"So, what have we got?"
I watched the street, while Luna and Twilight analyzed the burned-out spell.
"It was a… locator?" Twilight frowned at the charred mess. "Maybe?"
"Probably." Artemis shrugged. "But it is too destroyed to be sure..”
"Helpful." My voice was dry.
"Hush, sir. I don't see you working." Bit, human shaped again, leaned on the doorframe with her hands behind her back.
"You're switching shape lots." I quirked an eyebrow, ignoring the jibe. "Are your reserves healthy?"
"I appreciate the concern." She smiled slightly. "But taking human form is trivial. Since I learned as a hatchling, it is practically second nature. And my reserves are far beyond needing daily checks." She looked away. "But I still do, of course."
"Of course." I smiled. "Must be nice. You have agents now. Will you even need my help?"
"I… don't need it." She hesitated. "But, um, since I am going to be your secretary, you should pay me something… maybe?"
"Hah! Well, then there's no avoiding it. Daily wage; one dram of loyalty. Fair, for such a skilled assistant."
"Mmm." She nodded.
"But what happened in here? Were the windigolems too much, or what?"
"Hmm." She rubbed her jaw. "That was part of it. They occupied Twilight, and I faced Chrysalis. You and Artemis had the more difficult opponent, but I was still unable to hold my own." She shrugged. "I've inherited some useful instincts, but it seems fighting isn't easily transferred. I’m acclimating, though."
"Adjusting to being a different shape?"
"No… well, perhaps partially." She frowned. "But I change my shape while fighting. Tezeca’s methods center around that."
"Oh, interesting." I shrugged. "Well, I can't help with that. But, hey; we should spar sometime."
"Hmm." She gave me a speculative look. "That might be fun."
"Alright, we're done." Twilight and Artemis trotted out. "What's the call, Bit? Do we continue?"
"Uh." The changeling looked up, surprised.
"You're the leader until this is over." I crossed my arms. "So, is it? Are we giving up?"
"I, um." She frowned. "Well, I'm not sure. Ideas?"
"We've lost them." Artemis shrugged. "We could put out a call on the Guard; actually, we should do that anyways. But the likelihood of a search actually finding them is slim."
"Unless they want to be found." Twilight grimaced.
"Actually…" I raised my hand. "About that. At the end of the fight, something very strange happened. Chrysalis was fleeing, and I moved to block her. I didn't make it, but for a moment she was completely between me and the other, Bodkin. When she was certain he couldn’t see, she gave me this pleading look and said 'help me'. I have no idea what to make of that, but…"
"It's probably important." Twilight frowned.
"She wants to betray Bodkin." Artemis emphasized with a stamp.
"What?" Twilight looked up, puzzled. "How do you know?"
"The wards, for one." Bit waved at the surrounding area. "I'm confident that the wards firing, and firing intermittently, was Chrysalis' doing. She absolutely has the ability to evade them. That's purposeful. She wants to draw attention to whatever Bodkin is doing. And now she's attracted our attention, she's begging for mercy."
"Blech. Yellow-bellied-lily-livered-two-timing-cockroach!" I spat. "But, she's with Bodkin. If he's not a lieutenant, I'm deaf and blind. That means she's with Sombra. How did that happen?"
"It's useless to speculate." Twilight shrugged. "But…"
"Go on."
"Well, Chrysalis knocked Phoresy down, right?"
"We did, but yeah."
"What if she wanted to take her place?"
"Ah." Bit nodded. "Sombra needs a Queen. There were only four changeling Queens in Equestria. Wraith was taken out early, and Tezeca wouldn't have allied with Sombra. Phoresy was in a much better position than Chrysalis, but maybe Chrysalis still wanted the spot."
"So she schemed to take her rival's place." I shrugged. "Yeah, that makes some sense. But then, if she wanted this, why is she suddenly so scared? Did she get cold feet?"
"Sombra's scheme is enough to dismay Chrysalis?" Artemis whistled. "That… does not paint a good picture."
"All speculation." Bit waved a hand, cutting the discussion off. "These thoughts are good, but not based on anything concrete. We need to focus on the matter at hand; protecting Canterlot, and foiling Bodkin. We can worry about Chrysalis later."
"Well, you're not wrong." Artemis shrugged. "But how do you plan to find them?"
"It's uncertain at best, but remember; we've still got another mystery." She walked across the street, into a dimly lit alley. As my eyes adjusted, I saw a sideways "S" painted on the wall, with an arrow directing us around the corner. "It seems our mysterious benefactor has been here as well."
"Dang." I rubbed at the paint; it was some sort of pastel. "I guess….it's the best we've got."
A round of shrugs answered.
"Are we going in circles?" I scratched my forehead.
"Yes." Bit shrugged.
"Did we miss an arrow?"
"No," Artemis groaned.
"Should we stop?"
"Probably." Twilight sighed. "This is getting us nowhere!"
"No, wait. We're actually going in circles?"
"Yes," Bit repeated. "The last several arrows are circular." She ran a hand over the nearest square-wave. "But I don't have any better ideas, so we looped three times. Can I step down?"
"Later, if you like." Artemis shrugged. "Anypony struck by inspiration?"
"More circles?" I suggested.
"We could follow the screaming?" Twilight paused. "Wait, screaming?"
We paused, listening. Sure enough, in the middle distance I heard stampeding, and what might be flickering wards.
"Wes!" Artemis spread a wing towards me. "I'll give you a lift! Let's go!"
"Right." I threw an arm around her neck. "Twilight, Bit, you can fly yourselves, right?"
"Sure." Bit shrugged, and lacy wings burst from her shoulders. "Although mix-and-match can be tricky, I've got this one."
"Woah." I blinked at that. "Sweet. Race you?"
"Pff." Artemis flipped her wings, and we were gone. "She doesn't stand a chance."
"You know," I projected across the link, "I don't mind Squarewave. Really, I can deal with manipulation and not knowing. I don't actually have control issues. Right? Being secretive, that's okay. Forge ahead, keep a weather eye; as long as they're helping, we're good. If they cross us, we bust out the kick-ass. But routing us in circles like that? Kinda a jerk move."
"Should have kept a weather eye," Luna retorted. Amusement was palpable in the thought. "Or learn to take a joke. Hang out with Pinkie more."
"Blech." I looked down. We’d reached the stampede. "Do we have a plan this time?" I reached to my ear, feeling for an intercom, thinking to ask Bit. "Wait - gah. I totally forgot I was going to start carrying communicators everywhere."
"This works for me." She looped wide, approaching the street with smooth speed, before braking on a dime and landing light as a feather.
"Sure, the link is great in a pinch." I shrugged. "But it's just one-on-one. I was going to ask Bit, if -"
ZZZZZZZZZZZ
I whipped my head around as Bit hurtled in at head-level, backwash whipping my hair. She scooped with her dragonfly wings, alighting right next to me. Her tux was barely creased.
"Found 'em." She pointed to a nearby building. "Could Squarewave have directed us intentionally?"
"Hope not." I rubbed my nose. "I thought Discord was bad. But he can't actually see the future."
"Well, whatever they're after, they're trying again.” Bit frowned. “They've got to be desperate, or they'd lay low. That's good for us. I won't scramble their spell this time; maybe we can get a read on their intentions. But we need to switch things up a little. Last time, we barely held our own."
"Take Artemis against Chrysalis. Twilight and I will keep the golems and Bodkin off your back." I checked my vibroblade.
"Might work." Artemis shrugged. "Leaving the strongest for last can be an effective strategy, as long as you can afford to stall them. But if you take point, Wes, and Twilight covers you… that could work. Your weapons are the most effective against crystalline enemies. You’re the squishiest, as well."
"Blech."
"Sounds good." Bit nodded. "Ready?"
"Huff!" Twilight wafted in behind, panting.
"Ready!" Artemis and I shouted.
"Go!" Bit and Artemis took off at top speed, headed for the building.
"Wait!" Twilight raised a hoof. "What are we doing?"
"Come on, you're with me." I drew my blade, and we dashed after. "Just, try to keep them from poking holes in my tender pink skin, huh?"
"Seriously!" I slashed through another windigolem. "Where do they get these things?"
"Make them on demand?" Twilight stepped up beside me, pushing the shield forwards. "The crystals grow on magic, and I bet I could fit a dozen windigos in a teaspoon." She used two planes of force to crush another golem. "If I squished hard enough."
"And I bet he's got magic batteries of some sort in those fancy wings." I looked up. Bodkin was hovering overhead, apparently content to keep his distance from my vibroblade. "How's he pulling them from the sky, though?"
"Dunno." Twilight shot a few rays at him; he dodged easily. "Pegasus magic?" I groaned, as another wave of golems cracked the pavement.
"And that confuses you? You're, like, a third pegasus!"
"Actually, I'm all pegasus. Just like I'm all unicorn, and all earth pony. Three completes, not three fractions." She bucked a nearby golem so hard the shrapnel damaged two more. "It's part of why the link won't work with me, until I can pull that nifty alt spell."
"Enough of this." I glanced at the building. "What's keeping them with Chrysalis?" A window shattered.
"That bug might be dumb, but given the chance, she can fight," Twilight spat. "Bit and her were doing this whole melt-and-flow deal. I could barely follow them."
"Crazy. Hope Artemis is better at support."
"Bound to be." Twilight grimaced. "I could barely duck and cover fast enough."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Twi. Hey, I know; you can support me. Give me a few footholds?" I waved upwards.
"Take to the sky?" She frowned at Bodkin. "I'm not sure that's wise."
"I'll borrow a bit of pegasus magic from Artemis." The nearest golem crumbled under my blade. "Besides, he's wary of me. Please? Just… keep something under my feet."
"Hmmm." She narrowed her eyes. "That won't be good enough. How about we try…. Saturation?" Blink. She focused, and a swarm of small shield globes, none less than six inches, popped into being. "Not enough." Blink. They multiplied, filling the whole block, reaching above Bodkin's height. "More!" Blink. Blink. Blink. Looking up, the sky was filled with tiny, purple stepping stones. Bodkin glanced around, disconcerted.
"Good enough." I smirked, and called for power. Artemis poured it across the link. I crouched and vaulted high, soaring up into the noonday sky. "Wooohoooo!"
Bodkin's eyes widened, as I rocketed straight towards him. He spun to flee, but hesitated as the orbs started to shift, moving in seemingly random curves. I reached for the nearest to shift my path, vaulting higher.
"Careful not to hit me, Twilight!"
I couldn't tell if she nodded, but the orbs started to hum in their paths.
"Best. Support. Ever." I could feel them around me. Bodkin turned back, just in time to dodge my next blow.
"That's ingenious." Artemis' voice pierced my battle-focus.
"Tell me about it. She's given me a boost, while hampering him." I bounced off a sphere, taking another pass at Bodkin. He was fast, but the unpredictable movements of the orbs hampered his mobility, while boosting mine. "If we can't hold him like this, we can't hold him at all." A bit of surprise filtered across the link, as the crystal pegasus crushed one foothold with a kick. "And, yeah. That might be the case. How's it going in there?"
"Wild." I nearly fumbled my hold, as I caught a glimpse of the inside fight. The room was a whirlwind, centered on Bit and Chrysalis. Their forms flickered, flowing fluidly from shape-to-shape as the very battle paradigm changed, fast and furious. I saw speed attacks shift to long range, to high power, to illusion, and back to speed. For a second, I swear Bit was spinning a chainsaw. It matched her ivory suit and jet skin.
"Hold up! Can you fight like that?" I imagined Wraith, as I backed away from Bodkin, just trying interfere as he started clearing the nearby area.
"I don't need to, most of the time. My power tops theirs, if I have room to use it." I caught a hint of her frustration. She felt constricted fighting in a city; hemmed in by hostages, her very strength turned against her. "Still, I've got data. This locator thing; it's pointing towards Bodkin."
"Later!" I brushed her aside as the lieutenant flashed past me.
"Really, Wes." She reached across the link; I could feel her smirk. "No need to be so gentle. You're not going to hurt me." And she poured power into my head.
"Again with the aura," I whispered, as I started trailing stars.
The world slowed.
Blink.
Twilight repaired the field.
I smirked. Bodkin glanced over his shoulder, actual worry showing on his face. My sword nearly took his left wing at the shoulder.
I lost him with a flash. He was accelerating too, leaving a trail of glistening jags.
"High speed takes finesse." Another part of Artemis' mind opened to me, and I felt the wind sing.
"You are better than Rainbow." I grabbed a passing current and bent it around myself. The globes aligned under my feet, as I zipped after my opponent. He dodged again, and I smiled, bending my blade. This time I did take him at the shoulder. I hissed as he reformed. "Even if you're slower. But I need to focus. Pretty please?"
"As you will." She chuckled, and turned her attention back to her fight, probing every moment for a gap in Chrysalis' and Bit's battle.
Slash. Zip. Zing! Woosh.
I pressed in hard, submerging myself in the flow of the fight, dancing near the noon sun. Lyra's training let me dissolve into concentrated ferocity, without having to struggle to maintain control. My sword folded around me, blocking and attacking simultaneously. Bodkin moved like lightning, and I responded with thunder, echonarchy pulsing and roaring through my body. I was actually pushing him, nearly matching him, though it was technically three-on-one.
Still, no matter how I tried, I was out of my league.
And he could heal. I swear; pure haxx.
He eventually landed a solid blow, breaking through a shield sphere to slam me out of the sky. I blacked out, but recovered moments before hitting the ground. I pulled on Artemis' power hard, drawing the sting from the landing as I slammed onto my back.
"Ooof." I looked up. Nothing broken; merely winded. Pretty good for falling four stories. Coruscating beams sliced the sky; Twilight was keeping Bodkin from following, but she was starting to look winded.
"Where they hay is the guard?" I frowned. "Or the other princess?"
"The guard don't intervene in this sort of thing," Twilight grit. "Not without orders from someone on Shining's level. And Princess Celestia would be just as hampered as Luna. At least they're not actively taking hostages."
"Yet." I grimaced. "Well, Bit, I hope you're done in there soon, because -"
CRASH.
My assistant came flying through the wall, still locked in combat. Chrysalis looked up, and one more round of golems fell.
"Blech." I scrambled to my feet. As they moved in, the Queens disengaged. Artemis attacked, but Bodkin swooped, pushing her back. Chrysalis hooked a foreleg around him, and spread her wings. They ran.
"Again." A moment later, we stood surrounded by smoking heaps of glass. I slumped, tension draining away. "They ran again! What the hay?"
"At least we put up a decent fight." Bit staggered over to lean on me. I accepted her exhausted weight, slumping against the wall myself.
"We did make a better showing." Artemis frowned. "But I feel just as frustrated." She looked up as a courier haltingly approached, avoiding broken glass and rubble.
"Message for an Artemis Fuzzmuffin?" The mailmare hesitantly offered her a folded paper.
I could barely restrain my laughter at her disgruntled face.
"Squarewave, I swear…" She ripped the envelope open.
"News?"
"Olds." She sighed. "Another address. Dated for tomorrow. Oh, and a note. 'Trust your lucky stars. - Squarewave'."
"What is this guy, a fortune cookie?"
"I'm more bothered by that signature. Did they guess, or have they heard us calling them Squarewave?" Twilight sighed. "I don’t like either. But, at least we've got the invitation to our next grudge match, huh?"
"So relieved." I slid down the wall, ending up cross-legged on the ground with Bit at my side. "At least we get the evening to recuperate."
"You need to shave," my assistant mumbled.
"Ah. Yes. I always forget the important things."
"Ow!" I winced away from the gauze. We'd retired to the castle, to patch our wounds and plan.
"Hold still." Twilight pierced me with a glare. "I need to clean these cuts."
"They're shallow!" I reached for magic, thinking I could quickly scab them, but it slipped through my grasp. "And if I wasn't so exhausted, I could do something about it." I glanced at Bit. "How'd you fare, assistant mine?"
"Poorly." She grimaced. "Artemis' support was invaluable, but she couldn't interfere directly. Still, I managed to hold for longer than I anticipated."
"You did well, for a novice." Artemis patted Bit with a wing. "With training, you will be formidable indeed."
"So, did we get anything besides a beatdown?" I tried to fend off the floating antiseptic, but Twilight slipped it past my guard. "OW!"
"Well, Squarewave seems to be prescient." Artemis shrugged. "But also helpful. We'll have to ask Celestia what sort of backup we can get for tomorrow."
"Oooo, a squadron of Guards!" I waved my hands, excitedly.
"No." She gave me a disgusted look. "Imagine them going up against Bodkin."
"Um." I envisioned a meatgrinder, and flinched. "Ouch. Wait, we talked about this. What class is Bodkin?"
"A." She nodded firmly. "Very high A. If we didn't already have a good idea of what lieutenants can do, he'd be an S. We can't take anypony classed below B against him. Most of the guard tops out at C. Shining or the Wonderbolts would be useful, but… for any official help, this is pretty short notice."
"Besides." Twilight shrugged. "Maybe we've got this?"
"Maybe." Bit grimaced. "But why work harder than necessary?"
"Now that's my student!" I ruffled her hair playfully. "Right. There's no reason to turn down an advantage. Seriously. Who can we get? Would Celestia come?"
"She has court soon after." Artemis frowned. "She'd love to skip, but… with us already involved, she couldn't convince herself. As Twilight said, we may be enough."
"Rainbow? Sunset? Rarity? Applejack? Flutter - wait, no. Lyra? Anyone from Ponyville?" I scratched my head.
"Transportation is the issue." Artemis grimaced. "We could conceivably get them here, but the resources needed… again, hard to justify. Rainbow is the best option if she flew herself, but she'd be exhausted. Sunset might take the internet - "
"Wait, internet?"
"Interstitial warpspace net? The teleport system the Guard uses in emergencies?"
"Oh. Right."
"But the same would apply. Sixteen warps is no joke, even with beacons."
"Blech. OWWWW!" I snapped the piece of gauze from the air, shattering Twilight's aura. "Enough! I'll be fine!" I heaved a sigh. "Even with my vibroblade, I'm still the squishiest." I glanced around the room. "I guess that's what I get for hanging with the bruisers."
"Awww, it's okay." Twilight gave me a feathery hug. I only twitched a little. "Don't be gloomy! I know! We've got the whole night, right?"
"Yes." Artemis gave her a quizzical look.
"We should relax! Have some fun! Recuperate!"
"All of those things sound nice." Bit nodded.
"Then, let's have a slumber party!" Twilight grinned hugely.
"Uh…" I glanced at Bit and Luna, who shrugged. "None of us know how to do that."
"Even better!" Twilight stomped a hoof, drawing herself up triumphantly. "Because I have practiced! And, I have a book! That makes me nearly an expert, so I'll be the leader!"
"Excellent." Bit's voice was totally devoid of sarcasm. "Then nothing can go wrong." She sounded completely serious.
"Okay. Real clouds are one-hundred-percent win." I threw myself onto the chunk of cumulonimbus Artemis had anchored on her balcony.
"Alright!" Twilight curled up on another corner, with All You Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask. "I've got the book! How are we doing on snacks?"
"Secured." Bit settled in, placing popcorn, chips, strawberry - lemonade and assorted cake in front of her.
"W-woah!" I started sinking, and pulled a little more pegasus magic from Artemis. "Sorry to keep you disguised, Princess, but there's no way I'd miss chilling on a real cloud."
"It's fine." She finished securing our slumber party raft, and climbed on. "But, you could make it up to me." I felt her reach for part of my knowledge, and shrugged.
<"Sure, if that's all it takes.">
<"Woah."> Her eyes crossed, as she tried to watch her own lips speak a suddenly familiar language. <"This is sicknasty, dude.">
<"No."> I facepalmed. <"Just, just no. Please.">
<"That's not really fair."> Twilight frowned at us. "Bit's left out."
"Pff." Bit drew a pout. "You should teach me English already."
"Sorry, ladybug." I grinned apologetically. "I could, now. I mean - um." I paused; I'd never given Bit the whole, formal explanation of where I came from, or even how I got here. She'd always been so very… innocently accepting. "I'm not keeping any more secrets from my friends, so I really need to have a press conference explaining my dark and mysterious past. Or, wait." I started ticking off on my fingers.
"The Elements know. The Princesses know. Sunset knows. Lyra knows. Zecora knows. Who's left?" I frowned. "You," I pointed at Bit, "the CMC, and, blech, my fanclub." I rubbed my head. "I'm not telling the CMC or my fanclub. They're not really… reliable, in various ways. But you deserve an explanation. Still... maybe not now?"
"Hmm, I dunno." Artemis shrugged. "We could tell stories?"
"Yeah!" Twilight grinned. "Storytime! That's on my annotated list!" She flipped through her book. "If it was ghost stories we’d need a flashlight, but for this, we need to be snuggling! Snuggling and telling stories is a traditional slumber party activity." She pulled Bit and Artemis close with her wings, and waved to me.
"Really?" I gave her book a skeptical glance. "Who wrote that thing, anyways?"
"An expert," she assured. "And the expert says snuggle. Get over here, Wes!"
"Alright, alright!" I scooted closer. Bit grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me into the fluffy pony pile. After a little adjusting, I was moderately comfortable. I breathed evenly, and after a little, most of my twitches subsided.
"Alright, Wes, you start," Twilight prompted.
"Well…" I let the word roll of my tongue. "It was a dark and stormy night. In a fit of pique, I decided to leave town for a few days…"
"I have wood, that I wish to exchange for wool." Luna held up her cards.
"I'll take that." I passed her a few of mine.
We were sitting in a recent recollection of Tezeca's garden. We had told stories and enjoyed our snacks, but it had gotten late. Twilight and Bit were reluctant to stop the party, though we needed sleep. We'd eventually hit on a compromise. Everypony present could dreamwalk, and the one human was used to phantoms and figments chasing nightmares through his head.
So we'd all retired early. I'd dropped off to sleep, and they'd all dropped in.
"What did you call this game again?" Twilight had spent the last three minutes fastidiously neatening the hexes near her.
"Settlers of Cataan." I placed another road. "With the expansion."
"It's very well designed." Twilight smirked, as the dice came up six. "And I - WES!" She glared at me, as I bumped the table, causing tiny cracks to appear in her orderly hexes.
"Ooops." I grinned as she started carefully aligning them again.
"Ah. I have secured the Longest Road." Bit reached over to appropriate the card. "That brings me up to twelve points, so I become the victor." She placed the card nearby, and smiled. Luna grimaced.
"Oooh, good job!" I clapped her on the shoulder. "Aaaaand, I've had enough!" I leaned back. "What's next on your annotated list, Twilight?"
"Hmm." Twilight concentrated, and summoned a neatly-typed piece of paper. "We've done stories, snacks, board games… Truth or Dare!"
"Ooof." I rubbed my eyes. "It's been a while since I played that." A slow grin crept across my face. "But, it might be fun. Let's give it a shot."
"I dare you to try bacon." I held out the delicious-smelling figment of my imagination. Luna looked at it curiously. Twilight turned pale.
"Don't do it, Princess!" She waved her hooves frantically. "It's not worth it! Take the penalty!"
"But what is it?" The alicorn frowned. "It certainly smells intriguing."
"Not worth it!" Twilight concentrated, and the bacon dissolved.
"Aww." I frowned. "Fine, fine."
"The truth is…" I laced my fingers behind my head, and sunk further into the cloud.
"Yes?" Twilight stared at me.
"I'd have asked Mirror Pinkie for her number."
"Sonic Starboom!" A blast of glittering fragments haloed out from the speeding princess.
"Woah." All three of us stood gaping.
"Remember, sir, only the truth, now." Bit gave me a serious look.
"Of course." I settled cross-legged, sensing a serious turn to the proceedings. Bit didn't really 'get' competition, or embarrassment, or even extremely curious, so she'd only participated hesitantly so far.
"Earlier, you assured us you were from another world." She glanced at me speculatively.
"That's right."
"Given the choice, right now, would you return?"
"Ah." I frowned, and Twilight and Luna shared a glance.
"Bit…" Twilight stepped up, as if to intervene.
"No, it's fine." I raised a hand. "A legitimate question." I rubbed my head. "Just… give me a minute to think."
We sat in silence, and I contemplated.
"Well…" I shrugged, leaning back to look at the stars. "I might not."
"Really?" Twilight's concern changed to puzzlement.
"I mean, I might." I waved a hand. "I'm not saying I'd absolutely refuse. But… it's not so simple anymore, you know? I've got family back home, and they mean a lot to me." I thought back to my brother, my parents. "We always got along really well, and meant a lot to each other. Heh." I laughed.
"At college, my friends would sit around and complain about how much they hated their siblings, or they'd never known their parents, and I couldn't speak. If they asked, all I'd say is 'They're great! I love my family.' but to some extent, even before… this, I'd grown up and moved on. We didn't even live in the same town. Sure, I miss them. But that didn't start here, and it won't end so simply, even if I return." I looked at my aide. "And now I've got connections here, friends, even some I could call family." I shrugged.
"Things aren't so cut-and-dry. I've got commitments. Projects I'd like to see through. Sure, everypony would understand if I walked out; hay, some even expect it. But we know so little about dimensions. Could I even make it back? How much time has passed? Are my family and friends still alive? Even when I started searching for a way home, it was more about, I dunno, having a concrete goal than really needing it. So…" I paused, thinking it over again.
"If that's all I had? A one-way ticket, with no idea of what's on the other side? I might say no." I shrugged again. "But then… I might say yes. And that's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Is it enough?"
"It is enough." Bit's crystal eyes were inscrutable.
"Good. Then, Twilight… truth or baco - I mean, dare?"
"Blech." She shuddered. "Truth, Wes. Please, truth."
"Verily, I am done with this game." Luna flopped over sideways.
"Yeah, I'm running out of truths." Twilight glared at me. "And I'm getting really sick of your dares, Wes."
"Look." I spread my hands, trying for innocence. "You won't eat a burger or a taco. You won't let Luna try bacon. You even stopped me from offering Bit sashimi!"
"Human food." Twilight shuddered. "Carnivores! You give me the shudders!"
"Hey, at least we're not nudists." I sat down by Bit.
"I still can't believe you have a word for that."
"I want to try sashimi." Bit looked up at me. "Is it hard to make?"
"No idea." I shrugged. "It seems simple, but I've never prepared it. We'll look for some really fresh fish, and a sharp knife."
For a while, we rested peacefully. Resting in dreams was extremely pleasant. I could let my body completely relax, and enjoy the feeling without falling asleep.
"So…" Luna's voice was fuzzy with lethargy. "Did we ever figure out what Bodkin and Chrysalis want?"
"Chrysalis wants help." I frowned. "Or so she says. Bodkin, I dunno. What was his spell circle doing? You said it pointed towards himself. Why would he try and locate himself?"
"He might have been looking for windigos." Bitterbloom volunteered. "He was the closest. He’s similar enough."
"That's possible." Twilight rolled over, waving her hooves in the air. "We did interrupt them twice. Maybe they weren't able to calibrate it?"
"Could be." Luna's ears perked up a little, as the conversation drew her interest. "Hmm. Sunset was going crazy about windigos and resography for your paper, right Twilight? Could they be searching for another Tear?"
"There's more Tears?" I rolled over, catching her eyes. "Besides the one under the Tree?"
"There could be." Twilight sighed. "Sunset wasn't really clear on it. I checked her math… and yes, it's possible. Whether it's realistic…. I couldn't pin her down. Obviously somepony thought so, or they wouldn't have fit the Elements to the Tree as stabilizers. But on the other hoof, Princess Celestia was willing to put her own needs above that. She either dismisses it as a problem, or is willing to take that risk."
"After all the research we've done on the Tuatha, we're positive they went somewhere." Luna yawned, slowly. "Dragon legends place them near the Smoking Wilds, so we've sent our expeditions that way, but… maybe Sombra knows something else. There are crystal caves under the Palace. Although they might have left through the Tear under the Tree."
"Enough!" Twilight sprang upright. "This is a slumber party! Be less serious!" She grinned slowly, looking down at me. "Besides! We haven't finished the list yet!" I frowned, looking up as a sudden shadow fell over me. Surprise thrilled through me as I saw a huge, fluffy shape looming. "We've got one activity left!" she called gleefully, as I scrambled to avoid the missile.
POOOOMF.
My world went black, as cubic yards of feathers and satin flattened me to the ground.
"PILLOW FIGHT!" Her voice was muffled, but I could hear her grin.
"Oh, it is on."