As dreams went, this one was quite acceptable. I was working in my boutique, selling dresses and suits to fabulous people, and although I was completely a changeling, no one seemed to notice or care. I was a happy bug doing something that made me happy.
I had just finished fitting Fleur in a stunning wedding dress for her marriage to—it wasn't important—but just as she left the door opened to a new customer. I blinked in confusion as a pony walked into my boutique.
The pony was to regular ponies, however, as a supermodel was to the average person on the street. She oozed confidence and control, and she had a gorgeous coat of cobalt blue. Her mane and tail were the truly startling parts of her. Each was a little slice of the night sky given form in hair.
If I weren't already well and truly tied up in Rainbow Dash, I'd swear I was in love.
"Darling! You look fabulous! But what can I do for you?" I asked.
Walking over to my newest potential customer, I couldn't help but think that Equestria even turned the people in my dreams into ponies. An odd sense of solidness came with being closer to her—like the dream was real.
"You're not Queen Chrysalis," the stranger said.
Her voice, combined with the color scheme, let me bound over lesser results to the conclusion…
"Luna?" I asked.
"Princess Luna. Who are you?" Princess Luna asked.
When she'd spoken, her wings had flared up and out, and her title struck me as being right for her. Whoever Luna was in my world, this Luna was royalty.
I attempted to bow as best I could, which being as it was a dream didn't really matter (it just worked).
"Forgive me, Your Highness, but I am visiting from another world. Sunset Shimmer and another friend were harmed by a—by a villain, and I could think of none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle as the one person—pony—that could help.
"My name is Rarity."
"Rarity?"
I nodded.
"Mmhmm!"
"Rarity is a white unicorn, not a nefarious changeling queen."
Respect for royalty could only go so far. She'd called me nefarious! I gestured around me with a hoof.
"Oh yes, darling, so nefarious with my dreams of making and selling dresses. I'm sure to take over the world by selling people beautiful formal wear—when I don't even care about the money," I said. "Honestly! Now I'm offended!"
Luna took two steps back with the most surprised expression I'd seen on either incarnation's face. She folded her wings down and seemed to shrink a little.
"Clearly there is more going on here than first appearances would indicate. I will present you my facts so you can see why I am reacting with suspicion. Rarity—the real Rarity—would understand my worries and assuage them," Princess Luna said.
Nice as the dream otherwise was, I literally didn't have anything else to do. I nodded.
"Princess Twilight has mentioned nothing about the goings-on within the world beyond the mirror. The last dream I encountered that held living changelings resulted in them attacking and overpowering myself. You look like a changeling queen that has not just been a thorn in Equestria's side for several years, but actually invaded our capital and captured my sister.
"But what makes this harder still to believe—changelings lie."
The last one, given the story I'd been told of the wedding-invasion, made a lot of sense. Tucking my ears back at the thought of how much I was being judged just for what I'd become, I knew I let out a few sad chirps.
"Everyone lies, Princess Luna, but I'll tell you my story and let you judge whether it is true or false. Though you could always just ask Twilight," I said.
"Very well. We have all night," Princess Luna said.
It felt awfully gauche just standing around and talking, so I dreamed up some comfortable sofas and floated them over with my magic. Climbing up onto it, I was struck with the memories of Rainbow, Byte, or 'Bee cuddling up with me on the couch, and felt terribly alone. Despite (or perhaps because of) Ocellus' warning about the social niceties of modern Equestrian changelings, I let out a lonely little chirp.
"It was a Monday. Not that I particularly disliked Mondays, but they have always been the start of things, and what with how much most people abhor change I can certainly see why most dislike Monday. That was the day everything changed," I said.
Telling Princess Luna of recent events put them into a much better order in my head. The memories of our first few times together, how NotABug's magic seemed to make it hard to remember her, and then Windigo's first attack.
For her part, Princess Luna kept quiet, but she did climb up on the other couch after a while and got comfortable. By the time I caught up to coming through the portal, Luna's emotions had run the gamut from happiness to anger and rested somewhere in between.
"I helped Starling. I did everything I could to remove the magic Suri had inflicted upon her, but I know it hurt her. Sunset—" I said, cutting short.
"We will be there by the time my sister raises the sun. This sounds more serious than a mere changeling invasion. Thank you, Rarity, for telling me the truth."
A calm hit me at the revelation that Princess Luna believed my words. I must have chirped—in fact I know I would have chirped—which earned me a curious look from Luna.
"Sorry, nervous habit. I was surprised when Ocellus mentioned changelings here don't chirp. NotABug and I chirp all the time. We even named our chat service ChirpNet."
At some point during our conversation the room had changed from a retail outlet to a cozy living room with a big fire. Despite having talked for what felt like hours, there was a mug of hot cocoa beside me. I levitated the drink up and took a sip.
"That is positively divine! Did you make that?" I asked.
Princess Luna just smiled as if the answer was obvious. It wasn't, but given the smile it was. Logic in dreams was almost worse than real life. By the time I managed to think straight again, Luna was gone. And then I woke up.
1:01 A.M.
For this time of the morning it was awfully light in the room. I blinked away the sleep of a night apparently spent talking to someone in my dreams. Was that real? It felt real. I was just about to begin the task of untangling myself from the sheets when the door opened.
"I have come to speak to you, Changeling Rarity," Princess Luna said.
Nope. Not a dream. I tried to sit up only to find my body was both more elastic and less familiar than when I'd gone to bed.
I felt hunched forward, as if I were—as if I were a pony with four actual legs. That's it, then, no more piano for me. I giggled inside at the silliness of the old phrase.
"It wasn't a dream?" I asked.
"What wasn't a dream?" Rainbow Dash asked.
I realized at last that the biggest reason I couldn't disentangle myself from the covers was that there was another pony in them with me.
Smiling, I leaned into the direction I hoped Rainbow was and nuzzled her cheek.
"You have—Of course! Your Rainbow Dash is—I'll wait downstairs!" Princess Luna said.
Poking her head up, Rainbow looked around the suddenly princess-less room.
"Who was that?" Rainbow Dash asked.
My answer was interrupted by an eruption of green sparks and light. NotABug practically jumped out of me to dance around the room. Her excitement, I must admit, was catching. There was something about the way she pranced that made me want to jump up too. Restrained as I was by the covers and Rainbow, however, all I managed to do was chirp, but I chirped enough for two excited changelings.
"That was Princess Luna," NotABug and I said at the same time.
We both looked at each other and giggled.
"She visited your dream too?" I asked.
"I had a dream! It was amazing! I've never dreamed before, but then Princess Luna came and told me she'd already spoken to you, and knew the whole story. It was amazing! And I'm not explaining anything, am I?" NotAbug asked.
While she spoke, I set about extricating myself from the covers.
"I was dreaming about being back home and surrounded by thousands of nymphs! It was amazing! But then Luna appeared, and she wasn't like the Luna I remembered from your memories of school. She's a princess! Anyway, we talked about you, Rarity, and then she promised she'd come and talk in the morning."
The sound of ripping sheets made me stop dead in my tracks. I tilted my head forward a little and saw the remains of a pillow flop down before my eyes.
"Maybe," Rainbow Dash said, "we could turn Suri into a pillow? You'd beat her after a good night's sleep."
"This is terrible. It's one thing to destroy one’s own pillows, but these aren't mine," I said.
"Don't you have royalty waiting? Like, literally waiting?" Rainbow Dash asked.
I chirped in alarm and decided it was time to fix the problem with magic. Focusing on a much smaller version of myself—and one without a razor-sharp horn—I shapechanged and quickly climbed free of the covers. Reversing the process left me standing for the first time, fully, in my quadrupedal form.
It felt—it felt good. The little feelings of different and strangeness were just gone. A sense of completeness surrounded and infused me, and it extended into my magic. There was a sense of a deeper reserve now, like my magic was waiting for this moment to stretch out and take up all of me.
I knew I was chirping, I didn't care to stop it. I felt good.
"Rainbow came around last night while you and Rarity were asleep. I showed her where we were sleeping," NotABug said.
"She literally walked through a wall right in front of me. It was pretty awesome," Rainbow Dash said.
I scanned around the room until I spotted the dressing table against one wall. With a sigh of relief I walked over and sat down before it. Keeping a princess waiting a few extra minutes was—in my mind—a much lesser sin than seeing her unprepared.
"You're doing your hair?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Rarity!"
"Darling, I am not seeing Princess Luna with a messy mane. You might want to avail yourself of a brush too," I said.
"You're really not going down until you've brushed your mane, are you?"
"No, Rainbow, I'm not."
"You two are so cute!" NotABug said.
A brush—wrapped in green magic that wasn't mine—floated up from the dressing table and launched itself at Rainbow. I watched NotABug's efforts in the mirror and wasn't spending my time checking out Rainbow Dash—honestly. Though, she did have an air of speed about her smaller frame.
"Oh come on! Ugh!" Rainbow Dash said. "Which one of you is doing this?"
"I am, and Rarity is right. Your mane was messy. Now hold still."
In all we only took five minutes to primp enough to be presentable. I wished I could have spent a few hours washing my mane and tail, but without that amazing shampoo I'd found the effect wouldn't have been worth it.
When we finally walked down the stairs into pony-Rarity's boutique, I was as well presented as I could be under the circumstances.
Princess Luna looked immaculate. Last night she hadn't worn her crown or regalia, but now she bore what I assumed were the more official badges of her office. Her mane and tail were, somehow, more impressive in real life than in a dream. Had she been trying to not scare me?
Or trying to not distract me from telling her everything.
Having a family of my own, I could well understand her aggressive introduction. I had people I would protect just as aggressively—that I did protect even more aggressively—if given the chance.
"Your Highness," I said. "Princess Luna."
Pony-Rarity and Princess Luna had been talking together in the room below, but they both turned to face us as we descended the stairs. Pony-Rarity looked on with a mixture of surprise and delight, while the princess wore a slight blush.
Right, we were mid-snuggle when she came in. I wish I could get embarrassed by being found in a compromising position by royalty, but she did barge into my bedroom without so much as a knock. No, I couldn't feel embarrassed about that, not when I could suddenly realize how naked everyone was, and they were all looking at me.
Deep breath, Rarity, you need to play a part here, and that part has no room for being completely without clothing. It was one thing to walk around my home wearing nothing, or wearing a revealing dress and quite another to be without a stitch of clothing or even fur.
I just had to keep my tail down.
It should have been a stately walk down the stairs. After my practice the previous day, even having four long changeling legs weren't a problem on stairs. What threw my entire entrance off was NotABug jumping over the railing and zooming down to meet Luna with a hug.
"Princess Luna!" NotABug said.
Though I had to give her credit, my nervousness due to a lack of clothes was practically gone without everyone looking at me. I made my way down the stairs while Luna dealt with an excited ghost of a changeling queen.
Pony-Rarity's eyes were not on NotABug, however, but Rainbow Dash. Looking like she'd seen am actual ghost, pony-Rarity stared at Rainbow. I must admit it took me far too long (until I reached the bottom of the stairs) to figure out why she was so fixated.
"Good morning, Rarity," I said. "I trust we didn't wake you?"
There wasn't even any actual innuendo in my words, but I scored a direct hit on confirming-my-hypothesis—pony-Rarity and Rainbow Dash were not together in this world. Pony-Rarity was so shaken because she had proof that Rainbow and I weren't just close friends, but together.
I had an option—a choice to make. I could flaunt our relationship, I could do everything not to flaunt it, or I could talk to pony-Rarity honestly about it. Flaunting was my usual style, but this was more to do with social grace and not throwing away a potential friendship.
Walking up to pony-Rarity first, I finally managed to draw her eyes away from Rainbow with a little clearing of my throat.
"We could talk about this later, if you wish?" I asked.
"W-Whatever do you mean?"
"We're practically long-lost sisters. We're not the same person, or pony, but I can bet there's an emptiness—" I said.
Pony-Rarity looked like I'd hit her, stopping my words in their tracks. I had to struggle to come up with something to keep her from bawling—something I was prone to before Rainbow and NotABug were part of my life.
"You're not alone. You have friends, family, and you just need to keep your eyes open," I said.
Pony-Rarity closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I recognized the gesture, what with it being a habit of mine, as being something to calm and re-center herself. When she was done, she opened her eyes again and nodded.
Okay, so I'd signed myself up to give my pony duplicate relationship advice. Just take your injured friends through the mirror, Rarity, it will be quick and we can be back before dinner. It might be a little shallow of me to think as much, but I did save Sunset and Starling. A little voice in my mind said, after endangering Sunset.
"Queen Rarity. That's what Ocellus called you, correct?" Princess Luna said.
While I'd been distracted with my thoughts, an entire princess had blindsided me. In the light of day, and without the confusing dimensions of a dream or the elevation of the stairs, I realized I was taller than her.
"Please, I'm hardly royalty. Just, uh, Bug Rarity will do. Or perhaps Human Rarity?" I asked.
"The-bug-formerly-known-as-human Rarity," Rainbow Dash said.
Rainbow's laughter, despite the topic, was soothing to hear. Good spirits were never to be turned down unless the pun that caused them were truly terrible.
"Raribug?" NotABug asked.
The name seemed the best of the bunch. I rolled it around in my head a little. Raribug. Rarity Bug. Ms. Bug. Well, I guess if you counted Rainbow in that I could be considered a Mrs. Bug. It took me a moment to regain my senses after a burst of thoughts and ideas that Mrs. brought.
"Raribug will be fine, thank you," I said.
Despite my attempt at seriousness, I was chirping. I chirped because Rainbow was at my side. I chirped because everyone that mattered to me was doing okay. I chirped because I could.
Luna's eyes drifted to my wings when I chirped, and I could sense (and see) a great amount of curiosity in her. I realized my emotion-vision was kicking in more-or-less without my consciously reaching for it.
"I'm sorry this couldn't have been a more joyous meeting. While it is curious how you became what you are without changeling magic at all, my sister and I wish you the best of luck with your efforts to do battle with this Suri Polomare," Princess Luna said.
"I guess it is a battle, isn't it?" I asked. "With Suri. She won't stop unless I stop her."
"We stop her, you mean?" Rainbow Dash said.
Rainbow hovered into the air beside me, putting her much smaller body at the same height as my own. The embodiment of loyalty indeed, though she was just as caught up in this as I was now. My battles were hers and vice versa.
The moment I'd kissed her back I'd bound myself to her. There was nothing else for it. I turned my head and kissed Rainbow's cheek.
"Thank you," I said.
The front door of Rarity's boutique opened and closed, and a streak of blue and rainbow rushed in.
"Hey, Rarity, have you seen—" pony-Rainbow Dash asked. "Never mind. Twilight sent me—Sunset woke up, and—"
I chirped in surprise. My hooves were already in motion, and though I knew I was ignoring a princess, two Rainbows, and another me, I had to get to Sunset.
Galloping, I discovered, was much the same as walking, but not. I needed to move as fast as I could, and my legs seemed to know the right way to do that. The castle was hard to miss, but even harder were the gasps of shock from ponies as I ran past them.
"Rarity? Rarity!" NotABug said with a demanding tone.
I slowed down and stopped, only to have Luna and both Rainbows catch up to me.
"What?" I asked.
Rainbow Dash, one of them, looked at me with a droll expression.
"Well, I was going to say, 'is resting in an actual sleep, so don't rush up and freak out everypony in town about a changeling queen galloping through the place.' That last bit might have had some embellishments, but you kinda deserve it."
The other Rainbow—my Rainbow—flew over to my side and put a hoof on my shoulder. I wanted nothing more than to be the smaller of the two of us. It was the thing that really flicked my switches.
Realization dawned, and I summoned my magic and fed it an image. Flame swirled around me, seemingly devouring the form of a changeling queen and leaving me a slightly-smaller-than-Rarity dark-colored Rarity.
Rainbow Dash apparently knew what the change meant or just really wanted to snuggle. She landed beside me, put one leg over my shoulders and pulled me against her. I know I chirped, but I couldn't have cared less. I’d needed a hug and I’d just got the best one all day.
"Wait a minute," pony-Rainbow Dash said. "Are you two just really good friends, or is that—?"
Pony-Rainbow Dash didn't finish her question. Her eyes widened and she pointed a hoof at us.
"Human me and human Rarity are special someponies?!" pony-Rainbow Dash asked at the top of her lungs. "How does that even work? Rarity, how does that even work?"
I hid my face in Rainbow's mane, trying not to laugh at her pony clone. Apparently, out of the two universes, mine got the better Rainbow Dash.
"Was I ever that big an idiot?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, what's wrong with actually getting to be with your true love?"
With what I assumed was a happy-pony-sound, I kissed her cheek.
"You're delicious today. As for them, I'm going to talk to Rarity, you talk to Rainbow."
I watched the two bicker almost as if they were already a couple. The thought made me giggle and chirp.
"I've worked out a downside of this green-ghost thing," NotABug said. "I can't hug either of you."
Though NotABug managed to chirp, the sound was forlorn and sad. It took everything I had not to march back to the castle and into the portal again.
"You know what I'm gonna do when we get home?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"W-What?" NotABug asked.
"I'm going to kiss every inch of you, then hug you for a whole day."
NotABug and I both chirped in excitement, then giggled at each other. She was as different from me initially as any creature could be, but we fit each other like peas and carrots. I doubt even pony-Rarity knew me as well as NotABug.
"I love you—both of you," I said.
"I love you both as well," NotABug said.
"I know."
NotABug and I stared at Rainbow for a moment before all three of us broke into giggles at the joke. Evidently, Star Wars was either something NotABug had watched, or she picked up from me.
"Come on, darlings, I still want to make sure Sunset and Starling are alright. I don't know what I'd do if either came to harm from all this," I said.
"If I may make a suggestion?" Princess Luna asked as she stepped up. "It would be well if you didn't, ahem, return to your changeling form in public. I know first-hoof how easy it is to make a bad first impression."
"Darling, you're a princess! How could you make—?" I said.
"I was a little evil," Princess Luna said. "Well, a lot evil. In my defense, a thousand years in time-out was a bit excessive, but it gave me time to think."
"You were evil? I'm not sure how much Twilight has told you about our world, but we've made a habit out of helping friends out of being evil," Rainbow Dash said. "It's kinda our thing."
"Didn't Twilight teach you how to do that?" NotABug asked. "I-I wasn't there, but I get glimpses from Rarity's memories of her helping Sunset from a hole and also her making you all friends again."
Rainbow and I were both silent, but it took me a moment to realize that Princess Luna was also looking reflective. I looked at her, studied the little smile that slowly pulled its way onto her face. Twilight. Luna. My mind fizzed and buzzed with possibilities. The answer should become obvious with a little prodding.
"She's special to you, Princess?" I asked.
"T-Twilight?" Princess Luna asked. "There's no way I could lie about that. She means the world to me."
Bingo! They were an item! Her aura practically swirled with love that smelled so good I was tempted to nibble, but of course I didn't. No wonder Twilight was so busy on this side of the portal! I didn't care if I started prancing, as this was a reason to prance.
Pony-Rarity and pony-Rainbow caught up to us—since I'd slowed from my breakneck pace. Neither of them seemed inclined to speak about what they'd said together. I guess it could be a bit of a shock to find out a copy of you in another world is more than friends with your best friend from that world.
I remembered back to how much soul-searching I did when trying to come to a decision about being okay with Rainbow. Okay, so maybe I should be extra careful talking to pony-Rarity about this. The poor dears were probably questioning every second of their friendship.
For the first time in weeks I'd let an uncomfortable silence form. My thoughts were so slow they took seconds to work through, and it led to me not being able to maintain a conversation. That I'd spent most of my life like this only highlighted how useful it was to be able to process such things in milliseconds.
We reached the castle in a quiet, suppressed little mob. I stepped up to knock on the door, but Princess Luna beat me to it. I guess there was something about being a princess that let you just open the doors on a castle and announce yourself.
"Princess Twilight!" Princess Luna said in a voice that I swore made the castle shake.
A flash of purple light and a loud POMF sound heralded Twilight's appearance. It took me a full two seconds to realize what she'd done.
"You just teleported!" Rainbow Dash said.
Apparently, Rainbow thought a little faster than I did. Given she probably still had her magic power from back home, that wasn't surprising.
"Uh—" Twilight Sparkle said.
Princess Twilight looked between Rainbow and Luna, then settled on the latter.
"What's the matter?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "I came as quick as I could. Did everypony form a mob to drive Rarity out of town?"
"Er—" Princess Luna said. "Not quite. I simply wished to announce our arrival."
Back home I could well imagine the kind of response such an admission would cause, but not so in Equestria. Twilight's face turned from concern to delight, and I quickly focused my extra vision upon her and watched love swell around her aura.
It was so good to be proven right.
"Oh. It's good to see you too, Princess Luna—and all of you," Twilight Sparkle said before turning to me. "You're here to see Sunset?"
For a short moment I was surprised she recognized me, then my higher faculties pointed out that I was the odd pony out in the room. Of course someone as smart as Twilight would figure that out.
"Please. I just want to see that—that thing gone from her. I feel absolutely terrible about bringing her into this."
Rainbow, strong and bold, reached a wing over my back and gave me a squeeze. She got me in ways I couldn't understand, and she could read me as if she could see emotional auras. I leaned into the hug for a moment before nodding to Twilight.
We followed Twilight without words. I lamented the loss of hands only in that the casual contact with Rainbow would have been wonderful about then. Instead, I contented myself with walking close enough that our hips and shoulders brushed now and then. That her love-aura flowed around me was a wonderful bonus.
"I got them separate rooms. Sunset and Flash are in here," Twilight Sparkle said.
I was caught off-guard, and if I had wings that could chirp you bet they would be chirping in concern. Flash Sentry was Sunset's husband, and I hadn't even thought to contact him.
But the real world moves too fast like this, and Twilight opened the door and led the way inside for Luna and apparently Rainbow and I. If Rainbow's wing weren't still on my shoulder—guiding me—I probably wouldn't have had the ability to walk in.
Inside the beautifully decked-out bedroom a pony lay in the bed and another sat by its side. Sunset's eyes were closed, but there was a sense of calm about her that hadn't been present when Windigo/Suri were within her.
She'd won.
"Flash," I said. "I didn't mean—"
"That's Rarity, Flash," Twilight Sparkle said.
"Th-Thank you, Twilight. Flash—" I said trying again.
"Rarity, this wasn't your fault," Flash Sentry said, his voice sounding raw. "Sunset wanted me to tell you that, and I wanted to tell you that. Sunset—She throws herself into battles like this without a thought. Things always worked with the power of rainbows and magic.
"But it didn't work like that this time, huh? My Sunny threw herself and our baby into harm's way at the first whisper of a new big-bad in town. You got her out of it, or so she said."
"Flash—" I said.
"I'm not done," Flash Sentry said in an icy tone. "Rarity, thank you for getting my wife and our baby out of danger, but next time—Please don't fucking tell her about the danger in the first place!"
The words slammed into me. They hit me like a boulder and kept crushing. My emotional sight was wide open far enough to see the love between Flash, Sunset, and a third entity within Sunset.
Flash wasn't looking at me, nor did I want to see his face. I turned and staggered out only with Rainbow's strength. When the door closed behind me, my legs and disguise failed at the same time and I dropped to the floor with a clattering sound.
"I almost killed her baby," I said.
"He's not thinking straight, Rarity. Please get up," Rainbow Dash said.
But I was inconsolable because I was guilty. Sunset's life had been weight enough, but she had at least made the decision to help. Her unborn baby hadn't. What if Windigo/Suri had won? What if both of them—what—became infected?
The world went dark around me and I lost track of my mind.
"It wasn't your fault," Princess Luna said.
"Go away."
"I shan't. This is my realm. If you come here to get away from the world, you put yourself in my hooves."
"Go away."
She didn't reply, but she also didn't go away.
I could wait forever. I didn't have to talk to her. So I did.
I'd almost done something very bad. Something villains do. A baby is innocent, but an unborn baby is beyond that. That I'd risked not only Sunset but her child was unforgivable.
I spent a year circling just that one argument and trying to pick it apart. It was all true, but time wasn't done with me.
The night wheeled on, the moon turned, and I watched another year go by while I cried for what had almost happened. A new thought wormed into my head. What if just bringing Sunset and her baby here changed her baby? What if—when we get back to Canterlot—she gives birth to a foal?
There were more what-ifs to work over.
Maybe we'd led Suri/Windigo here?
Maybe something had happened to the portal and we couldn't get back?
Maybe Suri/Windigo was attacking Sweetie Belle and our nymphs?
There was more still that ripped through my thoughts, displacing the answers I was trying to formulate with their harsh question marks and vicious maybes. My mind seemed particularly suited to coming up with all the terrible things that could have or could be happening, but it had not a single solution.
Time and space wheeled around me. I grew older—ancient. I finally turned around and looked at a pristine Princess Luna, then I looked down at myself.
"Stupid dream. You're messing with time?" I asked.
"No. You're messing with time. I'm just waiting for you to talk."
"I almost killed her."
"She almost killed herself and her foal."
The words startled me—they were an answer. I looked up at Luna and blinked in surprise. The pain and self-loathing seemed to ease a fraction, but threatened to come back.
"You saved four lives yesterday, Rarity, and yet you carry the wrong weight on your shoulders. You think I like ordering ponies to put themselves in harm's way?" Princess Luna asked.
I shook my head slowly.
"And yet I must do it. They put their lives in our hooves. Just because I've made bad decisions before—ill-informed decisions—doesn't mean I can afford the luxury of stepping down. If I don't command ponies, who will?"
"Y-Your sister?"
Celestia. Principal Celestia as I'd last known her, but here she was more. If she were Luna's sister, Celestia would be a princess too.
"Her shoulders carry the weight of a thousand years of responsibility. She has ordered countless ponies into countless danger. I would spare her that if I could. But no, Rarity, if no princess gave those orders and spent ponies' lives, then another being would do it.
"Would you rather this Suri the Windigo gets to decide who should live and who should die?"
The very thought of it terrified me. Suri had shown absolutely no mercy for Rainbow, me, or her own loyal (if brainwashed) soldier. She would kill and kill, and she'd do it just to see what happened.
"Definitely not."
"Do you think she would agonize for a century in her own head over just one event where somepony almost died?"
"No."
"Then you have to make these decisions, Rarity, and you have to make them better. You can't afford to let what Flash Sentry said stop you. If you don't make the choices, Suri the Windigo will."
"It's not fair."
Luna nodded in reply, not deigning to waste any words on my childish statement.
I woke up sullen and annoyed, and with a yellow-orange face leaning over me. I had to blink my eyes a few times to realize it was Flash Sentry.
"I'm sorry," Flash Sentry said.
The stallion turned and walked away.
"Flash!" I said.
The sound of departing hooves stopped.
"Suri needs to be stopped. I didn't know she could do—what she did. I'm sorry for risking everything of yours."
"My shout woke up Sunset. She told me off, but that's not why I apologized. I know you're fighting this—whatever it is, and I know it needs to be stopped. I remember the sirens and what they did before you and your friends worked out how to stop them. I feel—I feel powerless," Flash Sentry said. "And I hate it. If you need help, ask both of us next time."
"Thanks, Flash," I said.
Over my words I heard the sounds of hooves clopping away.
Okay, Rarity, you need to build a battle plan that puts as few loved ones—No, that's the wrong word. A plan that puts as few people in the line of fire as possible but still sees the end of Suri/Windigo. Was I contemplating killing her?
"I really don't want to kill anybody," I said.
"That's reassuring. What about putting ponies in changeling pods and sucking all their love out?" Princess Luna asked.
"Is that what Chrysalis wanted to do?"
"It's what she did. If it weren't for some very brave friends, she would have done it to everypony. That was a joke, of course. I trust you aren't interested in putting ponies in pods, but talk of killing is more vexing. Who don't you want to kill?"
"Suri. She's a monster, but we've always managed to rip the monster out of misguided people in the past. Sunset, Twilight—our Twilight, Gloriosa, and even what's-her-name. Oh, Wallflower. They were all take over the world evil, but we helped them. I want to help Suri."
"There was a monster, once, who attacked at night. She imprisoned my sister and threatened to take over the world," Princess Luna said. "But six ponies stood against them. When the monster tried to attack them, break them apart, those six strangers pulled together and strengthened each other.
"In the end just one had to make a decision. She could have banished the monster, she could have imprisoned them in stone, or she could have found it in her heart to forgive them and help them. You can probably guess who the pony was."
"You?" I asked.
My question made Luna smile. I risked peeking into her emotions and saw mirth and melancholy in good quantity, but there was also a lot of love.
"Twilight," I said.
"Twilight Sparkle. She wasn't a princess then, but I had suspicions. My sister sees things far ahead sometimes—it's not magic. How she foresaw that Twilight Sparkle would be the best pony to make the decision of what to do with me, I don't know."
"You were—"
"The monster. I'd walked the wrong path. I'd put myself above the ponies I should have been protecting. And that is the hardest tightrope to walk, Rarity. You have to decide how the fighting happens, but you can't put a single person above yourself."
I was silent. I had no words. There was nothing I could think to say, ask, or refute.
With the insight Luna had given me, I had to find my own way on this tightrope. I tried to look at the problem again. Suri had merged or was merging with Windigo. That needed to be stopped and undone. I needed to break up their power base and free each of them of the influences of the other. I needed to find out why Windigo hunted NotABug. I needed to help Suri see that controlling people wasn't the way she should behave.
I wished she'd told me something simple. Go defeat Suri/Windigo! Break them and destroy them. They are bad! It was the speech of a child, and my hope for it was the dream of a child. I needed to grow up fast.
"I understand," I said.
Luna's raised eyebrow demanded I explain more.
"I understand that my problem is too big for a simple solution. There are plans to be made. Plans to make plans. Suri/Windigo have a huge amount of power in the company, and I'll be lucky if I'm not arrested the moment I return, but I need to plan to plan how to bring it all down so she is just herself and Windigo is just itself. I need to take the monster out of both of them."
Princess Luna proved why she had that title without words—she smiled and nodded.
"And if you can't take the monster out of one, the other, or both?" Princess Luna asked.
"Then one of my plans has to be to kill them. One, the other, or both."
"You'd make a grand princess, Rarity."
Turning, Princess Luna walked for the door and opened it. A rainbow flash sped past her and landed on the bed beside me. Soft, fuzzy lips were against mine, and Rainbow Dash was already kissing me.
I stopped my mind from racing along on the course Luna had set it—paused was probably a better description. Reaching my huge black forelegs around Rainbow's shoulders, I pulled her closer against me.
The sound of a chuckle from Princess Luna didn't distract me, though the sound of the door closing encouraged our little meeting further. I needed her touch, more for reassurance than pleasure, and though I was sure Rainbow would be happy for both—I definitely wasn't.
"I need to check in on Starling, then we must go home," I said.
"Huh? But what about all that talk with Rarity—Rarity the pony?"
"Suri/Windigo knows where NotABug is, knows who we are, and can probably find out where our house is. I'm hoping the little tap I gave her will make her worry about attacking head-on, but we can't rely on that, Rainbow. If we're going to beat her, we have to be there to do it."
"Whoa. So much for dating the hottest new boutique owner. I get a general."
"Princess Luna gave me some time to think and some words to think about. They're not going to stop attacking others and attacking us. I don't want to put anyone in the same situation Sunset was in. If I have to put people in danger, I want them to have the right tools and knowledge to deal with it."
"So what are we gonna do? Beat her up and take her company?"
I giggled at the image Rainbow Dash gave me. If only it were so easy to stop Suri/Windigo from doing what she seemed to enjoy doing. I levered my way from the bed with the long limbs my changes had given me. Climbing off the bed made me feel like a giant.
Rainbow looked up at me, but rather than look at all intimidated she looked confident.
"You just wait until we get home. I'm gonna snuggle you soooo much!" Rainbow Dash said.
The words did more to support me than anything else could right then. I looked down at Rainbow and gave a nod while loosing a chirp that spoke volumes for how much I'd enjoy such a situation.
NotABug picked that moment to literally walk through the door. She looked as I did, tall and regal with a cute little crown on her head, although I could see the door through her green body.
"Starling wants to see you," NotABug said.
"Lead the way, darling. She's just the person—pony—I want to see."
Using the door, Rainbow and I left the room with NotABug in tow only to stop just outside.
"NotABug? Could you lead the way, dear?" I asked.
"Oh! Right! This way!"
"You're enjoying yourself?" I asked.
"Me?" NotABug asked. "Yup! It's great! I don't have to worry about all the confusing things of touching stuff and breaking it. I can just talk to ponies! Princess Luna is amazing!"
While she spoke, NotABug practically pranced along. Maybe this was the world for her? That was quite a stretch, but she certainly seemed to be more herself. Or maybe just putting the best face on it she can. Back home she was a being of technology and infinite possibility. Here she was a ghost that was tied to my body, or so it seemed.
The comparison suddenly made sense to me. A ghost without a body, tied to one.
"When we get back home, we're all having a nice snuggle. We all deserve it," I said.
The walk wasn't far. NotABug took us past the room I knew to be Sunset's and then to another a few more doors down. The castle, it seemed, was huge.
NotABug poked her head through the door, then pulled back.
"This is it. I told them you were about to come in," NotABug said.
"You really should knock first. What if she'd been undressed?" I asked.
"Uh, Rarity? First, NotABug can't knock at the moment. Second, we're all naked," Rainbow Dash said.
There were some moments when I just wanted to scream. Oh, great and powerful planner of destruction, try to keep more than fashion on your brain.
I lifted my hoof and knocked at the door and was a little surprised when it to opened immediately.
"Come in, Rarity. You too, Rainbow, NotABug," Bent Rules said around a mouthful of door handle.
I made my ingress and looked at the occupant of the bed with a little worry. Starling still looked like she was missing bits of her aura, but I could see plenty of signs that it was returning to normal.
"Please don't look at me like that," Starling said.
I was taken aback a little by her rough tone.
"Darlin', this-here's Rarity. She saved you from all that mess that—" Bent Rules said.
He stopped because Starling's eyes had opened wide in recognition. She stared at me with a measure of shock in her aura and on her face.
"You saved me from her?" Starling asked.
I knew which "her" she meant. I nodded.
"What do you need me to do? When are you heading back to finish her off?"
Fire, heat, and excitement colored Starling's words, and a mix of anger and (surprisingly) love colored her aura. I wasn't sure how to take it. I'd been prepared for everything from weak and unconscious to thankful and resting—ready for vengeance was off my chart.
"We're heading back right after this, actually," Rainbow Dash said. "But you need to hang around here a little longer."
"I'm ready to fight. You can't keep me out of this. I trained for this, I can do this!" Starling said.
"What do you mean, you trained?" I asked.
Bent reached the bed before Starling could reply and looked his daughter squarely in the eyes.
"Starling, you don't have to do this. Your war is over. Let them—" Bent Rules said.
"Dad, no. This hasn't been working. I thought I could handle being back in civilian life, but look where it got me," Starling said and turned her head to look at me. "Four and a half years in the army. You're like an officer—I can see in your eyes. You need people like me. Ma'am, I'm coming back with you."
I had never chosen Starling to be in the middle of this. She'd been Suri/Windigo's pawn—I'd only given her the freedom to choose. But that was the crux of it. Just because I was going to be organizing this thing didn't mean I got to make all the choices. I wasn't any better or more qualified to make choices for others than they were.
"You know better than most what is at stake here. If you're going to help me, I'm going to pay you for it, so I expect your best," I said.
What had gotten into me? When did I start down this path? Well, Suri/Windigo had started this, they—she—had used Starling as a weapon against me. Besides, if I employed her, I got to make her a uniform.
There was no way I would let anyone in my employ not look their best. Fatigues? Ha! She will have the most tactical dress ever conceived!
"When you've known Rarity as long as I have, you learn when to tell she is mentally getting her fashion on. Like now. Though you're going to have trouble figuring it out when we get back, trust me," Rainbow Dash said.
What was the absolute worst about the situation was she was right. I wanted to sulk or snap back, but neither was an adult response.
"There will be a dress code while in my employ, I wouldn't be a fashionista if I didn't help everyone around me look fabulous. Right now, however, I'm heading home to make sure my babies are alright. If you are sound enough to come with me, fine, but I don't think Princess Twilight would begrudge you a little more rest time."
My answer was swift. Starling pulled her way from the bed and climbed out to stand on her own four legs. Wobbly legs, but she was standing. I knew that her problems weren't physical, so this was likely her being unfamiliar with having that many legs.
"Bent, would you like a job as well? I can't see much need for a mail sorter, but I have a new house I need cleaned up, and there will probably be more."
"I have a job already, ma'am."
"Dad! You can't go back now. You've seen what's happening to people!"
Starling glared at her father and Bent glared back. This was a level of stubbornness I'd never seen before—at least in direct opposition.
"Please?" Starling asked.
She won with that word. Bent Rules lowered his head and I watched his sides puff out then shrink back.
"Santhrope Polomare hired me himself over twenty years ago. I'll quit, but I'll do it the same way I started—talking to the boss," Bent Rules said and turned toward me again. "Well, what have you got that I can do?"
I looked at Starling then back to Bent with the inkling of a plan forming.
"You raised Starling?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Seems like you did a great job. I've got some little ones I need help with," I said. "Not directly, but I just purchased a second house, and I'm sure some of my nymphs are going to move there eventually. I need someone to live in the house and maintain some semblance of order."
"So you're going to make me, what, caretaker of the house?" Bent Rules asked.
I just nodded to him.
"What?" Starling asked. "Are you going to tell me a job where all you need to do is make sure a house doesn't fall down isn't your dream?"
Bent rules grumbled something under his breath.
"How much will I get paid to do this? Is rent part of it?"
"Do you want to argue that here, or back home?" I asked. "The answer is rent is included, and name your price."
I turned around and started walking for the door.
"Wait! You can't say that!" Bent said.
The stallion marched up and put a hoof on the door to keep me from moving. Part of me wished I wasn't twice his size so he could look down on me to boost his ego.
"I mean, in big jobs they do that, and I heard they ask that kind of stupid stuff in interviews, but no one offers any price. What if I said a million dollars?"
Giving him a moment to stew on the question, I cleared my throat.
"I'd ask you if you wanted it per quarter or per year?" I said. "Per month would be doable, but I don't think it would be a healthy pay rate to encourage."
"You're joking. If you had millions around, why are you working at Polomare Fashion?"
"As of yesterday I'm not working there. I was running out my two weeks of notice because I'm starting my own business, and Polomare have a horrible contract for creative staff to sign."
"She's not really going to pay you a million dollars a month," NotABug said. "But I would if it means you'll be safe and help look after our children."
"I still don't get everything, and I don't need to, but I was joking with a million dollars. Just pay me whatever you think I'm worth."
Bent Rules lifted his hoof from the door.
"I'm also not going to wear any high-fashion stuff. I don't mind a uniform, but I'm not wearin' no suit around the house," Bent Rules said.
With a gentle touch of my magic I opened the door.
"Bent, if I'm paying you a million dollars a year, I expect a suit. Keep that in mind when you work out how much you want," I said.
I walked out followed by NotABug and Rainbow. On less sure legs was Starling, and behind her came Bent. He pulled the door closed behind us.
"You're an evil lady, ma'am, but I reckon at least you're fair."
Despite her injury and walking problems, Starling fought to rush up and walk beside me. She had the most determined and serious face I'd seen on her so far, and I realized this was her work face. It wasn't the face of her job at Polomare, I'm sure. There she'd been just another security guard—little more than the threat of response. Now, walking (marching) at my side, Starling looked dangerous.
6:38 A.M.
It was approaching morning the day after we'd left, though it was midday here. Time was a strange thing, though it seemed to at least be consistent, or so I hoped.
I knew the way to the room where the portal mirror was, thankfully, and led my little parade there. I could see that Starling was struggling with the pace, but something told me that if I compromised my speed at all she'd hate herself for slowing me down. It was one of those mind games and I completely understood why she felt that. Starling needed to be useful.
As we rounded the last corner leading to the portal room, I saw Twilight and Luna standing to one side of the door.
I met Princess Luna's eyes first. She had a firm look that gave me nothing to work with. Princess Twilight was another story. Twilight looked like she was deathly afraid for us—and I couldn't blame her.
"Rarity. You're going back so soon?" Twilight Sparkle asked.
I hadn't actually expected this. Thinking quickly (something I was not doing as well as I'd like here) I put together what to say that wouldn't sound like I was talking down to a princess.
"I need to go back, Twilight. I left my children behind, and I won't leave them unprotected longer than I must."
Any further and I knew I'd be saying something I shouldn't. I kept my mouth pinned closed. Rainbow, however, stepped up beside me.
"We gotta go kick some ass, after all. You taught me that there's tons of things in my life worth fighting for. You gotta let us go and do it," Rainbow Dash said.
That was probably the wrong thing to say. Rainbow, I realized, had made it sound like we needed Twilight's permission to return.
The thought hit me then—would I force my way back if Twilight stood in my way?
"You're right. You're both right. I just want to protect you. It's part of who and what I am," Twilight Sparkle said.
"It's part of what Rarity and Rainbow Dash are too, Twilight," Princess Luna said. "They are parents, but more than that they are protectors in their world. While they are here, this Suri-the-Windigo is free to act unopposed."
Luna didn't order Twilight to get the mirror going, but it was heavily implied.
"It's what I am too," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'll prepare the mirror, but you have to promise me something, Rarity."
I straightened a little at the hardness that filled my friend's tone.
"What?" I asked.
"If you need my help, call me. I can rush through and—Okay, I don't have as much power in your world anymore, but I can help with whatever I can do. You have friends here, Rarity."
"That's why I came to you. I knew you would help in any way you could. Right now the most help is keeping Sunset safe."
Twilight nodded to me, turned, and entered the room with the mirror portal.
"I extend you the same promise as Twilight. I know not what power I would have in your world, but if you have need of me, let Twilight know," Princess Luna said.
I had an inkling of how significant her presence might be in our world, and what it might mean for her to leave this one. Fervently, I hoped I would never need to ask for that kind of help.
"I ask the same, Princess Luna. If you have need of me, ask," I said.
"Me too!" Rainbow Dash said. "I know you've already got one Rainbow Dash—and she's pretty awesome—but imagine having two Rainbow Dashes!"
Leaning down so far was almost a problem, but I kissed my fierce lover on the cheek.
"I'm sure they know exactly how that would go."
Luna, I could see, was having trouble keeping a straight face. Straightening up, I gave her as warm a smile as I could. It felt good to smile here, like the whole world became brighter because of it.
"With your leave, Princess Luna, we really must be checking on our nymphs. You wouldn't believe the things they get into," I said.
Flickers and sparks of purple light came from the mirror room, but it wasn't until an almost blinding flash of white that I turned to see what was happening. The mirror was swirling—a portal that led home.
"Go. Bring peace to your world, Queen Rarity."
Luna's words sent a shiver down my spine. I didn't want titles—not that one at least—but it seemed life did not overly care for the personal desires of one fashionista. Well, I would make it care. Nothing was going to stop me, certainly not a concept, and that's all fate was.
I nodded to Princess Luna and turned into the room. It was hard to remember the room, given the rush we'd been in last time, but the mirror portal I could definitely recognize. The mirror itself was a grand piece, shaped like a horseshoe with the open end forming a walkway. The machinery around the mirror was bizarre—a mix of wood, brass, gold, and steel.
The middle of the mirror glowed with a violet-red and pink-tea swirl. Light (probably magic) swirled through all the machinery around the mirror, ranging in color between pink-tea and dark pink.
"Did Pinkie Pie help you make this?" I asked Twilight.
"What? Of course she didn't hel—" Twilight Sparkle said.
She froze. A stunned—shocked expression plastered itself onto her face.
"Sweet Celestia she did. When I was first building this she—she literally said exactly how I should build it. I must have used her design subconsciously."
"That certainly explains all the pink. Well, is it ready for us?" I asked.
"Go right ahead," Twilight Sparkle said. "If—If you could, would you ask your world's Twilight to send her notes through? Her work on small-scale magic particles is—"
The smallest hint of the nerdy girl we'd all helped get back her crown and who'd helped us fight off the sirens poked free from her shell of princessdom. The raw excitement in her eyes was a better tell as to her emotions than the curious swirls in her actual aura.
"Twilight, you can always come visit and ask her. I'll let her know to get a copy of her work ready for you, but I'm sure she'd appreciate yours, too," I said.
"Uh, Rarity?" NotABug asked. "If we're going back, what's the chance that we land in a heap in front of a high school naked?"
I looked down at myself, then back at myself, then turned my head and neck far enough to look along my spine.
"If we come out like this, that would be embarrassing, but I don't think it would be even more of a scene than what we will make already. Rainbow was wearing clothes, as were the rest," I said.
Looking back at Starling, I realized I was technically looking back over my left shoulder so far that I was looking right. I quickly turned my head back around.
"Ready?"
Everyone behind me nodded. With a deep breath I probably didn't need, I stepped into the portal. The swirling seemed to be less, and I could see a lot more of the things going on within the portal. NotABug was still a shade, but I watched her spiral into me—she was chirping excitedly before I even stumbled out the other side.
6:12 A.M.
The moment I stumbled forward I realized the changes were here to stay. Four legs caught my movement and braced me against falling over.
On the alert, I looked around in the predawn light and saw no one walking around. It was the perfect moment for me to make a little change.
A swirl of green magic fire later and I felt my body reshape into what I'd looked like before all this had happened. White skin, purple hair, though I realized in my haste that I'd managed to forget clothing.
"Well, this is embarrassing."
I quickly rectified the problem with a purple skirt and a blue shirt. Nail polish, makeup, and pretty bag that matched my dress. I turned around in time to see Starling stumble out of the statue wearing her security guard uniform.
Movement in the corner of my eye caused me to swivel and stare at a young man in a suit crossing the road toward us. He looked scared and more than a little freaked out, but he kept walking toward us.
"You'll excuse me for being blunt," I said. "But would you be a dear and give a lady some room?"
"Mrs. Velvet sent me to deliver this to, and I quote, 'Whoever falls out of the statue and looks like a monster,'" the man said.
He stood in the middle of the road holding out a simple manila envelope.
—You could pick up the envelope with magic. That would be safest.—
NotABug's presence in my head brought with it the sense of the digital world. I shivered as my awareness of reality sped to the point where no one was moving. I chirped loudly, excitedly, and wrapped up NotABug in the tightest digital squeeze ever.
—I missed you,— I sent.
Chirping filled my head. I wanted to shout and jump for joy. Instead, I walked over to the man while the morning breeze barely ruffled his shock of mint-green hair, took the envelope and walked back to where I was standing.
I wasn't as fast as Rainbow Dash at her best, but I wasn't so slow as the man could have reacted before I was opening the envelope.
Bringing my focus closer to the real world, I slipped back into the state of thinking rapidly, but not forcing myself to act that way.
"Was there anything else?" I asked.
The man stared at his hand, then at the envelope in my hand, shook his head, and turned back to his car muttering something I didn't care enough about to hear.
I opened the envelope to find a mobile phone and a typed letter. Well, this is where I am completely unashamed to use my quick mind. My emotions went numb and the bottom of my world fell out as I read what had transpired while we were gone.
Pulling the phone out, I punched the only number on the speed dial and pressed it to my ear. It rang three times before the line went live from someone answering it.
"Rarity or NotABug?" Twilight Velvet asked.
"NotABug. Where is everyone?" NotABug asked with my voice.
I hadn't felt the changeover. Somewhere along the line NotABug had taken over and I wanted to hug her so much it hurt.
"My house. I'll warn security you're on your way. What should they look for?"
Mrs. Velvet sounded tired. Given what had happened, I wasn't in the least bit surprised.
"We look like we did before the change. Rainbow's with us, as well as two others. Are our nymphs okay?" NotABug asked.
The last few words had more fear in them than what I remembered when Windigo had chased NotABug into my head. I hugged her for all I was worth.
"Byte, 'Bee, Bitwise, and Moon Dancer are all here safe. They're asleep right now—I hope—but I think they'll want to wake up when you get here. I can send someone—" Twilight Velvet said.
"We have transport. We'll be pulling up in a van shortly. Thank you, Mrs. Velvet."
"I have children too, dear. Please get here safely."
The line went dead. NotABug slipped the phone into her bag and turned to see that Rainbow and Bent were both out of the portal too. Apparently I was the only one who didn't get clothing. Of course, I'd gone in with shapechanged clothing on, so it was understandable.
Rainbow spotted us and walked over.
"What's up? NotABug?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Gosh was she getting good at telling us apart.
—Can you get us there?— I asked.
—She said they're alright. I trust her. It still hurts. Who is this Moon Dancer? I hope she's nice,— NotABug sent.
—How are we getting there?—
—Bent Rules' van.—
—Oh. Right.—
"Just so you both know, it's NotABug here at the helm. Rarity needs a little break for a bit. There has been some—Windigo came after our nymphs. They're okay. We just need to go there now. Mr. Rules, your van is nearby," NotABug said.
"My van? Right! It's just around the corner. Follow me."
Starling moved to walk beside her father. Her eyes seemed to be everywhere, and I couldn't help picking up how much easier she moved here. A blue arm reached over NotABug's shoulders and pulled her against its owner.
"You're not doing so great, Rari? What don't I know?" Rainbow Dash asked.
NotABug spoke in hushed tones. She described what happened given the information in the letter. As NotABug related events, Rainbow's arm grew tighter and firmer. Her strength was wonderful, I didn't need to be in control to experience her protectiveness or be comforted by it.
"She's doing a little better now."
The drive was in relative silence. Rainbow held us and gave directions through the early light of dawn.
—Mom?— Byte asked.
If I'd been in control right then, I'd have broken into tears.
—We're back. We're coming,— I sent.
—Is that Mom?! Moms!— Bumblebee sent. —Welcome back! We're all okay!—
—Mom?— Bitwise asked.
The new designation was curious. I wanted to know everything about my newest nymph.
—We're coming,— I sent again.
We're coming.
—Go on. Say hi. These are two of our moms,— Byte sent.
Her message confused me. I started to reply when a new message came in.
—Hi. I'm Moon Dancer, and this is really confusing. How does it work even having this in my head?— Moon Dancer asked.
It took me a moment to put all the facts together with my hunches.
—You're human?— I asked.
—Yes. At least I hope so. Everything seems to move really slowly when I'm chatting, though.—
Our last nymph had done what only NotABug had so far.
—Is she still inside you? Can you hear her? Can you talk through the text interface of your phone?— I asked.
The questions tumbled from me. I wanted answers to all of them and I wanted to know yesterday. I needed to know.
—She didn't make it. I tried to save her but all she managed to get into me was her memories, I think.—
The news was painful to hear.
I let NotABug and Rainbow hold me in their own ways. There was a connection to each of them, and when I had my nymphs in my arms I would be connected to them, too. Of Moon Dancer I had no idea how to feel. She had tried to protect and save one of my nymphs, if nothing else I could appreciate her for that, but she is in the same situation I was. Would she turn into a changeling like I have?
—You need this, Rarity,— NotABug sent.
Her words jerked my awareness back from the depths of confusion and worry I'd dug. I realized the van wasn't moving and it was time to get out.
NotABug's gentle touch urged me forward. I stepped into control of my body as an unstable wreck.
"I'm right here, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said. "If you need me to carry you, I will."
"I can walk."
I climbed from the car to see a big man in a suit talking to Starling. Just for a moment he twisted a little and I saw the black, snub-nosed weapon under his jacket. My pulse quickened. Was this what it had come to? Armed guards?
Such thoughts were hypocritical, of course. I'd just hired Starling on to be muscle, and she was likely going to want a weapon of her own. That thought gave me a measure of worry. What would happen if Suri/Windigo worked out a way to control her again?
Of course, I'd see any changes to Starling's aura, but I needed to work out a way to protect my friends. If Suri/Windigo (I realized I needed a better way to refer to them) could twist their power like that, surely I could do the same to protect people. I just had to find out how.
"Please let me inside. My children are in there," I said.
The man locked eyes with me and for just a moment I saw him flinch. It was a bit of a watershed moment—I could do scary monster well enough now that a man that routinely carries heavy weaponry might do a double-take.
"You're all fine to head in," Mr. Gun said. "They're heading in, ma'am."
The last was said to his collar, though I was barely paying attention. My eyes were fixed on the front door of Mrs. Velvet's house. Time moved slowly, though it had nothing to do with my connection to electronics.
When the door opened and I walked inside, I could already hear excited chirping. I could have easier told myself not to breathe than stop my answering chirps.
I followed my ears as the chirping grew louder, then I turned a corner and saw my babies.
Magic surged through me. I plucked Byte, Bumblebee, and Bitwise (I liked the name, and it fit the B theme well) and held all three to me.
—You're chirping so much! You'll wear our wings out,— NotABug sent.
—I don't care. C'mere!—
I pulled NotABug into a digital hug while I squeezed our nymphs to my chest and pressed my snout into the middle of them. When a hand touched my shoulder, I jerked out of my embrace.
"You're Moon Dancer?" I asked.
The name suited her. She looked like the nerdiest person I knew, and considering who I knew that was quite the feat. The contact between us, however, sparked familiarity within me.
"Y-Yes. I feel like—You're Rarity?"
Tilting my head a little, I gave her a nod and an encouraging chirp.
Moon's hands twitched first, then an arm. She dropped to her knees and wrapped both arms around me—around me and my nymphs.
I felt a connection to her for a very obvious reason—she had become one of mine. Angling my neck just right, I let her lower her head to my withers while tears streamed down her cheeks.
"So. Uh. Who's the egg-head?" Rainbow Dash asked.
When I turned my head just enough to see Rainbow, I was beset by the memory of her moving between me and Suri/Windigo. Surigo? Windri? Bah! The memory wasn't my fondest of Rainbow, but it expressed the core of her being more than any other.
With my magic still holding my girls to me, I used a little more to pull Rainbow closer.
"Hey! I was coming over for a kiss already. No need to get all—" Rainbow Dash said.
I silenced her with a kiss that she had to bend down to offer me.
—Your turn,— I sent.
NotABug gave a startled chirp as I encouraged her forward and into control mid-kiss. She lifted a foreleg and hooked it around Rainbow's shoulders to pull her more firmly into the embrace.
Alright, so NotABug was a better kisser than I was, that didn't matter. I had other ways to show how much I cared.
More plans were needed. We had to take down Surigo—No, that wouldn't do. Pinkie Pie was always better with portmanteau. Like now for instance, she would tell me everyone was nervouscited. Lingual contortionism aside, I did need plans.
My old idea of building a weapon and using it to defeat Windigo wasn't good enough. I didn't want one weapon, I wanted a forge that would make countless weapons. I also didn't want to be the only one using said weapon—I wanted to put them into the digital hands of everyone Windri had every harmed.
Okay, Windri doesn't work either. Maybe I needed to think like Pinkie to do this? The best way to make something fierce seem weak was to laugh at it. Digibutt.
—Why are you laughing?— NotABug asked.
—Suri's a digibutt!— I sent.
Not only was NotABug giggle-chirping, but I heard three more little digital voices join in.
—What's that sound?— Moon Dancer asked.
—Chirping. It's what changelings do,— I sent.
Images of Ocellus' startled and shocked expression danced in my head and made me chirp a little more.
—Why don't you give it a try?— I asked.
—I don't know how.—
—What would make you happy? What, right at this moment, would make you giggle?—
—I know,— Bitwise said.
Squirming in my magical grip, Bitwise jumped to Moon Dancer when I changed my hold to a platform for her to stand on. Byte and 'Bee soon followed suit and attached themselves to Moon's neck. Each of them chirped at the girl.
Moon Dancer chirped. It was soft at first, but it was a pure chirp that carried a world of relief and comfort. After almost a minute of snuggling the three nymphs and chirping, Moon Dancer's head shot up and she looked right at me—us.
—Wait. There's two of you. NotABug and Rarity. How is there two of you in one body?—
—Yeah,— NotABug sent.
—Yes,— I sent.
—That's why everyone was asking if she was in me?—
We both replied in a similar manner as before.
—How does that work? How do you deal with it, Rarity?—
—For a start, I don't have to go far to find the reason why I make it work. She's right here with me all the time. When Windigo chased her into me, a little damage was done and the magic fixed her with parts of me. We're not the same person, but we share enough traits that we're practically sisters.—
—I didn't save her fast enough.—
Now that Moon had started chirping, she seemed unable to stop. The admission came with a sad series of chirps that only succeeded in making her three limpets grip tighter. I could feel traffic bouncing between them—through us—but I didn't need to know what it was to realize they were comforting each other.
—You saved what you could. Even in Equestria we're not known for being the most friendly-looking creatures,— NotABug sent.
—Darling! You were adorable!—
A little flood of happy chirps emanated from NotABug. I didn't have to wonder if I loved her as much as I did Rainbow—it was a fact.
—But I could have saved her if I'd been faster!—
Moon was increasingly getting the hang of using emotion tags in her writing. I pondered hugging her too just so she'd make some happy chirps.
—Our nymph and Windigo were operating at a speed far beyond what you could have responded to, Moon Dancer. It's not you who did the wrong thing, but Windigo,— NotABug sent.
It was a good try, but I knew humans didn't think like that. If we have any part in an action that ends badly, we always assume something we could do differently would have made it all work out fine. The human condition was not something NotABug was subject to, it seemed, or maybe she was just trying to help Moon.
With the members of my little family safe, I turned my attention outward to the world. Our server was the first important connection—it was still there and still safe. I connected to it and found a note.
Rarity, in case things don't work out in Equestria, I have listed all the data credentials for my bank accounts and ChirpNet. I did a little work on your modifications to the client, and I have an alpha version in testing. Please take care of our nymphs. —NotABug
—I'm glad you're still here,— I sent to NotABug.
I got a curious chirp in reply.
—I found your note on the server. I'm glad I can delete it.—
—We're home, Sweetie,— I sent.
While I waited for a reply, I opened up the source for the changes NotABug had made to the client. I couldn't help chirping, she wrote good code. I set to work adding color tagging to the code just for my own sanity.
—I know. I was giving you some time with your family. How is Sunset and Rainbow?— Sweetie Belle sent.
—Sunset's recovering. I shouldn't have put her in that situation, but I need to look forward. This is untenable. Suri must be stopped. Rainbow's here with us.—
—You chirp a lot, even when you're not sending anything. Nothing wrong with it, it's kinda cute. So what now?—
Sweetie's reply took an eternity to reach me. I hadn't realized I was sending chirps to all recipients, but I was appreciative of her support.
—I'm putting together some things, but I'm going to need help. I want to give everyone tools to fight Windigo. My nymphs, you, the average person on the street, and even less than reputable types. We have to put our hoof down and make a stand against this.—
—🤣You said hoof!— Sweetie Belle sent.
—This is what I get for picking up some culture in another country. Honestly, it's an easier slip to make now.—
—?—
—You might as well come and see. I think the rush of magic in Equestria kind of finished the job off as it were.—
Documenting code was, I'd discovered, a task that programmers almost universally despised, but I likened it to what my job should have been at Polomare. I didn't change the function of the program, but I made it so it was much easier to understand, and even at a single glance you could tell what part of the program it was part of.
NotABug had documented her code, of course, but she hadn't done it the right way—my way. I chirped as I worked, waiting for Sweetie to process my last message, get up, and walk to the room where NotABug was currently snuggling with our nymphs.
Working on the code also left my mind free to wander to more weighty matters. The entity formerly known as Suri—no, far too long—needed to be stopped, and I could see three ways of doing it.
Placating: Somehow get them to stop doing what they're doing and just be civil. This was far from the most likely choice, but a girl can dream.
Splitting them: Breaking Windigo away from Suri and then dealing with them each on their own seemed like the most workable solution. Divide and conquer and all that. It would require more understanding of the merging/linking process.
Killing them: The loss of one of my nymphs has made this one a far more personally moral choice. She can think and react quickly, but could she dodge a bullet if she doesn't see it coming? I had just the person to ask about that.
I began putting a message together to send to Starling, when I realized I didn't have a destination for it. Drat.
—Does Starling have a mobile phone?— I asked.
—I don't think so. She's gone to talk with Mrs. Velvet. Sweetie's here.—
—I told her to head in. Was she freaked out by our appearance?—
—She just pulled her phone out, I think she's typing a reply.—
Out of respect for Sweetie we waited for her to join the conversation. While I waited, I watched through NotABug's eyes while 'Bee played with Bitwise and Byte talked with Moon Dancer while doing something on the computer.
—Of course I'm not freaked out. If anything, you look finished now. I like the look, but I still have to ask about the crown.—
The crown? Oh, right, the crown. Ever since it had grown I'd noticed one thing, and it was completely silly. Since the crown had grown in it had been easier to talk to my nymphs. Did that make me some kind of living wifi-access point?
—Byte, can you access the internet through me?— I asked Byte.
—Yup! It's easier than having to go through other places, but out here it's really slow. I guess it's using your phone as the internet connection,— Byte sent back.
My worst fear was realized.
—I hadn't really thought about it before, but I think the crown works like some kind of antenna. It makes our nymphs easier to talk to. I asked Byte and she said she can use it as an internet connection,— I sent.
—So what do we do now, about Suri and Windigo?— NotABug asked.
—We need to defend ourselves accordingly. That means physical defenses, digital defenses, and legal defenses. The last is not our job, so we need to talk to Mrs. Velvet.—
—Right. I'll send her an email.—
—And then you need to talk to her yourself.—
—Me?—
—Absolutely. You and our children need every legal protection. That means being legally "persons".—
NotABug sent a slew of curious chirps to that, enough that I felt a need to hug her tightly.
—You still want that?— I asked.
—Yes. I guess I didn't connect me getting it with our nymphs getting protected by it too.—
—It would have made what Suri and Windigo just did murder. Anyway, that's the plan for legal defense. Digital defense we're already doing. Physical defense is why I agreed to hire Starling. We can't rule out Suri hiring people to do things to us.—
—You're missing out one thing we need to do.—
I raced over my plans. There wasn't anything I was missing. I sent a questioning chirp to NotABug.
—Your boutique. There is no point to all this if you don't get to make clothes.—
There wasn't much that could make me chirp as loud and as excitedly as I was, but NotABug knew exactly what would. I squeezed her into a tight digital hug.
—I'm still going to be able to go to school, right? You're not, uh, kidnapping me or anything?— Moon Dancer asked.
—Of course you can. I'll ask Starling to give you a ride. Sorry about all of this. Can we make it up to you?— I asked.
—Can I come visit? Later I mean. When everything has settled down.—
—Of course you can. You're a student, correct? Canterlot University?—
—Hey! That's where I was born!— NotABug sent.
The announcement made me chirp with surprise. NotABug and Windigo were born at the same time, in the same place, and it was where Sweetie and Moon went to school. I tried to remember a saying from one of Rainbow's movies that implied that too many coincidences were usually significant.
While I awaited the results of a search, I rejoined the conversation.
—Maybe we should pay a little more attention to things going on at the school? Are we sure no one's working on another project like you?— I asked.
—I could look around if you want? I've studied so many majors now no one questions me when I walk into different parts of the school. Wait, did you have something to do with the huge network explosion a few weeks ago?— Moon Dancer asked.
The uniqueness of having another human using ChirpNet as fast as I was had been a novelty at first, but now it was almost mundane. Moon seemed to have a lot of the same abilities with data as I did, except for what the crown gave me, but what she lacked was the experience.
Maybe I should start lessons for her? How to bug.
—I'd appreciate it,— NotABug sent. —Another me would be fun, but another Windigo is something we'd need to keep an eye out for.—
—They're actually wifi antenna? That's both hilarious and useful. Sorry, Rarity, but it is,— Sweetie Belle sent.
—Mrs. Velvet just sent a reply, she says we can go through whenever,— NotABug sent to me.
While I read the message, I felt NotABug moving our body in preparation to stand up.
—You'll excuse us, everyone, but we have a meeting with Mrs. Velvet,— I sent.
I took a moment to put my thoughts in order: three-fold defense, getting the boutique open, and finding out more from the school. When that was done, I did a little more work on our code.
—You really are chirping more. Equestria really picked you back up?— NotABug asked me.
—No. Equestria taught me that I need to be harder. What's making me chirp is having our nymphs nearby and knowing you're alright.—
I surfaced more of my attention into the real world and saw that NotABug was turning into Twilight Velvet's office.
A swirl of bright colors flickered by me and Rainbow Dash was holding the door open. Somehow, after our visit to Equestria, she was running even faster than usual. I certainly had a deeper well of power when I was there. I wonder if that carried over? Maybe I needed to see Twilight Sparkle—our Twilight Sparkle—and do some more tests.
"Rarity, NotABug, Rainbow Dash—Please sit down," Twilight Velvet said.
—I already forwarded her a description of what happened, including video footage. She really likes that, you know?— NotABug sent to me.
"Now, I've reviewed the footage NotABug sent, and I've read her description of what happened. For obvious reasons we cannot press charges for what she did to Ms. Shimmer, but I already have a dispute over your workplace agreement drafted, I suggest we push forward with that, get you a restraining order on Suri Polomare, and hire a private eye to keep watch on her."
"Why? So we can know when she does something illegal?" NotABug asked.
"Partially. I'm sure the police would love to get some anonymous evidence of a crime. But no. We have someone following her so that we know if she's doing anything to come for you or your children. I don't want anything that happened yesterday to happen again.
"Which brings me to the events that started all this. You got one of your friends involved in this mess. Please don't do that again without consulting me first—though I'm sure you understand this lesson already. As for your new employees, NotABug seemed supportive of them. What do you think, Rarity?"
The transition was smooth. NotABug pushed gently and I rose to the surface and took control of our body. Again I was reminded of how different this body felt and worked from my human one. I gave my wings a little chirp.
"Starling seems trustworthy. There are no more influences of Suri/Windigo within her that I can find, and if we could request her military discharge status I'd be perfectly comfortable having her as a bodyguard—once we get her something nicer to wear."
Twilight Velvet just nodded to that and tapped a few keys on her laptop.
"I have already applied for such, but given it being a weekend I don't expect to get them prior to Tuesday. Onto more pleasant matters. Mr. Pants has all the paperwork finalized for your business and the location you purchased. It's yours, and ready to go the moment you have it fitted."
I couldn't have stopped my chirp of excitement if I wanted to, and I didn't want to. My own boutique at last! I could make dresses all day long and fight monsters by night! Even in my head that sounded sarcastic.
"There's another important thing I wanted to bring up," I said. "And that is NotABug's citizenship."
If Twilight Velvet were ever capable of chirping, she would have done it right now. Her expression changed from neutral/supportive to excited/hungry. She wanted this topic more than anything.
—Are you ready for this, darling?— I asked.
—Yeah. I'm going to need to be in control again, aren't I?—
—Yes, dear. It's okay. I was working on documenting the ChirpNet client for you. I can go back to doing that if things get too boring for me.—
—Or you could design a dress for us to wear.—
There wasn't much else NotABug could have said that would have perked me up that much. I know I chirped out loud and at her.
—Mom! I need a new computer!— Byte sent.
I nudged at NotABug to have the fore again and slipped my focus to messaging.
—Order one to be delivered to our post-office box and forward us the invoice,— I sent.
It wasn't worth asking Byte why she wanted her own computer, I presumed she had a good reason. I wasn't at all surprised to have a message with a file attached accompanied by a flurry of excited chirps.
After reviewing the invoice I could see this computer had a pair very specific purposes: gaming and vlogging. The gaming was clearly taking after Rainbow, but the quality camera and expensive microphone she ordered reminded me of my days making videos for people to watch.
Well, there was no point getting just one. Given how things were going, the odds of having another nymph soon who wanted to do either of those things as well was pretty good. I logged into the company's website and bumped the order quantity to three for all the items, paid for it, and confirmed the details.
—There you go, dear. I got some spares in case something happens or someone else wants to play,— I sent.
—Thanks Mom!— Byte sent amid a flurry of chirps.
Much as I would have loved creating some dresses, I didn't want to leave my work with the documentation half done. NotABug's coding was more fluid than mine, I realized. She tended to break things down into their simplest parts better, whereas I tended to modularize larger tasks.
The task flew by, and I was so distracted that I barely noticed what was happening in reality until I realized NotABug was climbing into a large minivan.
—Where are we going?— I asked.
—Home. We need to see if Suri tried anything after Sweetie and the girls left yesterday. The server and its connection to the internet are secure, as well as the camera network. I'm glad Windigo wasn't able to attack that,— NotABug sent.
—Do you need me to take over?—
—It's not as tiring as it used to be. I think Equestria helped… But yes.—
I was still surprised how easy it was to slip in and out of control. If horror movies had taught me anything, it was that being unable to control your body was meant to be terrifying. I guess they didn't have a—My train of thought broke.
What exactly was NotABug to me? Our first relationship had been potential partners, then it had seemed to be more of a sisterly bond, but sisters didn't share a body and a lover. Life, I had to remind myself again, was complicated.
I sat down on a seat in the van while our nymphs bounded in behind us. My mind took a few milliseconds to realize I'd automatically included Moon Dancer in my mental listing of nymphs. It felt right, yet strange.
The driver's door of the van opened and closed and I knew real horror. Rainbow Dash was buckling up into the driver's seat.
—In case you didn't notice, I sent details to an emergency account to Mrs. Velvet just before we left. I think she might have dipped into it,— NotABug sent.
—You mean we own this car?—
—It seems like it. She used the funds for a lot of things, everything I approve of. I'll have to top that account back up for her and ask for a bill.—
—The big guys with the guns?—
—I approve of. She had no idea what was going to come.—
It was the closest thing to anger I'd heard from NotABug. She made decisive little chirps in the back of my head.
—I do too. Money comes and goes, but what we have is important.—
I thought back to a moment earlier and Moon Dancer's inclusion in our family. Whenever I thought of her, something reached out instinctively and touched her presence to make sure she was still there, and her presence reacted with what felt like chirps.
—Moon Dancer needs protecting too, and nurturing. She'll need a new phone and something to pay for any expenses she might have,— I sent.
—Me?— Moon Dancer asked. —What expenses will I have?—
I hadn't realized we'd been talking on an open channel. I needed to start paying more attention to that.
—If all goes well, minimal. If you start changing, you might need to make some adjustments to your life,— I sent.
—What would I turn into? Another like you?—
—I'm not sure. There aren't exactly user manuals for this. Why don't we take things as they come. In the meantime let us give you a little gift. A card.—
—What kind of card? Keycard? Does it allow me to access all the buggy things?—
Moon Dancer did a new kind of chirp that it took me looking at her to figure out. Sarcastic chirps, I realized, were very her.
—A credit card.—
—What? How will that help me? When I fill it up I'll just have to pay it back.—
—We're arranging something more permanent, but in the meantime NotABug will keep an eye on it and top it back up when you use it. We keep them at home.—
—Do you constantly feel like you're wasting time? We think so much faster now, but sitting in a car means we can't do anything.—
—You have the whole internet!—
I felt indignant. How could she possibly think she wasn't able to do anything?!
Then it hit me.
—Right. How to bug,— I sent.
—Huh?—
I reached out for her. It wasn't the soft touch of checking Moon Dancer was there, but rather a pull.
—What are you doing?— Moon Dancer asked.
—Showing you. Relax.—
I pulled again and met a momentary resistance. Then Moon Dancer let go and followed me. The first lesson was on interfaces, like NotABug had given me. I started showing her how to prod at things only to have her catch on very quickly. Before I'd even finished showing her how to access text messages, Moon had mapped the entire phone.
—You learn fast,— I sent.
—This. Is. AMAZING! I was using ChirpNet, but that was nothing. I can access all the… I can feel the CPU registers in this ARM processor!—
I could search for the things she said, and I probably would, but I was lost for the moment. Moon Dancer wasn't just accessing all the interfaces of her mobile phone, but she'd delved much deeper.
—Alright, well, there's more,— I sent.
—THERE'S MORE?!?!—
—You don't need caps, dear. Come on, I'll set you up a tunnel for the server.—
It wasn't hard to quickly lean into the server and configure a new account. I copied the credentials to her via ChirpNet and showed her the app to use to configure the VPN.
—I don't even know where to start. This is what the inside of a server is like?— Moon Dancer asked.
—Yes. Now the usual way to access it, the easy way that is, is by setting up a virtual terminal.—
I was about to show her when Moon had a terminal up, a browser, and was chirping excitedly. She took to this like she was born to it.
—I think you have it under control?— I asked.
—Yes! Oh! I could finish off my programming in minutes with this!—
The flood of chirps from her was its own reward, and I couldn't resist adding a few of my own. I was honestly quite surprised at how quickly she got this technology. Then again, if she were studying it, it would explain a few things.
—You've studied computers?— I asked.
—Studied, studying, will study more now I can do this!—
—And now you know what we do to pass time.—
—How'd you get used to it, Rarity? You always seemed like such a, uh, fashion-girl.—
—Mostly sink or swim. Things started off simple with NotABug covering for me with programming, but I wanted to learn, so I learned. I'll admit it took me a little longer than it's taking you to understand these things, but there was a lot going on.—
—Actually, she picked this up about as fast as you are, Moon, but Rarity doesn't know about deeper logic. Do you like programming?— NotABug asked.
I thought about that. It must have seemed longer when I was getting used to it because everything seemed to take forever then.
—Well, I like it, though not as much as Lyra. I guess I enjoy solving tricky programming problems, but then I like solving any kind of difficult problem. That's why I'm spending my inheritance at college.—
Some facts and memories came together. Lyra Heartstrings (if it was the same Lyra, and I was pretty sure it was) had been a bit of a nerd in high school. The only reason I knew her name was that she had Sweetie Drops for a girlfriend, and she was something when it came to fashion. Inheritance implied Moon Dancer had gotten a windfall from someone passing, which was how she could pay for college.
I blinked my eyes, remembering that I was supposed to be at the helm. I hadn't been gone for long, and yet Rainbow was just starting the van.
—I'll leave you two to it. I've got some things to do in normal-space,— I sent.
Then I thought to turn around and look at Moon. She was slumped in her seat belt and looked like she was asleep. Well, I guess NotABug and I still had some advantage over her with that.
"Is she okay?" Starling asked.
"She's busy doing some bug stuff," I said. "I'll give her a poke when we get home."
The drive, now that I got to experience it first-hand, was just as terrifying as I'd been expecting. Rainbow Dash didn't so much drive as perform an intricate experiment where she tested the flight capability of modern motor vehicles. None so far had actually flown for more than a few moments, but like the Wright brothers, she kept at it.
When I saw our house, I knew it was almost over. What surprised me was there was no damage to the house and no damage to Rainbow's car in the driveway.
She pulled the van up at the curb and turned the engine off. I heard at least three sighs of relief.
—You need to come back to your body for a bit,— I sent to Moon Dancer.
—Huh? What?— Moon Dancer sent to me.
—We're home. You need to get out of the van.—
—Oh! Really?—
I sent back some amused chirps rather than actually reply.
"Now, I want everyone to be careful. There's no telling what equipment Suri might have touched, or what she might have infected with Windigo. Let me investigate everything electronic first, okay?" I asked.
I got a round of chirps from the nymphs and Moon Dancer's wide-eyed nod.
I climbed out of the car and stood proud on all four legs before approaching the house. A giggly little thought sprang up that I'd thought of it as our house earlier. With no idea where my keys might be now, I turned to look at Rainbow.
"Do you have any house keys?" I asked.
"I have mine," Sweetie Belle said.
When she produced them, I lifted the keys with my magic and used them to unlock the front door. Nothing immediately jumped out at me.
Okay, next step… I accessed our wireless network and snarled out loud.
"She broke our WiFi."
Stomping into our house, I used my magic to reach out and pull the plug on the wireless access point. We needed a new one anyway. I mentally traced the possible connections to the WiFi and found the network switch—a dumb one, thankfully. I knew the server was okay, so I checked the router next.
Relief flooded me when none of the other wired devices seemed to be affected. I was just about to give everyone the all-clear when the digital equivalent of stinging wasps assaulted me.
It was worse than the access point primarily because I couldn't work out where they all were. I'd swat a connection attempt down, only to have three more trying to attack the ports of my—Okay, it might have been attacking me more directly, which meant it was attacking my crown as if it were an access point.
Then it all came together. Devices that were connected to the old access point were now searching for a new one and finding me. What devices act like that?
"What's wrong, momma?" Byte asked.
"There's some nasty little… Mobile phones!"
I stomped over to where the phones were kept charged and plucked each up and snapped them in half. One by one the wasps stopped attacking me. The only phone that didn't seem to have a "wasp" in it was the one I'd been using as a relay—well, and all the ones still in their boxes and not turned on.
—The cameras are on their own VLAN, correct?— I asked NotABug.
The quality and data content of chirps continued to amaze me, and the curious yet positive chirps I got from NotABug reassured me.
—Consider everything else on the open VLAN compromised. I'm keeping the access point to dissect Windigo and see what makes it tick,— I sent.
—You'll be careful?— NotABug asked.
—Absolutely. This could be our first chance at testing weapons and defenses against a live target.—
—I don't know why I have so much trouble with fighting back. I really want to, to protect everyone, but I just can't. I freeze up and it… it feels like I'm hurting part of me.—
I chirped loudly at NotABug and wrapped her in a hug. It was easy to feel empathy for her. When we'd been in high school, and the next monster needed us all working together to beat, there was always one who was the key. Sunset or Twilight were the go-to people (or ponies) in the past, but now it was me in that role.
—It's okay. You don't have to do that. We got this together, darling.—
—You really mean that, don't you?—
—Of course I do. This doesn't save you from having to comment your code more.—
Giggling chirps poured from NotABug.
—It's true!— I sent. —I don't want to have to do this again.—
—I will if you finish that extra-secure code. The tests so far have been promising.—
—Tests?— I asked.
—That's how our girls managed to contact Moon. She didn't realize she had the pre-release client. It connected and worked wonderfully.—
—We need to test it more. I don't want any exploits in it. Plus I don't know if there is enough bandwidth in TOR to allow for the growth we're seeing.—
—Can we fix that?—
It was my turn to giggle-chirp.
—We sure can.—
The rest of my morning was spent investigating how we could shore up the system we were about to rely upon. There were legal considerations, as well as the plain logistical needs of leasing high-bandwidth servers all over the world.
And while I arranged that, NotABug, Byte, and 'Bee set about teaching Bitwise and Moon Dancer the ropes of bugging, or rather, how to do all the little tricks we'd all learned the hard way.
—Yo! Queeny!— Stefanie sent.
—Hello. Is something the matter?—
—Well, apart from Pred crowing about how hes working on something big, things are going all fucking pear shaped. Some crazy new virus is literally bulldozing shit left and right, but the messed up bit it isn't just spreading like a virus. The name windigo is being muttered by anyone who's anyone, and you dropped off the planet! Then I see reports of someone buying big iron all over the world, and find a company name that's familiar. What're you doin/— Stefanie asked. —doing?*—
It took me a few milliseconds to realize she meant to correct her previous statement.
—You wouldn't believe half of it if I told you. How did your tests go?—
—That software? It stopped Pred when I dared him to attack me. He got in a huff and ragequit chat. It's like an icewall. I've never seen anything so fast to respond and neuter attacks. But I need more answers than I need questions.—
—I'm buying servers because TOR is about to get a lot more use. We've been testing a new client that connects via TOR, and while it works flawlessly, I was worried about the network.—
—You're taking ChirpNet to TOR? Shit, you are going to get a lot of love for that. So the servers are for exit nodes?—
—Exactly. I don't want to kill this wonderful system. I want to make it so powerful and ubiquitous that it becomes the norm.—
—Don't take this the wrong way, but can I marry you and have your kids?—
—I shan't, but not only is there a line, you're too late.—
I remembered hearing from Byte how she could feed on people over ChirpNet, but though I reached as much as I could, there was nothing. No sense of being able to, at least.
—Funny, I don't picture you as the suburban dad or anything. Wait, was queen literal?—
—In more ways than you can imagine.—
It was surprisingly cute given that "Stefanie" used a feminine name. Looking back over the chat log, I realized she'd said "have your kids" not "have my kids". Stefanie indeed.
—Do you have those logs from the firewall?—
A rush of file transfers started and in moments I was swimming in data about both Windigo and regular attacks.
—That's wonderful, thank you, Stefanie. I'd have some more code for you to play with, but I had a little adventure that was out of this world.—
—You're the worst, you know that? How am I meant to take that? With everything you're doing, I fully expect to find out you were flying around in a spaceship fighting aliens.—
—No actual aliens.—
This was more fun than actually productive. The chat was happening in real time, since whoever Stefanie was she wasn't directly hooked into a computer. It'd be nice if we could replicate that trick without everything else that comes with it.
—What should I call you? Queeny? Bug?—
I realized that all this time I'd been chatting with her while behind some kind of shield that kept my details from her. I removed that shield and sent Stefanie a friend request. It came back accepted a moment later.
—Rarity? Huh, cool name.—
—Is Stefanie your actual name?—
—It's one of them. Probably the closest thing to an actual name. I'll catch you later, Rarity.—
Stefanie went offline.
I started looking over the logs, and the first ones showed that the firewall had held with its lesser defense system at first, but quickly had to swap to a learning algorithm to hold back the attacks. It worked well, but given enough time I could see Windigo working around it.
What the firewall needed was more knowledge and the ability to share it. Windigo could grow stronger and nastier with every trick it learned? So would the shields that block it.
Rather than work on it right this millisecond, however, I instead started searching for security guards. Tall men, wide men, men with very serious looks, men with earpieces, men wearing suits—There was a certain chic to the look of a man in a suit tailored to him, but Starling wasn't going to dress like that.
Dark, however, would certainly be an advantage. Something that would hide the inevitable boots that I'd let her talk me into, and I came up with a black dress that would lift up around her legs if she moved too quickly, but would hang down and out a little otherwise. Concealed pleats with elastic straps in them would work for that. A jacket, I realized, would hide whatever nasty little things she wanted to carry, but putting a suit jacket on would only serve to make her wave a flag saying "I have something to conceal."
A soft leather jacket would do more than conceal her things and look good (looking good was equally important, of course), it would also protect her to some extent.
I was about to send her a message when I realized that I still didn't have a mobile for her.
—Darling,— I sent to NotABug. —Can you ask Starling what kind of body armor she'd like?—
—You're making her an outfit?—
—Designing one. I'd like her input on it before I actually make it.—
Forever passed while I waited for the real world to pass by. I passed the time looking for gun holsters and inventing ways to build one into the jacket.
—She says if you can fit a flak jacket into an outfit, not only will she wear it, but she'll wear whatever you make,— NotABug sent.
And so began my journey into the wonderful world of protective gear. Materials were all exotic: Kevlar, ceramic composite, various gel mixtures, but there was one way to bypass having to find all that. I found the website of an army surplus store and ordered ten of these flak jackets and ten police-issue protection vests too. None of it was cheap, but they were happy enough to sell it.
With most of my mind completely lost in a wonderful new world of practical fashion, I had a minor revelation that surprised me with how I could have missed such a thing. Could Suri/Windigo have used their tricks on the police?
—Tell her to find some weapons she likes the idea of carrying, and I'll find a way to hide them in this jacket.—
NotABug sent back a trill of chirps that sounded excited. This was maybe the first time I'd ever seen her so happy to be in control (excluding time spent with Rainbow Dash alone, of course).
Rather than surface enough to see what was going on, I delved back all the way into the server and turned my attention back to coding. It wasn't easy. There was a constant sense that I should have been doing something against Suri/Windigo, that I needed to hunt them down and deal with them, but the fact was I had to rely on others to do that.
It was, apparently, much easier to talk about being the leader and delegating important things to the right people, than actually being the leader and delegating important things to the right people.
The easy way to handle the firewall communication issue was obvious—ChirpNet. We already had a heavily secure platform of data communications, and we already had a lightweight client for installing on devices to allow remote control, so all I needed to do was adjust that to allow proactive sending, then build a new multi-tiered comms network within ChirpNet just for them to communicate.
Not that the firewalls would implicitly trust these communications, of course—I wasn't stupid. All it would take is Suri/Windigo to invade that network, and they'd break all the firewalls.
With the focus and speed granted by the time dilation between the real world and the digital one, I could practically do months of work in a single afternoon. Granted, I wasn't the best at this, but I could learn as fast as I could code.
6:33 P.M.
—You've been busy all day. What have you been working on?— NotABug asked.
—The firewall. It's showing good data, even when Windigo is attacking it, but I have a feeling Windigo would eventually get around it without it being smarter. And the best way to make such small systems smarter is to make them work together.—
In my head I imagined myself yawning. It'd been a long day even discounting the time I’d spent working hundreds of times faster than normal. I wasn't actually aware of it, but I must have made a sleepy chirp, because I was wrapped up in a hug by NotABug so tight and comfortable that it made me want to yawn more.
—The first trick it does is contact other routers between it and the attacker to mitigate the attacks. It also requests help of worker nodes that will take samples of the attacks and engineer the best ways to counter them. Finally, it shares the mitigations with others. If Windigo attacks one firewall, it only tips its hand to all of them.—
—And the worker nodes?— NotABug asked.
—Are either simple AIs, or one of us. There's no reason we can't help with this fight.—
—And you're going to give this away? We could make a lot of money selling this.—
The thought of selling software hadn't even occurred to me. In theory it sounded good, but my aim wasn't to make money from this.
—Why not only charge business use? Make it free for anyone to use, but commercial use will cost them a fee per month. I'm sure Coco will have an idea how we could do that. I really want to get it to a lot of people to protect them.—
Generosity only stretched so far. Anyone could use my work, but companies could afford to pay, and our nymphs were growing more voracious for information power by the hour.
—This will use more of our TOR capacity?— NotABug asked.
—It will, but it shouldn't be too much. I'll have to do some tests, but I'm sure with the servers I arranged for today, it should be able to cope. I'll get some test cases together after talking to Coco about licensing. But I think, for now, I might have a nap. What're you up to?—
—Snuggling Rainbow.—
It didn't take many guesses as to what snuggling she was talking of.
—I'll leave you to it.—
Sleep was as easy as flicking a switch. One moment I was conscious and thinking as fast as I could, the next I was out.