As Twilight stepped into the conference room for the last time, it was no longer with a sense of dread. Instead, she felt a bit of melancholy. She had grown to admire and respect many of the humans she had worked with here. After that day, the Emergency Zone was to be dismantled, and relief and recovery efforts moved to another facility.
Even the town of Lazy Pines itself was no longer what it once was. It had officially ceased to exist in the month since the ETS counterspell was mass-cast. Hazmat teams had come in to clear out spoiled food from markets and homes, but houses that had burned down from accidental fires were left to sit in ruin. Technically, nearly all the homes in town were in foreclosure, yet there wasn't enough recovered infrastructure to put the requisite signs up.
The notable exception was Kevin's home, but even he expressed no desire to return to it, considering he would be living in a town with a population of one. Instead, he quietly cleared the house of anything of sentimental value, emptied the fridge, and turned everything off.
Not even Sunset's human home was special anymore. Once Twilight had designed what she called Magic Mirror Mark II, the original portal was shut down for good. The mirror would be moved later that day to a permanent facility on the east coast. The scientists she had been surrounded with would start to be replaced with diplomats, politicians, and economists. While gaining an understanding of magic was still important, getting humanity back on its feet was more so.
Twilight could at least look forward to longer in-person meetings with the United States President. So far, her only exposure to him other than over teleconference had been his visit to the Emergency Zone operations two weeks prior, an event that had been more for the press than anything else. It had been intended to give the impression that things were under control even though they were still far from that point.
Twilight hopped into her seat as the Secret Service agents assigned to her closed the door behind her. She looked over the familiar faces for a lingering moment as if to fix them in her memories. She took a deep breath and said, "Okay, what's the final verdict?"
She had sensed that the mood at the table was the lightest it had been in a long while, thus she anticipated good news. Sandra even smiled as she consulted one of her folders. "The Equestrian mages are seeing almost total success in reversing the partial transformations that have reached no further than the appearance of a tail, and up to eighty percent success in those that have the modified ears."
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "They're not having any trouble with the lingering concentrations of transformation magic?"
"Not since you struck on the idea of pairing each mage with a crystal pony."
Twilight slowly smiled. Once she had discovered the crystal pony ability to transform one kind of magic into another, it didn't take long for her and Sunburst to come up with a means to use them to help drain the remaining pool of transformation magic. That had slowed and stopped the ongoing transformations, and those who had not progressed too far had presented an opportunity to recover most of their original human morphic resonance.
Yet not everything was rosy. They still had some in a partially transformed state. Some were complaining bitterly about the failure to change them back to human. A few were demanding to be allowed to complete the transformation. Yet what was really on Twilight's mind was the biggest remaining issue, and thus she asked, "Do we have final numbers on how many humans are completely transformed?"
"I'll defer to Mr. Heller on that one," said Sandra.
Anthony leaned forward in his seat and laced his fingers together. "This is a rough estimate only, but it is around three hundred and twenty-six million worldwide. Of that, the number in the United States is a hair over ninety million." He paused. "So the numbers wound up about between the best and worse case scenarios."
Kevin looked thoughtful. "That's just over a quarter of the US population. Where are they concentrated the most?"
"The Front Range and other western states, plus parts of the Midwest, southwest, and Pacific northwest. We also have a few large populations in Florida and parts of the south. Least affected appear to be the east coast and northern states, but there really isn't a single state in the union other than Hawaii that doesn't have at least some transformed population." Anthony turned towards Twilight. "However, I'm hoping to hear something that may reduce those numbers."
"And I may have some good news for you in that regard," Twilight said in a cautious voice. "Sunburst and I studied the results of the first efforts to apply the reversal spell. It may be possible to build on that and craft a new reverse-transformation spell that will turn a fully transformed person back to human."
Several audible sighs of relief rippled through the attendees.
"However, there are two matters to be considered," Twilight declared. "First: time. What's making this even possible in the first place is the fact that the morphic resonance contains a faint echo of its original human composition. Not enough to put the person back to exactly what they were before, but close. However, the more time passes, the more that echo fades, and the harder it will be to get anything close to what they were before."
"Our government and its allies are committed to doing whatever it takes to reverse this," said Anthony. "What's the second matter?"
Twilight hesitated. She had not wanted to stir the pot when things were looking up, but she had no choice. "Second ... the willingness of the transformed to become human again."
Anthony sighed and wiped his face with his hand, "Twilight, with all due respect, that is a matter best left to--"
"It has nothing to do with morality or ethics!" Twilight exclaimed. "It has to do with the limitation of the reverse-transformation spell."
"Sunset's original spell did not have such a limitation."
"No, because it's not at all the same thing. Her spell selected an appropriate pony form for them based on outside criteria. Here we're trying to take a pony and put them back to where they were when they started. That's a completely different effort. Otherwise, it becomes not a reverse-transformation spell but just another transformation spell. It again comes back to what I said before: do we craft whatever human form we think is okay for them just for the sake of changing them back to human? Isn't that just another case of making a decision for them?"
"The general consensus is still that they are not of their right mind."
"Yes, I know," Twilight said in a testy voice. "You don't need to keep reminding me of that. I'm telling you what your options are. If you want things back to the way they were, it has to be with their consent. They have to be in touch with their humanity for the spell to work properly."
Silence greeted her as Anthony glanced at the others. Twilight realized perhaps she was being somewhat idealistic in her belief that the transformed could indeed think for themselves, and perhaps her judgment was a bit colored by the fate the humans chose for Sunset, but she couldn't help it if the magic happened to work that way.
At least for what she was willing to craft for them.
"The only alternative is a generic transformation spell that will put them back to only an approximate semblance of what they were," said Twilight in a low voice. "But, again, you would be forced into choosing for them what you think is best, and I don't believe that's any better than what's already happened to them. I think the reverse-transformation spell will work better in the long run."
"You said there was a time limitation," said Anthony. "How much are we talking about here?"
"In that regard, I have more good news. It will take another six to eight months before the echo is untenable for a successful reverse-transformation. Of course, the sooner you do it, the better."
Kevin turned to Anthony. "To me, that sounds like the best possible compromise."
"In what way?" Anthony asked.
"Think about the logistics," said Kevin. "Rather than having to go to them, you can have them come to you by setting up facilities where they can have the spell applied. Then you can instead focus on efforts to convince people to change back rather than dealing with the ethical issues of forcing yet another transformation on them."
"That was my thinking as well," said Twilight. "I've found that humans are very good at setting up large organizations. I suggest calling it something like Return To Humanity, or maybe the Humanization Bureau. You can probably come up with a catchier name than I can."
"With as stretched as resources are, I have to concur," Sandra said. "I think that idea has the best chance of working."
"And you may already have someone willing to be one of the first to take advantage of this," said Kevin. "My understanding is that Jenny Tanner is contemplating becoming human again."
Twilight tried to take that as more good news. She had hoped to save some of the Tanner family, yet now Sarah, Laura, and more recently, Harold all had cutie marks. Only Jenny and Bob didn't, and Bob was still contemplating what he wanted to do.
Bob was an interesting case, and Twilight hoped to have a chance to talk to him before she relocated to the east coast. Despite still being on the fence about whether he wanted to remain a pony, he was the most accomplished in magic of any of the transformed that she knew.
"At the same time, I must advise that there is an added complication," said Sandra. "As of the last set of medical examinations on the residents of first settlement, we've confirmed three new pregnancies among the mares."
"No reverse-transformation will be possible for them," Twilight said. "Their unborn foals have no echoes of humanity in their morphic resonance. I've already confirmed that."
"We can't tell people not to get pregnant," said Anthony.
"No, but we can advise them of the risks, just like we can concerning acquiring a cutie mark. It's all we can do right now, but out of everything else we've come up with, this is the most viable."
Anthony considered. "If you came up with a more generic human transformation spell--"
"I would strongly object to it being used on unborn foals," said Twilight. "And I sincerely doubt you'll find an Equestrian mage who would be willing to cast it, and I'm not about to force them to do it. I'll be brutally honest with you all: I do not sanction the idea of forcing another transformation on any of them. I will defer to your government authorities as much as I am able, but I'm not willing to compromise my beliefs."
Sandra turned towards Anthony. "I'm going to have to agree with Twilight here. There are cases where this transformation effectively removed any emotional or psychological trauma that they were going through. If there's even the slightest chance that a forceful reversal of the transformation will bring that back, you may be hard-pressed to find physicians willing to sanction it. Then there are concepts we still debate vociferously among ourselves that the transformation 'solved' for them, such as gender identity, and thus you run the risk of someone with an agenda making a decision for them."
Anthony folded his hands under his chin and was silent for a few moments. When he finally spoke, it was in measured tones. "All this will have to be decided at a higher level, so I suggest that Twilight make her case to them once she transfers to the new facility."
"But what's your opinion, Mr. Heller?" Twilight asked.
"Does it matter?"
"To me, it does," Twilight said. "Maybe we haven't seen eye to eye on everything, but I have a large measure of respect for you. Your opinion matters to me."
Anthony smiled faintly, and he lowered his hands. "Yes, I think what you propose is what we should do going forward. To be perfectly blunt, the government is running on fumes at this point. We've exhausted almost all our resources just trying to keep the lights on in this country, and having the burden of chasing down the transformed and applying a new spell to them is just one more thing we can't handle right now."
"That's ... quite an admission," Kevin said in a soft voice.
"And certainly not one that the President wants the media to hear," said Anthony. "It could be seen as giving up and letting the transformed fend for themselves. The fact that they can indeed fend for themselves is a double-edged sword in this case. Right now, there's a huge split in this country. We have humans wanting everything to return to normal and seeing the transformed as a threat to that, and we have transformed humans in varying states of thought as to how to handle this."
"What was that?" Sandra said. "Are you saying they're not all following Sunset's vision?"
"So what Princess Luna did is working?" Twilight said in a hopeful voice.
"If by 'working' you mean general confusion, then I suppose so," Anthony said. "It seems to depend on the size of the community. Large communities are tending to remain insular and detached, while smaller ones are more willing to engage with humans or even live among them. One of the reasons our tech sector has been impacted so badly is due to the large concentration of IT industry that was based in Denver, which has effectively become a huge pony commune."
"It's a start," Twilight said. "A first step."
"Yes, it is." Anthony drew back slightly. "And unless there is anything else, I have an announcement to make. After today, I will be officially off the recovery project."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. Heller," Twilight said.
"I hope you didn't get on someone's bad side when you conveyed some of our more radical ideas," said Kevin.
Anthony chuckled briefly. "While I have been ruffling numerous feathers, that is not the reason for my departure. They didn't remove me, I am removing me."
"I don't understand," Twilight said.
"I stated right from the start that I am not a diplomat, but I was retained for my organizational skills, among other things. At this point, I feel my talents could be best served elsewhere. I've asked to be 'demoted' so to speak back to a field agent. The FBI is forming a new group dedicated towards helping protect the transformed, and I intend to be part of it."
Twilight slowly smiled.
"I still hope for the day that we can transform back as many as possible, but the message is coming through loud and clear," said Anthony. "There will be a pony population on this planet for the foreseeable future, and as long as those in this country continue to be considered Americans, I have a sworn duty to protect them." He paused. "Regardless of whether they're Americans or not, I feel they don't deserve to be persecuted for what they've become. Even those who believe they need to remain ponies are only doing what the rest of us are: trying to survive and protect themselves and their families." He glanced around. "Meeting adjourned."
Twilight hopped down from her seat and trotted over to Anthony. "Mr. Heller--"
"Please, call me Anthony. I'm not in any official capacity on this project now."
Twilight smiled. "I just wanted to tell you that I hope I'll see you again."
Anthony grinned. "I'm sure our paths will cross again. I did want to ask you something, though."
"Of course."
"This lingering echo of humanity that you discovered. Is that something Sunset would've ever known about?"
"I doubt it. I didn't even realize it was there myself until the first results came back from the initial attempts to reverse the partially transformed. It was an unexpected but pleasant surprise."
"Any explanation for it that won't require me to know how magic works?"
Twilight considered. "One thing that has impressed me constantly is humanity's sheer tenacity and resolve. I think the reason you're like that is because you were forced to build an entire civilization without magic. You fought every inch of the way to get where you are now. Over the millennia, that likely affected your morphic resonance. It became just as tough as humanity had to be."
Anthony smiled. "Thank you for that. I should tell you something: we've been shielding you from being pummeled with requests for your time from the physicists."
"I'm sure they will want to work with me to understand magic better."
"It's more than that," said Anthony. "They've already been looking into it. They've dug up old reports from their particle accelerator research which showed anomalous events that they could never reproduce. Most had been relegated to errors in equipment or theory. They're starting to see patterns emerge. Another first step."
Twilight smiled. "Yes, another first step."
Kevin had wanted to talk to Twilight one more time, but when he saw her talk to Anthony first, he bided his time waiting outside the room. He was relieved to see Twilight emerge in good spirits. It was a far cry from that first week following Sunset's death, when it seemed like she didn't want to speak to anyone outside an official capacity.
She even trotted right over to him when she saw him standing there. "Kevin, this may be the last time we see each other for a while. I just wanted to tell you what a great pleasure it's been working with you."
Kevin smiled. "I share the same sentiment. I admit, I never once thought I would actually meet a being from another world, and certainly not in this context."
"I'm really hoping that context will change for the better eventually, but that day is likely still far off," said Twilight in a more somber voice.
"If you don't mind me asking, how are you holding up concerning your aunt's passing? If you need to talk to anyone before you go, please, don't hesitate."
Twilight gave him a faint smile. "Thank you, Kevin. I realize you've lost someone close to you as well."
"I know from my own experience that it led to a lot of resentment on my part," Kevin explained. "I went through a rather dark period. I saw you starting to go through the same during those first few days. I wanted to approach you, but ..."
"I know, I didn't make it any easier." Twilight hesitated, then continued in a lower voice. "I'll be honest with you, Kevin. Those first few days ... I was really pushing myself. I didn't want to. After casting the counterspell, I wanted to just walk away from it all. I felt it didn't have to happen that way, that Sunset could've been given another chance. We'll never know now if she could have ever turned around. I guess I do still harbor some resentment over it."
"That you've continued to remain dedicated to helping us is appreciated." Kevin glanced the way Anthony had gone. "Mr. Heller ... ah, Anthony, that is ... confided in me that the decision was not made lightly. They knew they were risking opening a rift with your world. Perhaps they could be considered guilty of some of the cold calculation that Sunset was accused of."
"Celestia feels it could've been handled better," said Twilight. "But she sees this action as more tragic than hostile. We tend to forgive as much as we can, and this was much more of a challenge than usual." Twilight paused. "We're still working through it, but we see the bigger picture as more important. At least most of us do."
"Most?"
Twilight sighed. "The Canterlot nobles are not happy, and that's an understatement. While they have no direct political power over Celestia and Luna, they do have the ability to influence public opinion. Even though our rulers would be considered absolute monarchs in your culture, they value freedom, and they don't want to censor anyone. To be honest, no outcome would've pleased the nobles except Sunset being returned to Equestria, and that was just not possible."
"I honestly don't know what would've been better myself," said Kevin. "Killing Sunset outright seemed a bit shortsighted on the one hand, but I can see where a trial could have easily become an utter spectacle and possibly sparked more resentment of Equestria."
"Everyone made mistakes," Twilight said. "The end result is the same: there's a mess to clean up."
Kevin understood this perhaps more than Twilight realized. The great tragedy was not that Sunset had been killed, but how it had happened. It had been effectively a premeditated suicide. In his darkest moments following his wife's death, those dangerous thoughts had flitted across his own mind. Fortunately, he had a friend to help pull him back from the brink and seek counseling.
Perhaps there were those who were taking solace in Sunset's passing, or perhaps even rejoicing over it. Kevin could not help but feel a little sorry for her instead. "Is your family coping?"
"As well as can be expected," said Twilight. "We held a quiet, private funeral for her. Just immediate family. We tried to focus on the good things about her, at least what we remembered of her."
Kevin was glad to hear that Twilight's family had some closure. In a way, it was something the Earth needed now. The old world that people knew only a few months ago was effectively dead, but no one wanted to acknowledge it yet. People were still waiting for something that would never come. Something new had to rise in its place. Now he had some idea how the people of Europe felt just after World War II. All he could hope for was that history did not repeat itself with two allies of the war becoming enemies afterward.
"But enough about the past," Twilight said in a more light-hearted voice. "I was curious as to what you were going to do now that the Emergency Zone operations are being disbanded?"
Kevin gave her a wan smile. "Now, that's an interesting question. I've been offered a position on the staff that's going to remain here to oversee the pony settlements in this part of Colorado. It would make my unofficial position more official."
Twilight smiled. "That's great news! You were getting along really well with all the ponies there as it was."
"I won't say that the position doesn't have it's merits, but I miss the medical field." He chuckled briefly. "If I were a pony, I'd likely have a caduceus as a cutie mark. The only problem is that in order to remain in any sort of medical capacity, I would have to move to an area with more humans, and I really like living in Colorado."
"Yes, I see what you mean," Twilight said in a more somber voice. "Ever since I moved to Ponyville, I really don't see myself living anywhere else. I've been spending so much time here that I miss it terribly."
"This leads me to ask a question of you. While I know there's already been some exchange of information with the arrival of Equestrian healers, and as much I don't care for the idea of having to effectively go back to school, would there be a means by which I -- and physicians on this world in general -- could learn pony medicine?"
"Of course!" Twilight said. "It was always my intention to initiate a cultural exchange. I just don't know when that will start, as there's so much else to be done first. I personally would love for some humans to come see Equestria." She paused. "Um, there would be some restrictions, of course."
"I can guess," said Kevin. "No firearms."
"That and perhaps a few others, but nothing extreme. I want the ponies of Equestria to see that humans are not all that different from them in many ways. I would be happy to forward your name as one of those first people."
Kevin thought it rather ironic that he occasionally floated the idea of going abroad for a vacation or sabbatical and never followed up on it. Now his first chance to do so would be on another world. "I would appreciate that, thank you." He crouched beside Twilight and offered his hand. "Until we meet again, I wish you well."
Twilight started to raise her fore-hoof to his, then smiled and wrapped her fore-legs around him in a hug instead.
Kevin realized he should have expected that, with Equestrians being more demonstrative of their feelings than most humans were. He gladly accepted the embrace and returned it freely, finding her fur just as soft as the transformed. Twilight's eyes were glistening as she drew back, and Kevin felt his own throat tighten a bit. He really was going to miss this purple pony princess.
The government can work fast when it needs to, and never more so when someone steps down from a sensitive position, thereby prompting a need for their security access to be revoked or reclassified. Thus when Anthony wanted to place one last phone call, he had to do it via a colleague. After a long wait, the agent said, "Yes, sir, here he is," before handing his phone to Anthony.
Anthony nodded as he took the phone. "Thank you for agreeing to talk to me one more time, Mr. President."
"I guess it's a faint hope that this call is to tell me you've come to your damn senses and will accept that position on the Recovery Committee," said the President.
Anthony managed a small smile, though it was partially forced. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, sir, but I hope you understand my reasons for passing."
"Not completely, but it's your decision to make, and I'll respect that." The President sighed. "I just like having people around who know how to get things done."
"Yes, but you don't need people around who might be at loggerheads with you," said Anthony. "We may have been on the same page when this all started, but our views on how to approach things going forward are diverging."
"Normally I would prefer having contrary opinions around me to keep me balanced, but I'm having enough of a fight with my own political party."
"How are things in Congress right now?" Anthony asked.
"Better you don't ask," the President grumbled. "During the crisis, they were a paragon of bipartisanship, and now as they contemplate how the hell to deal with the post-ETS situation, that's starting to break down. The little surprise we got today is not helping."
"Washington has been rather clamped down in the past week," said Anthony. "So much so that even my clearance couldn't reach."
"This is just starting to become breaking news in the media. We've been trying to reach out to members of Congress who had left Washington for their families when things got bad. The surprise we got was the arrival of twenty Representatives of the House and three Senators reporting for work. All ponies."
Anthony let out the breath he had been holding as a windy sigh.
"They're demanding to be allowed their seats in Congress," the President continued. "Neither party knows what the hell to do with them. Some of them really do represent the new demographics of their respective areas, but where they don't, their human constituents are likely going to demand recall elections in a nation that can't support that sort of nonsense right now. Even without their official seats, they've been agitating for the rights of the transformed."
"That was something I believe you championed yourself, Mr. President."
"Yes, I did, but I would have appreciated it being a little less in-your-face," The President said. "And don't even get me started about the fundie groups complaining that they go around naked all the time."
"Now you see why I made my decision," Anthony said. "I think this is going to be in our faces no matter what we do. In that, Doctor Conner was right; we have an enormous short term problem that has to be tackled, and I feel the best way I can do it is at street level, not behind a desk."
"You never did come to terms with our decision to terminate Sunset."
"No, I didn't," Anthony said in a sharper voice. "I still think perhaps we should have handled that better and shown Equestria that human justice can be fair, if harsh by their standards. I feel an opportunity was missed. At the same time, I understand why the decision was made, and I don't really harbor any resentment towards it. I carried out that order because it was my duty to my country."
"I appreciate your candor and your loyalty, Heller," said the President in a more subdued voice.
"Did you get my last report concerning Twilight's suggestion about how to deal with transforming people back?"
"Yes, I did. Goddamn, that's going to look like we're just sitting on our hands waiting for something to happen. This isn't like opening clinics to dispense a cure or vaccine. We'd be beating off people with a stick in that case. Now we're being asked to rely on millions of people who have no problem with having hooves instead of hands and feet to just waltz into these centers and ask to be human again."
"My opinion on the questionable mental state of the transformed has not changed," said Anthony. "But we can't force a cure on ninety million people. It's just not feasible."
"Right now, a quarter of this country effectively ceased to exist," said the President. "Yes, thanks to the efforts of Princess Luna, these pony communes are trying to reach out to humans, but the National Guard is stretched to the limits trying to keep order in areas where that resulted in conflict. Perhaps ponies are generally non-violent, but you do not want to cross an earth pony protecting friends and family. And then there are a few towns out in rural America that managed to avoid ETS. They have no pony population per se but are deciding to send some sort of message by putting up signs on their stores saying 'no ponies allowed'." A thump of a fist against a desk sounded in the background. "Goddammit, it's like this regressed the country one hundred years! Just replace 'pony' with 'Negro' and you almost can't tell the difference!"
"Dare I ask how things are on the international front?" said Anthony. "The media has been painting almost too rosy a picture of our allies jumping to our aid."
"The truth is, we're going hat in hand to them," said the President. "Europe was impacted by this, certainly, but not to the same degree as the US. We're getting definite signs from European leaders that any aid is coming with political strings attached to be worked out later."
"What about Russia and China?"
"Concerning Russia, we don't know. They've got everything locked down tight over there. They're under even a more rigid state of martial law than we ever were. The final numbers of transformed may tick upwards in the end, as we heard they had a massive outbreak of ETS in the Ukraine, in parts of Russia itself, and in the north near the border with Finland. As for China, it's pandemonium over there. Over one hundred million ponies. Doesn't sound like much compared to a population just shy of one and a half billion, but much of the transformed were concentrated in the urban areas where the flu spread more rapidly, and they're fleeing those cities in droves for the countryside. That's just about gutted their manufacturing sector, and that added to the international trade crisis."
Anthony was thoughtful for a few moments. "Mr. President, if I may be so bold as to suggest that you turn to the transformed for assistance as well?"
"I beg your pardon?" the President said in a surprised voice.
"One problem is that food and water supplies are strained right now," Anthony said. "Those are two things that the transformed have no want for no matter what land they have. If anything, they'll likely make a surplus, and they probably won't even ask for any sort of monetary payment for it."
The President paused. "I don't want to exploit their mental state."
"Then don't. Give them something in return for their help. It just has to be something other than money, since that's worthless to them right now. Equestria has a monetary system, so maybe the transformed will eventually have one as well or can be coaxed back into accepting the dollar, but for now, why not barter for their assistance?"
The President sighed. "The issue is that we don't even know what to consider the transformed right now. Already the term 'transformed' is being replaced by 'pony', as if already acknowledging that they're a people apart, which in turn raises the specter of 'separate but equal'. Hell, I've used it myself in this conversation. A few hotheads here are going off the deep end the other way, that the transformed should be somehow forced back into a normal American lifestyle. Definitions of 'normal' naturally vary."
"This again highlights the reasons behind my decision, sir," said Anthony. "Regardless of what their final disposition is, these people deserve to be protected from victimization. And to be honest, Mr. President, after seeing how Sunset became such a cold and calculating being, I don't want to risk going down that route as well. When I replay some of my conversations with Doctor Conner and Doctor Marlowe in my head, I can see where I might come off sounding like that myself. I feel I need to be a little more grounded."
"I do understand, and I greatly respect you for it," said the President. "I had to make my plea anyway. The pressure is mounting from all sectors for us to do something."
"Twilight put it best," said Anthony. "We need to make a first step somewhere and accept that the ultimate solution is not going to come anytime soon. We need people like you to drill that point into people's heads." He paused. "I know it won't be easy. Just look how long it took for me to realize that."
"And you have as hard a head as they come."
Anthony chuckled. "I'd be insulted if that wasn't true."
The President managed a short laugh. "I will take everything you've told me under consideration. It's been a pleasure working with you, and I wish you well in your future endeavors."
"Thank you, sir. I wish you well also."
The President ended the call, and Anthony handed the phone back to the agent who said, "We're going to miss you, Mr. Heller."
"Thank you, I appreciate that."
"I, uh, do have to warn you," said the agent as he leaned in. "A certain pony from the Equestrian contingent heard about you moving on and is planning a going-away party for you."
Anthony sighed but had to laugh as well. "I will attend. Purely in the interest of furthering relations with a foreign power, you understand."
The agent smiled and chuckled. "Of course, sir."
He truly hoped they would be serving some of that apple cider that Applejack once raved about. He could go for a nice drink right then.
"You wanted to see me, Fred?"
Fred glanced behind him to see Kevin approaching. "Yeah, doc, just a sec." He turned back towards Kelly, the young unicorn who had been on his mind ever since he had heard her mention her deceased brother. "So the point I'm trying to make here is not advocating for war. Your brother had a goddamn tough job to do, sorta like we all had here before we got this place running."
"I just felt like his life was thrown away for nothing," said Kelly as she wiped one of her eyes with the back of a hoof. "That all he was doing was making sure our country kept the oil flowing."
Fred's ears swiveled slightly as he heard his human friend stop a respectful distance away. "Kelly, listen to me. When I was out there, it wasn't about oil, it wasn't about politics. Soldiers don't care about that. We care about protecting each other's back. I had a chance to find out a little about your brother Jake."
Kelly's eyes widened at the name, and she sniffled once.
"He made a decision that saved five other men. The original battle plans had gone ass-up, and he had to think on his feet."
Kelly swallowed hard. "M-Mom never told me that," she said in a hollow voice. "She just went on about what a waste it was."
"Don't go blaming her too much," said Fred in a low voice. "I've seen families struggle to cope with the death of loved ones in the military. But rest assured, Kelly, your brother died a hero to his men, not to some political goal. When you're in the military, your fellow soldiers are your family."
Kelly sniffled again and pulled Fred into a hug. "Thank you for talking to me about this. I really want to know more about what my brother actually did now."
Fred smiled and embraced her as tightly as he felt was safe given his greater strength. "I can arrange that for you before I go."
Kelly broke off the embrace and gave him a puzzled look. "Go? Where?"
"I'll explain later," said Fred. "I just want to make sure I set the record straight concerning your brother."
Kelly nodded and wiped her eyes one more time. "I'll talk to you later."
Fred smiled again and watched her head off before turning around to face Kevin.
"Did I hear a subtle message in that otherwise poignant talk?" Kevin asked gently.
Fred chuckled. "I don't do subtle, Kevin. But I really did want to do something for her concerning her brother. I hate seeing anyone resent a loved one's death in the military. Everything I said about her brother was true."
"How did you manage to get that info, if I may ask?"
"Apparently, there are still people in the military who respect me," said Fred. "My old commander is a two-star general now set to retire in another few months, but he's dedicating his remaining time to see that I get some sort of medal. He fell over himself to get the information I wanted."
Kevin smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. But what's this about leaving? Is that what you wanted to see me about?"
"I always said that I wasn't going to do farming for the rest of my life," said Fred. "This place is running well now, and it's time for me to move on."
"Then you might want to hear the news I bring. I spoke with Twilight earlier. She said she has a way to change the transformed back to human."
Fred's eyes widened.
"The catch is, however, they have to be willing to do it. I naturally thought about you, since you're the most cognizant of anyone of the forced nature of this transformation."
Fred uttered a relieved sigh. "All I ever wanted was to be consulted about this. I thank both of you for that. I respectfully refuse."
Kevin hesitated. "Fred, I know you're comfortable with this body, but--"
"It has nothing to do with being comfortable," Fred declared. "I didn't join Special Forces to be comfortable. I knew it was a tough job going in. I could think the same thing about becoming human again. I could do it if I wanted to."
"Then what's your drive to remain a pony?"
"Because I feel like I can do more good this way. Other ponies are more willing to listen to one of their own kind. I feel like I had a hoof in getting ponies here to think for themselves. I want to keep doing that. I've done all I can here, so I want to go to another community and start stirring things up there."
"While it's your choice to make, and I will respect whatever your decision is, do consider that you might also be the one to lead the way to, ah, rehumanizing, for lack of a better term."
Fred nodded. "Yeah, but it comes down to numbers. How many are really going to be convinced to do it? And if I do stay a pony, I might actually accomplish getting more to consider changing back."
"At the risk of your own humanity," Kevin said.
"Yeah, but I was a soldier, I know what it means to take risks and make decisions that affect my life as well as others." Fred paused. "Changing back is tempting. It would be the ultimate way to spit in Sunset's eye. But this isn't about my need for petty vengeance." He thrust a hoof towards the settlement. "It's about them, and what I can do for them. They need to take what Sunset gave them and make it their own. I feel like that's what I need to do, that's what my purpose in all this is. Life just handed me a new assignment, and I'm going to do my damnedest to get that job done."
An assurance settled over Fred like it never had in his life. The only thing which ever came close was the day he decided to make the army his career. It crystallized within him, as if becoming one with his psyche. A tingling reverberated through his body, settling in his haunches before fading away.
He found Kevin staring at him in astonishment. Before Fred could ask, Kevin managed to recover and gave him a small smile. "I suppose the point is moot now."
Fred took a deep breath, for he already knew what had happened; now all that was left was to see what his cutie mark looked like. The design was simple, but to him spoke volumes. He wondered if that was what Twilight felt about hers, as its design to him didn't really speak strongly of one thing or another. His was a gold star, fashioned like one that might adorn the ranking designation on an officer's uniform, but set against the silhouette of a pony's head.
Fred slowly smiled. He saw the star as a recognition as his service to his country, and its position over a pony head representing not just his ability to get ponies to think for themselves, but his leadership qualities. It felt like his whole life summed up in a simple picture.
He turned back to Kevin. "That decides it, then. And, honestly, this is a far better stake in the ground against Sunset's influence than me becoming human ever could do."
Kevin eyes glistened slightly as he said in a heavy voice, "In that case, Fred, I want you to know that I am honored to call you a friend, and I am grateful for everything you have done and will continue to do for your country. And for that, I salute you."
And to Fred's surprise, Kevin did just that. He took the proper stance, and fired off a crisp salute as good as any soldier might do. Fred's eyes welled up as he returned it.
That Starlight reacted to the summons to Canterlot with relative equanimity was testament to how much she had gone through over the past month or so. She could scarcely believe how nervous she had been that first time coming to Canterlot with Twilight to meet Princess Celestia just before the whole mess started.
As soon as she arrived, she was shuffled to the head of the line waiting for an audience, much to the grumbling of the nobles. Not that they were ever in any other kind of mood these days even at the best of times. They had always been an aloof and snooty lot, but now the atmosphere around them felt almost toxic.
The doors to the chamber burst open, and Starlight had to duck to the side to avoid being run down by a stomping Prince Blueblood. "I am ready to give up making Her Highness see reason," he declared to his cohorts. "She insists on entertaining these humans as if they were honored guests instead of the barbarians that they are!"
Starlight frowned. The Equestrian language had finally come up with a word for the natives of Earth, yet the way the nobility bandied it about, it was quickly becoming an epithet. She thought their vitriol misplaced; where was it when Starlight's own crimes came to light?
"I at least got her to agree not to place them anywhere near our homes," said Blueblood, raising his head in pride as if he had just secured the monarchy for himself.
"Hear hear!" declared one of his sycophants to a general nodding of heads.
"And I will be requesting doubling the guards as well. They will act civilized even if they have to be forced into it. And if I have anything to say about it, any humans that show even the slightest bit of aggressive behavior towards Equestrian citizens will be immediately deported and forbidden from ever returning!"
Starlight ground her teeth in a bid not to retort. Yes, she had her own issues with the humans, but she had at least bothered to come to an understanding about them. There were reasons behind how they operated, and the fact that they were reaching out to a world that was partially responsible for the disaster that befell them was better than either the griffons or dragons would do in Equestria under similar circumstances.
Starlight was rescued from getting herself into political trouble when Tight Schedule emerged from the hallway to the side. "Princess Celestia will see you now, Miss Glimmer."
"Uh, thanks," said Starlight. She cast one last frown at Blueblood and his cronies before heading inside. The doors mercifully shut behind her as soon as she stepped inside, and Celestia smiled as Starlight bowed. "What is it you wanted to see me about, Princess?"
Celestia stepped off her throne. "Apologies for the suddenness of the invitation, Starlight, but things have been moving a little more quickly than expected."
"Oh? What's happened? I last spoke to Twilight a few days ago." Starlight paused. "Um, I don't mean to complain, but having the magic mirror still sitting in the Crystal Empire makes it a little harder to shuttle back and forth when needed."
"Unfortunately, that will be the state of affairs for the foreseeable future," said Celestia in a sad voice. "Much as I would like to move it to Canterlot to facilitate matters with regards to diplomatic relations, keeping it in the Crystal Empire will placate the nobles for now. The citizens of the Empire are far more amenable to having humans in their midst."
"And are we going to actually have some soon?"
"While the <United States> is still embroiled in recovery efforts, other less-affected nations are moving forward with plans to open relations. I suspect some may be distancing themselves from the decision to execute Sunset. An initial overture arrived from a nation called <United Kingdom>. They wish to open an embassy here and have invited us to open one there. I'm planning on granting the request as soon as feasible."
Now Starlight knew why she had been summoned, and why Blueblood had been so riled up. "And you want to know how things are in Ponyville right now."
"As they are the nearest town and an excellent example of life in Equestria outside the pomp and circumstance of Canterlot, I thought it would be good for human representatives to visit there. Not to mention Twilight's castle is there, and it would provide much better accommodations for meetings and such."
Starlight knew something like this had to be in the works. In Twilight's absence, she had been keeping an eye on public opinion in Ponyville. While she certainly had help in the form of their five other close friends, it had been something of a struggle at first. The nobility had managed to bend the ears of the Rich family, and they were making noises about not wanting the humans in town.
"Things are going about as well as can be expected," said Starlight. "I think most of the ponies there would be okay with humans among them, if a little wary at first. I've had some help from not just our immediate circle of friends, but a few others. Lyra Heartstrings has been a huge help. She's actually very eager to meet the humans for some reason."
Celestia smiled. "That eases my mind a bit."
"To be blunt, though, it's a tougher job than I expected," Starlight explained. "I know that Twilight said I've leaned a lot about friendship, and that I was ready for a task like this, but ... I don't know ... after everything that happened, I keep coming back to my own past."
"Twilight has conveyed to me that you've been having lingering feelings of guilt in recent times," said Celestia. "I cannot help but wonder if events on Earth had triggered it."
"Well, of course they did!" Starlight said in a sharper voice than intended. "What if I had been on Earth when I started messing with the timeline? They'd be justified in killing me to protect themselves. Or what if I hadn't listened to reason when Twilight tried to stop me? Would she have had to kill me, too? Wouldn't that have been justified as well?"
"Starlight--"
Starlight's eyes glistened as she plunged on, having had this building up for so long. "You know what sometimes keeps me up at night? The thought that those alternate timelines may still be out there, that I'm responsible for the death of millions. And if that's the case, how am I any better than Sunset?"
Starlight had managed to keep her feelings under control up until that bullet took Sunset's life. Her own initial anger at the humans had not been so much for the act itself as to the firestorm of regret and self-doubt that it had ignited in her.
"Luna has confided in me that she's had to help dispel an unusual number of nightmares on your behalf," Celestia said softly. "Out of respect for your privacy, she did not divulge the details, but now I can guess."
"Yeah, well, now you know," Starlight said, wiping an eye. "You also know now why I volunteered to stay in Ponyville rather than go back to Earth with Twilight. Being there is just a constant reminder of these things. To be honest, though, I'm not even sure how effective I am."
"Twilight is going to need a break soon," said Celestia. "Even if I have to impose it myself. Once she has a working reverse-transformation spell in place, I will insist she allow Princess Cadance to replace her temporarily so she can return to Ponyville and assist you with efforts there. By then, I hope to have arranged a visit by the first of the human diplomatic contingents. You can avail yourself of Twilight's time to work through your guilt."
Starlight shook her head. "She doesn't need me heaping this on her, she already has more things to do than any pony ought to."
"Once she is in Ponyville, she knows she can rely on her friends for help," said Celestia. "I strongly suggest you follow that path as well. You need Twilight, and she will be more than willing to help you." Celestia smiled. "And she may be bringing along a mutual friend who would be willing to talk to you about this."
Starlight tilted her head. "Who?"
Celestia paused. "One moment, I am still learning how to pronounce human names. Doctor <Kevin Conner> has expressed an interest in coming here. I was going to facilitate that if possible."
Twilight had mentioned her suggestion to Kevin that he speak with Starlight to resolve some of his own lingering feelings of guilt over the death of his wife. Starlight had avoided that specifically because it could have led to her revealing her past. While Kevin's feelings were a concern, she had been more concerned about being overhead by other humans and thus sewing the seeds of distrust. In Equestria, where everypony knew what she had done, it wouldn't be an issue.
"If what I have heard of him is correct, he would be wonderful ambassador, even if it has to be in an unofficial sense," said Celestia with a smile. "A human who could certainly put ponies' minds at ease."
Starlight slowly smiled. "Yes, he's a really nice person. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing him again." Starlight hesitated. "Princess, may I ask you a candid question?"
"Certainly."
"When you first heard what the humans had done concerning Sunset, did you ... did you ever consider just washing your hooves of them? I know I did for a little while, and I suspect maybe Twilight did as well."
Celestia's eyes became cloudy, and she let out a slow sigh. "I was upset, yes," she said in a low voice. "And angry as well. I had hoped they would take the chance on her, even if it did lead to a trial with a foregone conclusion. But as I told Sunset, I weigh every decision I make. To simply reject all humans would not be either reasonable or fair. They need us, and we need to learn more about them before we make any sort of informed decision about our future with them."
Starlight nodded slowly. She supposed that was the best answer anypony could give. "Dare I ask about relations with other powers here?"
"I have been in talks with the griffons," said Celestia. "They are rather angry and upset to learn of the memory suppression spell, but fortunately the inroads Twilight's friends made with them means they're willing to talk rather than fight." Celestia smiled faintly. "It at least helped clear the way for Derpy to meet her real parents again."
Derpy trotted along the wide avenue in the Griffon Kingdom, hoping that the sound of her hooves against the hard and dry ground didn't alert too many of the citizens to her presence. Each street looked the same from the ground, and despite being given clear directions, she had gotten lost. Many of the street signs had been elevated to accommodate the fact that many griffons now built their home on towers to allow them to launch themselves directly into the sky, making them seem more like vast aviaries than houses.
She contemplated flying high enough to try to get the lay of the land, going so far as to unfold her wings, but she reconsidered and refolded them to her sides. The last time she had flown in the midst of the griffons, she had received so many contemptuous looks that she wanted to cringe.
Derpy finally lowered her gaze to the dirt and sighed, her ears drooping. "Maybe this was a mistake after all."
No one was there to reply. Her good friend Doctor Whooves had offered to accompany her, but she had felt she needed to do this alone. Her heart ached; she remembered what her real parents looked like, even what they felt and smelled like, yet she had no idea how they would react. They, like many in the Kingdom old enough to be around back then, now remembered everything that had happened thanks to Celestia lifting the remains of the memory suppression spell.
The younger griffons were more perplexed as to what was really going on, but in a society where elders were well-respected, the older griffons were the ones making their voices heard the most.
Derpy was forced to look up when a shadow passed over her, and her gaze spotted two large claws resting on the ground. Her head snapped up, and she stumbled back a step as she found herself staring at a large, feathery chest.
"Where do you think you're going, pony?"
Derpy shivered slightly at the sound of her species being spoken like an epithet, and she resisted the urge to bolt. She swallowed hard as she looked up at the adult female griffon blocking the way. Derpy considered simply saying "excuse me" and flying around her, but the griffon had already partially extended her massive wings, as if in preparation for pursuit.
"I asked you a question, pony," said the griffon, her eyes narrowing and her wings spreading further. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I-I'm looking f-for a griffon couple," Derpy said in a tiny voice. "Ganna and Gordo."
The words came with a small catch in her voice as just the names conjured up memories of being held close to her mother's chest, or of riding on her father's back as he flew about running errands.
"And why would they ever want to see you?" the griffon countered.
Derpy almost said that she was their daughter, but she was sure that would be met with either disbelief or outright contempt. She had no idea how many details had circulated concerning what had really happened, and what few she knew were widely known, most had been blown up out of proportion.
The griffon advanced a step, and Derpy backed away. "I don't know what you're playing at, pony, but right now, your kind is not wanted around here." She extended her wings fully. "In fact, I'm going to see to it right now you fly straight towards the border and out of this Kingdom."
Derpy's pupils shrank. "B-but--!"
"The only 'but' I want to see is yours as it heads into the distance. Now let's--"
Before she could finish her sentence, another griffon landed between them in a flurry of movement and feathers. The newcomer shoved the first griffon back with a sharp rebuke of, "Back off, Greta! I thought you grew out of being a dumb bully."
Greta retreated a step, flaring her wings briefly before folding them to her sides. She frowned at the newcomer. "I knew you were a pony-lover, Gilda, but really, you want them infiltrating us like this?"
Derpy managed to relax somewhat after hearing the name of Rainbow Dash's friend. At least she hoped it was the same Gilda; with all griffon names starting with "G", she wondered if they were forced to repeat a lot of names.
Gilda rolled her eyes. "Infiltrating? Get real. You're in the same boat as I am. You're not even old enough to remember what happened over twenty years ago."
Greta frowned. "My parents told me. That's good enough for me."
"Oh, right. And that totally invalidates everything ponies of the present ever did for us, ponies who also had no say in what happened back then."
Greta's gaze softened somewhat, her eyes flicking between Gilda and Derpy. "Look, I was doing her a favor. There's some who are a lot more militant about this than I am. It's better that she leave anyway for her own safety."
"Maybe we've started to rediscover our past warrior roots, but that doesn't make us a bunch of thugs," Gilda said.
"Hey, you were sore about this, too, when you heard the truth before any of us."
"Yeah, I was, but I've had some time to think about it," Gilda said in a softer voice. "I was blaming the wrong people, and so are you." Gilda turned around and stood next to Derpy, wrapping one wing around her. "And since you're sooo worried about this pony's safety, I'll solve the problem for you. I'll escort her to Ganna's place."
Derpy shuddered. The gesture was very similar to what her mother might have done. Griffons were so large compared to her that it really took her back to that moment so long ago. It was hard to tell anymore where her griffon past ended and her pony present started.
Greta sighed. "You sure you want to do this? I heard they lost their only daughter to all this."
Derpy would have replied, but her throat had tightened too much to do more than make an awkward squeaking sound. She felt Gilda's wing tighten around her as if in a silent gesture to remain quiet.
"I'll worry about that, okay?" Gilda said. "Just chill out already. Stop getting yourself worked up over nothing."
"I don't think it's nothing, but, yeah, I see your point." Greta looked at Derpy. "Sorry. Just so you know, I never intended to hurt you. See you around, Gilda."
Greta unfolded her wings and took off.
Derpy let out a quavering sigh. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," Gilda said as she withdrew her wing. "But I have to admit, I think you're insane for coming here alone. If I'd known you were coming, I'd have been there with you the moment you entered the Kingdom."
Derpy paused as she blinked rapidly and shook her head in an attempt to realign her eyes. "I'm sorry. I guess I didn't realize how much hostility there would be over this."
"Try not to take it too personally. To be honest, some griffons just like having something to be mad about." Gilda pointed a wing. "Here, this way." After a moment's pause, she glanced down at Derpy. "So you're really Ganna's daughter, huh?"
"That's what I remember now, yes," said Derpy. "I didn't until Princess Celestia lifted the spell from me. It's been really strange, remembering growing up with two different sets of parents." Her eyes glistened. "I really love my adoptive parents, and I'm not really expecting my real parents to ..." Her voice faltered. "Well, never mind. I don't think I'll get to stay very long is what I mean."
Gilda gave her a sympathetic look. "You know, even under the spell, Ganna always struck me as mother without a brood." She smiled faintly. "She always acted like a Mom to me and my friends when we were just chicks."
"She doesn't have to act like a mother to me," Derpy said, though that did not reflect her feelings.
"You couldn't have been named Derpy back then," said Gilda.
"My name back then was Gerpa," Derpy said softly. "My adoptive parents never knew my origins. I didn't even know thanks to that spell."
"Huh. You know, I wonder if Ganna somehow still remembered she had a daughter. She would occasionally call one of us Gerpa by accident. We always assumed she had some sort of niece by that name." Gilda stopped and pointed again. "Well, that's the place just at the end of that road."
Derpy's eyes widened, and her heart lurched. Despite the modernization that had gone on since the griffons started to recover their fortunes, her old home still looked similar enough to what she had remembered that it sparked a real sense of homesickness. Yet what truly riveted her attention was the older, mostly brown male griffon who hovered near the bottom of the aviary, a can of paint and a brush in his claws as he touched up a portion of the outside wall.
"Th-that's my father," Derpy said in a hushed voice.
"You, uh, want me to come with you?"
Derpy had already answered her question by trotting forward. "No, I have to do this myself. Thank you for the help."
She didn't bother looking back to see if Gilda left. Nothing mattered other than this moment. Derpy's heart fluttered as she grew closer and more memories flooded back to her. Male griffons tended to be less demonstrative of their love towards offspring, and Gordo had been no exception, yet he had always exuded a pride in his daughter that was palpable.
Derpy tried to bring herself to speak, but her throat was too tight. Instead, her hoof-falls announced her presence, and Gordo turned his head. He blinked rapidly for a moment, his mouth briefly falling open as he stared. He finally drew his face into a small but firm frown and dove for the ground, landing with a sharp impact of claws and paws. Yet even then, despite his stance looking as if he were about to ward off an intruder, his face was uncertain.
Derpy could not stand the silence anymore and blurted out, "Dad, it's me! I'm Gerpa!"
Gordo's eyes widened, and for a moment, a crack appeared in the harsh veneer. The transformation had not altered Derpy's voice, but it had changed in cadence and pitch just from growing up. Would either of his parents recognize it anymore?
"I-I know, maybe it's hard for you to believe," Derpy continued. "But--"
"Stop," Gordo said.
Derpy immediately silenced, her father's voice still having the same authoritative tone that she remembered.
Gordo stepped up to Derpy until he almost towered over her. "I don't know what to say to you. It's been so long. I'm not ... I'm not sure what to think or feel right now."
Derpy swallowed. "You're angry."
"Yes, I'm angry!" Gordo declared with a snap of his tail. "But not at you. What am I supposed to say after twenty years? Twenty years of not raising a daughter I never knew I had, and then for her to come back like this?" He paused and shook his head. "That came out wrong."
"I didn't ask for this to happen," Derpy said in a choked voice. "I didn't have a say."
Gordo stared at Derpy with uncertain eyes for another moment before backing away. "Ganna! Get down here!"
Derpy's eyes glistened, and she fought off tears. Not for this apparent rejection, for it really wasn't; whenever he was perplexed about something concerning their daughter, he always called for her mother. It was just another memory that made all this that much harder to bear if she had to return to Equestria with little to show for this other than some awkward conversation.
"Dear, you don't have to shout," said a voice that threatened to break Derpy's resolve.
Ganna landed beside her husband, and all Derpy could do was stare. Despite having aged twenty years, it was as if no more than a day had passed. Her feathers were still the same vibrant blue, her chest pristine white.
"Now what is it that you felt the need to ..." Ganna's voice trailed off as she cast her gaze upon Derpy.
Derpy opened her mouth to speak, but she caught herself when she looked into Ganna's eyes. Ganna knew. Somehow, she knew.
Ganna's lower lip quivered. Her eyes glistened. She swallowed hard, looked as if she were about to speak, and suddenly Derpy's world became feathers and warmth. Ganna swept Derpy up in her forelegs and held her close, the dam of her emotions bursting as her tears flowed.
Derpy had no words, but none were needed. She simply hugged her mother back as twenty years seemed to melt away as if they had never happened. She would have settled for mere acceptance, but what she had really wanted was what she had feared had been stolen from her forever: her parents' love.
"Welcome home, daughter," said Gordo in a soft and sincere voice.
And in those simple words, Derpy realized she had gained more than she had ever hoped for. While her future was still uncertain, she could at least accept her past and present. It was a start.
It was a first step.