//------------------------------// // A Little Buggy // Story: Fifty Shades of Neigh // by GaPJaxie //------------------------------// “It’s a four-leafed mesmerix!” Twilight was beside herself with glee. She had her magnifying glass, several books on rare magical creatures, and an entire afternoon free of her royal duties to devote to the fascinating problem before her. “I’ve only ever seen these in illustrations. Even the Canterlot Zoo doesn’t have any. They’re very rare.” “You’re hurting it,” Starlight snapped, “let it go.” “I am not hurting it. Its wings are very strong and have no pain receptors.” But, Twilight released the strange little insect anyway. No sooner had she removed her tweezers from its wings than it took to the air, buzzing straight for Starlight. It landed on her shoulder and nestled into her mane, barely visible behind a curtain of hair. “Mesmerixes are quite rare in general,” Twilight went on. “They’re a genus of insect notable for the ability to mesmerize ponies into assisting them. The most common species is Saccharo hypnotica, or the sugar mesmerix. They beguile ponies into bringing them sugar water, honey, and other food, and can often be found near sugar plantations. Another variant, known as the shield mesmerix, beguiles ponies into protecting their hives from predators. They entire genus is a distant relative of Stutelia amicus, better known as pen—” “Twilight.” Starlight’s voice, soft but unamused, cut through the air like a knife. Twilight wasn’t sure why she fell silent so suddenly, or why she blushed afterwards. “Um…” She coughed. “Right. The variant you have there is the four-leafed mesmerix, so named because it looks a bit like a four-leafed clover. In fact, it’s probably the reason four-leaf clovers are seen as lucky. You see, the four-leafed mesmerix entrances any pony it touches into believing that they’re lucky.” A moment of silence passed between them. The little insect crawled up Starlight’s mane and along her head, resting on the tip of her horn. “And?” Starlight finally asked. “That’s it,” Twilight said. “As long as the mesmerix is alive and healthy and physically near a pony it has touched, that pony believes that they’re lucky.” “How does that help the insect?” “It doesn’t, directly. But it means ponies want to keep the insect around and happy, so it more subtly influences behavior.” Twilight eyed the little bug, then her gaze shifted back down to Starlight. “Do you feel lucky?” “Not really,” Starlight’s tone was level. Neutral. “I guess it doesn’t work on me.” “You are exceptionally strong willed,” Twilight agreed. “The mind control power is weak, so you could be reflexively resisting it. Or maybe it's sick. You could take it to Fluttershy’s.” “No, I think I’ll keep it.” Starlight turned away from Twilight, taking a step towards the door. “I already named him. You know? It would be awkward.” “Awkward.” A small smile appeared on Twilight’s face. “Sure. You two have fun now.” The castle doors shut behind Starlight with a loud thump. “Hey there, Buggy,” Starlight said. She wasn’t good with names. Buggy did look a little bit like a four-leaf clover. His body, all of it, was barely larger than a one-bit coin, and most of that was his wings. He had four of them, ovoid in shape, mint-green and overlapping. When he spread them to fly, they pointed every which way. When he scuttled, he folded them like a dragonfly did. He liked eating sugar, rotting leaves, and Starlight’s dandruff. When she put him in his terrarium for the night, he went right to sleep under the heat lamp. And whenever she was around, he would zip across the gap between them, wings buzzing, and latch right onto the tip of her horn. And then she felt better. As long as she had Buggy with her, she knew that everything was going to be okay. For the first few days they knew each other, Starlight had resisted. She left Buggy in his terrarium when she went to work, and by the time she got to the School of Friendship, her head was clear. But she found herself lingering in her room in the morning, and sneaking out early from work to rush home and check on him. And eventually, she gave in. “Come on, Buggy,” she said. “Let’s go to school.” He rode on her horn the whole way there, and from that vantage point, watched as she skimmed through her morning schedule. “Don’t worry, Buggy,” she said. “Today is going to go great.” First, she had a meeting with Trixie about how the new Fall students were doing. As usual Trixie showed up with no notes, totally unprepared, and proceeded to ramble at length about the problems the students had brought their “Great and Powerful Counselor.” Starlight smiled the whole time, and when Trixie paused for breath, she said, “You know, you’ve got this, don’t you? Under all the bluster, all the insecurity, all the times you act like you’re still on stage, you really have got this under control.” “Of course Trixie does. You don’t have to sound so surprised.” Trixie flicked her mane, lifting her nose in a haughty affirmation. But when Starlight failed to rise to the bait, she hesitated. “Why do you say that?” “Because I know it’s going to work out. With you, here.” “Well,” Trixie paused. “Good.” “And with me here.” “Yes, Starlight. You’re a great headmaster.” “And,” Starlight said, “with you and me.” Trixie’s next flippant reply stuck in her throat. With it lodged so, she found she couldn’t speak. In fact, she struggled to breathe, the hem of her cloak suddenly feeling tight around her neck. After several moments, she stammered. “What do you mean?” “I mean that right now, I haven’t got a doubt in the world. Everything’s going my way.” And then, Starlight said. “Trixie, will you marry me?” Trixie froze to the spot. She gasped, then yelled, then cried. And then she said yes. That afternoon, Starlight had a meeting with the ambassador from Zebraria about getting more zebra students. According to Twilight, the ambassador's visit to the capital had not gone well, and Starlight should not anticipate a warm reception. It seemed that prior to visiting Equestria, she had spoken with Zecora about what ponies were like, and had not been impressed with the stories she was told. Something something rampant xenophobia something something forced to live out in the woods something something Applejack. Negotiations were tense. Buggy stretched his wings as he sat on the tip of Starlight’s horn. Several ponies had mistaken him for a piece of jewelry. She fed him some water and a bit of sugar, and he seemed happy. Then the doors to the meeting room swung open, and the Ambassador to the Zebra entered. “Ambassador Zinel!” Starlight rose from her seat as the doors swung open. Zinel was considered a wise matriarch among her people, a mare of sixty years, old in body but sharp in mind. Robes of red silk were draped about her shoulders, and her mane was done up with elaborate gold braids. “Starlight Glimmer,” Zinel said. “It is good to make your introduction.” “And yours!” Starlight replied. Then, on a whim, she gave the ambassador a hug. At first, Zinel did not know how to react. Certainly, there was half a second when she stood frozen to the spot, the possibility of shoving Starlight away flitting through her mind. But the moment passed, and the possibility passed with it, and she returned Starlight’s hug. “Are all ponies so friendly?” “Some of us.” Starlight laughed as she stepped away. “Not me, normally. But, I had some good news today. I’m getting married!” “Well…” Slowly, a smile appeared on the zebra ambassador's face. “Congratulations. Who is the lucky pony?” “I’m the lucky pony.” Starlight giggled. “But if you mean, who made me so lucky? Her name is Trixie. She’s a lot to handle. All kinds of crazy. And I have no idea what we’re going to do about kids or living together or any of that. But I realized, I love her. And sometimes it really is that simple. And I asked and she said yes and…” Starlight let out a long breath. “Hoo. Sorry, this isn’t what you came to talk about.” “It is not,” Zinel agreed. “But, I believe you intended to offer me a tour of the school. And if you would like to continue talking as we walk, I would not object.” And so, Starlight did. And when the tour of the school was done, she asked the ambassador about her family, and how she raised her children, and even asked her advice about how to be a better administrator. Starlight knew she could use the help, and she was equally certain this zebra meant her well. When the meeting was over, the zebra nation agreed to send another twenty students to the school of friendship. Zecora, it was decided, must have had an unusually bad experience. Ponies were delightful. At the end of the day, Starlight had a meeting with the goblin delegation. Kludgetown wanted to send several of its citizens to the School of Friendship, but the quality of the students was dubious. Many of them were former members of the Storm Guard, or part of the badlands seedier underbelly. But, Starlight thought, their desire to learn was genuine. As long as rules of proper behavior were clearly laid out and enforced, there was no reason goblins couldn’t be welcome in Equestria. Three of them were seated in the meeting room when she made her entrance. “Hello,” she said. “Sorry I’m late. It’s good to meet you all.” “Oh, hold on,” one of them said. “You’ve got a bug on you there.” He reached out with two fingers and, before Starlight could react, crushed Buggy. A dam broke inside Starlight’s mind. Thoughts held back by magic flooded through every recess of her consciousness. Thoughts about exactly what it would be like to live with Trixie, about how petty and narcissistic she’d appeared in front of an ambassador, about how she was a mare who was so broken inside she needed a parasitic insect to feel good about her future. She wondered what she was doing, pretending she could civilize the creatures before her. She was wasting her time, pandering to a bunch of sub-Equine vermin who just murdered her pet. Her horn began to glow, and let out a loud whine. “Uh…” One of the goblins said. “That’s not a good sound. We should-” Then there were lasers, and the goblins decided to show themselves out. Trixie found Starlight sitting in front of an empty terrarium and crying. She’d held a viking funeral for buggy -- put his remains in a matchbox, floated it out into his water bowl, and set it on fire. “Oh, wonderful,” Trixie let out a theatrical sigh. “Starlight, if this is how you react to a pet dying, perhaps consider getting a longer lived pet. Like Rainbow Dash. That tortoise is going to bury her one day.” “Thanks for that mental image, Trixie. I really needed that.” Starlight sniffled loudly, rubbing at her eyes as she sat up. “I’m not crying because of Buggy. I mean, I am. He was sweet. I only… I wanted it all to be real. I wanted life to be that good.” “We all do, Starlight.” “I made so many mistakes.” She sniffled. “The zebra ambassidor said that ponies were friendly, flighty, vain, and stupid, and that any offense we’d given Zecora was probably inadvertant and unintentional.” “You have to admit, that is pretty accurate.” “And I zapped a prospective student and…” Starlight drew a shaking breath. “I thought I was that good but it was all a lie.” “Yes, that’s three accurate statements you’ve made now.” “Fine.” Starlight swallowed her pain and wiped away her tears. “Well, lesson learned. I’m sorry.” “It’s okay. Nopony is perfect except Trixie.” She patted Starlight’s shoulder. “Now, we need to talk about your couch.” “My… couch?” Starlight lifted her head, blearily looking around her bedroom. “What about it?” “It’s hideous.” Trixie curled her lip and gestured at the off-red cushions. “Trixie refuses to live in the same building, and indeed, insists that it be destroyed that its evil cannot infect other furniture.” “Oh.” Starlight’s motions slowed and her eyes went wide. “Oh, Trixie. You know I… when I proposed. I thought that nothing could possibly go wrong. It’s not that I don’t love you, it’s that… well. You smell like hay, you’re always getting in trouble, you never clean up after yourself, you stay up until 4 AM partying hard and…” Trixie stilled, watching Starlight closely. Under that intense gaze, Starlight withered. She could only mumble. “Do you really think we’d… work?” “Bathe, stay out of trouble, do my share of the chores, and party somewhere I won’t keep you up because you have work in the morning.” Trixie rattled off the list. “Anything else?” “What?” “Anything else you need?” Trixie snapped. “For this to work out.” “No, I mean…” Starlight rubbed her nose. “I want you to be more responsible.” “Of the two of us,” Trixie pointed out, “Trixie is the one who realized how much work it would be to make us work. Trixie is the one who thought all that through before she said yes. So maybe Trixie isn’t the one who needs a lecture on responsibility?” She leaned in close to Starlight and said. “And you are that good, Starlight. Not all the time. Nopony is that good all the time. But, sometimes. Sometimes all you need is a little boost to your self-confidence.” Then she kissed Starlight, full on the lips and said, “I love you.” And into that blissful moment she added. “But no magic bugs at our wedding. Except Thorax. He’s okay.”