//------------------------------// // Chapter 48: Job Proposition // Story: Pandemic: What you are Meant to Be // by Halira //------------------------------// Once Rosetta was satisfied that Cathy and her father were alright, the two night ponies excused themselves to go to sleep. They added promises that they would be up early enough for the family dinner. When Remedy awoke early that evening, she found Cathy a foot or two away staring at her. Rosetta was still asleep, and Jean was at work trying to get dinner together for nine. "Sorry to wake you up," Cathy said. The young mare still looked distraught from earlier. Remedy could understand. It certainly had been a traumatic way of finding out what she could do. She still thought of her as Cathy, though. Cathy was still Cathy to Remedy until she claimed her pony name for herself, even if the suggestion of Wild Growth had been made. Names were something personal. "You didn't wake me up. At least I don't think you did. Are you feeling any better?" Remedy asked quietly as she stretched, trying not to disturb her marefriend too much. "Not much," Cathy admitted with lowered ears. "The humans that had houses near the woods are really angry that I just moved the woods right up to the edge of their houses. On top of that, I'm still thinking about how I could have hurt somepony. I did hurt Papa a little." "I think he was more worried you were going to get hurt; it seemed like he did his best to protect you from what I saw," Remedy replied as she carefully got up. "But he did get hurt, at least a little. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life, not even when I realized that I had ETS. I just keep thinking about what I did," Cathy said mournfully. Remedy glanced down at Rosetta and considered whether to wake her to help talk to her sister. She finally decided against it. She'd let Rosetta get some more rest; Rosetta had dealt with a lot of anxiety from what happened as well, and sleep would be best for now. She got up and gestured for Cathy to follow her just outside. Cathy seemed hesitant about going outside the camper, but eventually got up and followed. It was late afternoon, maybe around six, but it didn't look like there were many ponies about the church grounds. Tonya was in her usual spot for directing pegasi teams, a few ponies were munching on haystacks, and Remedy could see pegasi in the distance, over where the woods were, trying to bring rain to the area. Cathy looked around with fear at the other ponies and the human guards, but most didn't give her too much notice. "So what went on after your sister and I went to bed?" Remedy asked. "First, the government guys had to calm down the humans that I wrecked the backyards of, that took a little while. Those humans really don't like me, and I can't blame them," Cathy said quietly as she stared down at her hooves. "Yeah, I can see how they would feel that way. On the plus side, at least none of them got hurt, and their houses seemed to contain the spread," Remedy said as she glanced at the pegasi bringing rain down on the woods. "Then a bunch of other ponies carefully went into the woods to check it out. They said that the ground was filled with magic and the woods were feeding on that rather than the normal nutrients. They couldn't tell if that was doing anything to the plants still, but they wanted to figure out how to get more nutrients in the soil for when the magic ran out. They said the magic is lessening, and they didn't think it would last a full day," Cathy explained, less hesitantly this time, and her ears picked up slightly. "Which is why they're watering the woods right now I guess," Remedy said. "Yeah, they also tore down a few trees to make paths, and said they are going to do a little burning, just enough so everything doesn't choke everything else out," Cathy explained. "So anything else?" Remedy asked. Cathy lowered her ears again. "Your mom took some earth ponies somewhere else, and tried to see if any of them could do the same thing. I'm not sure where they went, but they came back and said none of them even came close to doing what I did," Cathy said with a frown. "Guess that does make you special," Remedy said with a small smile. "I don't feel special, I feel like a monster or a freak. I just wanted to make plants grow the way the other earth ponies did, I didn't want this," Cathy said as she broke down in tears. Remedy came over and gave her a hug and patted her back as Cathy cried into Remedy's fur. "Hey, it's okay. No pony could have predicted that would all happen, but just like my mom said you can learn how to better control this with practice and do a lot of good," Remedy said soothingly as she tried to sooth the younger mare. "But it's like your mom called me, it's completely wild growth. I don't know how I'm supposed to control that, and it's dangerous," Cathy wept. "It was dangerous and wild in a random set of woods. Try to think of it in a more controlled setting. A clear field where you know where every seed is planted. You send your magic into that and if the seeds are planted in an organized fashion they should grow in an organized fashion. Those woods everything was just everywhere haphazardly; everything was trying to grow over everything else and there was no telling where anything would sprout from. It doesn't have to be that way," Remedy explained calmly. "That seems like it involves a lot of work just to make what I did safe," Cathy grumbled. "A lot of work that may well be worth it," Blessing's cheerful voice cut in. Remedy rolled her eyes as her mom had managed, yet again, to sneak up on her. Her mom's cutie mark should have been a ninja. They turned to see Sunset Blessing smiling and with an extra bounce in her trot as she came up to them. She certainly seemed in a good mood despite the disaster today. Remedy had figured that today's events might have scared some of the town reps into reconsidering whether they wanted ponies settling with them. "You seem in a good mood," Remedy observed skeptically as her mom came up and joined them. "I'm in a great mood actually. Besides having to deal with humans complaining about property damage, and how much of a menace we are, today has been full of God's gifts," Blessing said happily. "I don't see how," Cathy muttered. "Oh, you just don't understand yet how much good you've done yet. I'll be telling you all about it shortly. Let your mom know I am just going to gather up Tonya and be right over," Blessing said without lessening her cheer. Then she turned to Remedy. "Can you go find her father and her brothers and bring them back? I want to be able to tell everypony and human the great news together." Remedy looked at Cathy. Cathy blinked a time or two in confusion, but Blessing's positive mood seemed to calm her down. Cathy nodded and turned and went inside. "What's going on mom?" Remedy asked. "No spoilers before everypony is here, dear. Just get them all here and you'll find out soon enough," Blessing said with a smile. Remedy gave her mom another look before shrugging and taking to the air. She quickly found Roger and the twins inspecting the expanded woods Cathy had grown. Roger had a few bandages on him, but seemed no worse for wear. The boys were of course babbling on about their super powered sister. Remedy smiled as she thought about how the twins seemed nothing but proud of their sister, Rosetta and Cathy were very lucky to have such supportive family. She alerted the three that Blessing had arrived at the camper and dinner would be served soon. Roger said he would get back with the boys right away. It was only about a five minute walk at a brisk pace. She flew back and saw that Tonya had already delegated out to Amber directing duties and had now joined Remedy's mom outside the camper. Cathy, Rosetta, and Jean were all outside as well talking to them. Remedy came in at a low glide and landed easily near them. "Not enough space inside the camper for all of us eating dinner. Mama's going to bring a pair of folding tables out here to serve dinner," Rosetta explained as Remedy came up and nuzzled her. "What's for dinner?" Remedy asked. "Vegetarian chili," Jean said, as she briefly paused her own conversation with Blessing and Tonya, before turning and resuming her previous conversation. "Will definitely be better than hay again," Rosetta said happily to Remedy, then her brow furrowed a little before she continued. "I was a little worried when I woke up and you weren't right there. I figured out what was going on quickly when I heard you talking to Cathy, or Wild Growth if she prefers that, outside. I'm just used to having you right there though." "Yeah, I figured you needed your sleep and let you be when I woke up. Also I'm not sure what name Cathy prefers yet, haven't heard a preference. Think she's still so shaken up that she hasn't really thought about it at all. I'm not calling her Wild Growth until she says that's her name," Remedy explained. "I can hear you two you know, pony ears," Cathy said as she turned to them with an annoyed grimace and pointed a hoof at her ears. "Sorry, didn't mean to talk about you like you aren't right there," Rosetta said with a blush. "And just to let you know I don't know about my name yet. I'll think about it," Cathy said in a tone that said she was not comfortable with the subject. "I do think it's a good name, but it kind of requires you to be comfortable with what you can do. We won't pressure you," Rosetta said tenderly. "Are you comfortable with what I can do?" Cathy asked timidly. "It needs to be in a more controlled setting, sure, but it really is great. You're like a one pony answer to deforestation. Remedy's mom is right, that's a miracle, and you should be proud of what you can do," Rosetta said as she got up and placed a wing lovingly on her sister's shoulder. "Maybe, perhaps I'm just not thinking about it right. I just need to get the right perspective in my head," Cathy said as she hung her head. "You're about to get some help with that now that I see the rest of your family is here, and I can tell you all the good news," Blessing cut into the conversation. "Do you want to wait for dinner before telling us?" Jean asked. "No, we can talk about the details over dinner, but want to get the big news out right away," Blessing said happily as the family gathered around her and Tonya cuddled up close to her. Once she had her audience in place she launched into her explanation. "Alright, you definitely turned a lot of heads with what you did today, young mare," Blessing began as she looked at Cathy with a smile. "I had already brought up to the town representatives the idea of Westvaco possibly being persuaded to set up shop in their towns to observe pony farming, and it had gotten some interest. That's a big business, with potentially many employees, and money talks to humans. Then you went and showed you can grow a forest in a few minutes time. Do you have any concept of what that kind of value a pony of your abilities has to a company that specializes in paper products?" "I was actually thinking the same thing," Roger confirmed with a nod. "Some of them already contacted Westvaco and have already heard back. Westvaco is extremely excited to hear about you, and are going to be sending their CEO himself down to talk to you and to meet with these towns. You'd be providing potentially hundreds of jobs for humans in the region and securing the ponies here a safe and secure place to live," Blessing said with unrestrained glee. "So I'd be helping everypony and I'd be helping Papa keep his job?" Cathy asked with her mood picking up a bit. "All that and you would be doing a dream job for somepony who wants to grow things. You get to grow whole forests, and since you can do it in just minutes you can have plenty of free time to sit back and grow other things at a more normal rate or whatever else you might want to do. I told you, you will be a blessing for everypony and everyone," Blessing said with a smile. "That's if she agrees she wants to do that, you seem to be making promises on her behalf," Roger said severely. It was understandable that he was being protective of Cathy. Blessing really did seem to be taking it for granted that Cathy would just sign on for this. "That's up to her, Papa. Ask her what she wants to do," Rosetta said evenly. All eyes turned to Cathy, who shrank back under all the attention. She looked around at all the other ponies and pulled herself up in to a rigid perfect posture. "Papa, are there any downsides to me doing this? You work for them so you would know," Cathy said as bravely and maturely as her seventeen year old self could manage. "They may try to pressure you into moving elsewhere, or to go on extended trips for months at a time to regrow forests in multiple locations. This company has branches in thirty different countries. If you do this you would need to have someone make sure you aren't roped into being a tool with no freedom," Roger said, still showing serious concern. "So I need a lawyer or something to help me negotiate my services?" Cathy asked. "That would be a good idea. Without that they may try to take advantage of the fact your seventeen and a pony to sign you onto some contract that is completely unfair," Roger answered. "You've got a large amount of leverage as the only pony that can do this, and I'm sure I can find you a good lawyer. All these towns want you to stay local so they'll do whatever it takes to try to help you," Blessing interjected. "Um, just to add onto that," Tonya spoke up for the first time. "If you really are that valuable to them they aren't going to ever stop pestering you to do this if you say no. All you can do is either get a good contract or deal with the fact they won't ever leave you alone." Cathy looked determined as she looked at Blessing. "You promise me you will get me a good lawyer who will sit down with me and to help get me what I want before they start trying to pressure me?" Cathy asked. "I promise, you're too important to this community and I won't see any pony get hoodwinked on my watch," Blessing assured her. Then added in more. "Plus you're going to be family, and family takes care of one another." Cathy took a few steps back and turned around so she could see all her family at once. "Call me Wild Growth then, and I'll do my best to help everypony and all the humans in those towns," Wild Growth said with a smile, and her cutie mark briefly glowed as she spoke.