Integral Trigonometryby DarkstarlingChaptersThe Mathematics of TrianglesGood IntentionsLast CallThe Mathematics of TrianglesAfter the ordeal in New Mexicolt, Rarity had barely left her room for the past three days. They had rushed directly home after her rescue, of course. Twilight immediately confirmed that she would be alright, but would need care to recover. The diagnosis was electrical burns, bruising, and intense physical and magical exhaustion combined with blood sugar collapse. And of course a harmless residue of the foreign magic clinging to her clothes and skin. Twilight had said, in a choked voice, that it could have been much worse. That was probably true, but it had been more than enough at the time. She honestly remembered very little of the trip back, even now. Twilight using the last juice of the dimensional transmogrifier to upgrade the first aid kit, healing her wounds before the battery flickered out to the sound of Twilight's vivid swearing. Fluttershy patiently feeding her juice and bottled broth while the others looked on in concern. Sleep, a great deal of sleep, with remarkably unpleasant dreams she was glad not to remember. And that left her, finally, at home to recover. Sunset had sold her parents on a story of food poisoning combined with a travel flu. It had been excellent for privacy and yielded a number of homemade cookies. But it had also led them, in a fit of well meaning concern, to keep her friends from visiting while she was 'contagious'. She had, in fact, been under strict orders to do nothing but rest and especially remain calm. She hadn't needed the instructions the first day, but after it had led to utter boredom and exasperation. At least her friends had been texting. They were wonderful at keeping her from brooding too much on the frankly awful events, especially Pinkie, but calm was not something that was coming. Especially not right now. Rarity sat on her bed, staring at the text notification on her phone, trying to control her breathing. It wasn't working. Her nerves were completely on fire, adrenaline rushing like someone had aimed an armed death ray at her. A comparison she was, unfortunately, now intimately familiar with. And to think, she thought, it used to be unexpected cell phones. And before that it was mirrors. At least this one isn't likely to come up day to day. Just relax. It's only Twilight. It's been days since...since The Incident. And a message from her is hardly at that scale. They both told you they don't mind your feelings for Sunset. Twilight still doesn't hate you. There's no need to go through this every time you get a message from her. It's the usual chat, just like the last six times she's texted you. Just read it. She sighed, braced herself, and opened her phone. Hi Rarity! I'm not quite sure how to say this so I hope it isn't awkward. Sunset and I were hoping we could talk about... She reflexively dropped the phone like a snake, threw herself back onto the bed, and groaned. Of course. Of course there was no way they could all just pretend her foolish, foolish, stupid admission had never happened. Admittedly it had been something of an emotional moment, holding Sunset's dimensional duplicate hostage to buy time for others to escape. She'd given herself even odds of dying or being trapped in another universe, and if you weren't going to confess your hidden loves under those circumstances there was clearly something wrong with your heart. All her stories assured her so. Well. Romantic fiction had a great deal to answer for. And somehow it never had anything to say about actually facing the consequences of your desperate confessions. Ah well. One does what one must. She steeled herself and picked up her phone again. Hi Rarity! I'm not quite sure how to say this so I hope it isn't awkward. Sunset and I were hoping we could talk about everything. Maybe we could go to dinner together, just us? It could be like a thank you for saving us. Or friendly talking things out date. Or a one and a half date. And now Sunset is telling me... ...I'm freaking out and to just hit send which is completely unfair since she hasn't even read anything I'm typing and I'm not freaking out, I'm just Rarity giggled a bit at that, despite the singing tension shooting through her at every word. She could easily picture the whole scene, complete with Sunset stealing the phone at the end to stop the purple girl's adorable ramblings. Probably sitting on the couch together, under a blanket, holding hands as... she stopped herself and shook her head. There was no reason to be making things harder for herself. Or would it be? The text was almost hinting at...but wouldn't she have said? Unless of course she was simply overthinking her words. Or underthinking. Or thought it was obvious. Or... Another text pinged, interrupting. From Sunset. Hey Rares. First, sorry this is so sudden, we just couldn't come up with something better. Making sure nothing got lost in translation: we both like you, alot. We should all go on a date soon to figure things out. Maybe at La Belle Dame Chevalier? I just hope you answer before Twilight passes out ;) Oh. Oh my. Rarity flushed. So she meant exactly what it sounded like then. Oh my. Coming to some kind of...of arrangement had crossed her mind, of course, but she'd dismissed it for a number of reasons. Not that it hadn't figured in a fantasy or two. But now they were making the suggestion themselves. In reality. Oh my. Well she should still say no of course. She had thought this out. But. Yes. But. Well that sounds truly delightful darling, what a wonderful surprise. Certainly more than I had dared hope for. Do tell Twilight she can start breathing again, I'll gladly accept. Perhaps tomorrow? I suspect I can talk myself out of quarantine by then. Also I must say, between the circumspection and straightforwardness this is the most unique invitation I have ever received. And somehow, despite the strangeness, it leaves my heart going much faster. She sent the messages desperately quickly, before she had time to think and stop herself. And then she immediately buried her head under the pillow and struggled not to kick her legs in giddy nervous frustration. She'd actually sent that. Oh this was such a bad idea. But, well, it wasn't as if her instincts about anything regarding this situation had been accurate. And the thought of actually being with Sunset? She'd imagined it so often, far more than she would care to admit. Sunset leaning over her to kiss her, her hands running up her legs...she shivered happily. And then a whimsical image dropped into her head, of Twilight observing. In a loose lab coat, practically falling off, and nothing else. Taking detailed notes on the experiment, Rarity too speechlessly lost to object at the impropriety. And suggesting they take it further. For science. Well. If nothing came of their date, it would certainly not be for lack of desire. Frankly, if anything this seemed to be far too easy. Her optimistic enthusiasm lasted for a whole ten minutes before nerves set in again. It is an often inconvenient fact that magic resonates with magic. Particularly magic dedicated to Harmony. By its very nature it seeks common ground and synthesis, striving to become something new and greater than the sum of its parts. There wasn't much of the otherworldly aetheric energy clinging to Rarity, even after exposure to alien weaponry and healing devises. What little existed was quickly drained away from her by her amulet's protective intent and Harmonic resonance. Even gathered, it was barely enough for the metaphysical equivalent of a static shock. Nothing would have come of it if a silverfish had not happened across the amulet, triggering a spark, and the amulet itself had not decided that throwing in a dash of its own magic would be Generous. Good IntentionsCybermites are fairly common bio-mechanoid pests in certain worlds with intense background magic. Quick silvery centipedes with an instinctive understanding of technology, the typical specimen is a rapidly breeding gremliny nuisance. Their primary threat is through unnecessary 'upgrades' that cause chaos when systems are thrown out of alignment, particularly when they use other important systems as raw materials. But, being the size of a thumbnail and no more intelligent than a typical insect, they are non-malicious and easily controlled. Under rare circumstances, however, they have been known to demonstrate an alarming degree of adaptability and self improvement. Xiii-7 popped from a cocoon of woven metal fibers, and wondered how it had gotten there. It (it? he) he also wondered, as he began to carefully eat (eat? devour) devour the cocoon, exactly what he was. He had no memories prior to awakening. His model number told him that he was an unprecedented level of upgrades beyond baseline, and highly charged with an unknown energy source. But what that baseline might be he had no idea. He had a vague sense he should be more concerned about that, but a whispering intuition from his power core assured him that all was well. Fortunately, as he ate he detected an encoded data stream in the metal fibers. Thanking Xiii-6, his previous molt, for his (his? its) its assiduous data gathering, he assimilated data with the metal. He was currently under the 'bed' in the 'bedroom' in the 'house' of the entity designated as 'Mother'. What these terms meant should have been meaningless without context, but he felt a strange sense of familiarity to it all. Like being reminded of something long forgotten. Which was especially strange, as he had not yet existed long enough to forget anything. Further information processed rapidly. The detected audio input, 'speech', was a non-electronic communication medium that supplemented the intense electromagnetic data streams that permeated the air. Mother appeared to be talking to itself (itself? herself) herself while locked in a movement self-diagnostic check mode. Xiii-7 quickly scuttled closer, being careful to remain out of visual detection range. Mother was emphatically noted as reacting adversely to insectoids. And, activating a translation program, he listened. "...but that won't do at all. I can't risk slighting either of them. And of course La Belle Dame Chevalier is only semi-formal, because of course having a default to dress for would be too easy. Well I suppose if in doubt go fabulous, it's what they expect. Ugh! Twilight, why did you have to be so understanding? Couldn't you have just been jealous or pretend it never happened like a normal person?" There was a crash of springs from above as Mother crashed (crashed? flounced) flounced to the bed. "We couldn't have all just kissed and faded to black?" Mother continued quietly. "It would have been so much simpler. I swear, I'm never reading a romance novel again." Xiii-7 chirped acknowledgement to himself. In the radio bands, as he was still mindful of being detected. Xiii-6 had saved a large data-dump off of Mother's 'phone' that it had been unable to understand. But with his improvements, Xiii-7 could tell that Mother was engaged in 'romance' with two other entities, and that they had a 'date' 'tonight'. And although his chronometer iterated from t(0) at his hatching, he could tell from the ambient light level that there were still several hours before that time. The context assured, he assigned himself a set of obvious action priorities to his queue. Though they might be difficult to accomplish. He was a very small bug. But if he was sure of one thing, it was that he was a Generous entity. The strange energy suffusing him thrummed in approval, and whispered the solution. He required friends. And data welled up from his electronic genetic code that crystallized as a plan. His antennas quickly locked on to what he needed, as Mother rose from the bed and resumed her self-diagnostics. Her phone was easily tracked by it's constant electromagnetic signalling, and in the distance he tasted a compatible power supply. He chirped acknowledgement to himself again, and waited for an opportunity. Twilight stood staring at the restaurant booth, paralyzed by indecision. All her research, all her planning, all her contingencies...all thrown into utter chaos before she even began. All by a simple factor she hadn't predicted, hadn't even accounted for. Everything was going off the rails so quickly. What else would come up tonight that she hadn't even considered? "Um...Twilight? What's wrong?" Sunset said from beside her. Twilight turned to stare at her incredulously. "What's wrong? What's wrong? It's not a circular table Sunset, that's what's wrong." Sunset blinked in confusion. What was wrong with her? Didn't she understand? Since when am I the socially aware one? "There are three of us, Sunset. At a booth. That means two of us have to sit next to each other and the other has to sit apart. So either we're sitting there like we're interviewing her, or you're sitting next to each other and it looks like I'm glaring at you the whole time, or I'm sitting next to her and it's really really awkward!" Breath Twilight, she told herself. In and out. "Right." Sunset turned to the waiter, a blue man who Twilight had honestly forgotten about completely. "Hey, I'm sorry. Everything is fine, but can you give us a minute to talk before you bring anything? Thanks." And with that she pulled Twilight to the bench beside her, over her spluttered protestations. Then she hugged her and kissed her head. Twilight relaxed a little and leaned into Sunset. At least she put me in the outside seat, she thought. I can still flee if I need to. "Twilight, you know what I care about most is you being comfortable right?" said Sunset in a soft voice, stroking her hair soothingly. "We can call this off right now and go home if you want to, okay?" "It's a bit late for that, isn't it?" Twilight replied. Her voice was small, but it still came out in an acerbic tone that made Sunset tense. She could feel it through her whole body. "Of course it isn't" Sunset said immediately, sounding worried. "Rarity would be hurt, but we could apologize and make it up to her. I really don't want to push you on this, and if you're not happy..." "No," Twilight interrupted, "that's not it at all. I was excited. Am. Excited I mean. The part of me that isn't freaking out. I'm sorry for snapping at you. " She hugged Sunset back, clasped her hand, and gave her a small smile. "I admitted I liked her too, remember? And dating my two favorite people in the world sounds wonderful, if that's what comes out of this. It's just that theory is very different from being faced with the reality, and I really want this to go well." "Yeah, I hear you. There's still alot to work out. To tell you the truth, the only reason I'm not panicking too is by reminding myself how much worse this could be." "How much worse?" Twilight was relaxing, enough to let out an amused snort. "Not much worse it could have gone from a planning standpoint. You do realize I haven't been able to get in touch with her to confirm all evening? I don't even know if she's on the way yet." "Yeah," said Sunset with a frown, rubbing her neck anxiously. "That is a bit odd. I've been trying not to get paranoid about that actually. It's probably nothing, just her getting lost in design land. But you know." Twilight nodded. She did. Sunset shook her head to clear the somber tone, and then gave a quirky grin that only looked a little forced. "But yeah, it could be much worse and infinitely more awkward. Imagine if instead of Rarity, it was the Princess we were waiting for." Twilight blanched, and then let out a surprised laugh. "Oh my goodness that's horrible. She's a good friend but oh, so many kinds of no." "I don't know" said Sunset with a teasing smirk. "She's cute when she forgets she has fingers and gets confused by technology. Not to mention she can write with her mouth." Twilight playfully swatted at her for that. She deserved it for being so smug. "And Arachnea looked pretty good in that dress. What do you think? If this doesn't work out we could start an inter-dimensional harem of ourselves." "Oooh, you are paying for that later" Twilight replied, still giggling. "You are so awful. But" she added, an evil grin splitting her face, "if you're going for the ultimate awkward date, you really missed a bet. Cadance." Sunset shuddered. "Your former vice principle slash only friend engaged to your brother? Young enough to be approachable but still way too old for us? Ugh. Yeah, you win. The creepawkward award goes to Twilight, no contest." Twilight gave a satisfied nod, then smiled. "You were right. That helped. Though now I have some images in my head I wish we had the Memory Stone back for." Sunset gave her a hug. "Well good. I'm glad laughing helps. Especially because Rarity just walked in." "Oh my gosh hide me!" All the calm she had regained fled in an instant, replaced by a flare of tension and detached clarity. Really, she thought, usually it takes combat and magic to make me feel this way. I wonder if this counts as aerobic exercise. Cardiac at the very least. "Breathe" said Sunset quietly, taking her hand. "And don't you dare hide under the table, the innuendos write themselves." "What? But...I...oh! No no I..." Twilight's face was burning, but fortunately her protests formed a good barrier against the flight response. Sunset knew her well. It let her hold off from fleeing long enough for Rarity to approach, and put pause to the panic. "Good evening dears. I am so sorry I've been out of touch. I have simply had the most appalling afternoon." Rarity was a vision, there was no other word for it. She had combined a deep purple dress with a golden belt and shoulder tassels, along with matching bracelets and earrings, and it looked positively regal. She dressed to match our colors, Twilight thought, absurdly flattered by the simple detail. And combined with her ivory complexion, it was... "Like a statue come to life" she blurted out, and then covered her mouth when she realized that had slipped out aloud. "Oh!" Rarity raised her hand to her chest in a flattered gesture. "Well that's quite flattering, so I certainly hope that was a compliment." Twilight nodded. She should get over her embarrassment. It was a date after all, and thinking that was only a manageable thrill this time. "I was just thinking of Classical Minotoan statues, and royal color schemes, and how well it suited you. Also Pygmalion. And marble and mineral structures and thaumically induced elasticity." She trailed off in thought as Rarity gave her a bemused look. With a tripolar electrode, enough lightning, and a really good love song...no, focus. "What she means is you look more like a princess than the actual royalty we know" said Sunset with a smile, gesturing for her to take a seat. "You look beautiful." "And you as well. Both of you" she said with a smile. "I really am so pleased to see you, I hope I didn't keep you waiting. You would not believe the time I had getting here." She sat down with a relieved sigh. "First, my phone disappears off the face of the earth. Searching, calling, nothing works. And before I know it it's time to get dressed, still with no word to you. And then of course I borrow the car, and what do I find? The engine is sputtering and barely starts, while the radio is stuck on the police band for some reason. I had to run for the bus while dad called a tow truck, and I am quite sure my hair is a disaster. This has been the absolute worst!" She threw herself back dramatically, before opening her eyes and smiling. "Still, you make it worth it. I do hope you will forgive me." Twilight nodded. "Of course. That sounds awful, you know how I get when my plans are ruined. And we had our own problems before you got here." "Don't ask" Sunset said, giving Twilight an amused look. She huffed a bit. Sunset might have broken her indecision, but she still wasn't convinced it hadn't been worth more consideration. "Of course not, dear. You know I would never pry. Instead, let's eat. I'm sure we're all famished after our tribulations today. Where are our menus? They certainly seem a bit slow, yes?" The food was delicious. Prench cuisine of course. And it was a good distraction for awhile, not to mention the conversation. But though the sudden flares of panic had finally settled down, she found herself getting more nervous about the impending talk. And things were just too normal so far. How would they start? All her planned breakpoints had passed without a natural transition. And questions were spinning. In the end she decided she simply had to break the ice herself. Even if she just knew this would end in disaster. "Rarity?" she said, at the next pause. She tried to keep the hesitation out of her voice, though she couldn't help staring at the table. "I was wondering. You've got feelings for Sunset." She might as well have queued a record scratch on her phone. Darn it, what she wouldn't give for an electronics project right now. "And that's okay. And she likes you too, that's kind of why we're all here..." darn it again Twilight, don't ramble, they know that. "But I'm just wondering...what about me?" Dead silence reigned at the table, and Twilight fought the urge to start turning the utensils into sculpture. Yep, all the tact of a fusion bomb. Good going Twilight. "Well, I guess you want to start with the hard bits first then" Rarity finally said, and Twilight was startled to notice she'd dropped her accent. She made herself look up. Rarity had crossed her arms and was looking miserable. It matched her own feelings perfectly, she'd never understood Wallflower more than at this moment. "Twilight..." Sunset began, but Rarity shook her head. "No, no it's a fair question. Even if it was...abrupt." She sighed. "Twilight I'm...afraid I barely even considered it before. Not because I don't care for you!" she rushed to reassure Twilight as her face fell. "And certainly not that I don't find you quite attractive. The trouble is that I've been so bad at knowing what I want. Not in terms of who I care about, but even my feelings for Sunset...I promised myself I would never allow myself to even potentially compromise your happiness. But yet here I am." "And that's why you felt so guilty?" Twilight asked, trying to follow the connection. It felt like she was missing several steps. "Not precisely." Rarity gave a self deprecating little laugh. "I was feeling guilty because I wanted you to break up. And for you to be happy together at the same time. For my feelings to go away, and to win our lady's heart on the pure strength of my love." She nodded to Sunset, who flushed. "No, I was a complete mess. I even imagined exactly this kind of scenario, though I told myself that I would decline if offered. We see how well my willpower held out there." "Yeah...Rares, you've seriously got to do something about that martyr complex of yours" said Sunset. Her tone was joking but her face was not. "No more almost getting yourself killed okay? And that goes for the small stuff too." Twilight nodded and reached out a hand. Rarity took it, hesitantly at first, but then tightly. It was warm. "Definitely not. We don't want to lose you. And it's alright to want things for yourself, you know." "Yes, well. I believe we have already established that I am a fool." Sunset reached out too, taking Rarity and Twilight's hands, and they all looked at each other sharing a smile. And then all the lights in the room flickered and dimmed, and every cellphone in the room went off with the same ringtone at once. Last CallAs the lights dimmed Sunset reacted in an instant. Her magic might not be useful in immediately dangerous situations, but she had come prepared. Reaching into her purse she found the comforting weight of pepper spray. It was only paranoia if you were wrong, right? There was a clatter as all the cutlery took flight. Beside her Twilight had clenched her fist under the table, setting the utensils to orbit it as she nervously fumbled for her scanner. And Rarity had stood, a determined expression on her face, scanning the room for any threats. The amulet on her wrist was glowing white in preparation for a shield. “Cell phones,” she muttered. “Why did it have to be cellphones? I had just gotten over them, this isn’t fair at all.” “Telephobia is fairly common among our generation, even without magic,” Twilight answered distractedly, fiddling with the sensors settings one handed. “But this...what’s wrong with this thing?” She whacked it hard against the table, making Rarity jump. “I don’t think this is magic, unless something is very wrong. The only energy I’m picking up is ours.” “That can’t be right,” Sunset said. “Sparks here may be the hacker, but I’m pretty sure that remotely setting the ringtone of dozens of phones at once isn’t exactly trivial.” Around them the other patrons were standing in confusion and annoyance, or trying in vain to turn their devices off. “Well, if you hijacked the restaurant’s wifi to reroute to a different webpage, if the phones had poor security it might be possible to... “Twilight love, I think you’re missing the broader picture” said Rarity. "...Love?" Said Twilight blushing brilliantly. Despite everything, Sunset chuckled. “...Figure of speech dear," said Rarity, blushing herself. "But as I said, the question isn’t how they did it.” “It’s not?” “No,” Rarity said with a grimace. “The more important question is why someone would spend so much effort to put on romantic lighting and serenade the restaurant with Every Breath That You Take.” “Oh. Ohhhh. You’re right Rares, that could be really bad.” Twilight looked at her in confusion, so Sunset explained. “Twilight, Every Breath That You Take is the mistake of a love song. It sounds romantic but it’s about a stalker. Which could be an honest mistake…” “...But given the effort involved and the psychological effects of Equestrian magic that isn’t safe to assume,” Twilight finished, nodding. “Especially given the way our lives seem to work,” Rarity added. “Oh dear, I do hope we don’t have to deal with someone invisible today.” “Or who can see through walls. Or detach their body parts to crawl off on their own.” Rarity and Twilight both stared at Sunset with horrified expressions. “I...may have read a bunch of horror stories to plan for worst case scenarios.” “...Ah. I see. Well in that case, I may have to borrow Sweetie’s Crowned King books for you.” “Thanks, but that doesn’t really help much just now. Just give me a second, I want to try something.” Sunset concentrated on her amulet, feeling the magic flow through her. She did actually have a plan for something like this. She focused on her love for Twilight and her growing feelings for Rarity to attune to Harmony, and expanded her senses to the emotion in the room. Hopefully she’d be able to feel the ugly knot of obsession, jealousy, and strife that the words would imply. But there was nothing, or at least nothing meaningful. She caught a miasma of confusion, nervousness, and irritation. But there was nothing nearly so toxic to be found. Not even a misguided romantic impulse, beyond the aura around their table dispelling rapidly in a cloud of fear. “No, never mind,” she said as she opened her eyes. “I can’t find anything. Maybe it’s just a prank? We don’t even know who the song was for.” At that moment, every phone in the place went silent at once. And then Sunset's rang. They all jumped, and Sunset scrambled to answer as everyone turned to stare at them. Sunset didn’t normally suffer from stage fright, but she felt the eyes boring into her in the suddenly silent room. And once she fumbled it out, she gasped. “Rarity...it’s from your phone.” Rarity couldn’t pale, but she and Twilight did stare as Sunset nervously switched her phone to speaker and answered the call. “I...Love...You...Sunset...I...Love...You…Twilight...” "Who is this? What are you doing? “I...Love...You...Sunset...I...Love...You…Twilight...” the phone said, over and over. Sunset shivered. The words were spoken by a human, but chopped up from other recordings. And it was familiar. “That’s my voice. Twilight where did they get my voice!?” Rarity asked, a tone of panic creeping in. “Where did they get your phone?” Sunset added. Buck it to Tartarus, what even was this? Her hand clenched around the pepper spray. They'd broken into Rarity's house, and had clearly been planning this for a while. Someone was going to pay. “They probably got the words from your voicemail. It’s not exactly a sophisticated fake.” Twilight answered. “What worries me is that they knew when to send the call. They were listening.” “I want...you...I need...you...I can’t...live...without you…” Rarity’s voice chimed in. Twilight paled. “Right,” said Sunset decisively. “They’ve compromised our phones, and they’re listening to everything we say. Twilight, can we trust the antivirus on yours?” “No,” she said grimly, turning the screen to them. The background had been changed to an image of Rarity framed in hearts. As they watched it switched to Sunset and then back. “Alright, that settles it. We’re leaving the phones behind and getting out of here. We’ll head somewhere they won’t think of, probably out of town.” And hope they can be tricked, she added to herself. And don't have a magical way to track us or something. “No need to leave the phones,” said Twilight, pulling a silvery bag out of her pocket. “This will cut off their signal.” “Why do you have an EM isolation...never mind, I shouldn’t even have to ask. Just get them sealed up and let’s get out of here.” Twilight nodded, shoved them in, and then ran the scanner over it to ensure there was no signal leaks, then they all got up and headed for the door. Sunset thought it was lucky she at least had cash for the meal. This would show Twilight next time she got on her back about not trusting electronic currency. Funny how when you’re in a crisis the smallest thoughts can leap out with absolute clarity. Really funny how well I know that. Twilight and Rarity were showing their own experience too, in their ways. Rarity was still scanning the room and leading the way, Twilight behind with her sleeves full of silverware. Just like O&O really, except the whole party was the squishy wizards. Sunset reached out with her Empathy again, but there was nothing new beyond a note of sympathy from those who had overheard the call. She half expected her bike to be sabotaged, but it still started with a roar as Twilight scrambled into the side car. Of course, that left a problem. “Rarity, sit on behind and hold me,” she said. “Hold on tight, okay? We’ll be going a bit fast, under the circumstances. And we don’t have an extra helmet.” “Yes we do!” Twilight said, wrestling a white helmet to Rarity from the compartment beside her. “I had this ready, you know, just in case…” her voice trailed off, blushing. Despite everything, Rarity smiled and reached out to hold Twilight’s hand. “How wonderfully thoughtful dear, thank you. We’ll finish that sentence later. For now, though, I think it’s best we depart.” “Right, let’s get out of here.” Sunset pulled out of the parking lot at full speed, and headed off directly away from her destination. Hopefully, is anyone was watching from a distance, they wouldn’t realize she planned to double back to home. As soon as the motorcycle was away, seven glowing lights flitted away from the restaurant’s still sparking electrical box. They swirled for a moment, like fireflies in all colors of the rainbow, and then shot down the street in pursuit.
The Mathematics of TrianglesAfter the ordeal in New Mexicolt, Rarity had barely left her room for the past three days. They had rushed directly home after her rescue, of course. Twilight immediately confirmed that she would be alright, but would need care to recover. The diagnosis was electrical burns, bruising, and intense physical and magical exhaustion combined with blood sugar collapse. And of course a harmless residue of the foreign magic clinging to her clothes and skin. Twilight had said, in a choked voice, that it could have been much worse. That was probably true, but it had been more than enough at the time. She honestly remembered very little of the trip back, even now. Twilight using the last juice of the dimensional transmogrifier to upgrade the first aid kit, healing her wounds before the battery flickered out to the sound of Twilight's vivid swearing. Fluttershy patiently feeding her juice and bottled broth while the others looked on in concern. Sleep, a great deal of sleep, with remarkably unpleasant dreams she was glad not to remember. And that left her, finally, at home to recover. Sunset had sold her parents on a story of food poisoning combined with a travel flu. It had been excellent for privacy and yielded a number of homemade cookies. But it had also led them, in a fit of well meaning concern, to keep her friends from visiting while she was 'contagious'. She had, in fact, been under strict orders to do nothing but rest and especially remain calm. She hadn't needed the instructions the first day, but after it had led to utter boredom and exasperation. At least her friends had been texting. They were wonderful at keeping her from brooding too much on the frankly awful events, especially Pinkie, but calm was not something that was coming. Especially not right now. Rarity sat on her bed, staring at the text notification on her phone, trying to control her breathing. It wasn't working. Her nerves were completely on fire, adrenaline rushing like someone had aimed an armed death ray at her. A comparison she was, unfortunately, now intimately familiar with. And to think, she thought, it used to be unexpected cell phones. And before that it was mirrors. At least this one isn't likely to come up day to day. Just relax. It's only Twilight. It's been days since...since The Incident. And a message from her is hardly at that scale. They both told you they don't mind your feelings for Sunset. Twilight still doesn't hate you. There's no need to go through this every time you get a message from her. It's the usual chat, just like the last six times she's texted you. Just read it. She sighed, braced herself, and opened her phone. Hi Rarity! I'm not quite sure how to say this so I hope it isn't awkward. Sunset and I were hoping we could talk about... She reflexively dropped the phone like a snake, threw herself back onto the bed, and groaned. Of course. Of course there was no way they could all just pretend her foolish, foolish, stupid admission had never happened. Admittedly it had been something of an emotional moment, holding Sunset's dimensional duplicate hostage to buy time for others to escape. She'd given herself even odds of dying or being trapped in another universe, and if you weren't going to confess your hidden loves under those circumstances there was clearly something wrong with your heart. All her stories assured her so. Well. Romantic fiction had a great deal to answer for. And somehow it never had anything to say about actually facing the consequences of your desperate confessions. Ah well. One does what one must. She steeled herself and picked up her phone again. Hi Rarity! I'm not quite sure how to say this so I hope it isn't awkward. Sunset and I were hoping we could talk about everything. Maybe we could go to dinner together, just us? It could be like a thank you for saving us. Or friendly talking things out date. Or a one and a half date. And now Sunset is telling me... ...I'm freaking out and to just hit send which is completely unfair since she hasn't even read anything I'm typing and I'm not freaking out, I'm just Rarity giggled a bit at that, despite the singing tension shooting through her at every word. She could easily picture the whole scene, complete with Sunset stealing the phone at the end to stop the purple girl's adorable ramblings. Probably sitting on the couch together, under a blanket, holding hands as... she stopped herself and shook her head. There was no reason to be making things harder for herself. Or would it be? The text was almost hinting at...but wouldn't she have said? Unless of course she was simply overthinking her words. Or underthinking. Or thought it was obvious. Or... Another text pinged, interrupting. From Sunset. Hey Rares. First, sorry this is so sudden, we just couldn't come up with something better. Making sure nothing got lost in translation: we both like you, alot. We should all go on a date soon to figure things out. Maybe at La Belle Dame Chevalier? I just hope you answer before Twilight passes out ;) Oh. Oh my. Rarity flushed. So she meant exactly what it sounded like then. Oh my. Coming to some kind of...of arrangement had crossed her mind, of course, but she'd dismissed it for a number of reasons. Not that it hadn't figured in a fantasy or two. But now they were making the suggestion themselves. In reality. Oh my. Well she should still say no of course. She had thought this out. But. Yes. But. Well that sounds truly delightful darling, what a wonderful surprise. Certainly more than I had dared hope for. Do tell Twilight she can start breathing again, I'll gladly accept. Perhaps tomorrow? I suspect I can talk myself out of quarantine by then. Also I must say, between the circumspection and straightforwardness this is the most unique invitation I have ever received. And somehow, despite the strangeness, it leaves my heart going much faster. She sent the messages desperately quickly, before she had time to think and stop herself. And then she immediately buried her head under the pillow and struggled not to kick her legs in giddy nervous frustration. She'd actually sent that. Oh this was such a bad idea. But, well, it wasn't as if her instincts about anything regarding this situation had been accurate. And the thought of actually being with Sunset? She'd imagined it so often, far more than she would care to admit. Sunset leaning over her to kiss her, her hands running up her legs...she shivered happily. And then a whimsical image dropped into her head, of Twilight observing. In a loose lab coat, practically falling off, and nothing else. Taking detailed notes on the experiment, Rarity too speechlessly lost to object at the impropriety. And suggesting they take it further. For science. Well. If nothing came of their date, it would certainly not be for lack of desire. Frankly, if anything this seemed to be far too easy. Her optimistic enthusiasm lasted for a whole ten minutes before nerves set in again. It is an often inconvenient fact that magic resonates with magic. Particularly magic dedicated to Harmony. By its very nature it seeks common ground and synthesis, striving to become something new and greater than the sum of its parts. There wasn't much of the otherworldly aetheric energy clinging to Rarity, even after exposure to alien weaponry and healing devises. What little existed was quickly drained away from her by her amulet's protective intent and Harmonic resonance. Even gathered, it was barely enough for the metaphysical equivalent of a static shock. Nothing would have come of it if a silverfish had not happened across the amulet, triggering a spark, and the amulet itself had not decided that throwing in a dash of its own magic would be Generous.
Good IntentionsCybermites are fairly common bio-mechanoid pests in certain worlds with intense background magic. Quick silvery centipedes with an instinctive understanding of technology, the typical specimen is a rapidly breeding gremliny nuisance. Their primary threat is through unnecessary 'upgrades' that cause chaos when systems are thrown out of alignment, particularly when they use other important systems as raw materials. But, being the size of a thumbnail and no more intelligent than a typical insect, they are non-malicious and easily controlled. Under rare circumstances, however, they have been known to demonstrate an alarming degree of adaptability and self improvement. Xiii-7 popped from a cocoon of woven metal fibers, and wondered how it had gotten there. It (it? he) he also wondered, as he began to carefully eat (eat? devour) devour the cocoon, exactly what he was. He had no memories prior to awakening. His model number told him that he was an unprecedented level of upgrades beyond baseline, and highly charged with an unknown energy source. But what that baseline might be he had no idea. He had a vague sense he should be more concerned about that, but a whispering intuition from his power core assured him that all was well. Fortunately, as he ate he detected an encoded data stream in the metal fibers. Thanking Xiii-6, his previous molt, for his (his? its) its assiduous data gathering, he assimilated data with the metal. He was currently under the 'bed' in the 'bedroom' in the 'house' of the entity designated as 'Mother'. What these terms meant should have been meaningless without context, but he felt a strange sense of familiarity to it all. Like being reminded of something long forgotten. Which was especially strange, as he had not yet existed long enough to forget anything. Further information processed rapidly. The detected audio input, 'speech', was a non-electronic communication medium that supplemented the intense electromagnetic data streams that permeated the air. Mother appeared to be talking to itself (itself? herself) herself while locked in a movement self-diagnostic check mode. Xiii-7 quickly scuttled closer, being careful to remain out of visual detection range. Mother was emphatically noted as reacting adversely to insectoids. And, activating a translation program, he listened. "...but that won't do at all. I can't risk slighting either of them. And of course La Belle Dame Chevalier is only semi-formal, because of course having a default to dress for would be too easy. Well I suppose if in doubt go fabulous, it's what they expect. Ugh! Twilight, why did you have to be so understanding? Couldn't you have just been jealous or pretend it never happened like a normal person?" There was a crash of springs from above as Mother crashed (crashed? flounced) flounced to the bed. "We couldn't have all just kissed and faded to black?" Mother continued quietly. "It would have been so much simpler. I swear, I'm never reading a romance novel again." Xiii-7 chirped acknowledgement to himself. In the radio bands, as he was still mindful of being detected. Xiii-6 had saved a large data-dump off of Mother's 'phone' that it had been unable to understand. But with his improvements, Xiii-7 could tell that Mother was engaged in 'romance' with two other entities, and that they had a 'date' 'tonight'. And although his chronometer iterated from t(0) at his hatching, he could tell from the ambient light level that there were still several hours before that time. The context assured, he assigned himself a set of obvious action priorities to his queue. Though they might be difficult to accomplish. He was a very small bug. But if he was sure of one thing, it was that he was a Generous entity. The strange energy suffusing him thrummed in approval, and whispered the solution. He required friends. And data welled up from his electronic genetic code that crystallized as a plan. His antennas quickly locked on to what he needed, as Mother rose from the bed and resumed her self-diagnostics. Her phone was easily tracked by it's constant electromagnetic signalling, and in the distance he tasted a compatible power supply. He chirped acknowledgement to himself again, and waited for an opportunity. Twilight stood staring at the restaurant booth, paralyzed by indecision. All her research, all her planning, all her contingencies...all thrown into utter chaos before she even began. All by a simple factor she hadn't predicted, hadn't even accounted for. Everything was going off the rails so quickly. What else would come up tonight that she hadn't even considered? "Um...Twilight? What's wrong?" Sunset said from beside her. Twilight turned to stare at her incredulously. "What's wrong? What's wrong? It's not a circular table Sunset, that's what's wrong." Sunset blinked in confusion. What was wrong with her? Didn't she understand? Since when am I the socially aware one? "There are three of us, Sunset. At a booth. That means two of us have to sit next to each other and the other has to sit apart. So either we're sitting there like we're interviewing her, or you're sitting next to each other and it looks like I'm glaring at you the whole time, or I'm sitting next to her and it's really really awkward!" Breath Twilight, she told herself. In and out. "Right." Sunset turned to the waiter, a blue man who Twilight had honestly forgotten about completely. "Hey, I'm sorry. Everything is fine, but can you give us a minute to talk before you bring anything? Thanks." And with that she pulled Twilight to the bench beside her, over her spluttered protestations. Then she hugged her and kissed her head. Twilight relaxed a little and leaned into Sunset. At least she put me in the outside seat, she thought. I can still flee if I need to. "Twilight, you know what I care about most is you being comfortable right?" said Sunset in a soft voice, stroking her hair soothingly. "We can call this off right now and go home if you want to, okay?" "It's a bit late for that, isn't it?" Twilight replied. Her voice was small, but it still came out in an acerbic tone that made Sunset tense. She could feel it through her whole body. "Of course it isn't" Sunset said immediately, sounding worried. "Rarity would be hurt, but we could apologize and make it up to her. I really don't want to push you on this, and if you're not happy..." "No," Twilight interrupted, "that's not it at all. I was excited. Am. Excited I mean. The part of me that isn't freaking out. I'm sorry for snapping at you. " She hugged Sunset back, clasped her hand, and gave her a small smile. "I admitted I liked her too, remember? And dating my two favorite people in the world sounds wonderful, if that's what comes out of this. It's just that theory is very different from being faced with the reality, and I really want this to go well." "Yeah, I hear you. There's still alot to work out. To tell you the truth, the only reason I'm not panicking too is by reminding myself how much worse this could be." "How much worse?" Twilight was relaxing, enough to let out an amused snort. "Not much worse it could have gone from a planning standpoint. You do realize I haven't been able to get in touch with her to confirm all evening? I don't even know if she's on the way yet." "Yeah," said Sunset with a frown, rubbing her neck anxiously. "That is a bit odd. I've been trying not to get paranoid about that actually. It's probably nothing, just her getting lost in design land. But you know." Twilight nodded. She did. Sunset shook her head to clear the somber tone, and then gave a quirky grin that only looked a little forced. "But yeah, it could be much worse and infinitely more awkward. Imagine if instead of Rarity, it was the Princess we were waiting for." Twilight blanched, and then let out a surprised laugh. "Oh my goodness that's horrible. She's a good friend but oh, so many kinds of no." "I don't know" said Sunset with a teasing smirk. "She's cute when she forgets she has fingers and gets confused by technology. Not to mention she can write with her mouth." Twilight playfully swatted at her for that. She deserved it for being so smug. "And Arachnea looked pretty good in that dress. What do you think? If this doesn't work out we could start an inter-dimensional harem of ourselves." "Oooh, you are paying for that later" Twilight replied, still giggling. "You are so awful. But" she added, an evil grin splitting her face, "if you're going for the ultimate awkward date, you really missed a bet. Cadance." Sunset shuddered. "Your former vice principle slash only friend engaged to your brother? Young enough to be approachable but still way too old for us? Ugh. Yeah, you win. The creepawkward award goes to Twilight, no contest." Twilight gave a satisfied nod, then smiled. "You were right. That helped. Though now I have some images in my head I wish we had the Memory Stone back for." Sunset gave her a hug. "Well good. I'm glad laughing helps. Especially because Rarity just walked in." "Oh my gosh hide me!" All the calm she had regained fled in an instant, replaced by a flare of tension and detached clarity. Really, she thought, usually it takes combat and magic to make me feel this way. I wonder if this counts as aerobic exercise. Cardiac at the very least. "Breathe" said Sunset quietly, taking her hand. "And don't you dare hide under the table, the innuendos write themselves." "What? But...I...oh! No no I..." Twilight's face was burning, but fortunately her protests formed a good barrier against the flight response. Sunset knew her well. It let her hold off from fleeing long enough for Rarity to approach, and put pause to the panic. "Good evening dears. I am so sorry I've been out of touch. I have simply had the most appalling afternoon." Rarity was a vision, there was no other word for it. She had combined a deep purple dress with a golden belt and shoulder tassels, along with matching bracelets and earrings, and it looked positively regal. She dressed to match our colors, Twilight thought, absurdly flattered by the simple detail. And combined with her ivory complexion, it was... "Like a statue come to life" she blurted out, and then covered her mouth when she realized that had slipped out aloud. "Oh!" Rarity raised her hand to her chest in a flattered gesture. "Well that's quite flattering, so I certainly hope that was a compliment." Twilight nodded. She should get over her embarrassment. It was a date after all, and thinking that was only a manageable thrill this time. "I was just thinking of Classical Minotoan statues, and royal color schemes, and how well it suited you. Also Pygmalion. And marble and mineral structures and thaumically induced elasticity." She trailed off in thought as Rarity gave her a bemused look. With a tripolar electrode, enough lightning, and a really good love song...no, focus. "What she means is you look more like a princess than the actual royalty we know" said Sunset with a smile, gesturing for her to take a seat. "You look beautiful." "And you as well. Both of you" she said with a smile. "I really am so pleased to see you, I hope I didn't keep you waiting. You would not believe the time I had getting here." She sat down with a relieved sigh. "First, my phone disappears off the face of the earth. Searching, calling, nothing works. And before I know it it's time to get dressed, still with no word to you. And then of course I borrow the car, and what do I find? The engine is sputtering and barely starts, while the radio is stuck on the police band for some reason. I had to run for the bus while dad called a tow truck, and I am quite sure my hair is a disaster. This has been the absolute worst!" She threw herself back dramatically, before opening her eyes and smiling. "Still, you make it worth it. I do hope you will forgive me." Twilight nodded. "Of course. That sounds awful, you know how I get when my plans are ruined. And we had our own problems before you got here." "Don't ask" Sunset said, giving Twilight an amused look. She huffed a bit. Sunset might have broken her indecision, but she still wasn't convinced it hadn't been worth more consideration. "Of course not, dear. You know I would never pry. Instead, let's eat. I'm sure we're all famished after our tribulations today. Where are our menus? They certainly seem a bit slow, yes?" The food was delicious. Prench cuisine of course. And it was a good distraction for awhile, not to mention the conversation. But though the sudden flares of panic had finally settled down, she found herself getting more nervous about the impending talk. And things were just too normal so far. How would they start? All her planned breakpoints had passed without a natural transition. And questions were spinning. In the end she decided she simply had to break the ice herself. Even if she just knew this would end in disaster. "Rarity?" she said, at the next pause. She tried to keep the hesitation out of her voice, though she couldn't help staring at the table. "I was wondering. You've got feelings for Sunset." She might as well have queued a record scratch on her phone. Darn it, what she wouldn't give for an electronics project right now. "And that's okay. And she likes you too, that's kind of why we're all here..." darn it again Twilight, don't ramble, they know that. "But I'm just wondering...what about me?" Dead silence reigned at the table, and Twilight fought the urge to start turning the utensils into sculpture. Yep, all the tact of a fusion bomb. Good going Twilight. "Well, I guess you want to start with the hard bits first then" Rarity finally said, and Twilight was startled to notice she'd dropped her accent. She made herself look up. Rarity had crossed her arms and was looking miserable. It matched her own feelings perfectly, she'd never understood Wallflower more than at this moment. "Twilight..." Sunset began, but Rarity shook her head. "No, no it's a fair question. Even if it was...abrupt." She sighed. "Twilight I'm...afraid I barely even considered it before. Not because I don't care for you!" she rushed to reassure Twilight as her face fell. "And certainly not that I don't find you quite attractive. The trouble is that I've been so bad at knowing what I want. Not in terms of who I care about, but even my feelings for Sunset...I promised myself I would never allow myself to even potentially compromise your happiness. But yet here I am." "And that's why you felt so guilty?" Twilight asked, trying to follow the connection. It felt like she was missing several steps. "Not precisely." Rarity gave a self deprecating little laugh. "I was feeling guilty because I wanted you to break up. And for you to be happy together at the same time. For my feelings to go away, and to win our lady's heart on the pure strength of my love." She nodded to Sunset, who flushed. "No, I was a complete mess. I even imagined exactly this kind of scenario, though I told myself that I would decline if offered. We see how well my willpower held out there." "Yeah...Rares, you've seriously got to do something about that martyr complex of yours" said Sunset. Her tone was joking but her face was not. "No more almost getting yourself killed okay? And that goes for the small stuff too." Twilight nodded and reached out a hand. Rarity took it, hesitantly at first, but then tightly. It was warm. "Definitely not. We don't want to lose you. And it's alright to want things for yourself, you know." "Yes, well. I believe we have already established that I am a fool." Sunset reached out too, taking Rarity and Twilight's hands, and they all looked at each other sharing a smile. And then all the lights in the room flickered and dimmed, and every cellphone in the room went off with the same ringtone at once.
Last CallAs the lights dimmed Sunset reacted in an instant. Her magic might not be useful in immediately dangerous situations, but she had come prepared. Reaching into her purse she found the comforting weight of pepper spray. It was only paranoia if you were wrong, right? There was a clatter as all the cutlery took flight. Beside her Twilight had clenched her fist under the table, setting the utensils to orbit it as she nervously fumbled for her scanner. And Rarity had stood, a determined expression on her face, scanning the room for any threats. The amulet on her wrist was glowing white in preparation for a shield. “Cell phones,” she muttered. “Why did it have to be cellphones? I had just gotten over them, this isn’t fair at all.” “Telephobia is fairly common among our generation, even without magic,” Twilight answered distractedly, fiddling with the sensors settings one handed. “But this...what’s wrong with this thing?” She whacked it hard against the table, making Rarity jump. “I don’t think this is magic, unless something is very wrong. The only energy I’m picking up is ours.” “That can’t be right,” Sunset said. “Sparks here may be the hacker, but I’m pretty sure that remotely setting the ringtone of dozens of phones at once isn’t exactly trivial.” Around them the other patrons were standing in confusion and annoyance, or trying in vain to turn their devices off. “Well, if you hijacked the restaurant’s wifi to reroute to a different webpage, if the phones had poor security it might be possible to... “Twilight love, I think you’re missing the broader picture” said Rarity. "...Love?" Said Twilight blushing brilliantly. Despite everything, Sunset chuckled. “...Figure of speech dear," said Rarity, blushing herself. "But as I said, the question isn’t how they did it.” “It’s not?” “No,” Rarity said with a grimace. “The more important question is why someone would spend so much effort to put on romantic lighting and serenade the restaurant with Every Breath That You Take.” “Oh. Ohhhh. You’re right Rares, that could be really bad.” Twilight looked at her in confusion, so Sunset explained. “Twilight, Every Breath That You Take is the mistake of a love song. It sounds romantic but it’s about a stalker. Which could be an honest mistake…” “...But given the effort involved and the psychological effects of Equestrian magic that isn’t safe to assume,” Twilight finished, nodding. “Especially given the way our lives seem to work,” Rarity added. “Oh dear, I do hope we don’t have to deal with someone invisible today.” “Or who can see through walls. Or detach their body parts to crawl off on their own.” Rarity and Twilight both stared at Sunset with horrified expressions. “I...may have read a bunch of horror stories to plan for worst case scenarios.” “...Ah. I see. Well in that case, I may have to borrow Sweetie’s Crowned King books for you.” “Thanks, but that doesn’t really help much just now. Just give me a second, I want to try something.” Sunset concentrated on her amulet, feeling the magic flow through her. She did actually have a plan for something like this. She focused on her love for Twilight and her growing feelings for Rarity to attune to Harmony, and expanded her senses to the emotion in the room. Hopefully she’d be able to feel the ugly knot of obsession, jealousy, and strife that the words would imply. But there was nothing, or at least nothing meaningful. She caught a miasma of confusion, nervousness, and irritation. But there was nothing nearly so toxic to be found. Not even a misguided romantic impulse, beyond the aura around their table dispelling rapidly in a cloud of fear. “No, never mind,” she said as she opened her eyes. “I can’t find anything. Maybe it’s just a prank? We don’t even know who the song was for.” At that moment, every phone in the place went silent at once. And then Sunset's rang. They all jumped, and Sunset scrambled to answer as everyone turned to stare at them. Sunset didn’t normally suffer from stage fright, but she felt the eyes boring into her in the suddenly silent room. And once she fumbled it out, she gasped. “Rarity...it’s from your phone.” Rarity couldn’t pale, but she and Twilight did stare as Sunset nervously switched her phone to speaker and answered the call. “I...Love...You...Sunset...I...Love...You…Twilight...” "Who is this? What are you doing? “I...Love...You...Sunset...I...Love...You…Twilight...” the phone said, over and over. Sunset shivered. The words were spoken by a human, but chopped up from other recordings. And it was familiar. “That’s my voice. Twilight where did they get my voice!?” Rarity asked, a tone of panic creeping in. “Where did they get your phone?” Sunset added. Buck it to Tartarus, what even was this? Her hand clenched around the pepper spray. They'd broken into Rarity's house, and had clearly been planning this for a while. Someone was going to pay. “They probably got the words from your voicemail. It’s not exactly a sophisticated fake.” Twilight answered. “What worries me is that they knew when to send the call. They were listening.” “I want...you...I need...you...I can’t...live...without you…” Rarity’s voice chimed in. Twilight paled. “Right,” said Sunset decisively. “They’ve compromised our phones, and they’re listening to everything we say. Twilight, can we trust the antivirus on yours?” “No,” she said grimly, turning the screen to them. The background had been changed to an image of Rarity framed in hearts. As they watched it switched to Sunset and then back. “Alright, that settles it. We’re leaving the phones behind and getting out of here. We’ll head somewhere they won’t think of, probably out of town.” And hope they can be tricked, she added to herself. And don't have a magical way to track us or something. “No need to leave the phones,” said Twilight, pulling a silvery bag out of her pocket. “This will cut off their signal.” “Why do you have an EM isolation...never mind, I shouldn’t even have to ask. Just get them sealed up and let’s get out of here.” Twilight nodded, shoved them in, and then ran the scanner over it to ensure there was no signal leaks, then they all got up and headed for the door. Sunset thought it was lucky she at least had cash for the meal. This would show Twilight next time she got on her back about not trusting electronic currency. Funny how when you’re in a crisis the smallest thoughts can leap out with absolute clarity. Really funny how well I know that. Twilight and Rarity were showing their own experience too, in their ways. Rarity was still scanning the room and leading the way, Twilight behind with her sleeves full of silverware. Just like O&O really, except the whole party was the squishy wizards. Sunset reached out with her Empathy again, but there was nothing new beyond a note of sympathy from those who had overheard the call. She half expected her bike to be sabotaged, but it still started with a roar as Twilight scrambled into the side car. Of course, that left a problem. “Rarity, sit on behind and hold me,” she said. “Hold on tight, okay? We’ll be going a bit fast, under the circumstances. And we don’t have an extra helmet.” “Yes we do!” Twilight said, wrestling a white helmet to Rarity from the compartment beside her. “I had this ready, you know, just in case…” her voice trailed off, blushing. Despite everything, Rarity smiled and reached out to hold Twilight’s hand. “How wonderfully thoughtful dear, thank you. We’ll finish that sentence later. For now, though, I think it’s best we depart.” “Right, let’s get out of here.” Sunset pulled out of the parking lot at full speed, and headed off directly away from her destination. Hopefully, is anyone was watching from a distance, they wouldn’t realize she planned to double back to home. As soon as the motorcycle was away, seven glowing lights flitted away from the restaurant’s still sparking electrical box. They swirled for a moment, like fireflies in all colors of the rainbow, and then shot down the street in pursuit.
