Rarity was satisfied, but bored. While it was unseemly for a mare of her stature and standing to be so crass a thing, she could no longer deny it to herself. Pylons and minerals were fine and dandy, but with the plentitude she had and the ready means to acquire more, the process no longer needed her direct intervention to direct, at least for now.
She sulked her way along the winding corridors of the nexus, which was like skulking, but with more pouting and less menace. One dark corner, well out of the way of usual operations, was aglow with a pallid, faint light.
“Twilight?” asked Rarity, poking her head into the gloom. She gathered herself and pressed on. “Twilight, I don’t want to press you, but it has been a few days now, and this chapter should have been out by now. I can hardly do a ‘team chat’ with myself, now can I?’
A semi feral grunt came back from the half-light. Oh dear,’ thought Rarity. She’s not even telling me off for that. “Twilight.”
Again, the grunt. It said: ‘Busy. Go.’ It was not a very eloquent one, as far as grunts went in Rarity’s consideration.
There was a viewscreen, glowing almost blindingly relative to the hollow illumination of the room. A hunched over silhouette bisected the light in twain.
“Now dear, when you asked to borrow a crystalline computer with ludicrous speed and super ultra high quality definition, we are all perfectly willing to facilitate that.” Even in the dark, unobserved, Rarity struck a fitting pose as she spoke. She was just like that. “Though I suppose I should have seen your request for a plush mousepad and a bin full of snacks as somewhat suspect. But no matter, Twilight are you even listening to me?”
“Uhh,” Twilight made by way of vocalization. ‘said’ just didn’t say it, as words went.
Well, thought Rarity. From animalistic grunts to hollow and lifeless groans. Progress.
In the silence the click-clacking of keyboard and mouse came to life, like little insects at night, crawling and chirping.
She crept closer to the stationary mare fond of stationary. Her eyes watered and she blinked when the blazing brilliance of the screen was revealed unto her. The colours were fabulous. Utterly. Fabulous. They resolved themselves into shapes as her eyes adjusted. Shapes that moved. Shapes that swarmed.
“Twilight, have you been playing HotS this whole time?”
“Nuh.”
“Have you slept at all?”
“Nuh.”
“Ooh, what’s that one? It looks like a pretty cloud yacht. It’s...oh I think you were supposed to blow that up.” Indeed, the game over screen flashed into angry existence.
“Nuhhh!.”
Rarity had enough. She spun the chair around. The plush, comfy chair. It smelled of Twilight. It wasn’t a compliment, or a subtle allusion to anything appealing. It was the fact that Twilight had been sessile all through the night and into this morning.
“We’re supposed to be making this happen, you know,” she said irritably. Her voice crept up several pitches. “But you're just here playing the expansion! Twilight!”
Twilight’s eyes were bloodshot, her face pallid from her valiant defense against all things of rest and sleep. “But I have to...Finish the fight!”
“Wrong franchise, dear,” Rarity corrected quickly.
Twilight cried out her vexations. Rarity leant over her, and took the mouse in her magic. Her eyes narrowed.
Press any key to continue. She did.
“Ah, oh, I see. If we put these spore crawlers here...and patrol on this route...and get this upgrade....” Clickety Clackety noises resumed their chorus.
“Rarity?”
“Just a moment dear, I’m trying this mission. Oh shoot, that one got away. I’ll have to restart now.”
Twilight had a familiar, sinking feeling. “Rarity?”
“Mmm.”
“Rarity,” Twilight said more insistently.
“Mmm.”
Twilight sighed with exasperation. “I’m going to go sleep, okay?”
“That’s nice,” Rarity said vapidly. She smoothly slipped into the chair.
“Good night, or morning, or whatever time it is,” said Twilight.
“Uhuh,” Rarity replied, not unkindly.
So much for this chapter.