//------------------------------//
// Chapter 22: Fuller Mill 
// Story: FiO: Homebrew 
// by Starscribe 
//------------------------------//

Arcane knew better than to wait for Cold Iron in the copy of her prison. If she’d been imprisoned here, she sure as hell wouldn’t want it to be the first thing she saw. But for that matter, Arcane wasn’t the first pony Cold Iron would want to see. She was a rival—a minor supporting character in Iron’s story.

Besides, there was a pony who needed to know—the one who’d been working support for this mission. There’s no way Celestia not getting her connected was an accident. She must’ve been better off not seeing Cold Iron get shot like that.

Arcane wasn’t exactly bouncing all the way back to the staging garage, but she did feel lighter, silly outfit notwithstanding. Something she’d been carrying for years, something she’d been dreading for weeks… was finally over. She was free.

That didn’t mean she was eager to talk about it. If anything, she wanted to talk about it as little as possible. Except for one thing Domino had said: “having feelings for a pony who didn’t even exist.” Clearly there was a call for further action in that department. 

She’d written a few plotlines about Arcane Word’s various love interests, which she’d never felt quite brave enough to try. Maybe Domino would be open to a little adventure. He’d done pretty well as the brave hero breaking through the window and saving the day.

By the time they made it back, Arcane found the other ponies just about done. Murky Pond was already gone, while Event Horizon had packed her workstation into her saddlebags. She hadn’t put them on yet, and she stiffened a little as they approached.

“Arcane,” she said. “And, uh… Domino, right? Celestia said it went well, but she wouldn’t say anything else.”

Plum was still sitting at the table, staring down at the flashing red lights in horror. She looked up as they came in, obviously listening intently for whatever they were about to say next. Arcane wasn’t about to keep her waiting. “Min-seo emigrated,” she said. “One of the other hackers too, I didn’t catch his name. The others are headed north.”

Domino stopped in the doorway, eyes wide. “Wait, you didn’t know what had happened, and Murky left anyway? Doesn’t he care?”

Horizon laughed. “He cares about sticking the middle finger up at TiCon. Or… hoof? I don’t think we have an expression for that anymore. Whatever. He got what he wanted. We did what we could, and apparently things worked out. Despite everything.”

Plum knocked her chair over in her haste to get closer, wings opening and closing as she hung from Arcane’s foreleg. “Please… you have to tell me what happened. I have to know everything! Iron emigrated, you said. Was it bad? Did any of the others get hurt? Did Celestia force you to make him do it? I’d hate myself forever if—”

Arcane cleared her throat. “I think it would be better if Cold Iron…” But even as she said it, she realized her mistake. Emigrating to Equestria was destructive towards the last half hour or so of memories. The brief battle, Cold Iron’s wounds… he wouldn’t remember any of them. His memory would probably start after they’d been betrayed, but before TiCon realized they were being attacked.

Celestia won’t let her hear anything she doesn’t want her to. Let the AI control information if she wanted to.

“If Cold Iron what?”

Arcane shook her head. “Nevermind. There was a fight. Geun got shot by one of the guards, along with Min-seo and the other hacker who emigrated. Not in the head—but we don’t have very good hospitals anymore. They emigrated instead of… dying.”

“Oh.” Plum slumped onto her haunches, looking down. “I… knew something like that would happen. I don’t think… I don’t think Cold Iron would’ve come to Equestria unless he didn’t have another choice.”

Then I’m not surprised he got shot. She wasn’t bitter about it, really. Maybe a little upset about the truck thing, but… “Cold Iron won’t remember it,” she said. “It was as bad as it sounds, but it’s over now, and memory won’t carry over. You’ll have to decide how much you want him to know.”

“Celestia decides that,” Plum whispered. “We’re all just… echoes of her dreams.”

“Maybe,” Horizon said. “But it’s a good dream. You did good work. Was a pleasure, Arcane. Let’s save the world again sometime. Oh, and… are you coming to the afterparty?”

“In Tortuga?” She nodded. “Once the guests of honor arrive. It’s a little weird we’d be celebrating, though. Our plan completely failed.”

Horizon shrugged. “If there are any guests of honor, we didn’t fail. And let’s be honest, if we had failed, we’d probably have the party anyway. At least we could drink the sting of it away together. Let ponies have their party.”

I will. And I’ll be there.

Horizon stepped outside, vanishing in a flash of magic.

“I’m waiting here,” Plum said, settling down onto her haunches and staring at the door. “However long it takes.”

“Then we’re waiting with you,” Domino said. “Aren’t we, Arcane?”

She almost said no—in some ways, they weren’t giving Plum the chance to see the pony she was most loyal to on her own. But if Celestia wanted to stop them, she could’ve. In absence of other evidence, Arcane’s own selfishness won out. She wanted to see her rival arrived safely in Equestria. After all, Cold Iron still owed her bits for the money pit. “We’re staying.”

It didn’t take that long, though Arcane knew it wouldn’t. Time in Equestria would always serve what was most satisfying. She was plenty satisfied to wait a little while for something important, but too long and the blessing turned into a curse.

There was no telling how long Cold Iron had to figure things out before he walked through the door. Months might’ve gone by, and Arcane wouldn’t have known. She also wouldn’t have minded—she could’ve used a little more time herself. 

Was Celestia trying to pressure me into telling Domino the truth when I first got here? That probably would’ve saved the headache. Too late now.

Like Plum Blossom, Cold Iron didn’t walk with the stumbling confusion that came with someone who wanted to “learn” their new body. He stopped in the doorway, as naked as most citizens of Equestria usually were. But that might just be from not having the time to get dressed yet. In her memory, Cold Iron was usually dressed.

“I’m really here,” he said. Arcane knew that tone—the relief, the embarrassment, and the nervous fear that it might be snatched away, or that ponies would be unhappy that he had finally found somewhere to be himself.

Plum crossed the room in a blur, embracing him without a trace of embarrassment or self-consciousness. She didn’t seem to care that they were staring.

“You’re really here,” Arcane said, rising to her hooves on the other end of the room. “I’m sorry it couldn’t come more… willingly. But I didn’t get to choose either, and it worked out for me. I’m sure you’ll come to appreciate it.”

He hugged Plum back for several seconds, not so much as looking up at the rest of them until long moments had passed. Finally he did, his ears flat with embarrassment. “How does a soul fit in a computer?”

“How’s a soul fit in meat?” Arcane asked.

“You’re still alive,” Domino added. There was no familiarity in the way he said it—he was the only one who didn’t know Cold Iron. He didn’t have a stake in this. Except that from the way he looked at Plum, he’d clearly had feelings for her too. Feelings it didn’t look like she was going to be reciprocating again anytime soon. “When my sister came to Equestria, it was because she would’ve died otherwise. She didn’t have a choice. But she… I could tell it was still her. No one could’ve tricked me.”

“I feel… alive,” Cold Iron said. “I know I shouldn’t. Everything we heard about coming here… I shouldn’t be alive. But I am.”

“You’re alive,” Arcane said. She crossed towards him in a few strides, though she didn’t embrace him the way Plum did. They hadn’t had that kind of relationship. “And I’m glad. I wasn’t sure you’d make it. But Equestria wouldn’t be the same without you. We’re all… connected, you know? Every missing member of the human family are people severed from the chain.”

“If this is real…” Cold Iron finally said, straightening again. “Then you better watch out, Lady Arcane. You don’t have Equestria to yourself anymore. Now that I’m here, I’ll invent things so revolutionary you couldn’t comprehend them.”

Then he hesitated, glancing over his shoulder and out the door. “But… you get a little more of a head start. The others TiCon captured are still out there. I’m going to keep an eye on them until they’re here too. Try and… change their minds.”

Arcane stuck out a hoof towards him for a polite shake. “I know you don’t remember, but I don’t actually care about you paying me back for the NPC code. I’m just happy you made it.”

He took her hoof, shaking it vigorously. “And that is why I must pay you back, Arcane. In time. Which it seems I now have in abundance.”

“You’re welcome to stay in Wintercrest!” Domino squeaked, not even looking at him. His words were for Plum. “There’s plenty of room there, in the castle. For both of you, I mean. Obviously. If you want to.”

Sorry not sorry about this one, Domino. Arcane didn’t actually try and revoke the offer, though. She didn’t have to.

“No,” Plum said. She made her way back, lowering her head to Domino. “You were very kind to care for me, Domino. I was lost when I got to Equestria. I was supposed to die. Once the message was delivered, the ones I cared about would be safe.” She glanced back at Iron as she said it, though she wasn’t brave enough to elaborate. Arcane didn’t need her to. “I will come back—to visit, sometimes. Cold Iron will come with me.”

“Of course.” He nodded towards Arcane. “My rival can’t log off. I can’t get kidnapped. But I have my own shard. Plum and I, and some others. Our own story. We would only visit yours.”

Arcane wrapped one foreleg around Domino’s shoulder, though she couldn’t have said for certain if it would make him feel any better. “We’ll look forward to seeing you. And there’s a party… I’m not sure if you know about it. On Tortuga, to celebrate the rescue. It feels like half the Scene was part of it in one way or another. You should make an appearance.”

“I will,” Cold Iron said. “When I’ve… had a little more time to figure things out. Some privacy, some time to recover. Then I will come.”

They left a few minutes later, leaving Domino and Arcane alone in the simulation. Arcane walked to the exit doorway, the one that led into the house this garage was attached to. When the door swung open, it led back into the castle. “Guess that’s it then,” she said. “Rescue’s over. No more worrying about the Outer Realm.”

Even as she said it she realized that wasn’t true. There were still her parents, and other members of her extended family she knew were still living there. Her father in particular seemed unlikely to emigrate. But getting involved with that process was not going to help.

“Just like that,” Domino said. “Doesn’t it feel like… we didn’t do enough?” He stopped at the base of the stairs, glancing back down the simulated street. “Shouldn’t we be helping with the other survivors?”

“No,” Arcane said. “I don’t know the first thing about surviving in what used to be North Korea, do you? About catching food, and dodging buried munitions, and…”

“No,” he grunted. “Okay, I don’t. But we started the job. Why aren’t we finishing it?”

“Because we aren’t the ones qualified to do it,” Arcane answered, almost reflexively. “Celestia wants the best at anything. We’re not the best. We can check in on them if you want. Or… you could ask her to be part of it anyway.”

“No,” he answered. “If you say it’s fine, that we’re not… coping out… then I believe you.”

“We’re not,” she said. “We’re done. Until we’re needed for something else. There are still plenty of people in the Outer Realm, some of them might need to be rescued. Maybe they’ll need our help the way we needed theirs.”

“Sure,” Domino said. “But I’m glad it doesn’t have to come right now. I’d rather… take a break, you know? Some time for us.” He stopped in the doorway, blocking it with a wing. Arcane couldn’t see the outlines of any other creatures on the other side, so there was no Violet or servants to worry about overhearing it. “Everything you said about staying Arcane… I didn’t dream that?”

“Nope,” she said. “I’m still going to have to figure out how to admit it to my family, but it’s true. This is me, for the foreseeable future. If Equestria lasts as long as Celestia says it will, then probably I’ll make some adjustments as time goes on. Iterative improvements. Eventually Wintercrest’s story will be over, and I’ll want to come up with something new. But… the general outline would be staying the same. Being female… that’s critical.”

“Does Arcane Word have a boyfriend in any of these… stories?” Domino asked. “It seems obvious to me she cares for her ward, Violet. But what about her personal relationships?”

“I…” Arcane’s ears flattened, and her face got red hot. “She certainly wouldn’t be alone forever. So many stories have to do with our relationships. The things we do together, the ones we make care about us, their rivalries and fears and goals together. Of course I’d want one too. Err… eventually. After I found the right pony.”

Domino met her eyes, blocking the stairs back up to the castle. He didn’t seem like he’d be moving aside for her. “You don’t think you’ve found him already?”

“I…” He’d be able to smell her embarrassment. Lying was pointless for that reason alone. Pony senses were just too good. “I might have. There are usually, uh… evaluation procedures. QA testing. Performance, err… evaluations. That kind of thing. It’s all very… official.”

Domino advanced on her, towering over her. Arcane’s confidence faded, and she didn’t even try to escape. She didn’t really want to. “Then we should tomorrow. After your party, there’s, uh… I’ve always wanted to take a tour of the underwater city.” He looked nervous, maybe even guilty as he added, “Plum didn’t want to do anything more than look at it. But I bet you’d visit it with me. You don’t seem like you’d be afraid.”

“As long as we brought the right offerings,” Arcane answered reflexively. “And we pick the right day. It’s a new moon tomorrow, that wouldn’t be good. But that Friday could work, so long as we dress appropriately. They feast in honor of their dead princess the week after new moon, hoping she’ll return one day and swallow the—”

Then he kissed her, and Arcane forgot what she was trying to say. Maybe the specific details of the city beneath weren’t quite as important after all…