After going through the mail and taking care of the business related letters and bills, I went to two pieces I'd set aside from the rest. I opened the first one, from Fancy and Fleur, and read it over.

Dear Yang Xiao Long

It is our delight to inform you that we have, after sorting out a few issues, written up an official set of documents that will license all the technology, magic, and anything directly derived from the weather machine to your name. This also includes the spellwork that makes fabric glow when worn, which we have heard Miss Rarity has already begun experimenting with. We've already sent her a letter informing her of the licensing, but we suspect that she won't have any issues with it, especially since the bits would be going to you.

The documents are safe and secure on our estate. All you need to do is visit us and sign them. We will also let you look them over to make sure everything is to your liking and consult your ideas, should you have any.

Sincerely, Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis

"Easy money,” I mused. “All those bits without lifting a finger. And I have no idea what to do with it all." After contemplating the idea, remembering that I was already in a situation where I had way more bits than I knew what to do with, and setting the letter aside, I opened the other one, from Twilight.

Dear Yang,

I've decided that you can come see the source of the pictures I've been giving Rarity. Just choose a day, give me a heads up, and I can take you there. I have a friend there that can help us, and has helped me numerous times over the years after I helped her from a dark place.

I advise that you leave the Ember Celica behind. I know you like to keep them on you at all times, but, based on multiple factors, including the magic in the portal, the outright magic immunity they have, and some prior experiences, it's fair to say that I do not give you this warning lightly. Leave them at home, in my castle, wherever you want, but don't bring them through.

Of course, it's ultimately your choice whether or not we go.

Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle

P.S. If we do go through the portal, it will only be the two of us. Nobody else.

"That doesn't sound too bad." I quickly went to work writing out a return letter for each of them, already planning out which order to take care of them in and on which days.

I adjusted my backpack and knocked on the mansion's ornate front doors a few days and letters later, the sound briefly echoing on the marble porch. A minute later, the door opened, revealing a pegasus maid. "Hello, Miss Xiao Long," she politely greeted. "Sir Fancy and Lady Fleur are expecting you. If you follow me, I'll take you to their study."

"Thank you." I went in, and after the door was closed behind me, I followed the maid. "Do you mind if I ask you a. . . Somewhat personal question?"

"You may ask."

"What's it like working for Fancy and Fleur?"

"Honestly, it's not that bad. They are some of the best ponies to work for, and I've been a maid for some of the other nobles they work with."

"Let me guess: good pay, terrible treatment?"

"Yes. Sir Fancy and Lady Fleur don't pay as much, but I and a few others that work for them live here too, and that more than makes up for the difference. They treat us like family."

"More points for those two," I thought with a smile.

She opened a door and held it for me. "Ah, here we are. Would you like any refreshments?"

"No thanks."

"Very well. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable while I go let Sir Fancy and Lady Fleur know that you're waiting."

"That won't be necessary, Feather Duster," Fancy said as he and Fleur came up behind her.

The maid looked between us for a moment. "Mission accomplished, I suppose." She turned to the nobles. "Would you like any refreshments?"

"The usual tea blend, please," Fleur said as she and Fancy went into the study, myself right behind them.

"Of course." Feather Duster gave a short bow before leaving, the door closing behind her.

"Well, she seems happy to work here," I noted as I sat down at the desk, Fleur across from me while Fancy went over to a bookshelf.

"We do our best to make sure our house staff is happy. Besides, if it was just Fancy and me here in this big house, well, it would get quite lonely. Their presence helps make the place feel more like a home, even if they are on the payroll."

"It also helps us keep in touch with the. . . lower class citizens," Fancy said with a hint of disgust. "Considering how our associates behave, especially over the past year or so, I've come to dislike that term more and more." The door opened, but Fancy continued. "I'm sure that Feather Duster could come up with better environmental policies than they could."

A tea set was set on the desk. "Thank you for the praise, Sir Fancy," the maid said. "I'll be sure to write it so that it's easy to understand, stays on budget, and has all manner of studies from a wide variety of sources to back it up!" After taking a moment to clear her throat, she came back down from her brief moment of egotism. "Is there anything else you need?"

Looks were shared between Fancy, Fleur, and myself for a moment before a consensus was reached. "No, I do believe we're fine. Thank you."

"Then I'll take my leave." Without another word, Feather Duster left us.

Fancy turned to me. "So, down to business, then?"

"Yes, please," I answered. "Can you give me the short version of the contract licensing thingy?"

"Very technical language there," he snarkily observed as he set some stacks paper in front of me. "Be careful how you use it."

"Of course." I picked up one of the piles and started reading the front page. Quickly, all the words started blurring together. “Legalese. I hate that language.”

"That stack simply defines what is derived from the machine and its contents, covering both the mechanical and magical aspects, along with any new materials derived from it.” A smaller stack was floated up, and I traded them. “This one defines the license, how long it lasts, and how much you get.”

I glazed over the pages and started to get an idea on what was going on. “Alright, ten year license on the technology and spells. Did not know that was a thing here. 2% of all sales of derived spells and technology will go to me. Well, considering how much the stuff will probably be sold, that sounds plenty good."

A third stack of papers and a quill were floated up, and I switched to them as Fancy explained. "These are the ones you need to sign, simply acknowledging that you read and know what's in the legal documents you just read."

"Well, I did read them," I answered as I looked for the spot to sign. "Can't say I really know what's in them, though. Just that I'm getting bits out of this."

"And that's perfectly fine," Fleur assured me as I found and signed on the lines that were meant for me. "You'll find that there are multiple copies of the same forms in there. Those will be put with the extra copies of the other papers as well."

After a few minutes, I had everything signed, Fleur had downed a cup of tea, and Fancy used his magic to bind my copy of the papers into a hardback book form. "So, are we done here?" I asked once everything was done.

"We are. Shall we play a game?" Fleur levitated a Gamer Driver up, along with a copy of War Time Commander. Fancy did the same thing as well.

After putting the paper into my backpack, I pulled out my Driver and copy of War Time Commander. "Let's game." It had been a while since I'd played any games on it, and friends made things more fun.

"I have missed a lot," I noted as I read the update logs in a virtual office with the good nobles. The content had expanded and escalated quite a bit, now including golems of all shapes and sizes, battleships with tons of cannons, aircraft big enough to be their own battlefield above the actual field, and a workshop to build my own equipment. "Fancy, Fleur, what do you think we should do first?"

"Would you like to see our workshop?" Fleur invited. "We have made some impressive items, if I do say so myself. We also have plenty of materials available if you want to try making something."

"Alright." As we left the office and went down a series of halls, a question came to mind. "So, how does the building system work? Do you need all the small pieces and parts or. . ?"

"If you want to get that detailed, you can, but it's nowhere near that involved. Do you have an idea for something?"

"Maybe."

We went into the armory and I was impressed by the number of swords and bows that were on display, each one a functional work of art. "These are all of the weapons we've made since building was introduced," Fancy happily explained. "As you can see, we prefer swords and bows."

I walked up close and started looking them over. "Mind if I try them?"

"Go ahead. We have a practice range nearby." After looking over the selection a bit, I picked out a thin, straight sword and a decently sized bow. "Going for both, I see."

"I have an idea. Is the ammo unlimited?"

"Only on the practice range." With my chosen weapons, I went over to the range, which had some straw dummies moving about in it, all armed with sticks. "So, what's your idea?"

Instead of answering, I nocked the base of the sword on the bow, pulled back, waited for some dummies to line up, and let go. The sword flew through two of them before stopping in a third. I looked for a new sword around me, but there wasn't one available. "Swords aren't ammo. Good to know."

"Well, that's a different use for a sword," Fancy noted as he brought the sword back. "Fleur, how about we try that out in a battle? Normal setup?"

"I think we can make that work. Let's go prepare. Want to join us, Yang?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

I was given the task of crafting swords for use while the good nobles went and prepared a few other things. It was remarkably easy, and I was making swords by the dozen soon enough.

Fleur came back after I'd finished sword number 120-something. She had changed her body to one like mine, though her hair was colored like her mane, she was wearing a regal and efficiently designed armored dress, and was equipped with a bow. "So, do you like this look?" she asked with a twirl.

"Pink's not really my color, but it does look good," I said. "If you don't mind me asking, what made you choose to be human over some other species?"

"A bit of a whim, really. It took some time to get used to it, but it turns out that your form is remarkably adept for combat, possibly more so than even the minotaurs. The chest is a bit of a hassle, though. How do you live with it?"

I was briefly confused at her question before remembering that mares were all essentially flat as a board in the same area. "It took some time to get used to it. After that, well, it's still a hassle, but one I've learned how to work around."

"Hm, that makes sense. I especially like these hands." Fleur admired her nails as she continued. "They're not as versatile as magic or as strong as hooves, but for what they can do, nothing comes close."

"Precision and power, all in one," I idly said as I looked around. "So, where's Fancy?"

"He always takes a minute or two to adjust to his combat body. It's mostly a matter of scale for him. That, and getting the chariot equipped."

"Chariot? What, does he just run around while you shoot at your enemies?"

"Yes, that is our normal method."

"It works most of the time," Fancy said as he showed up, now a taller unicorn with heavy armor and a tough looking chariot behind him. "Of course, if either of us goes down, so does the strategy. It usually happens when someone else gets onto the chariot. How are we on those swords?”

“We have a lot,” I reported. “Do we need more?”

“If we can have 200 swords, that would be ideal.”

“Yes, sir!” I quickly went back to work on the sword crafting while Fleur started practicing with a few of the sword arrows and Fancy loaded the rest into the chariot.

Soon enough, we had just over 200 swords. Once they were all set up in the chariot, Fleur and I got in and we were soon on our way to battle. Apparently, it was just a big island with a number of safe spawn points and a never ending battle royale.

Fancy was a speed demon on the virtual battlefield. But more than just being fast, he was able to handle rough terrain and tight turns with the greatest of ease while keeping the ride smooth.

Fleur was quite adept with the bow, able to pick off enemies a distance away with no problem. She stuck to normal arrows most of the time, but did put the swords to great effect as well.

As they did their things, I watched the back, using the swords to fend off anyone who tried to attack from that direction.

It didn't take long for things to start getting hairy, though. With our efficiency, an unspoken alliance against us seemed to form, and we were soon coming under heavy pursuit and arrow barrage. Fancy managed to get us out of the situation by going into a canyon, then into a tunnel that lead into a small cavern. After hearing everyone rush past, we finally let out a collective sigh and relaxed.

"So, it looks like the whole island is after us now," I noted. "Plans?"

"We go until someone gets us," Fancy said. "That's how we've always done it."

"We still have a lot of swords, so we can work with that," Fleur added. "Melee's not our strong suit, though."

I picked up and twirled a couple of the swords. "I'm more of a brawler than swordsman, but. . . Do we have any crafting materials with us?"

"Just swords. They can be worked with. I take it you have an idea?"

"Yeah, I think I do. Fancy, Fleur, do you think you can help me with this?"

"They're in here!" Someone announced from the tunnel entrance. The sounds of a large number of feet were soon echoing towards us.

I took a breath and double checked the horizontal swords I'd made, along with the armor made of swords. "Showtime." I ran out with a mighty battlecry to meet the advancing herd, and with the element of surprise, I was able to get a few solid hits in on some of the leading enemies. While they were staggered, I went in to finish them off, their defeated forms fading away.

I gave no pause in the clash, quickly going on a mix of offense and defense. For nearly every attack I was able to block, I was able to immediately counter. Pony, griffon, and human (it was kind of creepy facing so many versions of myself) all fell in a flurry of blades.

It didn't take long for them to change tactics, going to heavier armor and weapons, and increasing their archer count. Thanks to the flurry of arrows added into the mix, I was soon on the evasive, and hid behind a large rock. "What I wouldn't give for some shotguns and better armor right now."

Three swords flew past me, and I looked in the direction they'd come from. Fleur nodded at me, and after I nodded back, I went back into the fray, three minotaurs fading away, leaving the swords to fall to the ground. As they were picked up in Fancy's magic, I holstered my custom blades, jumped and caught two of them, kicking off of the third one to go over and further into the herd.

Unfortunately, they reacted exactly how I didn't want by putting the pointed ends of their weapons up as I fell, and the archers released a volley of arrows at me. The last thing I did after my health went down to zero was hit the ground face first. After that, I was in a tunnel of light and a moment later, was back in one of the spawn buildings, custom armor, custom blades, and the two swords still with me. "Well, lesson learned: don't do that again."

A minute or so later, Fancy and Fleur showed up, armor, weapons, and chariot intact. "Well, that was rather unpleasant," Fancy noted. "Caves don't work well for us."

"At least we had fun, right?" Fleur asked. After Fancy and I voiced our agreement, she asked another question. "Should we head back to the office? I think we've had enough fun gaming for now."

"That sounds good," I answered before closing the Gamer Driver and taking War Time Commander out. "So, what now?" I asked as I put the entertainment gear in my backpack.

"Whatever you want, Yang. Stay, have something to eat and drink, or go do whatever you want to do. We've got paperwork to register, so we'll be heading to the castle."

"Alright. I think I'll head back home, then." Soon, the three of us were on our way out. "We should play some more games together again. It was lots of fun."

"That does sound good," Fancy agreed. "Unfortunately, we can't really schedule such things, especially with the times you work at and our own schedules."

"Yeah." When we reached the road that led down the mountain, I came up with a stupid idea. "Hey, do you think you could throw me downhill a bit? I want to jump my way down to the train station."

"I believe they call that 'parkour' in Prance," Fleur said before she and Fancy looked at each other. "What brought this on?"

"Last time I was here, I asked Celestia to basically throw me to the train station. I. . . Kind of flopped on the landing, and I want to see how I can handle this. And I think I still have a bit of an adrenaline rush going on."

"Hmm. . ." Fancy thought for a bit before answering. "I suppose we can do that for you."

I'd barely managed to say "thank you" before I was flung forward by their magic. I quickly reoriented myself and was soon leaping from roof to roof. The wind through my hair felt great, and things just seemed so simple while I was going to the train station.

After some minutes of downhill leaping, I finally hit the ground, running into the station. As I arrived at the Ponyville platform, something caught my eye for a scant moment. Even more quickly, after looking forward again, I ran into a pillar, finally coming to a stop. As I stumbled backwards and onto a bench, one thought was going through my mind: "I love you, aura."

Author's Notes:

Once the bits start flowing in, Yang's going to be wealthy pretty much forever. With that kind of money, she could probably hibernate at the spa for a week straight, and her aura would keep her fingers and toes from getting all wrinkly as well. Or she could play games. OPTIONS!

And as always, options are good.