharing a brain with me. Getting a simple camera to work was child's play," I said and sighed. "But you're right, we need makeup."

11:46 A.M.

We had just put finishing touches on our makeup. I'd gone for a little more bright—to match my white blouse—whereas Rainbow Dash had gone with some darker colors. While I'd worked on my own makeup, NotABug had worked on our horn.

I'd taken note that Rainbow Dash hadn't put anything on her cheeks, because right then I wanted to decorate one myself. Stretching up on tiptoes, I laid a little kiss on her cheek. The effect was wonderful—Rainbow Dash's face lit up and she beamed with excitement. She also had a perfect imprint of my red lipstick on her cheek.

—She looks good with that on her cheek,— NotABug sent.

—She does, but it might be a little much in public. Let me ask.—

"Rainbow, dear, do you want me to clean that—?" I asked.

"No! I mean, no thanks," Rainbow Dash said, turning back to the mirror. "It looks good, actually."

—See!— NotABug sent.

I was out voted, it seemed.

"Come on then. Let's give you a taste of perfection," I said and turned for the door.

"I still can't believe we're going to eat raw fish. Is their stove broken or something?"

I had never rolled my eyes so much before in my life. Walking through the house, I passed the egg and couldn't keep a smile from my lips as I saw it with more than just the security camera.

"Why don't we take my car?" Rainbow Dash asked the moment I opened the door.

About to make a comment about "arriving alive", I instead cocked a smile and turned to look at Rainbow.

"Only if you let me drive," I said.

"What? Ugh! Okay! We'll take your car."

—She really doesn't like people driving her car that much?— NotABug asked.

—This is a method I've used to survive several years since Rainbow got her license. I feel no guilt.—

We both chirped at the silliness.

The drive was short—Uma no Sushi was closer to my home than it was to work. In no time, and with minimal complaining about my driving from Rainbow Dash, we were there.

11:55 A.M.

I shut down the car, turned off the cameras, and climbed out. It took a conscious decision to swing the door closed from as low as possible so as not to show too much light through the holes. Circling around the car, I gestured to Uma no Sushi.

"Are you going inside?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't get what all the excitement's about. It's just fish."

Rainbow Dash opened the door and led the way into the restaurant. Kitsune Udon was at the register settling the check for a young man. I waited patiently behind him until he left.

"Ah! Miss Rarity. Welcome back," Kitsune Udon said. "If you'd take a seat over here, Chef Soba Tsuya will see to your needs himself. And please, call me Kit."

"So do we pay up front or when we're done?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Today'll be my treat," I said, forestalling any further problems. "You shouldn't have to worry about money when having something this delicious."

Kitsune nodded to me with a smile. Turning toward the offered seats, I closed the distance and sat up atop one. Rainbow Dash found the seat beside mine.

Behind the bench, Chef Soba was working on several things, but he noticed me and smiled. For an instant I wondered if he would mention my stature or the length of the horn on my head. The little changes had become so much noise, but surely big things would draw attention?

"Irasshaimase. Welcome again to Uma no Sushi. You bring more customers to my little shop?" Chef Soba asked.

Chef Soba had the kind of smile that I could see on any proud business owner or father.

"Rainbow Dash, this is Chef Soba Tsuya. Chef Soba, this is my good friend Rainbow Dash," I said.

"Hi, Chef Soba Tsuya," Rainbow Dash said.

"Hello. Please, call me Chef Soba. Is there a fish that you would like to start with?" Chef Soba asked.

"I'm gonna level with you, I'm only here because my girlfriend raved about how good your food is. So I guess, what I'm saying is, make something you think I'll like," Rainbow Dash said.

Chef Soba's hands began moving, and he pulled out a fillet of whitish fish. His knife adjusted to an angle and sliced two thin strips from it.

"This is karei, winter flounder. I will be serving it as nigiri," Chef Soba said.

As he spoke, the chef's hands moved rapidly, pressing fish to rice with a touch of green wasabi paste and a brush stroke of something on top. He plated the nigiri on two different plates and added some of the ubiquitous ginger.

"When you eat this, Rainbow, you turn it upside down at the last moment so the fish is the first thing to touch your tongue. Savor it," I said.

Reaching for my own piece, I demonstrated for Rainbow Dash: took a deep inhale of the fish's light aroma, then put it in my mouth. The first thing that met my palate was a gentle tingle from what appeared to be some kind of clear liquid that Chef Soba had brushed onto the fish. The wine was overtaken by the encompassing flavor of the fish—a light flavor—and when I finally bit through I found the wasabi as a sharp finale.

I was just about to swallow when I heard a loud exclamation from beside me.

"That was totally awesome!" Rainbow Dash said. "The stuff on top—was that wine? It was just a little sparkly before that fish flavor just kept coming. The kick at the end was great, too!"

And so we ate. The sushi was—without exception—delicious. We had, of course, finished things up with another awabi each, the powerful flavor of which would hopefully last for an hour.

I stood up and made my way to settle the check. Kit was standing behind the counter looking pleased as punch.

"The price will be two-hundred-and-twenty dollars," Kit said.

Swiping NotABug's card, I turned my head and gave Rainbow Dash a significant look. Her mouth was already open but my glance cut her short. I punched the pin code and waited for the machine to beep before turning.

Rainbow Dash had picked up on my look, thankfully—she held her mouth closed until we were outside and the door closed behind us.

"What the actual heck, Rarity? That was over a hundred bucks each!" she said.

—Should I tell her about your funds?— I asked NotABug.

—Maybe. I don't want anyone to get hurt if Windigo gets wind of where I am,— NotABug sent.

—Is there a way we could make all those shares legitimate? Maybe we could ask our lawyer?— I asked.

—I'll send an email to them. Uh. I'll have to pretend I'm you. Is that okay?—

—Perfectly fine, darling. If we could make that money legitimate, it would take a lot of the stress out of that side of things. I know we would pay a lot of tax, but it's not like we can't make more.—

The conversation had been rapid as usual, and not a full second had passed before I put together a reply.

"I'll tell you in the car," I said.

I climbed into my little car, turned it on, and activated the cameras. Once Rainbow was in and beside me, I started to explain.

"NotABug has a knack for the stock market. She has raised…" I said and thought about how to give the full depth of what she was doing. "She can raise enough money for all of us to live very comfortably for the rest of our lives—even if we continue to eat hundred-dollar sushi every day."

"How much exactly?" Rainbow Dash asked.

I slid the car into forward, activated the accelerator, and slid out into traffic.

"As far as I'm aware she has a few million in her various bank accounts."

The number—the word—still didn't seem possible. It didn't feel right that I could have access to all that money. The quantity just didn't register beyond what NotABug had said to me: that she could always get more.

"That's a lot, yeah," Rainbow Dash said.

Rainbow leaned back in her seat in a way that had nothing to do with speed. Rather than home, I drove us back to the mall. Rainbow Dash didn't even notice where we were going until I pulled into the parking lot and found a space.

"Why're we here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Because I have a job for you," I said. "How would you like to do some egg-sitting?"

At that, Rainbow blushed in a way that made me want to give her a matching kiss-mark on her other cheek.

"I can't believe I'm going to be a mommy!" Rainbow Dash said.

NotABug gently nudged at me, and I relaxed and let her take the fore. With the car parked, NotABug leaned across, used her hand to cup Rainbow's jaw and turn it toward her, and kissed her on the lips.

Meanwhile, I tried to put together a shopping list.

—Sorry. She deserved that one,— NotABug sent.

—I concur. If you want to spend a little more time with her, I've made a list of things we need for the house.—

1:10 P.M.

—Are you sure? Do you have something to do?—

—Darling, I have a slew of programming homework to do!—

And with that, I brought up my VPN and began taking care of just that—while trying to ignore how nice Rainbow Dash kissed.





It was much easier to keep both worlds in focus. I could see NotABug shopping with Rainbow Dash, watch our egg, and work on my code at the same time. It seemed like hours, but the ever-present time in my head told me it was just thirty minutes before a message arrived.

1:43 P.M.

 Twilight sent.





I almost hated the message system used by phones. Not only was there a horrible delay between sending and the other person receiving, but they were always replying in real-world time. I'd never really thought about it, but if everyone in the world could think this fast, I'm sure there would be wars about turn-around latency.

I returned to my programming and nearly a full minute passed before Twilight replied again.



Anticlimactic fury lit inside me and raged for nearly fifty milliseconds.





I watched, through the car's cameras, as NotABug drove Rainbow Dash back to my house. They spent five minutes unloading the groceries from the car.

—We need to leave shortly. Twilight is expecting us,— I sent.

—Yeah. Just kissing my girl and topping up on love. I never realized it before, but I feel hungry when I need more.—

The comment about love surprised me. I tried to feel if I needed any and found myself content with the quantity I had already. Of course now that I paid attention to it, I realized I was feeding off Rainbow Dash anyway.

I was listening to Rainbow and NotABug say their goodbyes and then felt the gentle push of NotABug. I answered immediately and slid into control.

"Welcome back, Rarity. I still can't get over you doing egghead stuff. Computer programming? Really?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, if you had to put up with all this data flying around all the time, you'd start wanting things to keep it under control too," I said.

Rainbow Dash seemed to stew on that for a minute.

1:51 P.M.

"Okay. I guess without experiencing it myself I can't really say anything. I still think it's a bit nerdy."

"Goodbye, Rainbow Dash," I said, offering my cheek.

She kissed me warmly, affectionately—the taste of her love ran to something like strawberry jam.

"You make this sound like Twilight's going to lock you up and run all kinds of experiments."

I rolled my eyes and made my way to the front door.

"I'll catch you later!" Rainbow Dash said.

Leaving her be, I walked out to my car and drove to Twilight's house. Housing was mercifully cheap in Canterlot, but it wouldn't have mattered for Twilight. Her parents had purchased her a house to live in near the university, and it seemed like she was never going to leave.

I parked beside Twilight’s car in her driveway. She, like myself, had chosen something economical and simple—a car to get from A to B. I walked to her front door and rang the bell.

When there was no answer, I sent a quick text.





A little background chirping caught my attention, then a lot of chirping from NotABug made me more curious. I got as far as discovering her making a phone call to Rainbow Dash before I backed away. This was something private for them.

Twilight opened the door and looked at me. She stared for several seconds—not even blinking.

"C-C-Come in. Wow that— Mind the door frame!" Twilight Sparkle said.

Her warning came just in time for me to duck under the lintel. While I had shrunk a little, my horn had grown more.

Twilight was wearing a pair of jeans and a shirt but had a lab coat over the top. It was a severe look, but it did well to highlight how severe a situation I was in. Meanwhile, her house was spotless. Beautiful floorboards were polished to the point where they reflected some light, lovely cream walls had a few pretty pictures hanging on them, and it all looked entirely too clean—Twilight was married closer to her career than I had been to mine.

"Is that real?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

She pulled something out from behind her back and began waving it at me. The device had a screen and looked like it had been cobbled together from a mobile phone and a bunch of old coat-hanger wire.

"Twilight, darling, can you at least let me get all the way inside, and preferably somewhere that I can try to relax?" I asked.

Twilight jerked back, clutching her device to her chest. She looked more anxious than hurt, although ultimately it was the same thing.

"Please calm down, Twilight. You have a list of things you want to test?" I asked, getting in before she could recover.

"Right: my list. Sorry, but you have to understand how exciting this is. So far all the testing and research has been based off artificial magic I have caused, or that I made machines cause. Having something significant to investigate will be a welcome break," Twilight Sparkle said.

She led the way to her kitchen and the stairs that descended to the basement. Despite the good light, I took the stairs slowly and I found myself in another world. 

Three walls of the room were covered in machinery. Huge racks (a word I'd learned had new meaning from NotABug) stood side by side, each with either a server, some kind of networking system, or huge bundles of cables running to other devices. The final wall of the room was reserved for a workbench, and with the stairs freestanding, I was right in the middle of it all.

"Just remember, anything that is going to interact directly with us is off the table. I don't want NotABug hurt by this," I said.

"Okay. First thing," Twilight Sparkle said, lifting up a computer tablet. "Horn. I made a device, should anyone from Equestria come and visit and still, well— I made it to go around a horn."

Reaching to the work desk, Twilight lifted up what looked like a plastic cup with a hole completely through it. I stared at the thing in fascination.

"What does it do exactly?" I asked.

"It picks up your manipulation of Twil—of magic. If it works as well as the skullcap version, I'll be able to see what you are trying to do and where."

I couldn't forget that she had named the magic particle after herself—that must get confusing when talking with her contemporaries. Holding my hand out, I waited for Twilight to pass me the device.

"I can put it on myself, dear. I…" I said, then realized there was more to it. "Oh go ahead. I'm sitting in your chair, though."

I sat down and tilted my head back far enough that my horn stuck straight up.

When Twilight's fingers touched my horn for the first time, I let out a little gasp—I had forgotten how sensitive it was. Thankfully she was being careful, which meant I had time to get used to having someone else touching it.

Then she wrapped the cup around the very base of my horn. There was soft padding inside the cup, but it still felt odd to have something there.

Without realizing it, I reached up to itch at the thing on my horn.

"Don't touch that! Please, you restricted me enough already. At least let me run these tests," Twilight Sparkle said.

I let out an expansive and eternally suffering sigh.

"I suppose you're going to ask me to do something?" I asked.

"Just another… Okay! Now try to lift that ball over there."

Twilight pointed at a tennis ball (that looked well-chewed) sitting on the floor on the other side of the room.

"That's Spike's," I said. "You know he'll be upset if I move it."

"He's staying with Mom and Dad for the weekend. I thought you wanted to get this looked at?"

Twilight had me. I'd been pretending to be forward about turning into something else, but now that Twilight could actually investigate, I was doing everything I could to stop her. I reached for my magic, my new magic, and the room lit up green.

A new aspect to my magic surfaced: I could feel Twilight Sparkle standing beside me. She, like Rainbow Dash, had a flavor to her, but hers was like chilled, vanilla ice-cream. She loved me for the science I represented.

Distracted by the feelings of my friend, I struggled to focus on the target—the ball.

"I had a little burst of energy yesterday, so I don't know how strong I'll—" I said.

Before I could finish explaining how weak my magic was now, I shoved the tennis ball into the air and embedded it in the floor of the house above us. Two beautiful wooden boards were split and broken with a yellow fuzzy rubber ball lodged between their broken splinters.

"… be."

I could have blown up her house and Twilight would have taken less notice. She was glued to her tablet, tapping on it with an expression like she'd just won the lottery.

"Did you get useful data?" I asked.

"Nope! It's amazing!" Twilight Sparkle said.

Blinking a few times, I began tilting my head forward then froze, the recorder thing was still around my horn, and despite my less charitable thoughts I didn't want to ruin it.

"Alright, Twilight. Those were two very contradictory and enthusiastic replies. What happened?" I asked.

"It was way too much magic. My device tries to measure and calculate each Twilight your horn discharges, but there was an overflow. I don't know exactly how many Twilights that was, but what I managed to measure put them at a very low Sparkle," she said. "Your magic, simply put, works in an entirely different way than mine, or any other I've seen. Everything else uses high-powered, precision Twilights. Your magic just throws an ocean of Twilights."

I could grasp the basic concept, even if the repeated use of the two parts of her name made me want to giggle. My magic, and presumably NotABug's too, was quantity over quality. It wasn't the best of methods, and it generally wasn't my choice, but it explained why my magic was so overwhelming when I used it.

"So, since we can assume your magic—how it used to be—worked like mine, this explains why you seem to have a bit of a control problem," Twilight Sparkle said. "You see, your normal method of moderating power by reducing the Sparkles in your magic doesn't work—even with the lowest Sparkle count, your wave of Twilights is still super powerful."

What she said was exactly what I'd figured out, even if she managed to state it as confusingly as possible. I nodded a little, glad I at least had my idea confirmed.

"Then controlling my magic should mean I need to limit how many,"—I bit back a giggle—"Twilights I make."

"Exactly!" Twilight Sparkle said.

Practically bouncing in excitement, Twilight quickly turned to the computer on her workbench and began typing away at a furious pace.

"Twilight?" I asked, only to get no answer. "Twilight, can you remove this contraption now?"

It was too late—she was completely enthralled in writing down her new discovery.

The tablet laying on the desk beside her gave me an idea. Twilight was using the tablet to control her test gear, so there had to be a wireless network here. It took but a second to find it, and a little poke told me it was using WPA security.

Putting what NotABug had taught me into practice, I downloaded a tool for breaking WPA security, loaded it on the server at home, and set up a link between my Wi-Fi link and the server. I set the program running, and while it worked I tried some common passwords.

Just as the program alerted me that it had guessed the password, I broke in myself. "FriendshipIsMagic" was not the most inventive password after all. Logging onto the Wi-Fi, I prodded all the machines present—and there was a lot. Twilight's computer—the laptop she was working with on—wasn't hard to find.

Scanning it like NotABug had taught me, I found a secure little machine that didn't seem inclined to chat. I was about to give up, but I found streams of data pouring in from other computers. Turning my eyes in the real world, I toyed with the data (with a cute little man-in-the-middle attack NotABug had shown me) and got a feel for what was being displayed. More poking, and the scatter plot data Twilight was looking at suddenly changed to the words "Turn around."

Spinning in her seat, Twilight stared at me as if I'd grown wings and a tail—which I might do soon, but that was beside the point.

"How did you make your magic do that?!" she said.

"I didn't. I tried asking you to take this thing off me, but you got distracted with your typing. Also, your Wi-Fi password is terrible, although your laptop's well-protected," I said. "Now, please, if this isn't going to help, can you please take it off?"

I could now see how much fun NotABug had poking at computers and networks. The whole process had been like a puzzle box.

"But I really need to record my thoughts on this—" Twilight Sparkle said.

"No buts. Twilight, can you please remove this thing now?"

For a second (a second and thirty milliseconds, actually) Twilight looked to actually be thinking on the subject. Then she shook her head and her whole demeanor changed.

"Sorry, Rarity," Twilight Sparkle said.

Unhooking the ring from its cables, Twilight lifted it away from my horn and carried it back to the workbench.

"I'd just come up with a better way to measure the Twilights. It had never occurred to me that I'd need to count this many before, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's that my friends will never stop surprising me in amazing ways," she said.

Her taste became warmer, fuller.

"There's something else about this. My magic—and NotABug's—doesn't seem to come from within anymore. We—well—eat love," I said.

If I'd told Twilight I'd just made an egg out of a gaming console, it probably would have broken her, given how shocked she looked right now.

"From what I can tell it isn't hurting anyone. Rainbow Dash said she could feel us doing it, but that it wasn't tiring her… Twilight? Twilight dear?" I asked once Twilight stopped responding.

"You eat magic?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "But how does. That's even more amazing!"

"No. We eat love. We did some experiments and found it's either that or affection, and I must say I prefer the idea of eating love—it has a more grandiose ring to it."

"But you still eat regular food too?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Can you—? Are you—? I have so many questions!" Twilight Sparkle said.

The following flurry of testing took the remainder of the afternoon with Twilight checking again and again to detect when I was eating. The ring that clamped around my horn had become a familiar associate.

5:00 P.M.

—Darling? Are you awake?— I asked NotABug.

I remembered that such prods required one to actually look for them, so rather than send more direct messages, I chirped to her.

—I am now. Oh, look at the time,— NotABug sent.

—Exactly. You have a date tonight.—

A flurry of excited chirping washed through me—it was pretty obvious the source.

"I really must be going, Twilight," I said aloud.

"What? But we still have—" she said.

"Tomorrow. Same time?" I asked and witnessed Twilight Sparkle nod excitedly. "That gives you the morning to plan."

"Of course! And if I work all through the night, I can redesign the detector ring to get a better reading on your Twilight output."

"I'll message you just before 2 P.M., Twilight," I said, making my way to the stairs.

"Bye!" Twilight Sparkle said and spun back around to her laptop.

In a way it was reassuring to know that she took my problem so seriously, but it would be more reassuring still if I knew it was entirely because we were friends. Twilight Sparkle took her science seriously and at the complete detriment to her personal well-being.

As I walked through Twilight's too-neat home, I searched my phone for an important number. There was barely one ring before it answered.

"Hello. Is this Twilight's friend, Rarity?" a masculine voice asked.

"Yes, Mr. Light. Twilight's planning another all-nighter, and it may have been a little bit my fault," I said through the phone.

A short chuckle betrayed warmth in Night Light's tone.

"That's fine. I'll just drop by around midnight and make her some hot cocoa. That never fails to have her out within an hour. Thanks for letting me know."

My own daddy was great in his role as father, but Twilight's took parenting to a new level.

"I didn't mean to get her so stirred up. Is she at least getting better at looking after herself?" I asked.

"Yes and no. If you know of a guy or girl…"

I barked a laugh.

"I'll keep an eye out for someone. Take care."

"Thanks again."

I ended the call sitting in my car. Smiling to myself at how well I'd done operating in both worlds at once, I started home. As I pulled up, Rainbow Dash came running out of the house.

"Gotta go get changed. I'll be back in about an hour!" she said, not even stopping for a kiss.

Then it hit me: I'd been expecting a kiss (maybe even looked forward to it). With the sound of Rainbow's car speeding away, I let out a sigh.

"She's winning," I said to no one.

But I wasn't completely unheard.

—Your heart?— NotABug asked.

"It's the casualness of being close—closer. Ugh. It's been so long I can barely recognize my own needs anymore," I said.

I turned and started walking inside. Just as I passed the threshold NotABug chirped and nudged me. From one step to the next I gave up control of my body to NotABug.

"Do you want me to stop?" NotABug asked.

The tone in her voice had been so forlorn at the mere thought of giving up her relationship that I had to jump in and stop that train of thought.

—No!— I sent. —Never that.—

I rushed her digital self for a tight hug. Thoughts of transforming into a pony-like being, of my magic being all kinds of weird, and even my job paled in comparison. I chirped as much as I could.

—Are you sure?— NotABug asked.

—Absolutely. Do you think my liking Rainbow Dash is at all a new thing? She's a great woman, and fun to be around. Getting to know her more intimately, even second-hand, is only showing me how great she is.—

—You mean that?—

—I won't lie to you. I know that's Applejack's thing, but I don't think we could do this body-sharing if we lied. Rainbow Dash is good for both of us, I think,— I sent.

—Should we tell her? I think we should tell her.—

I chirped a little in laughter and relaxed myself further into the digital embrace.

—If we tell her, she will only get a bigger ego.—

—I like her ego. Confidence and drive are sexy.—

It was the first time NotABug had used anything that implied sexual attraction. I gave what I hoped was an inquisitive chirp to her.

—Well. She is,— NotABug sent. —She totally is. She's sporty, cute, and a great kisser.—

—I know. She's also my best friend. I just need a little time to shift her from that to potentially intimate. Cheek kissing is a step, and wanting more cheek kissing is another,— I sent.

—How many steps are there?— she asked.

—I don't know. More than two,— I sent.

—Don't make too many.—

It was sage advice. While I thought on it, I found myself chirping softly. Maybe I would cut back on how many steps I needed.

—I might sleep. Wake me when you get home and are done with any company you might have,— I sent.

I barely heard her reply with my mental self relaxing away into an ocean of thoughts. The truth was I needed some time to think, and sometimes dreams were the best at that.





My dreams were—for want of a better word—a little lewd. NotABug's words had inspired my subconscious, and it ran with the idea of showering with Rainbow Dash again, but this time with me in control of my body, and with her in control of the shower.

The details—as chirping pulled me awake again—were lost, but I could definitely, almost, maybe feel the sensation of her hands on my body.

—You're chirping a lot,— NotABug sent.

There was a huge invisible question mark on the end of her message.

—I'm just happy is all,— I sent.

The world came into slow focus. I looked around the living room with not just the sight NotABug's eyes afforded me, but also the crystal clear vision of the camera that watched our egg—our egg. Beside me, Rainbow Dash was stretched out on the couch, and I felt NotABug's hand gently stroking rainbow-colored hair.

—I wanted you to wake me when you were done with Rainbow,— I sent. —She's really cute when she's like this.—

NotABug turned her head and I found myself looking at a sleeping Rainbow Dash. My heart pounded a little faster. NotABug nudged me, and I was suddenly the one brushing Rainbow's hair. I dared not stop for fear of waking her.

In her sleep, Rainbow Dash must have sensed the change somehow. She rolled on her back and looked up at me with closed eyes. For a few seconds I wondered if she were awake or asleep.

"You can go, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said.

It was the perfect opening to leave. I traced my fingers from her hair and along Rainbow Dash's jaw. Uncharitable thoughts might try to steer me to think NotABug was controlling me, but it was by my own actions that I cupped Rainbow's cheek.

"Maybe I don't want to go," I said.

Rainbow's eyes opened and looked up at me with as much curiosity as any feline.

"Let me take these steps my way, Rainbow."

She didn't say anything else. Rather, Rainbow Dash yawned, smiled up at me, and closed her eyes. I was well aware that when she rolled to her side, my hand was in the right spot to play with her hair some more.

Another step.