//------------------------------//
// Chapter 37 - Influence 
// Story: Pandemic 
// by ASGeek2012 
//------------------------------//

Fred Turner stared at the door to his hospital room with a deep frown etched into his muzzle. He was sure he could take it down with one good buck, but how far could he get before somepony stopped him? And where would he go? He had rarely traveled beyond the grocery store at the edge of town in the self-delusional state that he had been held in.

He turned away from the door with a snort. Back in his military days, he had been careful never to feel hate towards anyone, even those who were the enemy on the battlefield. Hate had a nasty ability to spread. Hating the combatants could lead easily to hating the people. Yet he couldn't help but feel it well up within him when he thought of that damn little girl.

A girl who could be just a figment of his imagination, in which case he was only hating himself.

He stepped over to the window, planted his fore-hooves on the sill, and pulled himself up onto his hind legs. His tail swished as he cast a forlorn look at a field just outside the hospital grounds. Little dots of color here and there from early-blooming wildflowers heralded the arrival of spring. Fred had always liked wide open spaces, at least until that little imaginary witch got hold of him. It seemed like the person who had called himself Fred Turner for those twenty years had been in name only, just some strange person wearing his skin.

Now he had a completely new skin, one that seemed perfectly suited for him, and he hadn't even been given the dignity of being allowed to use it, except to entertain whatever notions of "research" the physicians here promulgated. He had had enough "research" to last him for the rest of his life.

A knock came at his door. Fred's fore-hooves fell to the floor with a loud clop, and he turned as the door opened. "Kevin! About time you checked on me again." Fred started forward. "Please tell me you've come to let me out of this ... uh ..."

Fred stopped near the center of the room, his pupils shrinking slightly as they fell on the purple pony who trotted inside after Kevin. Despite this being the first other pony he had met since his transformation, just her smell made her seem more familiar despite her wings and horn. 

"Who are you?" Fred asked in a softer voice.

The purple pony smiled and stepped closer. "My name is Twilight Sparkle."

Fred hesitated before cracking a small grin and chuckling. "That's one hell of a name."

"I know it must sound unusual to you, but there's a reason for that," said Twilight. "Is it okay if I call you 'Fred'?"

Had this been just a day or so ago, he might have insisted on "Mr. Turner" until he felt more comfortable with her, but he felt more at ease than he ever had meeting somepony new. "Sure."

"I'm not what you might think," said Twilight. "I'm not someone else who was transformed. I'm from another world."

Fred's eyes widened, and he glanced at Kevin. "If Kevin here didn't have such a deadpan look on his face, I'd say you were trying to play games with me. I've had enough of ponies doing that to me."

"She's on the level, Fred," said Kevin. "She's been trying to help stop what's happened to you from happening to others."

"So you're saying we're being visited by magic space ponies."

"Well, perhaps I'm not from space, but the rest is fairly accurate," said Twilight. She glanced towards the side, and her horn started to glow. "Here's some of that magic, if you would be so kind as to look towards your bed."

Fred recoiled a step as he witnessed one of his pillows floating in the air, surrounded by the same glow. He stared as the pillow bounced about before settling down onto the bed.

"Goddamn," Fred murmured. He turned back to Twilight. "Weird thing is, I'm not as shocked as maybe I should be."

"I'm not surprised," said Twilight. "You have your own magic, so seeing what I can do is not as much a surprise."

"My magic? You mean my strength?"

"Yes, exactly."

Fred lifted a fore-hoof and stared at it. "And all from becoming a little pony. Huh."

"I want to find a way to change you back if I can," said Twilight.

Fred's gaze snapped back towards Twilight.

"That's part of the reason why I'm here. I wanted to examine you."

Fred frowned as he lowered his hoof. "I've had enough of that. Can't you just check with the doctors here?"

"I want to examine you magically," said Twilight. "It won't hurt or be physically invasive in any way."

"Fred, I can attest to her gentleness," said Kevin. "I was subjected to it myself while she was researching my immunity."

Fred glanced between the two of them. "Sorry if I'm a little cagey about this. I've spent the last twenty years thinking somepony was messing with me in a way I couldn't control or stop."

Twilight gave him a sad look. "Yes, I know. I'm terribly sorry she did that to you."

Fred stared. "Wh-what??"

"She had no right to do that. She used you in a way I find disgusting."

Fred swallowed hard. "You mean ... sh-she was real?!"

"Yes, she was," said Twilight. "She simply used her magic to make her look like a little girl."

Fred's eyes blurred as tears welled up.

"Are you all right, Fred?" Kevin asked.

Fred waved a fore-hoof at him and looked at Twilight. He felt the urge to hug her. The idea that he could trust somepony he had just met would have seemed alien to him if it hadn't felt it on an almost instinctual level. Was he that desperate for some form of companionship that he would bet everything on one pony?

Fred took a step closer to Twilight. "Do you have any idea what exactly she did to me? Why did I act so oddly for the past twenty years?"

"Likely the result of a spell she cast on you."

"She babbled on about the magic being incompatible with me until I became a pony."

"Then it might have been an unintentional side effect," said Twilight. "But it doesn't excuse her doing it in the first place. I'm trying to stop her from doing any more damage."

Fred nodded. "Then do what you need to, if it means taking that little bitch down."

Twilight winced slightly, and Fred wondered what he had said wrong. Didn't she feel as strongly as him? Before he could ask about it, Twilight stepped back, and her horn started to glow, brighter than it had before.

"Just what are you doing?" Fred asked.

"It's a long story," said Twilight. "Suffice it to say, you have something called a morphic resonance that tells you who and what you are. It's what was modified to make you into a pony. I'm checking to see if it's possible to be modified a second time, to make you human again."

Fred had no idea how to react to that. The shrinks kept telling him over and over that he really should be a human and not a pony, and it still made little sense. They tried the tack of pointing out things that he could no longer do, such as eating meat, or things he no longer had, such as hands. Yes, he was indeed aware of what was no longer his, but all he wanted to do was focus on what he was and not what he used to be.

He was far more upset about what he had been forced to give up twenty years ago. He had been on his way to a distinguished career in the army. Even if he could be changed back into a human, he was too old to re-enlist. More frustrating, however, was that his pony form gave him far more strength and resilience than he ever had, but he doubted the military would be recruiting ponies anytime soon.

The glow in Twilight's horn finally faded, and she took a deep breath and let it go before she spoke. "Yes, I think it's possible to change him back."

"Then there is some hope for those who have been fully transformed," said Kevin.

"Yes, but it's going to take a lot more effort than we have time to do right now."

"Okay, so it sounds like you got what you needed," said Fred. "How about what I need? I want the hell out of here."

"I agree," said Twilight.

Fred blinked. "You do?"

"Yes. Regardless of whether you become human later, you're a pony now, and you need to be with others like you."

Fred frowned. "Then talk some sense into Mr. Heller. He's the one keeping me here."

"If we can get you out of here and into one of the shelters, would you be willing to do something for us?" Kevin asked.

"Anything! What is it?"

"The one who did this to you is a pony named Sunset Shimmer," said Twilight. "She wants to create a pony society shaped to her intentions. We need to stop her from gaining any traction in her plans."

Fred nodded. "Okay, I hear you. What do you want me to do?"

"You of all people know what it's like to have your destiny changed. We have to stop that from happening to anyone else. She's going to do something to try to influence people to live the way she wants them to."

"How is she going to do that?"

"We're not quite sure yet," said Twilight. "It might come to you in a dream."

"That's not much to go on," said Fred. "I'm not sure I know what to do."

"Fred, my understanding is that you were lauded as having good leadership skills," said Kevin. "You commanded men in battle. You could rally people around you if needed."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Who's going to want to listen to me? I'm just the crazy prepper. Everypony thinks I'm a total loon."

"Things may be a little different now," said Twilight. "In my world, ponies tend to forgive easily. If Sunset truly wants to create a similar society here, she would've instilled that idea in your peers."

Fred sighed. "Yeah, okay. I don't think it will be that easy, but I'll try. I need something to do, anyway. I need some sort of purpose since this Sunset bitch stole it from me."

Twilight gave Kevin a distressed look. Kevin looked back and said, "You better tell him."

Fred narrowed his eyes. "Tell me what?"

Twilight turned towards him. "I said that I might be able to change you back, but that might become impossible if you gain a cutie mark. Anything you do, anything you get passionate about, might trigger it."

Fred opened his mouth to ask just what a cutie mark was, but something simply clicked in his head, and the term suddenly was no longer completely foreign to him. Its familiarity slowly grew, and something in the back of his mind whispered that he wanted it. Yet he had enough experience with those sorts of thoughts to question whether they were really his or not.

"Twilight, I was a soldier," Fred declared. "I risked my life every time I went out on a mission. I've known people who were on what they thought were easy assignments in the back line get blown to bits by some insurgent. In light of that, I think I can handle being a pony."

"We do have one concern, Fred," said Kevin.

"Yeah, and I know what it is. You're afraid that once I see this Sunset pony, I'll want to wring her neck or call her out on her bullshit. I've been on infiltration missions before, Kevin. I know how to handle myself. If you really want to be safe, don't tell me what she looks like or what alias she's going under."

"That should be safe," said Twilight. "Sunset is not going to want to draw attention to herself if she can help it. We're still going to need to convince Mr. Heller. He was a bit dubious of my proposition."

"Sandra and I will work on him," said Kevin.

"We better get going for now, Fred," said Twilight. "We'll be in contact very soon, I promise."

Fred took a step towards her. "Hey, um, can I talk to you for just a minute, Twilight?"

Twilight smiled. "Sure. I'll catch up, Kevin."

Kevin nodded and headed out.

"What is it, Fred?" Twilight asked.

"Well, um, it sounds like you're fetlock-deep in pursuing a cure for this," said Fred.

"There's various aspects to it, but yes, that's essentially what I'm trying to do."

"Are you going to force everypony to change back?"

Twilight hesitated. "I'm not sure how to answer that. It probably won't be my decision. This is your world and your people. I can only suggest how to let you be comfortable in this form, but I can't enforce anything."

"I've just had enough of things being done to me without my say," said Fred. "I want somepony to actually ask me this time."

Twilight's eyes glistened. "I'll ... I'll see if they'll take that into account. That's all I can really say."

Fred paused, then nodded. "You're as honest with me as Kevin. I appreciate that."

Twilight slowly smiled, but it was bittersweet.





Bob had noticed a distinct change in mood among the technicians still observing them in the shelter. The sense of desperation that they had tried rather unsuccessfully to hide was still there, but now a myriad of other emotions had joined it. Some of their faces actually betrayed a tiny measure of hope, though often when they looked upon those with the most advanced symptoms, it turned to one almost of resignation. Others stepped off to the side in groups of two or three in hushed conversations that sometimes became obviously heated.

When it was his turn to be examined that day, he noted a faint look of apprehension on the technician's face. Bob had taken to striking up conversations with them, and they quickly became aware of his scientific knowledge and curiosity.

"So your tail came in fully this morning?" the technician asked in a detached voice, his eyes glued to a tablet PC.

As if in response to the comment, Bob's sea-green tail swished once. "Yes, I woke up with it."

"Have you any other new symptoms to report?"

Bob hesitated when he heard a clopping noise to the side. His heart lurched when he saw Harold reporting for an examination just a few spots down. He stood hunched over, his tail raised slightly, somehow balancing perfectly on hooves where feet should be. He stared at them for a long moment, trying to force his mind to see them as wholly unnatural and only partially succeeding.

"Mr. Tanner?"

Bob wrenched his gaze away. "Sorry. My ears are buzzing, and there's some itchiness on my legs."

"Would you submit to a blood draw?"

Bob was reminded of Harold's defiance the other day. "That depends."

The technician finally raised his head. "I beg your pardon?"

"Has there been some new development?"

The technician hesitated. "I'm not quite sure what you mean."

"It must be something big, from the way some of you have been debating it intensely among yourselves."

"Mr. Tanner--"

"Did you figure out something? Is it really some sort of affliction that rewrites genetic code in some fashion? Was influenza somehow modified to deliver new genetic instructions to all our cells?"

The technician lowered his tablet and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm really not at li... I mean, if we had anything substantial, we would inform you."

"I'm not so sure of that anymore," said Bob.

"Do you seriously believe we are covering something up?"

"Not in a malicious sense."

"We're simply trying to be realistic," said the technician. "We don't want to give anyone false hope."

"But it would be nice to have some hope."

The technician's gaze became clouded, and for a moment, Bob thought he had gotten through to him. Perhaps it was relief at having patients like Bob who could still question their transformation, as that was becoming more rare with each passing hour. Instead, the technician sighed and said, "We still don't have anything we can do for you at the moment, and that's all I can really say."

Bob thought perhaps he had heard a faint emphasis on the words "at the moment," or it could have been wishful thinking. So was there something like a cure in the works, but they needed to test it? Why weren't they calling for volunteers in that case?

He shuddered slightly. The last he had heard from Sarah the day before was that Laura was very close to the end state. For all he knew, she was a little winged pony already. If so, his adoptive parents would follow suit in less than a day. He alone would be the last one with any trace of humanity left in the family. He now felt a little like Harold did, wanting to protect his family but having no means to do it.

"May I take that blood draw now?" the technician asked.

Bob nodded his assent and held out his arm. As the blood was drawn, he stared at the appendage as if to prove to himself it was still there. The hand was still a hand, the fingers still fingers. They were there because they were supposed to be there. At the same time, his tail twitched, and it felt just as much a part of him as well. He had a tail because--

He interrupted that line of thought, but the constant background noise of clopping hooves threatened to end his line of self-inquiry. With as fast as his condition was advancing, some part of him just wanted it to be over, but not the kind of "over" that he thought he should be wishing for.

"Thank you for your cooperation," said the technician when he was done.

Bob nodded and headed away. A few moments later, he heard the clop of approaching hooves behind him and felt a hand on his shoulder. "You okay, son?"

Bob didn't want to turn around, as looking at Harold would only make it more difficult to hold on to what he should be. Nevertheless, he didn't want to damage the delicate rapport that had finally developed between them, and he turned around.

Harold had given up trying to get his jeans to fit with his rapidly changing form, and he had opted for some shorts instead. His legs were completely covered in red fur, and they were taking on a decidedly more equine structure. Joints had started to migrate, and the musculature was changing. Even the hair on his head had arranged itself to look more like a mane.

Bob gritted his teeth briefly as he forced his conscious mind to disregard what he was seeing as natural. He decided not to answer Harold's question. "Did you try getting them to relent about seeing the rest of the family?"

"No, I didn't bother. We have other plans."

"We?"

"A few friends of mine are going to take matters into our own hooves," said Harold in a low voice. "When this is finally over, we're going to give them one more chance to reunite us. If not, well, we don't think that flimsy wall they erected will withstand a good buck or two."

Bob tried not to shudder. It sounded as if Harold had already given into whatever compulsion was dictating that being a pony was a desirable end state. Yet that would be quintessentially Harold; if he couldn't do anything in his human form, then why not accept he was going to be a very strong earth pony and make use of that?

"I don't want to see anyone hurt," Bob said slowly to ensure that his mind didn't try a pronoun substitution.

"We're not going to turn on the ones running this show," said Harold. "We're not really mad at them, just the situation. Our families need to be together, Bob. We won't settle for less than that."

"Just how many friends do you have here now?" Bob asked.

"About six," said Harold. "No, seven. There was the fellow I met this morning when I was trying to balance on these hooves."

"That's more than you've ever had, I think."

"Circumstances are making it hard not to stick together."

Bob thought it was more than that, and he had trouble resisting the urge to be more social than he had ever cared to be in his life. He only then realized how a new term had slipped into his mental lexicon without him noticing at first: earth pony. Now he couldn't divorce his mind of the term when he looked at Harold.

His thoughts were mercifully interrupted by the buzzing of his cell phone. He yanked it out, hoping it was Tina, his eyes widening at the caller ID. "It's from Mom."

"You better take that," Harold said.

Bob nodded absently and stepped away before answering. "Um, hi."

"Heya," came Eileen's subdued voice. "I know I'm the last person you want to talk to right now--"

Bob covered his eyes with his free hand for a moment. "No, stop that. I never meant you had to walk out of my life."

"Sorry, I'm still trying to get used to the new world order, so to speak."

"Is anything wrong?"

"Everything is actually right," said Eileen. "If the doctors-cum-wizards here have anything to say about it."

"What do you mean?"

Eileen hesitated before saying, "According to them, I'm cured."

Bob froze. "Wait, what??"

"You were right, it was the flu all along." Eileen chuckled. "I guess they should call it 'pony flu' or something."

"But how does it do it?" Bob demanded. "Are you saying they figured that out?"

"More like someone told them how it worked, and they went along with it. So I guess there's a chance it might not. I'm being kept in the hospital for a few days to make sure."

Bob's head was spinning. "Why haven't they told us anything?" He paused. "Are you supposed to be telling me this?"

Eileen laughed. "Not really, but unless they intended to tear up the Constitution and stomp on the pieces in front of me, they can shove their censorship up their collective asses."

Bob glanced around him. Too many people had pony ears; it would be impossible to find someplace he could speak freely. He had to be careful what he said. "So are they going to start distributing something to the rest of us?"

"Well, uh, that's kinda the problem," said Eileen. "I was told that trying to cure people who were already becoming ponies would be harder."

"Who told you this?" Bob demanded.

"A little purple pony with a wings and a horn."

"What??"

"Yeah, I'm still having trouble believing this myself, and I was the one actually subjected to this hocus-pocus," said Eileen. "Apparently magic is behind all this."

"Magic doesn't exist," Bob deadpanned.

"Well, I sure as hell had no explanation for what I saw or felt. It might as well be that."

Bob ran a hand through his hair. "Why are you telling me all this, Mom?"

"I thought you had a right to know that they haven't figured everything out yet," said Eileen. "And ... well ... I guess, true to form, I had a selfish reason. I, um, wanted to know if you resented me for taking a cure that wasn't going to work for you."

"Of course not," Bob said in a firm voice. "Why would I be?"

"It wasn't until afterward I thought, well, maybe if I became a pony, too, we'd relate to each other better."

Bob gripped the phone a bit tighter. At least he had no worries about breaking it, as he had exhibited none of the strength as others had. "We talked about this, Mom. You need to find your own path."

"Yeah, I know. It's hard not to cling to what's familiar, even if it hurts."

That statement struck Bob harder than perhaps his mother had intended. Had he not been struggling to hold on to what he had considered was the familiar, namely his humanity? Though he could rightfully argue it went far beyond just what was "familiar." It was what he was supposed to be, except now something was increasingly telling him otherwise. He kept looking for some outside vector, something influencing him remotely, yet it instead felt like it welled up from inside him.

Trying to cling to what he was rather than what he was becoming was hurting, in a way.

Bob let out a ragged breath. "I'm happy for you. Mom, I really am. But were you serious when you said this was caused by magic?"

"Yeah, and the doctors here seem serious about it, too. They told me that ponies can use magic, so maybe that will give you something to look forward to if they can't stop this."

Bob heard his mother's voice quaver. It had taken her some courage to say that.

"Listen, um, an orderly just showed up to draw some blood," said Eileen. "I have to go. You take care, okay?"

"Okay, Mom," said Bob in an unsteady voice. "I love you."

"I love you, too. And ... t-tell Sarah I love her, too."

Bob's lips curled into a tremulous smile. "I will."

Eileen hung up, and Bob slowly lowered the phone. He took a deep breath to settle his emotions, but it did little good. His ears seemed to buzz even worse now, and the itching on his legs grew worse.

And now he was developing a dull headache as well.





Heather had arrived in the shelter the day before with a sense of dread hanging over her like a dark cloud, and seeing how much more advanced everyone else was had not helped. She had not really wanted to associate with anyone, thus she thought herself lucky when she found a far corner that no one had wanted.

It hadn't taken her long to figure out why she had that corner to herself. She appeared to be the only one who had wanted to remain alone. Everyone else seemed to gravitate into groups of at least three or more. Even when they weren't necessarily doing the same thing together, they didn't part ways, and they accepted newcomers with ease.

Being left alone had suited Heather just fine the day before, but since awakening to the sound of hooves earlier that morning, she looked longingly at the others. Despite the ease with which she conversed with patients at Doctor Conner's office, she tended to enjoy solitude when she was off-duty.

As she stared at the sparkling spring green fur now starting to cover her legs, she wished she hadn't told Kevin not to come looking for her. She could have used his comforting presence. She contemplated calling him again on more than one occasion, but convinced herself that she didn't want to disturb him.

She distracted herself with a game on her phone until a shadow fell over her. Thinking it was one of the technicians, she didn't bother to look up. She still felt miffed over her offer of help being rebuffed, even after proving to them she was a registered nurse, so she wasn't in the mood to be compliant.

"Heather?"

Heather's gaze snapped up, and her heart lurched. "Oh, um, hello, Mrs. Tanner."

"Then it is you," Sarah said, almost in relief. "I was hoping I would see you again."

Sarah stood balanced on two hooves, her tail raised to compensate for her stooped posture. She had obviously given up trying to adjust her pants to suit her increasingly equine anatomy, thus the shorts she wore exposed her fur-covered legs. Heather tried not so stare too much at them, as they only reminded her of the fate in store for herself in another day or so.

Heather gave her an uncomfortable smile. "Not much to see, really, unless you're into sparkly hair. Um, is there something you needed?"

"I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for my family."

Heather hesitated a long moment before setting the phone aside. She suddenly felt a twinge of guilt over her earlier detached reply. The Tanners held as much a special place in her heart as they had with Kevin, even if she was more loathe to admit it. "Mrs. Tanner ..."

"Please, call me Sarah, for heaven's sake," said Sarah. "I've always wanted to tell you that, but I was never able to. You were always the consummate professional and very kind at the same time."

Heather's mind spun with conflicting thoughts. Was this meant to be some sort of farewell, like what a patient who knew he was dying might say to those who had tried to help? She could sympathize better with Kevin and his lingering guilt about his deceased wife. Kevin had expounded on how caring to a fault his wife had been. Had she done something similar to everyone who had tried to cure her?

She glanced at Sarah's hooves, sitting against the floor as steady as if Sarah had been born with them. Heather remembered the day Fred Turner had arrived in the office with hooves. That had spooked her like nothing had in her life, and now all she could conjure was a tiny shudder.

"I'm sorry if I bothered you," said Sarah in a low voice, and Heather stared as the hooves started to turn away.

"No, wait," Heather blurted.

The hooves stopped, then turned to face her again.

Heather rose to her feet, but they refused her initial commands, and she nearly toppled. Sarah's hands were too stiff to grab Heather's arms properly, so she wrapped her arms around Heather instead to steady her.

The sudden close contact felt both familiar and alien at the same time, and Heather's mind briefly reeled. She felt a strange sensation, a faint buzzing that raced through the core of her being, like a mild electric current. She shuddered slightly, and Sarah drew back. 

"I-I'm sorry, Heather, I just didn't want you to fall, but I can't use my hands anymore," said Sarah.

Heather blinked rapidly, then shook her head. "No, that's not why I ... um, never mind."

"I guess maybe I already sensed you wanted to be alone," said Sarah. "But I felt like I had to do or say something when I realized it was you."

Heather managed a small smile. "I'm glad to hear my work was appreciated. If I seemed a bit standoffish, I was just reflecting on what I was about to lose when I don't have hands anymore."

"How long have you been a nurse, Heather?"

"My whole adult life," said Heather. "I already knew I wanted to do it when I was in high school. Maybe being a nurse is not as glamorous as being a doctor or a surgeon, but it let me help a much greater variety of people. That's all I ever wanted to do was help people, Sarah. How am I supposed to do that now when I can barely help myself?!"

Heather hadn't realized just how much emotion she had trapped inside her like an overfilled dam waiting to burst until she saw Sarah staring at her with glistening eyes. She swallowed hard and let out a shuddering breath. She wanted that unintentional hug again.

As if responding to her thoughts, Sarah gave her what she needed.

Heather closed her eyes and hugged her back, and again that strange buzzing sensation rose, spreading through her like a pleasant warmth. She found it strangely comforting, but she had no idea where it came from. She was not a very physically demonstrative person when it came to showing affection, and often only a quick embrace or a peck on the cheek was enough for her.

When Sarah broke off the hug, the sensation faded. "Did you just feel something odd?" Heather asked.

Sarah tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, it was like some kind of weird current. It felt nice, but ..."

Sarah reached a hand up to her horn. "I've been feeling things like that in here. I, um, was told that I might be able to do some impressive things with it eventually."

"Yes, but I don't have a horn," said Heather. "I think I would have one by now if I was going to get one. I don't even have the precursor headaches."

"I don't know if this will help, but I talked to somepony earlier this morning who assured me that I would still have control of my own destiny after this."

Heather nodded slowly. She hadn't wanted to come out and say it, because it would sound stupid even to her own ears, but she felt whatever had just happened meant something, just as assuredly as many of the winged women in the shelter felt their wings ought to work. It made little logical sense, but then again, so did he idea that patients were turning into small colorful ponies when it first started to happen.

"I just don't like not knowing what to do," said Heather. "The future never really worried me before, because I knew what I would be doing with my life. Even the times I was out of work, I never lost sight of that. I can't see that future anymore, and it scares the hell out of me."

"It's a bit scary to me as well," said Sarah. "Even the reassurance I received can only go so far. I'm going to have to see what will happen."

Heather glanced down at Sarah's legs. "You're probably going to be a pony by tomorrow."

"I know," Sarah said softly. "I've been told that Laura already is."

"I'm sorry."

Sarah shook her head. "We have to look ahead, not behind. I have a feeling Laura is thinking that as well."

"I'll try," said Heather. "It's just a little hard right now."

Sarah nodded. "I should get back to Jenny. You're welcome to join us if you want."

Heather's remaining desire for solitude evaporated like so much mist. As much as she was used to giving others support, she needed it now herself. "I'd like that, thank you."





At the other end of the portal, a tired unicorn mage stepped up to his sovereign. "We've analyzed the portal as much as we can, Princess. We don't see an easy means to reopen it right now."

Celestia cast a forlorn look at the device that Twilight had built to stabilize the portal. Once Celestia had been informed that Twilight and Starlight had gone through, she had ordered her best mages to devise a means to reopen it should it become necessary. She was well aware that, without any clear way to communicate with Twilight, she wouldn't know when that time would come.

"The portal is locked down at the other end," said the unicorn. "The only way to overcome it would be by brute force, and we don't want to risk destabilizing it. We might be able to come up with a means to bypass it, but it will take a great deal of time and research."

Celestia let out a slow sigh. "You did your best."

"We'll keep at it, Princess."

"Thank you."

Celestia approached the group of ponies who had gathered at the other side of the room, having given the unicorn mages a wide berth so as not to interfere with their work. "I am so sorry there's nothing I can do. I know you must be anxious for news."

"No denyin' we're a might worried," said Applejack. "But Twi can take care of herself, Princess, an' she's got Starlight with her."

"She's gone off on distant excursions before," said Rarity.

"Normally, I would agree with you," said Celestia. "But this is not the same as being in another part of Equestria. She's in a completely different universe with a very tenuous connection back to our own."

"Oh, I don't know," said Fluttershy. "There was that time we went through a sort of portal to the Breezies' world. That stayed open only for a short time, and we all made it out."

Celestia smiled gently. She should have known she could count on Twilight's friends to be upbeat. "I suppose I still harbor some lingering guilt, my little ponies. Sunset Shimmer should be my problem, not Twilight's."

"Auntie, I've told you before, that's not going to do anypony any good," said Cadance. "My advice would be to focus on what to do after this mess is over."

"You're quite right," said Celestia. "It's imperative that the natives of that world know that Equestria wants only peace."

Applejack smiled. "An' we'd all be happy to be yer first delegation to that there world."

"Oo, does anypony know if they have parties over there?" Pinkie said. "Because I'm sure that would be the perfect way to break the ice with them."

"Pinkie, darling, would you even know what to serve?" Rarity asked. "They are meat-eaters, from what I understand."

"Cake is a universal food, Rarity. So is candy, and ice cream, and fruit punch, and--"

Applejack smirked. "I think we get the picture, Pinkie."

"As much as I am happy for your enthusiasm," said Celestia in a more somber tone. "Our approach will be dictated by how much damage Sunset has caused."

"Twi's stopped other threats before they got outta hoof," said Applejack. "Or she found a way to repair things afterward."

"Yes, like when Tirek took all of Equestria's magic," said Rarity. "We were able to return every last bit of it."

Celestia was hesitant to point out the flaw in that thinking, that many large threats in the past relied on some connection to Harmony magic in order to set things right. She had no idea if anything similar existed on Earth. None of the previous explorations of that world had reported detecting anything like it, though admittedly not as much was know about the concept in those bygone days.

"I noticed Rainbow Dash is not among you," said Celestia.

"She's off to the Griffon Kingdom," said Pinkie. "She's going to try to track down who Derpy's natural parents are."

"How's Derpy holdin' up?" Applejack asked. "That must've been a mighty shock to her."

"As best as can be expected," said Rarity in a solemn voice.

"I met with her this morning in a cafe for some tea," said Fluttershy. "She's still very confused as to what to do now. She's so worried that her natural parents won't want anything to do with her because she's a pony."

"How're her adoptive parents takin' it?" asked Applejack.

"I asked them to come to Canterlot at my expense," said Celestia. "They are more than willing to support her in whatever she wants to do."

"It ain't right to be taken from somepony's family like that. I jus' hope there ain't too much of that goin' on over in that other world."

Cadance gave Applejack a nervous look before stepping forward. "Auntie, can I talk to you alone for a few moments?"

Celestia's heart sank. She had dreaded this moment. She nodded before saying to the others, "I will let you know the moment I have any more information."

"Thank you, Princess," said Rarity. "We plan to extend our stay in Canterlot until we hear something."

As the others headed out, Celestia approached Cadance. "Will you and Shining Armor be staying as well?"

"Of course," said Cadance. "I've sent a letter to Sunburst asking him to bring Flurry Heart to Canterlot." She smiled. "You'll get a chance to see your grand niece."

"That will certainly be a well-needed bright spot," said Celestia.

"But I do have to bring up something sooner rather than later."

"I know," said Celestia with a sigh. "What to do with Sunset when this is over."

"I did some research in the Canterlot Archives," said Cadance. "There's no precedent for this. Every time some large evil was perpetrated in our world, the damage was always temporary. Like Rarity said, even Tirek's damage was reversed. Discord doesn't even really count because he never set out to actually hurt anypony."

"Sunset would not hurt anypony, either, Cadance."

"Yes, but are the natives of that other world going to see it that way? Especially if a significant portion of them are permanently transformed?"

Celestia uttered an exasperated sigh. "I do admit, I am dismayed you are bringing it up now. We have no idea how far Sunset's plans have gone."

"I bring it up because at this moment, her parents are starting to plan for Sunset's funeral," said Cadance. "They still think she's dead, and I'm hard-pressed to keep that secret any longer, especially when they keep asking where Twilight is. They need to be told Sunset is alive, Auntie."

"And when they ask me what Sunset is doing, how shall I answer them? More truths that will hurt them more than they already are? Or should I pile on more lies that will comfort them and cause a sharper pain later?"

"I think you just answered your own question."

Celestia cast her gaze downward. "Yes, you're right. There's been enough deception. I will go to them at once."

Cadance glanced to the side. "Before you do, I think there's somepony else who could use a few words of comfort."

Celestia turned her head, and her gaze fell upon Spike. He sat at the table Twilight had used for her experiments, idly tracing circles on its surface with his claw. His Power Ponies comic book lay open off to the side, forgotten. His face betrayed a mix of resignation and worry.

"I'll speak with him," said Celestia in a soft voice.

Cadance smiled before heading out.

Celestia stepped up to the table. "Spike?"

Spike flinched and straightened up. "Oh, um, hi, Princess!" He snatched the Power Ponies comic and pulled it into his lap. "Just doing some research while Twilight's gone! Er ..." He blushed and tossed the magazine to the side, pulling one of Twilight's books into his lap instead. Upside-down. "Yep, research!"

Celestia gently levitated the book out of Spike's grip and set it off to the side. "Spike, I know you're worried about Twilight--"

"Me, worried?" Spike waved a claw at Celestia. "Nah! Just because she's in some world that's so far away that not even my letters would reach her -- not that I tried more than about a hundred times or so, just to be sure -- and that she doesn't have her number one assistant with her -- she's totally lost without me, you know -- and that I have no idea when she'll ever be back ... um ... "

He trailed off as Celestia looked on with a cloudy gaze.

Spike fidgeted, tapping his claws together. "Um, okay, maybe I'm a little worried."

"Spike ..."

"I begged her to let me come!" Spike cried. "I wanted to go with her, I really did! She was worried how the natives would react to me."

Celestia smiled. "She didn't want to scare them by having a ferocious dragon at her side."

A tiny smile tugged at Spike's lips.

"I'll be honest with you, Spike," said Celestia. "I'm a little worried as well. But Twilight has always come through, and I strongly feel this time will be no different."

"I really hope so, Princess."

"If you need somepony to talk to, please stop by any time."

"Aw, you're gonna be busy with the nobles at Day Court."

"You have a permanent spot ahead of all of them," said Celestia. "Believe me, you are much more pleasant company than them."

Spike chuckled.

Celestia smiled and started to turn away when her gaze fell on some papers on the table. She stopped and gave them a curious look when she saw a part of a picture of Discord peeking out from under the other pages. She levitated them before her. "Spike, what are these?"

"Oh, those are Sunset's power equations that Twilight told you about," said Spike.

"Indeed?" Celestia began to shuffle though them. Her eyes widened as she came to the page graced with her own picture. "And this one is of me?"

"Yep. Twilight said she thinks it was all part of Sunset's ideas about how much magic Equestria needed."

Celestia turned more fully towards him, still levitating the page. "And is this analysis complete?"

"According to Twilight it is," said Spike.

Celestia stared at the equations documenting her power and suddenly fell to her haunches.

Spike blinked. "Er, Princess? Is everything--"

"Oh, my dear, poor, deluded Sunset," Celestia whispered. "How could a pony so brilliant be so horribly wrong?"