Chapter 49 - Realities
Fred's heart lurched when he first felt the warmth of the sun upon his coat, as it was both welcome and a reminder of twenty years spent as a recluse. The sensation became more acute when he disembarked from the transport, and his hooves touched real earth for the first time. At once he felt a kinship to not just the soil but the very strata of the Rocky Mountains themselves. What should have been strange to someone who lived as a hermit instead felt achingly familiar, like an old and dear friend he had lost contact with only to run into by chance.
He had to remind himself that none of this was by chance. His very senses and thoughts had been forged in the crucible of a grand scheme to brand humanity with one pony's vision of the future.
Yet he could not deny how good it felt to have such a connection to the earth or the sense of great strength. He was not alone; already several fellow earth ponies had tested their strength against fallen timbers. At least they would have no want for firewood, and already a few ponies were discussing ways to build their own shelters out of wood despite the provided tents.
They could tell him it was an induced herd mentality, but it didn't make the sense of belonging any less real. Sunset's doing, yes, but he damn well could find a way to use it to his own ends. He fully intended to live up to his promise of helping the others get this community going, but he wanted his own ideas of what to do after that.
Several ponies were gathered about a long, shallow depression, the only streak of land not covered in budding early spring vegetation. As he approached, an earth pony stallion with dusky red fur and violet hair gestured towards the depression with a hoof as he asked, "Hey, Harry, is this what I think it is?"
Fred stepped up beside a brighter red stallion with blue hair who replied, "If you think this is a dry stream bed, then, yeah."
Fred recognized the first stallion as Ken, James' father. Ken turned his head and followed the stream bed with his eyes until it rose with the land. "It heads up into those hills."
"That's where the headwaters would be in the summer," said the one addressed as Harry.
"Sure would be useful to have that now. We'd have a nice source of fresh water right in the middle of the settlement."
"Normally, you'd have to wait until May when the melt-water starts from the mountain top, but--"
"We don't have to wait until May!" cried an eager Laura who hovered nearby. Next to her were Emma and Joan, as inseparable here as they had been in the shelter. She turned to the brighter red stallion. "Dad, we can give you all the water you want."
Now Fred knew who the stallion was: Harold Tanner.
Harold looked around. He jabbed a hoof further downstream. "It flattens out a bit further on. It could flood."
"Divert it," Fred said. "It's not hard to do. Had to help do the same thing once during my time with the army. Rocks and packed earth would do."
Harold turned to face him. "I feel I should know you."
Laura flew up, smiling. "This is Fred Turner. We've become friends in our time together in the shelter."
Fred felt relieved that Laura still considered him a friend despite having their differences earlier. "Yeah, I'm Fred, the un-crazified version."
"If you're Laura's friend, that's good enough for me," Harold said. "And, yeah, my Dad once made a makeshift water diversion using concrete left over from when he repaired a line of fencing."
"We don't have concrete to work with, but so long as we don't get a torrent of water, we can make do with rocks and earth."
"We're going to need some awfully big rocks."
"Maybe the unicorns can help?" Ken suggested.
The unicorn filly Kelly stood nearby, and her eyes widened. "Uh, how big are we talking about? It took me a bit just to lift my backpack."
"Pegasi work better as a team," Laura said. "Maybe several unicorns working together can lift something heavier."
"I'm willing to try."
Laura turned to Kelly while still hovering. "Can you go find my Mom and ask if she'll help you with that? She's gotten about as good as you at lifting and moving stuff."
"Sure thing," said Kelly before she headed away.
Fred glanced towards Harold and saw a blue-furred face with a bright pink mane staring curiously at him with purple eyes from the other side of the stallion. When the filly realized that he was looking at her, she blinked and looked away. Fred could guess who that was.
"Sarah would be good to consult about this in either case," said Harold. "She knows a lot about how the Native Americans lived and cared for the land."
Fred raised an eyebrow slightly. Sarah Tanner the archaeologist was Laura's mother? Fred had stumbled on her theories while trolling the internet for any scrap of "proof" of his delusions, and he had briefly considered contacting her, believing her inability to gain traction for her theories part of another related conspiracy.
The "little Afghani girl" had convinced him not to pursue that line of inquiry.
"Sounds like we got a plan," Ken said.
Laura turned to her cohorts. "Let's get up there and see what kind of moisture we're dealing with."
"I thought you'd never ask!" Emma said with a wide smile.
"I haven't even begun to stretch my wings yet," said Joan.
As the pegasi flew off, Ken turned to Harold. "In the meantime, Harry, you want to help me with something?"
"Sure." Harold stepped forward, leaving Fred alone with the blue-and-pink earth filly. The filly regarded him with a mix of confusion and curiosity.
"I managed to get that group of wildflower shoots to grow to full plants, but I don't seem to have the knack to make them flower," said Ken.
"I can help with that." Harold looked back towards the filly. "Did you want to come along, Jenny?"
Fred had guessed right.
Jenny glanced at her father, then back to Fred. "I'll catch up."
Harold nodded, and he trotted away with Ken.
Jenny broke the silence first. "So, uh, you're Mr. Turner."
"Yeah, that's me," said Fred. "And you can call me Fred. Sorry I scared you and your coltfriend that day. I never intended to hurt you."
"I know that now," said Jenny. "I was just curious about something."
"What's that?"
"When we were on your property, we felt something weird. Some sort of odd sensation, like a tingling. Or a voice calling from the distance."
Fred considered. "How much do you know about Sunny?"
"She's supposed to have caused all this."
"Yeah, that's right, and she used some sort of device to do it. The officers outside my bunker felt it, too, at least until Sunset made off with it."
Jenny's ears drooped slightly. "Oh. Okay, thanks."
"Something the matter, kid?"
Jenny hesitated. "I hoped maybe it would clear up something. It didn't."
"Clear up what?"
"Just a stupid dream I had. I thought a figure from it might have something to do with Sunny, but I'm probably being stupid."
"I take it you don't mean that vision we all had," Fred said.
"No, it was totally different," said Jenny. "It's dumb, really, just part of a bunch of fantasies I used to have. It made me do stupid things, like trespassing on your property."
When Fred was in the depths of delusion, he could often take fragmented bits of unrelated information and weave them together into a tapestry that made them seem as if they could hang together. He would have feared he could too easily fall back into that mindset and see connections where there were none if it were not for the fact that an alien pony had come through a magic portal to wreak havoc on his life and the planet.
"Sometimes people do stupid things for good reasons." Fred sat down. "You want to tell me about it?"
"You really don't want to hear it."
"Try me."
Jenny looked on with uncertainty.
"Kid, there isn't anything you can tell me that's any more strange than some of the shit I came up with," said Fred. "I'm the last pony to pass judgment."
Jenny glanced the way her father had gone, then up where Laura was little more than a colored dot against the sky. She stepped forward and sat next to Fred. "All right, here goes ..."
Sarah took a deep breath before turning her attention towards the boulder that, as a human, would have been too heavy for her to move let alone lift. Next to her, Kelly narrowed her eyes in determination as she said, "Are you ready, Mrs. Tanner?"
"I'm ready," said Sarah. "And, please, call me Sarah."
Kelly smiled without taking her gaze from the boulder. "Maybe one of us should go first? I'm not sure if magic can, well, collide or not."
"Be my guest."
Sarah watched as the glow from Kelly's horn surrounded the boulder, a strained look on the filly's face. Sarah remembered what Bob had told her, that this was exactly like casting a spell. She could almost see the runes in her head now, which became even more apparent when her own magical glow was added to the boulder. She felt Kelly's magic touching her own, much like a brush of fur against fur.
She willed the boulder to rise but felt active opposition, so much so that she at first thought she had done something wrong.
"I still can't budge this thing," Kelly said.
"Here, let me try, too," came Bob's voice as he trotted over. Soon his own horn's glow was added to the mix.
"I think it feels lighter!" Kelly said.
Sarah's muscles strained as if trying to add their strength to the spell. The boulder finally did start to work itself loose from the soil. Sarah still felt a sting of disappointment. She had hoped her magic would be stronger than this by now so she could really make a contribution.
"I think you need a fourth horn, dears," came an unfamiliar female voice. A new glow joined the others, and finally the boulder slowly rose.
Kelly stomped her fore-hooves once. "Ha, we did it!"
Sarah glanced towards the white-coated and purple-maned pony who had joined their effort. "Thank you."
The unicorn mare smiled. "My pleasure, darling. But do tell me where you want this, as it is awfully heavy."
Sarah tended to keep her eyes on whatever she was levitating, yet she had noticed that once she had hold of something, she could feel it on a level beyond her normal senses. Thus when she turned her head to point a hoof towards the dry stream bed, her magic remained focused on the boulder. "Over there."
"The trick to this is to have one of you lead," said the white unicorn. "That way your magic is not working at opposite ends."
"Sarah can lead," said Kelly. "I'm fine with that."
"Same here," said Bob.
Sarah smiled. Having seen how well Laura had taken to a leadership role had left her wanting the same. For so long, she had let her family go on automatic, and now she had a chance to actually take charge again. Having seen how her family's issues seemed to evaporate without any work on her part had left her wanting for something else to do. In a way, she was following in Laura's earlier hoofsteps in wanting to make up for past mistakes.
Sarah backed up a step and pulled the boulder towards her. She felt resistance at first as three other unicorns' magic tried to adjust, but soon they had the boulder moving. "Keep it low to the ground," she said when she felt a slight tug upwards. "Just in case we accidentally drop it."
"A wise precaution," said the white unicorn. "But I do believe we have this."
Kelly was panting lightly. "It's still difficult to keep in the air."
"Only a little further," Sarah said. She turned her head and saw that some smaller boulders had been put into place, and a few unicorns sat resting nearby. She spotted Ken and said, "Where do you want this one?"
The stallion turned around, his eyes widening. "Wow, that's just what we need!" He drew a cross in the dirt with a fore-hoof. "Right here."
They set it down with a thump and a puff of dirt to the relieved sighs of Kelly and Bob. "Maybe that was a bit too much for me to attempt," said Bob. "I felt like I was more a hindrance near the end."
"You did very well, dear," said the white unicorn. "You all did."
"I gotta go talk to Harry about something," said Ken. "If more rocks show up, just set them off to the side."
"All right," said Sarah. She turned to the white unicorn. Only then did she notice the three diamonds on the unicorn's haunches. "Thanks for the help, um ..."
"Rarity," said the unicorn with a smile.
"I'm Sarah. This is Kelly and Bob."
"Pleased to meet all of you," said Rarity.
"You have your cutie mark already?" Bob asked in a bemused voice.
Sarah had overheard the term from one of Laura's conversations with her friends but had not inquired too closely. It had sounded familiar enough that she felt she should already know all about it. Seeing one now only made her more fascinated.
"Yes, well," said Rarity. "You could say that I'm from out of town."
Now that Rarity had brought attention to it, Sarah had noticed that the mare's scent had a subtly different undertone.
"I'd like to see if we can find some more boulders, though maybe not quite as large as that last one," said Kelly.
"I'm game for that," said Bob. "What about you, Aunt Sarah?"
Rarity stepped forward before Sarah could reply. "Might I have a word with you before you go, Sarah?"
"Of course," said Sarah. "I'll catch up with the rest of you."
Bob nodded, and he and Kelly left.
"We have a mutual friend, a Doctor Kevin Conner," said Rarity. Her horn glowed, and she plucked an envelope from her mane. "He asked me to give you this."
Sarah took the curiosity in her magic. The envelope was unsealed, and it bulged slightly at one end.
"Do you need help opening it?" asked Rarity.
"No, I need the practice." Sarah had discovered that lifting and moving objects was one thing, but finer manipulation required a different skill. She had mastered moving pages in a book, so she tried to apply some of those techniques here. After a bit of concentration, she managed to lift the flap and pull the sides of the envelope apart. Inside was a letter and a bunch of photographs. She extracted the letter first and unfolded it.
Sorry I couldn't give these to you in person, the letter read in Kevin's neat handwriting, but I wanted to make sure you received them. The artifacts that had been stolen from one of your sites were recovered but had to be used in an effort to stop ETS which, sadly, destroyed them. However, I made absolutely sure that someone with the proper knowledge in your field preserved at least one memory of them.
Sarah uttered a small gasp, and the letter shook in her grip until Rarity's magic reached out to steady it. "I-I'm okay," Sarah said in a shaky voice. She swallowed as she reached into the envelope and extracted the photos. Her breath caught as she looked at the first one, a collection of some of the more exquisite gems, properly set against rulers to give an indication of scale. Every last photo was done with the same professional aplomb that she had applied herself when she had first discovered them. She almost couldn't tell the difference between these and her memory of those first pictures.
Sarah fell hard to her haunches, the envelope and letter forgotten. They had fallen only a few inches before Rarity caught them.
"Are you all right?" Rarity asked.
Sarah swallowed hard, her eyes glistening, her heart aching. "I want to go back to it so badly."
Rarity came around so she could see the photos herself. "I take it you mean archaeology."
"Yes." Sarah lowered the photos and looked towards where Bob and Kelly had been joined by another unicorn as they tried lifting a boulder together. "But I can't."
"And why can't you?"
Sarah looked back towards Rarity. "There's too much else to do that's more important."
Rarity considered. "Do you know what a cutie mark is, dear?"
"I know something about it, yes. We're supposed to get one when we know what our talent is. I assumed it would be for something important, like helping get this community going."
"I want you to understand something," said Rarity. "Nopony is defined solely by their cutie mark. You see mine? It means I have a talent at finding gems. Would you think that means I am a gem merchant?"
Sarah hesitated. "Um, I don't know. I guess maybe I might think that."
"I'm actually a fashion designer. I use my talent more indirectly. My point is, Sarah, nothing says you cannot have varied interests, not even a cutie mark." She paused, looking thoughtful. "What is the phrase? Ah, yes. Don't put all your eggs in one barrel."
Sarah smiled faintly. "Basket."
Rarity face-hoofed. "Basket, yes. Honestly, I don't know how Pinkie does this so well. Anyway, I hope you see my point."
"If you don't mind me asking, just where do you come from?" Sarah asked.
"I am told you were informed of the truth behind a particular pony who had masterminded this mass transformation scheme?"
"You mean Sunny? Sunset Shimmer?"
"The very one. I am from the same world as she, just not of her, ah, questionable mindset."
Sarah's heart thumped. "But that means ... your ancestors were the ones who made contact with the Ancestral Puebloans?"
"Yes, that would be right."
Sarah remembered the time she had been on a Hopi reservation to interview some of the members of the tribe as part of her research. She had been in total awe of them as living descendants of the very people who had so captured her interest. Now that sensation was coming back to her, her heart aching once more. "Thank you," Sarah said in a soft and slightly quavering voice.
Rarity smiled. "My pleasure. I hope I helped in some way."
Sarah's smile widened as she stared at the photos again. "I think you did."
Halfway into Jenny's discussion with Fred -- which also included the tale of the storm from ten years prior -- they had attracted the attention of a unicorn with a pale pink coat and tri-colored blue and cyan mane who introduced herself as "Starlight Glimmer." Fred apparently knew this strangely named pony as the friend of an even more oddly named "Twilight Sparkle." Yet the more Jenny rolled the names around in her head, the more she thought they sounded rather appropriate for ponies.
"So you think this is more of Sunset's work?" Fred asked of Starlight.
Jenny's eyes widened. "Wait, you don't mean that Sunny is behind my dream?"
"I don't know," said Starlight. "It's possible."
"I heard you were supposed to be good with magic concerning ponies' heads," said Fred. "Anything you could do for this kid to help her figure this out?"
"Look, I didn't tell you all that to 'figure this out,'" Jenny said sharply. "And concerning the storm, if I did go through something that bad, I'd just as soon not remember it."
"Kid, sometimes we need to remember the bad stuff."
"And sometimes it's better to leave it the hell alone."
"I'm not doing anything against her will," said Starlight. "There's been enough of that."
"Yeah, I agree," said Fred. "But could you at least verify that somepony messed with her head?"
Jenny frowned. The last thing she wanted was for somepony to tell her she was crazy, and the idea that her mind could have been altered scared her almost as much as remembering the terror of that forgotten moment of her past. "Are you saying that this dream is like some sort of suppressed memory?"
"It's possible," said Starlight. "I just don't know why Sunset would want to purposely create a storm. That's more pegasus magic."
"In the dream, I got the sense that it was an accident," said Jenny. "Like she hadn't meant to do it and wanted to be forgiven for it."
Starlight stepped towards her. "I can cast a spell that would tell me if there is any lingering mind magic on you. It won't hurt, and it won't bring back any memories."
Jenny's heart pounded. As much as she wanted to know, this would open up yet another can of worms. She shuddered as she recalled Laura's description of how scared Jenny had been. Had Jenny's apparent fearlessness since then been just a huge lie, a way of hiding that past pain?
She now understood Laura's mindset. Laura was the most willing to toss her past away and make a new life for herself. Jenny could just walk away from this and do the same. Eventually the dream would fade away, and she could get on with her life. Yet was that a lie as well? Did Jenny's fantasies also spring from a need to hide the trauma?
"Answer me one thing," Jenny said. "How the hell do you even know a spell like that? All the other unicorns can do is move stuff around."
"I'm not from around here," said Starlight. "Twilight and I came here to help stop what Sunset is doing."
"But what happened to me was almost ten years ago. She was around then, too?"
"She's been planning this for a little over twenty years."
Jenny blinked. "But ... okay, if she was the cause of that storm, why involve herself with my family?"
"Maybe to make sure that memory block was still in place," said Fred.
"But she associated with Laura and hardly paid me any attention at all."
"If Twilight were here, she'd say that Sunset actually cared for your family," said Starlight, a dubious undertone to her voice. "You said this really affected your sister Laura more?"
"Yeah, she got all bent out of shape about it," said Jenny. "For years, apparently."
"Then maybe Sunset felt some sort of guilt over it."
"I have trouble seeing that, if you ask me," said Fred.
"My sister is a pegasus," Jenny said, her heart racing as more pieces fell into place. "She's really excited about being able to control the weather now."
Starlight frowned. "Sunset had admitted she had some control over the transformations. I wouldn't put it past her to have made your sister a pegasus with some strange idea that this would make it up to her somehow."
"Then you're saying her new life now is a lie as well," Jenny deadpanned.
"I don't think I want to get into that right now. Let me cast the spell and find out one way or the other."
Jenny let out a long sigh. "All right, fine, do it."
Starlight's horn glowed, and Jenny braced herself, but she need not have bothered. All she felt was a vague sense of warmth washing over her, little more than what the sun was already doing on her coat. Starlight closed her eyes in concentration for a few seconds, a small frown crossing her muzzle. Jenny's heart skipped a beat, and she bit her lower lip.
Starlight opened her eyes, and the glow of her horn faded. "It's faint, but it's there."
"What's there?" Jenny demanded.
"There's definitely some sort of enchantment in place," said Starlight. "And from the pattern of the magic, it could be used to suppress memories."
Jenny swallowed hard.
"I can't tell exactly what kind of memory without probing further, and that risks dispelling the enchantment entirely. Though I have to warn you that it may fail on it's own."
"I-is that why I had that dream?" Jenny asked in a quavering voice.
"Maybe," said Starlight. "It's very delicate work, like whoever did it was taking great care not to disrupt your mind more than they had to."
Jenny stomped her fore-hooves. "I spent my whole life indulging in fantasies, and the very first one was about a weather wizard! Then just before all this started happening, I came up with the Fae Queen! Are you telling me all this was the result of somepony fucking with my head?!"
Starlight looked uneasy. "I can't say for sure. It could be."
Jenny stared and fell to her haunches.
"Sorry you had to hear it this way," said Fred. "Now you know how I felt."
"Becoming a pony made you un-crazy," Jenny declared. "What about me? Why can't that happen to me so I can just get on with life?"
"It's not quite the same thing, kid."
"My father is going on and on about going back to farming," Jenny said. "I love listening to him talk about it, and I love how he likes to let me talk about how it reminds me of some of the fantasies I came up with. But I don't want to actually do it. I don't want to spend the rest of my life farming!"
"Nothing says you have to," said Fred.
"But we have to get this community going, don't we?" Jenny said in a plaintive voice. "I can't make it all about me again!"
"Kid, there's a difference between helping out and making something your life's work," said Fred. "I'm not about to make farming a career, either. There's more to life than that."
"A life that's a complete lie in my case," Jenny grumbled. "A few days ago, I finally figured out what I am. Now I still have to figure out who I am. I feel like my life has been slotted into something I don't want, and what I do want, I'm not sure I want it for the right reasons."
"I can't believe I'm going to willingly subject someone to her," said Starlight. "But I think I know who you really need to talk to."
Jenny doubted all the words in the world could help, but they were all she had at her disposal. "Maybe later. Right now, I need to talk to my sister. I can't let her decide her life based on a lie."
Jenny spun around and galloped off before either Starlight or Fred could say another word.
When Harold saw that the boulder Sarah and the others had brought in was just a touch off the mark, it took only his own massive strength to nudge it into position. A profound satisfaction came over him when he felt his muscles tense and his rear hooves dig into the ground, his fore-hooves pressed to the boulder. Back on the farm, he used to marvel at his father's strength, especially given how thin and wiry the man was. Harold was less than half his size now, and likely possessed about ten times the strength.
He wanted to believe that his father would be proud of him.
"Good job there, Harry," said Ken.
Harold turned towards Ken. "Thanks. You know where Jenny went off to? I was hoping to show her some of this stuff."
"I saw her talking to Fred and some unicorn mare I didn't recognize, then she galloped off at full tilt," said Ken. "Want me to track her down?"
Jenny had been acting a bit funny that morning, like something was on her mind. Even their renewed bond had not been enough for her to feel like she could reveal it. "Might be best to just leave her alone for now. We got enough hooves on this. I'd actually like to talk to Sarah about something."
"I think I know where she went off to," said Ken as he turned around. "Be back soon."
Harold watched him go before surveying his progress. He saw another large boulder that was out of place, and he started towards it when a new voice approached. "Mind if I offer a suggestion?"
Harold turned to see an orange earth mare, her blond mane covered by a hat that looked similar to a stetson. "Not at all."
"When movin' heavy stuff like this, it's better ta do it kinda in reverse," said the mare. She turned her rear to the boulder and planted her rear hooves against it. "Most of yer strength is in the hindquarters. Much easier ta brace yerself with yer fore-hooves, and then just--" The mare's hind leg muscles flexed, and the boulder was nudged the foot or so needed. "--like so. Almost like yer buckin' something, but jus' less force."
"Thanks," Harold said. "I had considered doing it that way, but thought I might not know my own strength and break it instead."
The mare pushed off the boulder, her rear hooves landing with a clop. "It does pay ta practice. Ya got the strength but not the skill yet. It comes in time, no worries."
Harold smiled. It sounded like something his father might say. "I don't believe I know you."
"Name's Applejack."
"Harold, but you can call me Harry."
"I kinda already heard yer name from some of the others," said Applejack. "Seems yer a popular pony."
"I'm really just trying to do my part," said Harold. "I was in a sort of leadership role exactly once, and it was only because something needed to be done."
"I hear ya there. Had to learn how ta be a mother ta my little sister when our parents passed on."
"Sorry to hear that. I lost my mother when I was young, so I can understand."
"Then ya know the importance of family."
"Damn right I do," said Harold. "I was worried about my family all through the crisis, which is why I'm glad it's over."
"Ya mentioned yer Mom passed away," said Applejack. "What about yer father?"
"Oh, um, he's still around."
Applejack glanced about.
"Not here," Harold said quickly. He ran a hoof through his mane. "It's kind of a long story. Let's just say we don't see eye to eye."
Applejack turned her gaze back to him. "That kinda thing happens sometimes, I can unnerstand. What family do ya have here?"
"A wife, two daughters, and an adopted son. Well, sort of adopted. Again, long story."
Applejack chuckled. "Long stories are what makes family innerestin'. I got a little sister, a big brother, and a grandmother. I could go on fer hours about their shenanigans. In fact, sometimes we do."
Harold tilted his head. "I'm sorry?"
"My family's real close," said Applejack. "We spend a lotta time tellin' stories, or talkin' about whatever's on our minds, an' jus' enjoyin' life in general."
"That's what we're trying to do here," said Harold.
Applejack considered. "Define 'we'."
Harold hesitated, having not expected the question. He looked around and swept a fore-hoof towards the others. "Well, everypony around us. We're like one large family."
Applejack turned slightly and looked over the rest of the community. "Ain't nothin' wrong with bein' close ta yer fellow ponies, or helpin' them out when they need it. Jus' don't lose sight of the fact that yer family will always need ya first and foremost."
"Well, I'm not," Harold said. "My loyalty to my family is one of things driving me."
"What about yer father?"
Harold frowned slightly. "I'd rather not go into that."
"Sorry if it's a raw nerve," Applejack said softly. "Didn't mean ta get ya riled up."
"It's fine," Harold said in a flat voice. After a pause, he added, "I don't even know what's going on with him right now. Or my sister, for that matter."
"Mebbe it would be good ta devote some time ta findin' out."
"With all the work I have to do here?"
"Never let that kinda thing stand in the way of family matters," said Applejack. "There's a time fer work, there's a time fer gettin' together with other ponies, but there's always gotta be time fer family."
"I don't think you even understand what went on between my father and I," said Harold.
"Yer right, I don't, an' I won't claim ya can jus' patch things up lickety-split," said Applejack. "Though I haven't heard ya say anythin' about havin' trouble with yer sister."
Harold's eyes grew cloudy. "We're like best friends as well as siblings," he said in a low voice. "But she can take care of herself."
"It ain't about whether yer family can fend fer themselves. It's about takin' the time to connect with the ones ya can." Applejack swept a foreleg towards the other ponies. "What yer doin' here is important, I won't deny that, it jus' shouldn't be yer entire life."
Harold turned his head towards the others in silent contemplation.
"I heard yer parents were inta farmin'," Applejack prompted gently.
"Yes," said Harold in a low voice. "It was everything they ever wanted to do."
"An' what about neighbors an' such?"
"We knew them all. We were all close friends."
"But did yer family spend every last moment with them?"
"Well, no, of course ..." Harold trailed off. He looked back out towards the others again.
"Of course they didn't," Applejack said. "They had their own lives, their own family."
Harold snapped her gaze back to Applejack. "Are you saying that the vision we all had was a lie?"
"Not sayin' it ain't got its good points," Applejack said. "I tend ta like the idea of bein' honest, personally. But I got that outta my own head. Ya don't need a dream ta tell ya what ya should be doin'."
"Well, I'm not. At least, I didn't think I was." Harold paused before adding in a more firm voice, "And not to put too fine a point on it, but you don't have to tell me what I should be doing, either."
"Yer absolutely right," said Applejack. "All I'm doin' is offerin' advice. Ya gotta think fer yerself what ya wanna do. I see that vision as jus' another form of advice. Ya gotta decide whether ya wanna accept it or not."
"I thought I had," Harold said in a softer voice. "I honestly like the idea of going back to farming. I didn't really need the vision to tell me that. All it did was help me admit it."
"If ya feel that's what you really did get out of it, then that's fine. Jus' don't let it be all ya are. Yer more than what ya can do fer the community."
Harold realized why this conversation sounded so hauntingly familiar. Some of Applejack's words had come from his own mouth in those arguments leading up to his final break with his father.
Something happened to George Tanner after his wife passed on, something that made him devote more and more of his time to farming until it was all he could ever do or talk about. Either he felt like he had to do the work of two people since Mom was gone, or he never truly expressed his grief over the passing of his wife and simply poured all that energy into work so he wouldn't have to think about it again.
Harold took a deep breath. He had no similar tragedy driving him. If anything, his family was safe, happy, and well. Except he had no idea what was going on with his sister Mary or his father. What if he were falling into the same trap of using his new life to cover up his feelings for them?
"Ya okay there, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," said Harold. "You just made me think a little harder on something than I had wanted."
"That's not necessarily a bad thing."
"No, it's not." Harold looked towards the other ponies. "I have to admit, had this been a few weeks ago, I would've likely told you to butt out soon as you started talking about family. Instead, I actually listened to you."
"I won't go inta the mess that caused all this in the first place," Applejack said. "But I will say that if any kinda good can come outta it, I'm all for it."
"Thanks for talking to me," said Harold. "Is your family nearby? I'd love to meet them."
"Ah, ya might say I'm from outta town. But if we ever do get the chance, I'm sure they'd love ta meet ya. Jus' hope ya like apples, cuz you'd be fed a lot of it."
Harold smiled. "I love apples."
"Then I'd say y'all would get along jus' great." Applejack glanced to the side. "Well, I gotta go, but I hope ta see ya again soon."
"Same here," said Harold. "Thanks again."
Applejack tipped her hat with her fore-hoof, smiled, and headed away.
"Jenny, you're not making any sense!" Laura cried.
"Only because you're not listening to me!" Jenny exclaimed.
"I am listening to you, I just don't understand any of this. Why would Sunny want to mess with your head in the first place?"
"Isn't it obvious? To cover up something she did wrong, something I happened to see."
"But it happened ten years ago," Laura protested.
"Oh, and who was the one who obsessed over that, huh?" Jenny jabbed a fore-hoof at Laura's chest. "You did, and now you can ignore it like it never happened, all because you earned a fancy set of wings?"
"I'm trying to move past what happened. I had moved past it, until you decided to dredge it up again with some ridiculous story about Sunny enchanting you."
"It is not ridiculous!"
"How can you say that? You're basing this on what a unicorn who you never met before told you."
"She's from the same world as Sunny."
"And how's that supposed to convince me? You're still saying she used some sort of spell that just happened to reveal--"
"Look, Sunny managed to transform humans into ponies!" Jenny shouted. "If she could do something like that, then another of her kind could do this!"
"Says the pony who's not even a unicorn," Laura said. "How did you suddenly become the expert on magic?"
Jenny was about to respond when she turned her head. Only then did Laura hear the approaching hoof-steps. Jenny jabbed a fore-hoof at the approaching pale pink unicorn. "Then ask her for yourself."
Laura recognized the approaching unicorn mare as one of the strange ponies she had met earlier. Where the unicorn had not spoken much, all Laura remembered of her was her name: Starlight Glimmer.
Jenny turned fully towards Starlight. "You talk to her. I can't get through that thick pegasus skull of hers."
"Well, I'll try," said Starlight.
Laura would rather not discuss it any further. She already had people try to convince her that Sunny was some great criminal; she didn't need Jenny trying to pin every bad thing that happened in her life on Sunny as well.
"What Jenny said about her memory being suppressed is correct," said Starlight. "I can detect the enchantment, and I can tell it's been there for some time."
Laura's gaze flicked from Starlight to Jenny and back again. "Okay, fine, but does that prove that Sunny did it?"
"Well, no, I can't prove it directly," said Starlight. "But given that magic is involved, and Sunset was the only person on the whole planet who could practice magic at the time, it kinda reduces the number of suspects."
"But you came here from another world," Laura said. "Who's to say somepony else didn't come here and do it?"
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Jenny said. "You're just trying to find reasons to defend her."
"Why would I do otherwise when she was nothing but kind towards me? When everything she did or said encouraged me?"
"Encouraged you to be something you're not supposed to be," said Starlight.
"But ... but what difference should that make now? Did either of you ever think that maybe I don't care how I got here?"
"And you'd accept that even after hearing she messed with my head??" Jenny said in astonishment.
Laura swallowed. "I-I can't say what Sunny did or didn't do before I met her, and I certainly don't know what her reasoning was."
"I don't think you have to know her 'reasoning' to figure out that messing with somepony's head is wrong."
"Why are you doing this to me?!" Laura wailed. "Why are you trying to shoot down everything I've accomplished and everything I can accomplish?!"
"Neither of us are," said Starlight. "We just want to make sure you do it for the right reasons."
"Don't you get it?" Jenny cried in exasperation. "Sunny was behind that storm that happened when I was five, so that means--"
"And now she's supposed to be able to do pegasus magic?" Laura said. "What the hell, Jenny?!"
"Let me finish. Fine. If she was behind that storm, and if she had messed with my fucking head, and if that all led to you moping about it for ten years, then everything that's happened to you up to this point is her fault."
Laura ran a trembling hoof through her mane. "Jenny, what are you saying?"
Starlight stepped up to her. "What she's saying is that it's possible the way you feel now about being a pegasus is specifically because Sunset messed with your life in the first place. If that storm had never happened, you might very well be a different person now."
Laura's heart pounded. She wanted to pretend this conversation had never happened. If her sister had been any other pony, or if Starlight had not been one of Doctor Conner's friends, she might be able to dismiss it as a complete fabrication. Instead, the thought tugged at the back of her mind: what if they were right?
She had believed that her transformation had given her a purpose. Yet the reason behind her lack of purpose had been her persistent struggle to live up to some amorphous goal of being more responsible. Now to find out that a conscious and willful force had been behind the events that led to a ten year introspection that did little more than run her around in circles of regret and guilt--
"Um, Laura?" came Emma's tentative voice.
Laura turned her head to see Emma, Joan, and ten other pegasi hovering nearby. "What is it?"
"Just wanted to let you know that the other ponies are finished, and we can create the rain any time," said Emma.
Laura stared at her friends. If everything Starlight and Jenny had said was true, would that mean she could have gained all these friends on her own? Would she never have had the burden of responsibility at a far earlier age than any child should be forced to shoulder? Would her relationship with Jenny never have become so strained?
She looked at herself. She flicked her tail and ruffled her wings. She was a pegasus. That was the reality, a reality which had convinced her that she needed this radical change in her life to give her a better sense of perspective. It had helped her heal, yet the very person who had helped initiate it had been the cause of the wound in the first place.
How much should that matter to her now?
"Just a moment, Emma." Laura turned to Starlight. "So your world has magic that can turn humans into ponies, and they can cast and detect enchantments that mess with the mind. What about time travel?"
Starlight's eyes widened. "What??"
"Do you have a spell that could turn back time and make it so that storm never happened in the first place?"
Starlight averted her gaze. "Uhhh ... well ... not really."
"Not really? Come on, you either have it or you don't!"
Starlight looked back at Laura. "Let's just say that I've learned from personal experience that time travel is not something to be messed with for any reason. It causes far more problems than it could ever solve."
"Laura, is something wrong?" Emma asked in an anxious voice.
Laura turned back towards her fellow pegasi and flexed her wings. She looked up into the sky and found herself longing to be there again. "No, nothing's wrong." She extended her wings fully and hovered over to them. "Let's do this."
"Laura, wait!" Starlight cried as she galloped over.
Laura spun around in place to face her. "Wait for what?! I have a job to do. I have a job I want to do."
"Don't you want to take the time to rethink all this in light of what we--"
"I can take all the time in the world, and nothing is going to change how my life turned out!" Laura shouted. "You just said yourself, there's no way to go back and change it! What's the point of lamenting over what might have been?"
Starlight frowned. "I just don't think letting Sunset dictate what you should be doing with your life is good motivation."
"I'm not," Laura said in a softer voice. Her next breath caught. Her eyes teared, but she forced her voice to remain steady, even as it became more bitter. "You want me to say it? Fine. Sunny betrayed me. She lied to me. She came to me under false pretenses. Does that satisfy you?"
"Laura, what are you talking about?" Emma said in a confused voice.
Laura wiped her eyes with the back of a hoof. "I'll explain later." She let out a shaky sigh as she turned back to Starlight and Jenny. "I want you two to understand this: I found something I love doing, that I'm good at, and that makes me happy."
"I know you can't see it for yourself," said Starlight. "But the reason you see it this way is--"
"Save it," Laura snapped. "I don't want to hear it anymore. Maybe you're right. Maybe my perception is skewed. Maybe more than just my body has been changed. Maybe this, maybe that, maybe the other. We can keep going on and on about it, and it doesn't change how I feel. It doesn't change the fact that I want this. More importantly, it doesn't change what I don't want to feel. I don't want to feel alone. I don't want to feel aimless. I don't want to doubt myself."
Starlight suddenly blinked. She glanced first at the other pegasi, then Laura. Her eyes widened.
"What's the matter?" Jenny asked.
"Laura, I have to warn you," said Starlight. "If you do this ... it's possible some of you -- maybe yourself -- won't have a chance to reconsider."
"As for my friends, I don't control what they do or think," said Laura. "As for me, I don't want that chance in the first place."
Before Starlight could respond, Laura shot off into the sky. She didn't even need to glance behind her to know that Emma and the rest had followed.
As they initially set about their task, Laura remained silent and relied on pegasus instinct for working together as they gathered moisture above what would be the headwaters of the stream they were about to create. Much of the initial work was done by her friends, and she took on more of a quiet leadership position.
The conversation with Jenny and Starlight would not leave her alone. They had left her with questions that had no answers. She found her thoughts running in circles that led her back to the same question: had she let Sunny define not just what but who she was, even if it was something she wanted?
Or she thought she wanted.
Laura had spent much of her childhood after that storm looking to be told what to do. She lived by what she perceived were the world's expectations of her. She had let that define her as a person for so many years. Then she was given new abilities and a new outlook that had let her break out of that mold, only now she had to consider the possibility that she had traded one mold for another.
Nothing about it was at all fair.
She could command the weather. She could make it rain or shine by mere flexing of muscle and exercise of will. She understood the underlying magic and mechanics of the weather more so than any of the pegasi she had met thus far. Perhaps she knew more than Fluttershy, given the pegasus' own admission that she didn't actively control the weather back in her world.
As the gathered moisture began to coalesce into the first clouds, Laura had to step in. She had to take command, she had to exercise a responsibility that she thought she had wanted. Yet was this truly her own accomplishment, or had Sunny been behind every last bit of it? How far had Sunny orchestrated Laura's life?
As many of her friends' eyes turned to her, she forced herself to shake off these thoughts. "This is looking really good. Now we need to concentrate it more and kickstart the rain."
"We're having some trouble at one end keeping it confined," said Emma.
"It's trying to spread out more than we want," said Joan as she looked off to the side.
Laura followed her friend's gaze and saw several pegasi struggling to keep a section of the clouds in line. She immediately sensed the problem and zipped over to them. "You're fighting a thermal. You need to find a way to work with it rather than against it."
"I thought we could overpower it," said one of the other pegasi.
"Maybe one day we can, but for now, we need to work with it somehow."
It took a bit of doing and some experimentation, but eventually Laura helped the others properly sort out their end of the growing but still unborn storm.
"Is it just me, or is it getting thicker?" asked Emma as she flew over.
"It is!" Laura said with a smile. "It means we've got it right. I think it's residual pegasus magic pulling in more moisture. It sort of feeds on itself."
Laura wanted to feel the same pride that she saw in the eyes of her fellow pegasi. She wanted to believe this was her own accomplishment. She didn't want to accept that this was programmed into her just to suit somepony else's purpose. Yet if Sunny was supposed to be out of the picture now, could Laura still be said to be following that purpose?
"You okay, Laura?" Emma asked.
Laura blinked. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You just seem to be a little distant."
"I'm okay. Let's get this done." Laura advanced into the center of the gathered pegasi. "Okay, now we have to start the rain. Once we do, we need to make absolutely sure the storm stays put until we get enough water flowing."
"When we did this before, the rain sort of started on its own," said Joan.
"Yes, but I don't want to wait."
"But how do we start it going?" Emma asked. "Concentrate it more?"
"It's already thick enough to look pretty dark in the center," said Joan.
Laura glanced down and surveyed the cloud formation. This was their doing, their work, their will applied. A true accomplishment, or just another box to be checked on Sunny's ledger?
She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and her thoughts. "We're overthinking this." She flew to the edge of the clouds. All her frustration and resentment threatened to boil over, and she had to give vent to them. She turned herself around, gritted her teeth, and let loose a powerful buck.
Power surged through her hindquarters as her rear hooves struck the clouds, and she felt them resist her with respectable force. This served only to spark greater resolve, and she let loose a second buck, her hooves quelling any recoil. Her strike radiated like ripples on a pond through the surrounding clouds, and water let loose in steady fall.
"Wow, is it really that simple?" Emma said as she flew along towards another section of the storm that had yet to start. She narrowed her eyes, turned, and bucked.
"A little more force!" Laura called out.
Emma grunted with the effort on her second try, and a torrent of rain was her reward as it joined that of what Laura had produced. "Woo-hoo, I did it!" Emma cried in delight.
"Everypony, form up around the rest before this part rains itself out!" Laura called out, but the other pegasi had already started to take up position and buck for all they were worth. Soon the skies under the clouds became dark with rain that fell like a burst from a summer thunderstorm.
"We did it!" Emma cried. She raised a fore-hoof towards Joan, and Joan smiled and touched her own raised hoof to it, like the pony equivalent of a hive-five.
Laura smiled faintly as she she traded a few with her friends. She should be proud of this accomplishment. Why should it matter how they got here? Was there anything inherently wrong with being part of a grander scheme? Wasn't her own inherent happiness enough? "I need a few pegasi to duck under the clouds and make sure the rain is falling where it needs to."
Emma, Joan, and a few others immediately volunteered and flew off.
Laura looked towards the remainder. Many of them were happy, even jubilant. Almost all of them had participated in her flying lesson back in the shelter. Had they volunteered out of a sense of loyalty to her? How many of them had been like her and lacked a purpose in life? How many had a purpose but now saw it changed?
Emma and her contingent suddenly zoomed back from under the clouds, their coats glistening with moisture. Laura already sensed their urgency and pushed aside her doubts as she turned towards them. "Is something the matter?"
"Laura, we have a problem!" Emma said, panting lightly.
A pegasus stallion flew up. "I used to work for the forestry service. I was trained to recognize places that might cause rock slides and the like. We got an overhang that may be let loose by all this rain. It could cause a bad mudslide!"
Other pegasi flew up. "What do we do?" one asked.
"Do we stop the rain?" asked another.
"How would we even do that?" asked a third.
"Just break up the storm, maybe?"
"After we spent all this time making it? We'd just have to do it all over again!"
"But we can't wait much longer! If that mudslide starts--"
"Show me where it is!" Laura said to the stallion.
The stallion took off, and Laura plunged after him. Ice cold rain pelted her as she slipped under the edge of the storm, yet the droplets seemed to slide off her wings and feathers even as they soaked into her fur and hair. She flew through the tempest almost as easily as she flew through the clear air, as if the magic of her flight were tied directly to reality itself rather than the constructs of wind and airflow.
The stallion hovered over an area at the edge of a high cliff, an outcropping of rock covered in loose soil and stone. "Right there!"
Laura looked down, her heart pounding. She looked back towards the skies. A quiver of both anticipation and excitement radiated through her being. She glanced back at Emma and Joan who had followed her.
"What do we do?" Emma said.
"I got this," Laura said in a determined voice, and she rocketed off towards the clouds.
She had seen the solution in her head, a synthesis of the concepts and techniques she had already devised. It would take too long to explain to the others; it was easier to just do it and demonstrate it later.
If it worked.
No, it would work. It had to work.
She flew towards the clouds, forcing her to close her eyes against the stinging rain. Yet she already sensed where she needed to go. She started to spin, and when she reached the cloud cover, she plunged through it like a corkscrew, taking some of the cloud material along with her. In the blink of an eye, she burst through into sunlight, and trailing behind her were the dissipating remnants of cloud cover she had pulled out like a plug.
A few pegasi looked on in astonishment, but Laura had no time to explain what she had just done. She flew back under the storm to see her friends crying out in delight. Laura drew astride them as she surveyed her work.
The ridge now stood bathed in a shaft of bright sunlight, the plants and rocks glistening in moisture. Streaks of rainbow light played at the edges of the circle of calm. Laura flew past them, which brushed by her coat as if they had true substance, and she hovered in the warm light.
"That was freaking amazing!" Emma cried.
"Laura, I swear, you truly can make it rain or shine," said Joan with a wide smile. "Even at the same time!"
Laura squinted up at the sun shining from the neat hole she had made in the clouds. A few other pegasi above the clouds were already peering into it with wonder.
Laura was convinced that Sunny couldn't possibly have anticipated that she would need this one specific talent. Maybe Sunny had laid all the groundwork, but Laura had made it her own. This was hers and nopony else's. She had taken what Sunny had given her and done something special with it. She didn't have to doubt herself anymore.
Several of her friends suddenly gasped. "L-Laura!" Emma cried in a quavering voice. "On your hindquarters ... i-is that ...??"
Laura craned her neck, but she already knew what she would see.
Her cutie mark.
A sun with rays spreading out from it was partially obscured by a black cloud from which rain fell. She knew what it represented on the surface, but she felt it had another meaning: the sun represented her relationship with Sunny, and the storm the revelations concerning her. Sunny had helped make this possible despite the taint that would now always surround Laura's memories of her. At least now one thing was abundantly clear: the debate was finally over.
She flew towards the others. "Let's get back topside," Laura said with a renewed confidence. "We need to keep an eye on this storm."
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They have been encouraging cutie marks
Laura's big speech is pretty much her saying that she does not care that she has been manipulated prior to the mind fuck that ever other transformed has gone through and that she will do what sunset wanted her to.
*sigh* Laura, there's a time and place for being stubborn. This wasn't it. Ever hear the saying 'you never truly know what you have until you've lost it'? You're going to wake up sometime soon and realize that you may well have lost more than you thought by reaching the point of no return.
Laura is so for being a pony because Sunset has made her human life horrible.
She probably did this to make laura serve as an example to guide the other people down her path.
Well Laura is going to be stuck. I can see the possibility that the rest of her family changing back but poor Laura is going to feel betrayed in the end. Sunset has so much to answer for and I hope when she realizes what she has done she will consider giving up magic forever over her actions.
But let's not forget that Fluttershy is a certified fog specialist!
I find it funny how many of the commenters in the last chapters simply follow Starlight's way of thoughts and say that it is "wrong" for a human to be Pony and how they SHOULD turn back. All sides push the victims from one side to the other, but nobody/nopony cares what THEY want to do. So yes, this vision was a fabricated thing from Sunset to convince the turned Ponies to live with each other in "harmony" in an own society, but many of them already KNOW that by now.
They are trying to find themsevles, to find a purpose, to find out what they want to do in life. What if their final decision is after all the talk: "I want to stay a Pony."? Simply forcing them back at all costs and taking away their chance of happiness is very wrong as well. The answer: "We don't give a damn what YOU what! You WILL obey and be turned back, no matter what as long as we have anything to say!" is just cruel, period.
There is something called the "free will". That means they have the right to decide for themsevles what they want to do with their lives and simply trying to convince them that it would be "better" for them stay human won't cut it for me.
It's much to simple.
I'm completely on the side of the ones who say: "Let them make the decision for themselves when they are informed about the possibilities."
I get the impression many act like this is some "black & white" situation, "good vs evil", the "heros vs villains". If they WANT to stay Pony... who are the others to take that decision away from them? To MAKE this decision for them? Answering a sin with sin doesn't equal right. All want to turn the Ponies back to "defy the villain aka Sunset Shimmer". And yes, what she did was very wrong.
But as some of the transformed already mentioned, for the first time in their lives they feel like they truly "belong". That they have a purpose for once, heck, many love it what they can do now as Ponies. I think the transformed should have the free will and the right as sapient beings to make such a crucial decision for themselves.
The: "We don't care for their right and do everything behind their back just to defeat Sunset" is much to petty and is like: "But we HAVE to defeat the evil Unicorn! No matter how!" It has a childish note.
Sarah already made a decision. If others follow her... well, it's THEIR choice. Yes, you can give them advice that life is more than "destiny", "Cutie Mark" and "community", but if their passion in life is something they want to continue following as Ponies? Then I say: "Go for it!"
And lastly there is the point that the Pony transformation is like a cure for their ailments from their life as a human. So it's better to make them suffer, to change them back into the "invalid human body" in some cases all with the excuse: "Well, you suffer once more from a bad back and a hurting knee, maybe you won't be able to walk anymore... but guess what!? You are human again and that's ALL that matters!"??
I call bullshit.
Gg... for the goal of defying Sunset to the very end they would more let the innocent suffer just so that they can say they achieved "totaly victory".
The world is not good or bad, the world is GREY! That means that there are hundreds of other ways of life the transformed can take for themselves besides the very final "turning-back method".
8403198
It's not really about right and wrong - it's that they had no choice, and now an integral part of the spell itself keeps them from being able to have a real opinion of their own. A central intent of the spell is to make people want to be ponies and feel happy with it. Their opinion can't matter for so long as they're effectively mind-controlled. If they had actively made the choice before this? No reader complaint would be justified. As it is, though, it's like brainwashing people into believing that brainwashing them was a good thing. They're clearly not in full control of their faculties, so no statements about their own reasoning can be trusted.
For all of Laura's embracing being a pony and embracing a destiny of weather control I think there is a significant change that happened with her perspective in regards to other transformed. She has had her entire life messed with and had her destiny funneled into this; she embraces it to make it her own because at this point she has nothing else and she can either sieze this and make it her own or just continue floundering. But this also makes her much more respective of others lives that have been uprooted recently by this and not wanting them to have their lives funneled into some other person/pony's idea of what they should do. This might actually make her more willing to see a cure for transformations in others. Others had lives and things that were taken from them by this and are being directed now in ways that may go contrary to those lives.
Her resentment for having destiny messed with is in her very cuttie mark. If she sees Sunset again I might feel sorry for Sunset for the thrashing she is likely to receive. Laura may be permanently pony but I think she is more likely an ally to humanity than she was before getting her cuttie mark.
8403211
That may be the case, but Sarah made this decision on her own in the end. And she is happy with it. She knows that Sunset wronged her immensely and turned them against their will, but she still decides to stay the way she is. Why should her path of happiness be taken away if she truly wants it even after she knows that happened?
Sunset's argument is: "Be a pony, live as a Pony, embrace it to be a Pony."
But Starlight doesn't act much better. She is more like: "You should turn back into a human."
Both sides are equally ignoring Sarah's feelings on the matter. So she made a decision for herself and wants to embrace it now, no matter what others try to say.
And who knows, maybe after the transformation is now "complete" her mind is clearer and she can help the ones who really don't want to be Ponies. As well as the ones who want to stay Pony.
Well, it happened. Couldn't see that going any other way.
8403056
It's kind of a catch-22. Either encourage them to follow their individual interests and risk cutie marks, or let them continue as they are with the idea that their personalities and former interests are meaningless in the face of creating Sunset's great pony utopia.
In any case, I don't think any of the ponies except Twilight and Starlight know/suspect that cutie marks make the transformation permanent.
8403242
The thing is, you clearly didn't quite understand what I wrote, because my entire point is that she didn't. She's currently categorically incapable of making choices, because the Sarah that existed before all of this? Was effectively killed and replaced by a new one that is perfectly satisfied with the outcome of that plague. They're not the same person anymore. The decisions of one do not reflect on the other. They can't reflect on the other, because the independent decision-making that the original Sarah was capable of has been superseded by the mental alterations the magical brainwashing plague forced on her.
It's like expecting someone to be beholden to an agreement to remain perpetually drugged that they signed while drugged. The fact that you drugged them already makes them incapable of signing the contract.
Starlight is correct because, at least, it will put Sarah into a position where she can think about the whole matter as the person she is again, instead of as what the mental influence made of her.
8403280
Exactly the point I'm making. It's not about right or wrong, it's that they're in no state of mind that lets them think about it free from the influences that the change incorporated into them. The sheer fact that the magic made them think they should be ponies means they're not thinking about it like the person they were before they became ponies.
8403095
Yeah, I already said the only reason Sunset's cult would is because they're literally a cult now.
8403271
Yeah ok. I see your point.
I'm just not satisfied with how harsh Starlight is going into the situation. From the first second the condemns Sunset's behaviour, and yes it is very wrong. But she has literally no ground to argue, because she ripped pieces of other Ponies' soul from them (their Cutie Mark) and tried later to alter time itself just because she wanted revenge.
It feels like someone who murdered another person says to someone else: "Don't muder someone. That's a very bad thing."
It just lacks the meaning to a certain degree if somepony like her, who did very bad things in life on her own, plays now the moralizer and judges others for how despicable they are in her eyes.
And it doesn't help the victims that many humans are like: "We have to contain the Pony plague!" Like they are walking hazards. They take away the victims' rights as sapient beings with their actions, no matter how justified. Or so it feels to me.
I just have the feeling that this good meant "talks" the bearers want to have will push Sarah's family to decide most likely to stay Pony. Maybe many others take after them. So in the end they succeed in achieving the exact opposite of what they wanted.
Regardless of how she got there I can't help but be happy that Laura ended up getting a Cutie Mark after all she wasn't exactly happy as a human while being a pony has improved her life in just about every conceivable way,
Laura is actually right about Sunset, Sunset did NOT dictate her whole life just set her up to be successful (albeit as a pony rather then a human) given that Sunset had no idea what path Laura's life would take as a pony and if you think about it that is actually something that Twilight and Laura have in common they both had their lives set up by a pony with a ton of magical power and a sun motif whose influence literally gave them wings and then both of them went on to take the lives they were given and made them their own.
8403295
Well, then look at how much the average religion manages to influence the world depite making up only a small part of it. Hardcore fundamentalists represent much less than a quarter of America's population, but they're still a measurable political influence in spite of that. The possibility that those 1 out of 4 persons might take control from the 3 out of 4 who don't care enough to resist is entirely realistic.
8403297
The problem is that while isn't nice, it's also right. They have to contain the pony plague, at any cost, because every person infected is going to stop believing it even should be contained within days, as a symptom of the disease. It's like a zombie virus, pretty much. Having it makes you want to turn other people into more zombies... or at least not care if they become more zombies as a side effect of what you're doing.
It's utterly horrifying and only becomes worse the more you think about it. Starlight has a very harsh position on it, but in the end? Knowing first-hand just how uncaring you need to be to do that to someone makes her more qualified to judge it than anyone else. The fact that she was just as bad as Sunlight means she has a unique understanding of just how horrible she really is.
Well... crap.
I was expecting that if anyone of the ETS victims was going to gain their Cutie Mark it would've been Laura. That girl's gone off the deep end and refuses to stop drinking the kool aid even after she's been told explicitly that she's been drinking it a long time ago and was probably the reason why she is so perceptive to becoming a pony. If she still had her mental faculties, Laura would be horrified.
In this instance, she is horrified but not for the fact that she was manipulated; she's horrified that people are telling her that the euphoria she's experiencing is 'wrong.'
That's some deep mind tampering that chills the bones.
8403321
Ain't that the truth. There's even a word for it: "love bombing." It's what cults do to newly inducted converts. That it feels good means in no way that it is good.
I'm getting an odd feeling that Triss actually IS one of these 'Devourers', and that the reason she wants a permanent portal isn't to ease the loneliness, it's to get access to the smorgasbord that is Equestria. Everything that she's done to ensure Sunset succeeds was first to make a new buffet table, and now that she's discovered that there is a greater bounty out there, it's lunch time.
I am actually stating to wonder how long it will be before Laura ends up picking a more traditional pony name for herself and what that name might be.
I feel like Laura now is like Diamond Tiara: got her cutie mark, have vague notion of what it represents, but she still will need to sort out what her cutie mark mean and what she wants to do with her life. For now, she got CM, but she not really got it, you know?
8403074
Well, 8403198 has it partway, but I think there's more to it than that. Although 8403291 argues that the mental domination here is absolute, that I'd disagree with. The whole purpose of this chapter is to show that it isn't. That, yes, people-ponies were influenced, but the influence isn't absolute. Fred & Bob have already shaking it, and now the entire Tanner family is busy throwing it off.
Sarah now has the desire to pursue archeology again; Harold is remembering he values family first; Jenny is now confronting her past; Fred Turner has already made his choice and will fight for the clearheadedness he's finally got back.
Which brings us to Laura. The whole purpose of the bit about time travel is to establish that, yes, she has had her life messed with. Yes, Sunset has taken away from her what she might have once had. But?
But she can't change that, anymore. It has already happened. It's immutable. She runs away from Starlight first because she feels that she almost has something, and even if the reason for it is wrong, she thinks it's better than being cut adrift again.
But she gets up in the sky and starts to doubt that. As the storm builds, she's left wondering whether she wants it, or if the spell is talking.
And then comes the crisis - and that's the formative moment. In that moment, she acts, not because she is meant to because of some outside purpose, but because she knows there's a brewing crisis, she understands how to fix it, and she has the power to act - And so she does. She takes the lead because it is the right thing to do, because this is who she is choosing to be in that moment, for herself and not for others.
It's reflected in the mark, as the story calls out - Yes, Sunset directly caused part of this, but Laura in the end chose of her own volition to walk the path.
I get why it can skeeve out others, but to me it hits close to home. I've had enough in my past where the similar choice has been made for me - doors closed before me, or getting shoved through by others - and I still resent that that happened again and again, I resent all the years I lost to how it fucked me up.
But I'm at a point now where I am embracing who I want to be, and choosing for me, and a big part of that is acknowledging 2 things:
1. I can't change the past. No matter how much it upsets me what happened, it is now immutable; I can only change the present & future based on how I choose to live.
2. The past may have shaped me, but just because things I find as positive now had their roots in something negative that started me walking that path - that doesn't mean the positive things now need to be rejected. Perhaps I wouldn't have gotten here without the bad shit; perhaps I'd have been someone else.
I'm not that someone else. I'm the me I am now, and no matter how much what shaped me may have screwed me up, it's still part of my foundation. Can't change that - I can only build on it and part of building means working with that foundation. Some bits? They can be slowly reshaped over time. Others can't. So it goes.
Laura chose here, not because of Sunset or some spell, but because she made a decision that this is who she wanted to be for herself. That's the whole point AJ is making regarding farming - Maybe the choice is to be a farmer, or a weatherpony, but what matters is that the choice is made for you and not for some nebulous outside force.
Laura was fully cognizant of what had been done to her in the moment she chose, and she made her choice anyways because it was what she wanted - even if what she wanted may make Sunset happy, in the end Laura chose for herself.
That's an important lesson too - It may be what fulfills us in the end is in fact what the abusive influence wanted. It may be we can't stop the abusive influence from taking satisfaction in that. But...it's worse to deny our own happiness and force ourselves to suffer because of it. Just like the past, we can't force that influence to change how it feels - but we can choose to not let their feelings exert any more control over us. We can still soar on our own two wings if desired.
So yea. Point is: She made the call for her, understanding what it meant, and chose anyways. If it fulfills her, go for it. I know I got him by it, and a certain aspect went one way? I would fight tooth and nail to prevent changing back without assurances that aspect remained as it is now, not as it once was. Some things are more important to me than species.
8403344
Unlike the Nazi's Sunset is crazy not evil, she just needs help to see what she did was wrong and then she can repent for her actions not be punished for something she can't see as being immoral, then again this IS our insanely screwed up justice system we are talking about where people who just need help are put away for life or executed.
8403329
That's something that I meant to point out when I read that. Earth isn't the heavily and easily regulated terrarium that Equestria is portrayed to be (they even control the hibernation cycles of animals!) Changing the weather is going to incur the butterfly effect, and when we're dealing with the global weather systems, that's going to add up to something fierce unless enough pegasi can be mustered to cover the whole planet, which I highly doubt is even possible.
Additionally, the full disclosure of humanity's magical awakening only points me to say one thing:
Goddammit, Sunset!
8403373
...except they have the right to do so? Especially seeing how the victims have all been humans?
Anthony might be overly pessimistic, but I understand his and his superiors' concerns. I wouldn't go to the point of horn mutilation, but it's clear that Sunset's not to be trusted at this current time, and there has to be some more reliable way to suppress her magic to keep her from worsening the situation some more as she has continually shown to do.
If anyone needed more proof of the sheer extent of Sunset's brainwashing, consider that Jenny is now the most mature one of the lot.
8403362
Indeed. I have the feeling as well that the control isn't really 100% as some think. If that would be the case they wouldn't be able to question anything at all. They wouldn't look at anyone, who said something to them that questioned their "new life", like they said something that should be considered and actually trying to think about it.
The human-turned-Ponies would more say something like: "You don't know what you are talking about. I was my whole life a Pony and that is how it has to be." They wouldn't even think about listening at all. A completely controlled Pony would simply turn around and go away. But they stay, they reflect.
For example Sarah's parents are honestly thinking about the advice they were given by Applejack and Rarity. That would be completely impossible if Sunset had them under mind control like puppets.
8403307
That disproportionate control comes from disproportionate wealth and influence. You don't get that kind of power by throwing away half the tools available to you.
Sunset's cult wants to make a magic commune. The rest of humanity is probably going to see some hippies rush to it too. They'll get marginal representation in power at best because economically they'd be utterly steamrolled by everyone else who goes for magitek and properly fills in the gaps.
It's official, Laura is my favorite character in this fic, each time I read about her understanding herself and finding happiness, it brings a smile to my face.
Stay happy little storm rider.
8403400
It clearly was never 100%. But given that the only people that have been seriously questioning it at all have had the culprit pointed out to them and been given repeated introspection lectures by space aliens, and they still want to buy it and one of them basically threw her own sister under the bus to defend it, I think it's fair to put it in the rather high 90's.
Now that I think about it, here's another question. Twilight mentioned at some point there will be foals born that were never human. Will they inherit the brainwashing spell? If they marry an Equestrian pony will they pass it on to those foals too?
If that's the case, they have no choice but to forcefully revert the transformation, regardless of ethical issues. A hereditary brainwashing spell leaking into the Equestrian population would be catastrophic. If you thought Celestia was afraid of getting warred on over Derpy, just imagine if Sunset's cult gains a few generations of foothold in Equestria, and Sunsets #2-16 use Equestrian education and resources to try and spread their "divine revelations" some more.
...you remember both the title and premise of the story, yes?
8403297
Doesn't that fact that Starlight has been down that dark road make her BETTER able to comment on and judge Sunset's actions? She's been there and done that, then seen the error of her ways and changed for the better. Sure, someone who's never murdered anyone can say to someone who has, "Murder is bad. Don't do it." But someone who HAS murdered can say to another, "Man, I can tell you from experience why it's so horrible and why you shouldn't do it. I've been there, but I've seen the light, so let me help keep you from making the same mistakes I did." If Starlight were still a miserable villain, then no, she'd have no right to talk. But because she's turned around and is trying to make up for her past sins and make the world a better place, I think she's the PERFECT person to comment on Sunset doing similar misdeeds.
Also, isn't walking hazards EXACTLY what the infected are?
8403411
That would be the case if Starlight would actually phrase it like that. Maybe I overread it, then correct me please, but I didn't read this particular phrasing anywhere. Until now I only saw Starlight sincerely being angry, disgusted and playing morally higher than Sunset with the argument: "What she did is disgusting!". No more.
I didn't find the part where she said something like: "I was where Sunset Shimmer once was. I can tell from experience how empty you feel in reality, but you are to prideful to admit it to yourself. It gets worse and worse and it's just not worth it. I commited disgusting crimes myself and I want to show Sunset that there is a better way!"
I only see her bashing Sunset Shimmer and always trying to tell Twilight how evil her aunt is at every occasion she gets like Starlight herself never did a bad thing in life at all.
Where is the self-reflection? Not in secret thoughts and feeling, but words.
And yes, if we are being honest they ARE hazards, but it simply doesn't help the whole, already difficult, situation when they are making it absolutely clear to the Ponies that they are exactly seen as that with things like strict quarantine without any form of freedom and where their intelligence won't be recognized anymore with ridiculous rules like: "Seperate the males and females. We can't risk that these Ponies mate."
That's seriously insulting and just doesn't help with keeping the situation calm if you let the victims in question feel the consequences so clearly like they would be the problem themselves or give them the feeling that they were the ones who caused it with how they are treated. And in reality that happened pretty much without their consent.
8403403
Same regardless of how that happiness came about and I would like to reiterate Laura and Twilight both have quite a bit in common as they both had their lives set up by a pony with a ton of magical power and a sun motif whose influence literally gave them wings and then both of them went on to take the lives they were given and made them their own, sure Sunset might be insane and caused this whole mess in the first place but she was as much a positive influence on Laura as a negative one.
8403328
I don't think so. Star Singer got the message of the Devourers (if not their actual name) from the stars themselves via her special talent. The information Triss has supplied is consistent with Star Singer's vision, which would mean that a magical being like Triss shouldn't end up being a Devourer at all.
8403251
so now its too late for her to change back
8403403
Funny, I'm starting to dislike her, what with her outright refusal to listen to the truth and act upon it. Sunset's still firmly on top as my most despised character in this story, but Laura is catching up.
I cannot, in good faith, wish someone a happiness that was brought upon by deception and manipulation. It's like having a friend who's only happy because they've joined a cult. Wouldn't you try to talk them out of it, especially if they are acting abnormally?
8403420
And that's (coincidentally) a great segway into the reasons as to why I don't like how the whole 'Alicorn Twilight' debacle was handled. That particular discussion has long gone however, and I shan't expand on that here.
Suffice to say that I still disagree with your assessment regarding Laura.
8403407
Yes, I know both, but I don't think it helps to literally give the vicitms the message: "You are unwanted in your current form." The more they demonize their Pony bodies the greater is the danger that the transformed ones are trying to find their Cutie Marks, as planned by Sunset.
Worse, they could try something drastic to stay Ponies, because in their mind all that negative attitude could easily translate into: "They want to harm us! We have to do something! We have to protect everypony!"
And this is exactly something they should avoid, escalation.
8403454
I understand your opinion and I respectfully disagree on this particular case as because Laura was not really happy as a human and as she said was just drifting through life and now not only does she know what she wants to do in life but is actually happy, sure Sunset did put her through a lot of grief for a decade albeit by accident and forced her down this path but it was still her decision to continue down it once offered a choice to take a different route and like I said Sunset was both a positive and a negative influence on Laura's life only time will tell whether it was more positive or negative in the long run. I don't expect to change your opinion I just wanted to explain mine and I will admit that I'm a little biased when it comes to Sunset as she IS my favorite Pony in general (along side Twilight) so I have a hard time outright rooting against her and I hope Twilight's successful in reforming her as she's insane not outright evil and thus needs help much more then punishment as punishment only works on those who understand what they did was wrong, though that's just me and you are free to believe what you wish.
Laura is officially good at being a holepuncher
You know Pinkie is going to be so torn about Laura getting her Cutie Mark, on the one hand if I know Pinkie she will be dying to throw the very first Cuteceañera on Earth but on they other hand they are not supposed to promote the idea of getting a Cutie Mark and showing that getting one is something to celebrate would do exactly that.
8403483
Holy run on sentence, Batman!
You've outright stated the problem I have with Laura: she refuses to acknowledge that she at least seemed to have a happy life as a human before Sunset fouled up. Asides from your appeal to emotion, you have no argument that can stand and defend Sunset, and it's actually gotten to the point that every time you do so, I get a little bit more annoyed. Every time Sunset's touched something in this universe she's messed up to some degree, and while her motives for her actions aren't wrong per se, she is horribly deluded in her own sense of self-grandeur, to the point that she:
A) Began a xenocide to further her own nation's goals (which wasn't even necessary.)
B) Alerted the Devourer/s to the existence of humans earlier than they could maybe have been prepared.
C) Forcefully transformed humans into a form that would have very likely left them completely defenseless in the face of the Devourers.
I cannot understand any argument that is made for Sunset by this point. She's played her cards, we know what were her intentions, and we know the consequences of her actions. There's no room for doubt anymore, stop defending the indefensible.
8403271
When someone's mind is manipulated over a period of time, then they are then no longer of thinking for themselves and are more likely to do as they were led to believe.
This story is a tragedy when you look through all the fluff.
8403616
Sorry about the run on sentence it's a bad habit with my writing. Anyway I know that's your opinion and I respectfully disagree, I just think that this Sunset is more genuinely insane then outright evil and we have seen outright evil villains reform in the past. Plus due to her insanity I think she needs help rather then punishment after all punishment doesn't really work on those who can't tell that what they are being punished for leading to resentment for what they deem as an unjust punishment. Take Nightmare Moon she in her lunacy (just for pun) likely thought she was doing the right thing and thus 1000 years locked away in the moon only made her anger worse, and when it comes to Discord whose original sense of morality was more like chocolate milk and cotton candy then right or wrong found being trapped in stone for a millennium a boring annoyance more then anything else. Again I'm not trying to convince you to change your opinion I'm just trying to explain mine.
8403615
Many transformed getting cuttie marks was an inevitability. Laura was high on the list of the ones that would likely be getting them. The goal at this stage is getting them to think for themselves because there will be a significant number who will get cuttie marks and be permanently ponies.
I was actually half expecting Sarah to beat Laura to getting a cuttie mark when she saw those photos. Showing those photos to her was really risky in that regard. Sarah's love of archaeology is one of the few clear cut things that could lead to a cuttie mark out of this group. It would set her to her own path yes as archaeology didn't seem to fit in Sunset's plans but it would seal her fate as forever a pony too. If Starlight's theory on why Sunset's cuttie mark is moving is valid there are potentially a lot of transformed on the cusp of being permanent ponies.
8403458
The message being sent to the transformed people is definitely not "You are not wanted", either in words (the president made it clear that all transformed were still US citizens) or in actions. Yes, they were relocated to the facilities and sorted by gender. But this was in the midst of a global plague where they're patient zero. In these facilities, they were made comfortable and provided for, allowed to indulge in their new abilities, and eventually allowed to be de-sorted and shuffle around back with their families when it was realizeed that the immediate threat had mostly passed. Now they've been released to a new area even though it's common knowledge that the ponies have been mildly brainwashed and want to secede and form their own society.
If the US government wanted to send the message "outsides and those different from us are not wanted", trust me, they have a lot of experience doing so. We're the country that murdered and displaced an entire continent's worth of native nations. We rounded up all the japanese citizens on the west coast and held them in prison camps for four years. We pass laws limiting travel to and from certain countries based on their predominent religion. And these were people who had full agency and control of their faculties, rather than sick people who at some points couldn't even stand up straight and we have actual evidence of them being brainwashed. It would be SO easy to disapper these people, claim they'd lost their minds, they'd become radicalized to an anti-American cause after their vision, SOMETHING. If the ponies truly weren't welcome, they WOULD know it.
8403691
I know it's an inevitability especially where Laura is concerned but they still want to keep the number of new ponies with Cutie Marks to a minimum with the hope of being able to change as many of them back to human as possible and celebrating getting a Cutie Mark would just draw more attention to them and would likely cause others to want one, and as for Sarah considering she has yet to get a Cutie Mark even though she knows what she wants to do might hint that she's like Rarity in that her Cutie Mark might not have a direct correlation to her passion.
If the transformed humans decide to form a society they will not survive for long. Human economy will destroy theirs even if humans do not gain magitech. Pony society would also suffer greatly from their idolization of harmony. It is a great tragedy that a human-turned-magicallybrainwashedpony civilization is doomed in this multiverse.
I can't wait for the next update, I'm really curious as to how everyone is going to react now that these new ponies getting Cutie Marks is no longer a hypothetical and that the very first pony to cross the point of no return was Laura the one Sunset was practically grooming to be the leader of the new ponies.