//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Partial Plight and Flight 
// Story: Pandemic: Aftermath 
// by ASGeek2012 
//------------------------------//

The irony was not lost on Jenny Tanner as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror one last time before she was to leave town that Tuesday morning. She remembered how the ordeal had started with her sister looking at herself in a mirror and wondering who was staring back. Was the Jenny staring back at her really the same Jenny prior to ETS?

She certainly looked like she was. Almost. The rehumanization process had mostly worked. Her blonde hair still had a very faint pink tinge when the light was right, and her eyes were still slightly purplish if one knew just how to look at them. Under her jeans and blouse were patches of thin blue fur which still clung to her thighs and hips.

Hands and feet were what they were supposed to be, and she had no equine appendages. As she raised a hand and clenched it into a fist, however, she reminded herself of her slightly elevated strength.

She could easily hide her lingering pony features from most, but there would always be those who knew. Data on it existed on ledgers somewhere, written first by the Equestrian mages who poked and prodded her to find out why the spell gave an incomplete result, and then by the scientists who poked and prodded her to ensure she was "human enough" not to worry about.

"Jenny, you ready yet?" came her Aunt Eileen's voice from downstairs.

"Yeah, almost," Jenny replied without taking her gaze from her reflection.

"I want to hit the road soon, it's gonna be a haul for my car up to Denver, and--" A loud clopping noise at the door interrupted Eileen's speech. "Hang on, that's probably Fire. He wanted a lift back to Denver."

Jenny turned away from the mirror and headed into her small bedroom, where she glanced out the window. She was going to miss the view. Colorado Springs was right at the base of the foothills, and the house faced them on the western edge of town. At night, she could see the flickering lights of the pony settlements just inside the homestead lands.

The Relief Center that Eileen had worked at was shutting down. Colorado Springs was officially "reclaimed territory", a provision of the Limited Pony Homestead Act. The military was moving in to create a new command center, and with it came the promise of a lot of jobs for humans. Ponies were not required to leave, but many had chosen to anyway.

This was not at all conducive to what Jenny wanted to pursue, and Eileen needed more of a purpose than being a waitress in a bar and grill catering to the military. Thus they had decided to make the exodus to Denver.

Jenny grabbed her suitcase -- heavier than what most her age could lift comfortably let alone easily -- and paused when she overheard the conversation downstairs.

"Fire, I'm not sure you understand just what the fuck you're asking of us," came Eileen's irritated voice.

"Believe me, I do!" came Fire Springs' heated response. "This was not my idea, but we're the only ones who can help her!"

Jenny ran for the stairs. "What's going on?" she asked as she descended.

An exasperated Eileen turned towards Jenny and said, "Fire has this brilliant idea that we should take a fugitive with us to Denver."

Jenny slowed her descent. "Uh, really?"

"She's not a fugitive," Fire protested.

"Tell that to the government," Eileen snapped. "See how far that gets you."

"She's done nothing wrong."

"That's not the point. All Partials are considered fugitives if they're not someplace where the feds can keep a close eye on them."

"Not all," said Fire. "Just the ones they think might have erratic magic."

"Oh, yeah, all the more reason to take her on an extended road trip in the confines of a car," Eileen retorted.

Jenny reached the bottom of the stairs and held the suitcase before her with both hands. "What are you talking about? A partial what?"

"You explain it to her," said Eileen as she turned away.

Fire stepped up to Jenny. "First off, it's good to see you again."

Jenny smiled faintly. "Yeah, same here. Did your Pony Council meeting go okay?"

"As best as can be expected," said Fire. "I didn't find the solution optimal, but it will do. I can tell you more about it in the car."

Jenny nodded. "So what's this about a partial ... something?"

"Partial pony," said Fire. "They've started to be called Partials, people who were caught in mid-transformation when the remaining magic fueling it was drained. They're too far along to be reversed, so only rehumanization will work for them. Some don't want to do it; they want to be fully pony instead."

"Which is not gonna happen anytime soon," Eileen interjected.

Fire's ears drooped. "I know that, but until cooler heads prevail, they don't deserve to be hounded like this. Especially not Beverly considering her upbringing. It's one of the reasons why she wants to complete the transformation."

"Beverly?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, her name is Beverly Kelton."

"Just how far pony is she?"

"Almost final phase," Fire said in a somber voice. "Ears, tail, rear hooves, and horn."

Jenny winced, remembering when she was at that stage. She couldn't stand up straight despite having learned to balance on her hooves.

"She's been hiding in a pony community northeast of here," Fire explained. "We wanted to take her into the Homestead lands, but with all the checkpoints being set up, that was proving to be difficult."

"Checkpoints?" Jenny said in confusion. "Why checkpoints?"

Eileen frowned. "Because some new fuckwad was appointed to head the Midwest Recovery Sector, and he wants to make a name for himself. Does the reason really matter?"

"So we thought it would be easier to get her into Denver instead," Fire continued. "Since it's about three-quarters pony even if its official status is contested."

"Why Denver, though?" asked Jenny. "Wouldn't it be better to sneak her off into the foothills before the military gets here?"

"She has a brother named Sam in Denver whom she wants to reunite with."

Eileen folded her arms. "Wait a minute. Did you say her last name was Kelton?"

"Yes," said Fire.

"My ex-boyfriend is Sam Kelton. Is he--?"

"The same one?" Fire said. "Yes, most likely, which was another reason I thought you could help."

Eileen snorted. "I haven't had contact with him since that day he refused to take me all the way into Lazy Pines. I figured he just wrote me off after that. How the hell could I be of help?"

"Can I ask a stupid question?" Jenny said. "Just why does the government want to round up Partials in the first place?"

"Because of their magic," said Fire.

Jenny's eyes widened, and she gripped the handle of her suitcase tightly enough to hear the plastic creak. "When my Mom was at that point, all she could do was throw sparks from her horn. What's the harm in that?"

"Don't expect the government to act logical," Eileen muttered. "They probably consider those sparks a threat to national security."

Fire averted his eyes for a moment. "Well, there may be more to it than that."

Eileen raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know for sure," said Fire. "Beverly is not exactly a very open person. She's got really deep trust issues due to some traumatic stuff from when she was a foal ... er, I mean child ... and I suspect there's something else going on with her that she's not letting on."

Eileen rolled her eyes. "Oh, great. So for all we know, she's a murderer or something."

Fire's ears drew back. "She would never do something like that!"

"You've only known about her for less than a day from what you've told me."

"Yes, but the ponies she's been living with for the past few months say she's nothing but very kind and quiet. She's desperate to be allowed to become fully pony. She feels that she'd be able to trust people again."

"Becoming a pony is not gonna solve all her problems," Eileen said.

"I don't want to get into that discussion," said Fire. "I only know what I've told you, and I'm trying not to make any judgments one way or the other."

Jenny's mind raced. Ever since Eileen had agreed to take her in so that she would have more contact with humans, she had since rediscovered her love for immersive fantasy. She curtailed it to avoid annoying others, as well as other issues she chose not to dwell upon.

Yet a situation like this allowed her to conjure up a fantastic setting around it with even greater ease than before. Already she saw this Partial as a poor peasant girl with an unfortunate curse who has been driven from her land, pursued by a corrupt Baron who claims he needs to protect others from her, but in truth wants her for his own nefarious ends.

Just as she started to consider her own role in this fantastic narrative, she cut it short; that was when things tended to get out of hand. Nevertheless, it prompted her to ask, "Fire, what about her magic? Is there something wrong with it?"

"That's just it, I'm not sure," said Fire. "The ponies I spoke with said they can sometimes sense odd magic surges around her."

"What kind of surges?" Eileen asked in a wary voice.

"Nothing dangerous, if that's what you're worried about. Just weak bursts of magic that seem to have no obvious effect. We'd love to have her examined by an Equestrian mage, but that means going through the government."

Eileen paused for a long moment before replying, "Well, at least she won't set fire to anything."

Jenny's earlier flight of fantasy tried to impinge itself on her thoughts again. She shook it off before saying, "Aunt Eileen, are you really going to do this?"

"I don't want to," Eileen said. "It means we can't take I-25 like I had wanted to. We'd have to take back roads most of the way to avoid running into too many checkpoints. If we can't get there in one day, we'd need someplace to stay overnight,"

"Colorado 83 could get us most of the way," Jenny said.

"It heads through a lot of pony settlements," said Fire. "Any one of them would welcome all of you."

"Yeah, but they're outside the Homestead lands," said Eileen. "Which means the government can barge in any time they want."

Fire's ears flattened. "It doesn't stop them from doing that inside the Homestead lands, either, what with their surveillance craft and the occasional FBI anti-magic raids."

Jenny stared. "Raids?"

"Well, raid in the sense that they're unwanted intrusions, not that they come in like cops breaking down your door with a search warrant. They're actually fairly calm affairs and most ponies take them in stride. The government is ensuring no forbidden magic is being practiced. It's mostly for show unless they actually have an Equestrian mage with them, but that's getting more rare now."

Eileen turned to Jenny. "What do you think? I don't want to make this decision alone, since you're gonna be pulled into whatever shit goes down."

Jenny had been afraid Eileen would ask her that. Legally, Eileen was her guardian until she reached eighteen and thus could make the decision for her. While she was grateful that Eileen recognized her independence, this was already a hard decision to make.

Her mental discipline faltered for a moment, and the fantastic setting swelled in her mind. She was the able but as yet unknown niece of the Countess, herself a brash but influential woman who nevertheless doted on her niece, wanting to see her make safe passage to the neighboring kingdom of colorful, magical creatures, accompanied by their ambassador. The Countess had been entrusted with this escort before this new wrinkle in their plans, and now--

"Jenny?" Eileen prompted. "You okay?"

Jenny blinked rapidly when Eileen's concerned tone shattered the vision. "Oh, um, sorry. I want to meet Beverly first. We could do that without any trouble, right? If we didn't actually take her with us after that, the government wouldn't have anything on us."

"It's only about a half-hour's drive from here," said Fire with a tone of hope in his voice. "I'm sure once you get to know her, you'll want to help her."

"That's what I'm afraid of," said Eileen in a softer tone of resignation. "All right, come on, let's hit the road."





Beverly caught the glow of unicorn magic out of the corner of her eye, and she turned her attention away from the screen of the tablet PC. She smiled at her friend as the butter pallet was levitated to the table before her. "Thank you."

"Do you need some help?" asked the green-furred, yellow-haired unicorn mare when she saw Beverly flexing her fingers.

"No, I think I got it." Beverly closed her still slightly stiff fingers around the butter knife. "It's almost worn off by now."

Beside her, the tablet's screen faded as it hibernated. The first thing she had done after receiving it was set the power saver on a very short cycle to preserve what battery it had left. As with many pony communities, there was no electricity, since ponies didn't pay utility bills and did not generate their own power yet.

Her gaze flitted among the communal breakfast gathering. She sat in what had once been a restaurant, where now its patrons brought their own food to share with others. Light and heat for cooking were provided by a combination of wood fire and pony magic. While the weather was still warm, they all had breakfast outside, but that morning the air was a bit nippy for most. Only pegasi -- with their inherent resistance to cold -- would be comfortable, but here they mingled along with the other tribes.

Beverly's hands moved slowly and methodically. Every morning she awoke with her hands curled up as if they intended to become hooves, and sometimes she would stare at them hoping it would actually happen. Instead, she remained as she was, caught in an in-between stage straddling two worlds.

She sat almost as the other ponies did, her rose-red tail curled around her hips and in her lap. Her white-furred legs ended in hooves which felt as natural to her as feet once had. Her ears swiveled as soft conversation buzzed around her. Even in large gatherings, ponies never subjected her to boisterous bursts of noise that seemed to accompany human conversation.

Yet the usual morning routine was edged with excitement over the Pony Council. Despite ponies no longer being connected to social media, they had their own way of disseminating information quickly. Ponies had a saying: news traveled fastest on pegasus wings.

Beverly was drawn into the conversation as if she were simply another pony, allowing her the illusion that she was an integral part of their community instead of someone who only had her hoof in the door. She turned to her green unicorn friend and said, "Do you think anything will come of this, Minty?"

Mint Julep uttered a heartfelt sigh. "I certainly hope so. I can't stand not knowing what will become of us."

Beverly smiled as she thought of her friend's name. She really liked pony names, as they were often rather descriptive of the pony's appearance, talent, and in some cases both. In Minty's case, she had been a bartender before the transformation, and her skill had carried over into her pony form. Ponies could consume alcohol, though their smaller mass meant they could drink nowhere near as much as a human.

Her smile faded. What would she do if she ever managed to become fully pony? She could scarcely see how her former human occupation -- that of a quality assurance engineer for an electronics firm -- would be at all useful among ponies. She tried to tell herself she would find a means to use her unicorn magic in other capacities, but that assumed she would ever get to that end state.

"They can't keep ignoring you," Beverly said. "Maybe they can ignore people like me, but not you."

Minty gave her a supportive smile and lay a hoof over her hand. "Please, don't despair, Bev. They can't go on forever pretending people like you don't exist."

Beverly's eyes glistened. Had that been a human hand, she would have either pulled her hand away or sit squirming in discomfort. A pony hoof, however, she could trust.

She had heard all the rhetoric that ponies had been "brainwashed" into this state of mutual support and pacifism. She still longed to be part of it. She had already made far more friends than she ever had in her life. That rehumanization could not be forced on her without her consent was moot; the lack of choice to go fully the other way felt just as restrictive.

"If we can get you to see your brother in Denver--" Minty began.

Beverly withdrew her hand so she could take a bite from her roll. "I'm not sure how much help he would be."

"You've told me that he always protected you while you were growing up."

Beverly shuddered. "He could only do so much, like warn me when father was getting drunk again."

Warnings were all that could be done, at least until Sam was old enough. She still remembered that day when Sam was seventeen, and their father had been in one of his worst alcohol-induced rages yet. Sam had socked him in the jaw hard enough to send him to the hospital.

"From what I've heard, he's human," Beverly continued. "He didn't come down with the flu until just before ETS was cured."

"But he's still family," Minty said, emphasizing the point with a clop of her fore-hoof against the table. "And family matters."

Beverly envied Minty; she had a human brother who fully supported her decision to remain a pony. "I'm not sure what he could do for me."

"Maybe he can help you get in touch with more people like you."

Beverly's ears drooped. "Most Partials are still penned up in those camps on the chance that they'll give in and agree to rehumanize."

Minty paused to levitate a pitcher of apple juice and refill her glass. "You haven't talked much about your time in that camp."

Beverly's tail twitched. "It wasn't exactly fun."

Minty topped off Beverly's glass as well before setting the pitcher down. "We've heard some rather nasty stories. I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it."

Beverly didn't feel so much like she wanted to as had to. Never among humans had she ever felt she could share her feelings like this. "We were never physically abused, but we still felt like inmates in a prison. Many of the others were not as far along as I was, and most agreed to rehumanize. But anytime somepony objected, they got sent for more counseling, which was little more than being browbeat about how wrong we were to want to become ponies."

Minty's ears flattened. "That's terrible! They treated you like you didn't know your own mind."

"In their eyes, I didn't. I was mentally ill, and making me human again would fix all that." Beverly frowned. "I even overheard one of the psychologists use the word 'delusional.' She was the worst. She once had a Partial run from her office in tears, and she was practically screaming at him in her frustration."

"Hmph," Minty snorted. "One wonders how she got her position in the first place."

"To be fair, she was forced to resign after that," said Beverly.

"Still, that's little solace for people like you who just want to live their lives and be happy. That's all any of us want." Minty looked thoughtful. "Didn't human rights' groups have anything to say about this?"

"Yes, they did," said Beverly. "And that got some of them freed. But people like me were considered too dangerous a threat."

Minty looked askance at her. "How in the world could somepony as sweet as you be a threat?"

Beverly smiled briefly at the compliment. "They wouldn't give me a straight answer, just something about how their measuring and monitoring equipment didn't work right when they examined me."

"That seems like a flimsy excuse to me to--"

Minty was interrupted when a familiar voice cried out, "Hey, Bev!"

Beverly turned her head in time to see a blue-furred pegasus with cyan hair trot over to her table. Her eyes flicked to his haunches just to admire his cutie mark: an image of a sun shining high over a broad landscape. Goggles lay over his eyes, and he exuded that "fresh from the skies" scent that many pegasi did after an extended flight. "What is it, Clear?"

Clear Skies smiled. "Just wanted to let you know that Fire Springs is on his way here, and he's got his friend Eileen and her niece Jenny with him."

Beverly's ears drew back slightly. Despite trusting her pony friends not to expose her to humans who would harm her, she still faced the prospect of human interaction with some trepidation. "Are they going to take me to Denver?"

"That's the idea, and it might not be a moment too soon."

Minty gave him a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"I just got back from a flyover of Colorado Springs," said Clear. "Or at least as much as our wing could do before being warned off by a military helicopter. They got a lot more activity going on there then we were led to believe."

Beverly's heart sank.

Minty gasped. "You're not thinking that they're going to run us out of here, are you?"

"We don't know yet," said Clear. "But my wing leader is worried enough that he's keeping patrols flying non-stop so we get some warning."

Minty hopped off her seat. The general din of conversation rapidly faded as other ponies turned their attention towards them. "We knew they might try to run us out of here, since we're not on Homestead lands, but I'm finding the timing very suspicious."

Beverly swallowed hard. "Are you saying that they know I'm here?"

"They might not," said Clear. "As far as we can see, Fire and his friends are not being followed. They'll be here in another ten minutes."

Minty turned to Beverly. "I think you better plan to leave here in a hurry, just in case."

Beverly sighed and looked around. "As much as I knew this would happen eventually, and I really do want to see my brother again, I don't want to leave all of you."

Minty smiled and drew Beverly into a hug. Clear and several other ponies did as well in quick succession, making Beverly tear up. This is what trust and belonging felt like. This is what she wanted to be a part of.

This was what still eluded her grasp.





Jenny had little idea what to expect after Eileen pulled the SUV off Colorado State 83 at a point where there was no official road, just a stretch of ground that had been trodden smooth by earth pony hooves. It was one thing to see a pony community as a pony, quite another as a human. After rehumanization, all her time had been spent in Colorado Springs, where ponies were not as ubiquitous as they were elsewhere, and scarcely at all once the Homestead lands were formed and the city declared a recovered human settlement.

Its aging engine labored as the car wound down the narrow road, trees rising on either side. Eileen had to pay near her life savings to afford even a twenty year old used car; ever since, they had been relying on Fire and his pony friends for basic amenities.

Jenny could think of any number of fantastic spins for this part of the trip but fought to keep herself grounded in reality. "I'm not familiar with this area. Where are we exactly?"

"About six miles northeast of Briargate," said Fire from the back seat. "Which itself is a northern suburb of Colorado Springs."

"Isn't that dangerously close to the city?"

"Well, we didn't exactly expect Colorado Springs to become a danger," said Fire, his voice stuttering as the car rolled over a wash-boarded section of road. "The military moving in was a surprise."

"Not really," Eileen said. "The city has had a military presence for some time."

"I thought they had pretty much left after they shut down Cheyenne Mountain," said Jenny.

"Once the military gets their claws on a place, they don't ever really let go." The car lurched to one side as it hit a depression. "Ugh, no offense, Fire, but ponies don't know jack shit about putting a proper road together."

"The settlement was meant to be accessible from I-25," said Fire. "During the last few days of the ETS crisis, there were large groups of transforming humans or newly transformed ponies wandering along main roads looking for help. A settlement accessible from a highway exit would be easier for them to see."

"And who really owns this land?" Eileen asked.

"They don't know, and they had hoped not to have to worry about it." Fire's voice took on a more somber tone. "Realize that this settlement was founded in part by people caught in that last accelerated surge of transformation. I-25 had become a parking lot due to the sheer number of people evacuating, several accidents, and the shutdown of the transportation grid. People who left their homes with only colored hair and maybe the ears and tail wound up with hooves, horns, and wings while they waited in traffic."

The road widened into a clearing, and color exploded before them as ponies gathered at the edge of their settlement, looking on curiously as Eileen parked the car.

"A reception committee?" Eileen remarked in a wary voice.

"I'm sure recent events have piqued their curiosity," said Fire.

Jenny stared through the windshield. Despite having become human, she still felt a slight affinity for them. Even up to the very moment the rehumanization spell was about to be applied, she wondered if it would fizzle like it did for others who truly did not want to go back.

Yet she had always maintained that her transformation had been on false pretenses, and that alone had been enough conviction. She had been told that the lingering pony-like aspects had nothing to do with her attitude towards the procedure.

Nonetheless, despite her sense of connection, she did find their universal friendliness a little eerie. While many ponies were insistent that they were thinking for themselves rather than slavishly following a vision, they still had a pronounced herd instinct.

As she left the car, she wrapped her arms around herself against the morning chill. The one thing she did envy about ponies was their fur coats.

Fire appeared quite delighted with the reception and surged forward. "Good day to you all! I come accompanied only by those who want to be our friends."

Jenny sensed this was some sort of ritual among strangers appearing in a settlement. She still remembered the vision which had been imparted to her on the day her transformation completed. The question what have you learned still resonated with her despite having lost their original impact.

On some level, she was enjoying this. It played to her love of fantasy despite the fact that hundreds of millions of people transformed into an alien species was the reality of the moment. So long as she kept it to a low level in the back of her mind, she could afford to indulge.

She glanced at the crowd. Were some ponies looking at her curiously, or was that just her imagination? Even the mint-green unicorn who stepped forward from the others, the sun playing off her bright yellow mane and her cocktail-glass cutie mark, let her gaze linger on Jenny for a moment before addressing them all. "Welcome. My name is Mint Julep, but you can call me Minty. I'm a friend of Beverly. I can take you to her, but ..." She hesitated, her eyes flicking to Eileen. "I should warn you, she's a bit skittish around humans, especially loud-voiced ones."

Eileen smirked. "Like me."

Minty averted her gaze, her ears twitching. "I hadn't wanted to say it, but ... well ..."

"Yeah, I know, my reputation precedes me," Eileen said. "I plan to let Jenny do most of the talking."

Jenny flicked a surprised look at her aunt, but Eileen appeared not to notice it, or chose not to. Jenny managed not to frown; as much as she liked Aunt Eileen, her aunt did have a tendency not to voice her plans ahead of time.

"This way," said Minty as she turned away, swishing her tail once.

"I'll catch up," said Fire. "I want to check in with the pegasus patrols and see what the latest news is."

The other ponies wandered away in groups. Minty led them past a set of thatched-roof houses sized for ponies. Many were of recent construction, and through a gap in the trees, Jenny caught sight of where the weeds were reclaiming some ramshackle constructions comprised mainly of pre-built human-made parts. She also caught sight of a clearly human house, though the state of its lawn suggested no one was living there at the moment.

Eileen had seen it as well and commented, "Yeah, someone owns this land."

"We like to think that we own it now," said Minty.

Jenny wanted to believe that as well. The dwellings were not for show; ponies stood before them conversing with neighbors; little pony foals ran and played with one another. It looked like any closely-knit human community might.

"We've made this place our own," Minty continued in an almost pleading tone. "We've worked the land and improved it. We even started to trade goods with the nearby human communities of Black Forest and Eastonville. They love the fruit we can grow here when it's out of season elsewhere. It's how we got Beverly her tablet PC so she has something to do, though we don't have any way to charge the battery for her."

"Maybe we can scrounge up a car charger for her," Jenny suggested. She had not added "if we take her with us" as she didn't want to disappoint Minty. She hoped her aunt would take the hint that she would rather Beverly join them.

Minty led them into one of the pony dwellings, and Jenny and Eileen had to duck their heads. Despite the lack of electricity, the interior was warm and bright. Wood-framed furniture was covered in cushions styled and shaped for pony haunches. Ornate lamps glowed in the far corners, powered by simple unicorn spells. Jenny caught a whiff of wood smoke, drawing her gaze to flickering flames and smoldering coals in the fireplace.

Minty paused by the hearth. Her horn glowed, and she rearranged some of the logs and coals. Her horn brightened, and the flames leapt and roared, bright enough for Jenny to squint slightly as the unburned logs caught fire. By the time her horn quiesced, the fire had settled and spread out into a more even configuration.

"How did you do that?" Jenny suddenly blurted. "That wasn't a simple levitation spell."

Eileen frowned. "Or a firestarter spell, either."

"No, it wasn't," Minty said with a faint blush. "It's a fire manipulation spell. It means we can get by on fewer Equestrian imports of fire crystals or more clunky chemical means."

"Hang on," Eileen said. "There's no way that's even a remotely approved spell."

Minty turned more fully towards them. "No, it isn't."

"Then just where the hell did you get it?"

Minty averted her eyes, lifting a fore-hoof briefly. "I'd rather not say. It's not that I don't want to trust you, I'm just not sure how you'll react if I tell you."

"Maybe it's better we don't know," Jenny suggested.

"Hey, I'm only thinking of these ponies," said Eileen. "I don't want to see them get in trouble. Just the fact that they're not abiding by the clean air laws regarding burning wood is enough to get them in trouble."

"The pegasi already handle that," said Minty. "They regularly scrub the smoke from the air, and the earth ponies incorporate the soot into the soil where they change it somehow to make the soil more fertile."

Eileen paused. "Huh. I didn't know they could do that."

"You see what I mean?" Minty said. "What threat do we pose to humans? We give back to the land exactly what we take from it." She sighed, her ears drooping. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go off like that."

"Don't worry about it," Eileen said. "I'm the one who often defends ponies when other people pick arguments with me over it."

Jenny frowned as she felt her cell phone briefly vibrate, wondering who could be sending her a text now. Yet when she took out her phone, instead of a pending text, she saw her phone's boot screen.

"In talking to Beverly, I feel like humans don't care, that they want the world to go back to what it was," said Minty. "It's little wonder why a lot of ponies feel sympathy for Sunset Shimmer despite not explicitly following the Shimmerist philosophy."

Jenny still could not hear the name Sunset Shimmer without shuddering, though it was the one thing that could firmly ground her in reality and in her humanity. It had been that alien pony who had interfered with her life and sent it down its current path.

She let her phone finish its spontaneous reboot just to ensure it came back on okay before shoving it into her back pocket.

"Let's not delay any further, or I'll just keep rambling on," said Minty. "Let me take you to Beverly."





Beverly had heard the voices in the next room, but it did little to divert her attention from the book which sat closed before her on the table. She tried to envision what the other unicorns had taught her about activating the runes of the levitation spell. This used to garner a few sparks from her horn, but lately she had not had even that.

She finally relented and flicked her eyes over to the dark screen of the tablet PC. Likely permanently dark now, as she had seen the last bar of battery disappear before it warned her about low power. She was sure she had drained it this time.

She jerked her gaze back to the door, though not merely at the sound of Minty's approaching hooves. She had sensed something similar to when approached by a unicorn she had never met. Despite her Partial state, Beverly shared one thing in common with full unicorns: they sensed each other's inherent magic field. Had another pony joined Fire's friends?

Yet when the door opened, the only pony present was Minty. Beverly's ears flattened at the sight of the humans, but slowly rose when she noticed that odd sensation was stronger now, as if a pony were hidden behind the humans despite the absence of a second set of hooves.

"Bev, this is Jenny and Eileen," Minty said.

Beverly blinked and stared at Jenny.

Jenny had been staring back, but now she took an awkward step forward. "Um, hi. We, uh, wanted to meet you before we ... uh ..."

Beverly's eyes suddenly widened "Are you a Partial, Jenny?"

Jenny looked rather flummoxed by the question, and Eileen's eyebrows rose. "Uh, no," Jenny finally said. "What gave you that idea?"

Beverly's gaze darted over Jenny and saw the faint pinkish tinge of her hair and the purple of her eyes. Yet that was the only outward physical sign of anything remotely pony-like. In all other respects, she looked perfectly human.

"I'm rehumanized," Jenny said in a low voice.

Beverly's ears drew back. "But--"

"They're not here to try to convince you to do that," Minty said.

"No, of course not," said Jenny.

"But you have a magic aura," said Beverly in confusion.

"It's just something left over. All it means is that I still have some lingering strength. Nothing more than that."

Beverly tilted her head. Jenny had been an earth pony? That was not what Beverly was picking up, but she could not claim to be an expert on magic.

"I'm not the only one like this," said Jenny. "The government just doesn't like to talk about it much. There's only a small number of us. For all I know, the Equestrians have fixed whatever went wrong. I consider myself human."

Beverly heard the defensiveness in Jenny's tone, but she thought she sensed a bit of desperation as well. In either case, she didn't want an argument. With as many arguments as she had with humans over magic, she didn't want to repeat it here, especially with a girl she felt at least some affinity towards. "Are you here to take me to Denver?"

"That's what we'd like to do, yes," said Jenny.

Beverly's eyes flicked to Eileen. "All of you are going?"

"It's my aunt's car."

Beverly knew Eileen only by reputation, but the woman reminded her too much of her father: loud and foul-mouthed. She tried to tell herself that the resemblance likely ended there; Fire would not be friends with her were she prone to verbal tirades or -- worse -- drunken violence.

As if sensing her misgivings, Eileen cleared her throat and said, "Look, I know I'm not the easiest person to get along with, but that's my problem, not yours. I just want to do the right thing."

Beverly thought she heard sincerity in Eileen's voice, yet after having been held against her will by humans who wanted to change her into something she didn't want to be, having to place her safety in the hands of more humans was difficult. Despite her best efforts, her mind entertained the idea that this was some sort of trick, that she was going to be taken back to one of the camps.

"And what Jenny and Minty said was right," Eileen continued. "We're not here to change your mind about anything. We just want to see you safe."

Beverly curled her tail around her hips. "I want to believe you."

"I think you can, Bev," Minty said. "And to be honest, ponies can help you only so much. We need to have faith that some humans truly want to help us."

Before Beverly could reply, she was startled by the sound of a hoof banging against Minty's door. "Minty! Can we come in? It's urgent!"

"Shit, this can't be good," Eileen muttered.

Beverly's heart hammered as Minty called out. "Fire, yes, of course, come in!"

The front door burst open, and two sets of pony hooves galloped forth. Fire Springs appeared alongside Clear Skies. "We have to get Bev out of here right now!" Fire declared, emphasizing his words with a stomp of a fore-hoof.

"What's going on?" Minty asked.

Clear frowned and lifted his goggles. "The military's happened, that's what. A convoy just turned off I-25 onto Baptist Road. That'll lead them straight into the settlement. They'll be here in ten minutes."

"What? Why?!" Minty cried.

"I can almost guarantee they're coming to force us to resettle in the Homestead lands."

"Or they know I'm here," Beverly said in a miserable voice.

"They can't force you from here," Jenny said. "Can they?"

"The government can do whatever it damn well pleases," Eileen muttered.

"That's not what I mean! They can't use force against the ponies. Equestria has forbidden that as part of them agreeing to help."

"They don't have to use force," Clear said. "What do we have to defend ourselves with when our unicorns aren't even allowed basic defense spells?"

Jenny frowned. "I seem to remember being pretty damn strong when I was an earth pony."

"Earth pony strength only goes so far," said Fire. "We would have to use enough to actually hurt humans, and then that would trigger the exception they negotiated for cases of self defense."

"And we don't want to hurt anypony," said Minty. "Or any humans for that matter."

"This isn't fair!" Jenny cried. "They're taking advantage of pony pacifism to get what they want. Minty was right, what harm are they doing here?"

"Welcome to the real world, kid," Eileen deadpanned. "Look, we don't have time to debate this. We have to get Beverly out of here before the military goons arrive."

"Do they have time to get away?" Minty asked in a fearful voice. "The military always sends out their helicopters for recon ahead of their convoys. They'll spot them leaving in a heartbeat."

Clear smirked. "Two can play this game of taking advantage of the other's limitations. The other pegasi have started conjuring up a rain shower over the settlement and feigning confusion at the approaching copters. They won't get too close if there's any danger of accidentally hurting us, and the clouds will foul up their visual surveillance. Infra-red won't work either if we mess with the thermals."

"Until they start hauling out the rubber bullet guns," Eileen said.

"We've got our strongest up there," said Clear. "They can take a few bruises."

"It will buy you time," Fire said. "But only if we leave now."

Beverly stood, and Minty rushed forward to embrace her. "I'm really going to miss you, Bev."

Beverly trembled as she hugged her unicorn friend. "Same here," she said in a choked voice. 

Minty drew back and smiled, though her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Try to let us know how you're doing, and stay safe."

Beverly thought the latter a tall order. She looked towards the two humans with whom she had to entrust her life. This had been perhaps the hardest decision she had to make since this nightmare started.

"A-all right," Beverly said in a shaky voice. "Let's go."





"Sir, the pegasi are purposely stalling us," the military commander's voice crackled over the speaker phone. "There's no other reason for them refusing our initial demands to stand down."

FBI Midwest Recovery Sector regional director Matthew Fuller leaned back slightly in his chair. "What are your recommendations, commander?"

"That we escalate to level three firm persuasion."

Matthew considered. "Firm persuasion" was simply another way of expressing the use of non-deadly force without using that pesky word "force" and thus risk violating the letter of the treaty with Equestria. "Skipping over level two, commander?"

"It's my opinion that they've already countered level two," said the commander. "They have their biggest and strongest pegasi out there. They would shrug off a few rubber bullets."

Matthew sighed. That was always the trouble in dealing with ponies. Despite their small size and pacifistic nature, wielding only passive magic made them a force to be reckoned with.

He was usually grateful he could take advantage of the chaos in Washington to operate with relative autonomy. Of all the Recovery Sectors, he felt, his made the most progress. Until, unfortunately, that day. "Negative on level three."

"Sir, we're almost positive they're harboring that fugitive Partial."

"I'm well aware of that, commander, but the problem now is one of timing."

"The delegation from the Homestead lands?"

"Yes."

"Then what are your orders, sir? They've made the clouds pretty thick and are spreading them further east. We're quickly losing the window of opportunity."

Matthew was tempted to go ahead with level three -- which would involve the use of long-range tasers -- but the last thing he needed was a severe injury from a pegasus dropping from the skies. Level three really skirted the line with the definition of the word "force", but he would have risked it had not the order come down from the FBI Director in Washington to scale back resettlement activities if they could be interpreted as anti-pony.

Matthew frowned. Equestria had been all too quick to jump on the announcement of a delegation from the so-called Pony Council. It was another step towards wresting control of a sizable chunk of the country. Already the pony lands were an affront to American sovereignty; had these been humans, it would have been called insurrection. Washington was concerned about not being seen as waging war on ponies, but in Matthew's mind, the ponies had fired the opening salvo.

"Sometimes, commander, Equestria says 'jump' and we must ask 'how high,'" Matthew said in a cordial voice tinged with resentment. "Back off from the pegasi, but by no means accept any attempt to slow the convoy itself."

"Yes, sir," said the commander. "What of the fugitive Partial?"

"Set up checkpoints on as many approaches into southern Denver as possible, but stay clear of the disputed zone border."

"That will hamper the effort if we toe the line that closely, sir."

"We have little choice in the matter."

"Very well, sir," said the commander. "Any changes or updates to our objectives?"

"No change," said Matthew. "These ponies were scheduled for relocation before the Pony Council convened, and either Equestria had chosen not to request that we stop, or officials in Washington had the backbone to push back."

"Very well, sir," said the commander in a more obedient tone. "Proceeding with all operations as normal. Out."

Matthew tapped the button to close the call at his end. He glanced at the calendar on his computer screen. His next appointment had been scheduled for over twenty minutes prior, and given who it was, he was sure the man was still waiting patiently.

He thumbed the intercom. "Kelsey?"

"Yes, sir?" came the voice of his assistant.

"Is Heller still there?"

"He is. Shall I send him in?"

"Do so." Matthew put on his best smile as the door opened. "Thank you so much for your patience, Mr. Heller. I was unavoidably detained."

Field Agent Anthony Heller smiled in return as he closed the door behind him. "Perfectly understandable, all things considered."

"Please, have a seat," said Matthew, gesturing to the chair before his desk. He turned towards his computer. "I took the liberty of pulling up your file before you arrived."

"Oh?" Anthony asked as he sat.

"In the short time you've been assigned to Denver, you've had an impressive track record."

"Ah, thank you, sir," said Anthony in a reserved voice. "But perhaps your praise is a bit premature. We're still waiting for a lot of cases to wind their way through the courts. They're hideously backed up right now. In a few cases, charges were dropped altogether due to claims of lack of evidence."

Matthew turned more fully towards Anthony and laced his fingers. "Not every case is going to be a win. You just do the best you can and hope the courts do the rest."

"It can still be a little frustrating, to be perfectly honest."

"I'm no stranger to that in my own role," said Matthew.

"It's interesting that we should come around to that," said Anthony. "For it's your role I wanted to speak about."

Matthew leaned back slightly but said nothing.

"May I speak candidly, sir?"

"Always, Heller," Matthew declared. "You have a reputation for saying what needs to be said even if it makes people uncomfortable."

Anthony nodded once. "My concern has to do with your dual role. At the same time that you are nominal head of the regional sector, you also are head of PONAT in this area."

PONAT -- the Pony Anti-violence Taskforce -- had been created in the wake of ETS at the order of the President as both a means to show the country that he still considered ponies to be citizens deserving of the full protections of the law and as a gesture of good will to Equestria. Anthony had been one of the first agents to sign up, even though it meant a demotion from his previous post.

Matthew nodded. "Yes, that's correct."

"This is the only sector in which that is the case."

"It's part of my plan to increase our efficiency," said Matthew. "This office already shoulders the task of tracking ponies, their location, their abilities, and so on. Therefore, when acts of violence against ponies arise, having one command structure made more sense."

"I realize that, sir," said Anthony. "But I'm concerned about a potential conflict of interest."

Matthew had a distinct feeling this was where Anthony was going, as much as he had hoped he was wrong. He had not been pleased to discover that he would have Anthony Heller under his command. Anthony was a loose cannon, and due to his extensive connections in Washington, a tough one to tighten down.

He gestured for Anthony to continue.

"I imagine you're facing enormous pressure from higher up, as well as your own need to see that you're getting results. I'm afraid this may lead to a less than optimum situation with regards to prosecuting acts of violence against ponies."

"You wouldn't be coming to me with this unless you had something more than vague supposition, Heller," said Matthew. "Out with it."

"Very well," Anthony said. "I couldn't help but notice that the cases which either get dropped or have the most legal hurdles thrown against them are ones involving connections with Humanity First."

Matthew made a mental note not to underestimate Anthony's powers of perception again. "And what conclusion have you drawn from this?"

"That this office -- likely through an innocent yet no less serious oversight -- may have failed to press those cases, perhaps due to political pressure."

And yet those powers were not infinite. "I can assure you that there has been no such oversight. You must realize that when you face a prominent and very active political group, it will be hard to make such things stick. We have to trust that the courts will ensure that proper justice is done."

"Yes, sir."

Anthony's neutral tone strongly suggested that he needed more to satisfy him. Matthew had to play the game a little longer. "Right now, Humanity First is in the limelight. They have a groundswell of support from people who do not trust that the current political climate is listening to human concerns. Thus they have deep pockets, and for better or for worse, it means they can hire the best lawyers."

"A given," said Anthony in that same maddening neutral tone. "All the more reason why we should put more pressure on the courts to ensure that justice is not decided by those who have the most money."

"Both your concern and your dedication are noted and appreciated," said Matthew. "Rest assured that I am doing all I can. We must also consider the possibility that Humanity First is indeed innocent of supporting violence against ponies. Anyone can claim that they are operating in the name of an entity when instead they were merely inspired by them."

"Of course, that could indeed be true with some of the cases I have remanded to the courts," said Anthony.

Matthew knew that tone of voice; it meant he had something else up his sleeve.

"But what if I told you that I believe I have evidence of direct collusion between Humanity First and the FRD?"

Matthew unlaced his fingers and lay his hands flat on the desk as he drew himself up straight in his seat. The Front Range Defenders had claimed responsibility not only for attacks on ponies but bombings of businesses or homes of people who voiced support for them. Officially, the FRD was considered a domestic terrorist group, originating from pockets of survivalists who had holed up deep in the Rocky Mountains within Homestead lands.

"That's a very serious charge, Heller," Matthew said in a grave voice. "Just where are you going with this?"

"I believe when you review the case, you will see that I have enough evidence to request a search warrant and thus authorize a raid on the Humanity First office in Denver," said Anthony. "I believe their records will show payments to organizations with ties to the FRD."

Matthew narrowed his eyes. "You realize what position you're putting us in if you're wrong. In a little over a month, there are several crucial special elections that could shift the balance of power in Congress. Almost all the pony congressmen whom the President had seated via Executive Order are up for recall elections, not to mention seats vacated by those who chose not to pursue their original careers after their transformation."

Avoiding deep investigations right before an election was nothing new. It was never an official policy of the FBI, yet when that "rule" was violated in past presidential elections, the organization took heat for it.

Anthony gave Matthew a level look. "All the more reason to pursue this, sir. The people have a right to know if who they're voting for has financed domestic terrorism."

"They're right about what they say about you, Heller," said Matthew in a softer voice. "You know how to play hardball."

"Honestly, I'm just doing my job. I'm sworn to protect the people of this country. That some of those people happen to have hooves makes no difference to me."

Matthew could have gone on about the subtle legal distinctions between ponies and humans but knew it would fall on deaf ears. Moreover, PONAT was the pet project of the President and had his full backing. Until the next presidential election unseated him or Congress could unify against him -- the latter not likely in the present political climate -- this is how things would be for the foreseeable future.

"I'll consider this case very carefully, rest assured," said Matthew. "Is there anything else?"

"No, sir."

"Then let me not keep you, I am sure you're anxious to get back to Denver."

Anthony stood, and Matthew followed. They shook hands, and Anthony marched out.

Matthew let out a slow sigh. If he knew Heller, the man likely had a compelling case, at least enough for a judge worth his salt to grant a search warrant. While he understood Heller was indeed just doing his job, it was complicating Matthew's goals; he had a chance to nip pony sovereignty in the bud, and he didn't want to lose it.

He headed out into the reception area once he was sure Heller was gone. His assistant Kelsey turned towards him. "Yes, sir?"

"What's the latest intel on the Pony Council delegation?" Matthew asked.

"Boulder Command is prepared to intercept the delegation and bring them here," said Kelsey. "Drone surveillance reports indicate that Sunrise Storm will be with them."

Matthew saw that as good news; it was another piece of needed leverage.





Warned in time by her friends among the magical beings of the peaceful settlement, the Countess whisked away the cursed peasant girl before the forces of the evil Baron could descend upon them. Yet now as their carriage raced out of the town, a sense of uncertainty settled upon those who sought to escape to the safety of the magic kingdom to the north, such a short distance on a map, but may have well been a continent away considering--

The car lurched, and the seatbelt locked as Jenny was tossed forward. She blinked rapidly as her fantastic narrative retreated, and she peered past the rain-streaked windshield. A group of about a half-dozen humans raced across route 83, a few waving their thanks.

"What's going on?" Jenny asked. "Are they going into the pony settlement?"

"Where have you been for the last ten minutes?" Eileen said as she started forward again. "This is the third time it's happened."

"The first group were carrying signs," said Beverly from the back seat.

"Yes, I imagine they're going to set up a protest along the route of the convoy," said Fire, who sat next to her. "See, this is what I was trying to explain to the council. There are plenty of humans who think this whole us-versus-them mentality is just plain wrong."

"Unfortunately, not enough of them are calling the shots," Eileen said.

"But even this recent turn of events is unusual. It's only been in the last few days that there's been this much military activity."

"Stop being so naive, Fire. This is in direct response to the council."

"But the whole purpose was to extend the hoof of friendship, not to declare a war on humans, yet they're acting as if we have!"

Jenny wrapped her arms around herself as if she had been drenched by the cold rain outside. She glanced at Eileen, eyes flicking over her Aunt's hands on the wheel and her foot on the pedals, trying to better ground herself in reality no matter how much the narrative tugged at the back of her mind.

"Yeah, I get it, but the feds are all too aware of the Shimmerists and their influence," said Eileen.

"Even they would never advocate harming humans," Fire retorted. "Most of them, anyway."

"That's not the point. Shimmerists want to break away from the country completely. That's what the feds see as the threat. The fact that you guys look like you've united means they think this is just the first step towards total secession."

The Baron realized that his prey had eluded his grasp, but the situation was too dire for him to simply give up. His persistent call to bring the magical creatures to heel commanded too much support among the other nobles. He had to get that girl and use her to his own ends.

"Ugh, this is exactly why I had wanted my viewpoint to be represented instead," Fire said. 

"I don't think the viewpoint matters," Eileen said. "Some humans are always gonna see you guys as being apart, and maybe that's not necessarily bad."

"Oh, come on, you can't be serious!"

"I don't mean that humans should go around hurting you or driving you away. I mean you guys are really different. You have stuff that's unique to you, and maybe that needs to be acknowledged, you know?"

Fire snorted. "Separate but equal, right?"

Eileen frowned. "Don't go there. You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Please, could we stop arguing about this?" Beverly said in a pleading voice. "I'm nervous enough about this trip. I just want to get to Denver."

The Baron knew of the kingdom to the north, and all the routes into it. He could send his men to scour the countryside, to patrol all roads that lead into it, catching them before they could seek the safety beyond its gates.

"Yeah, sorry," Eileen said in a lower voice as the occasional ray of sunlight pierced the edges of the pegasus-driven storm. "At least I hope we can get there with check engine light on ... oh, wait, it's off now."

Fire peered over Eileen's shoulder. "The same thing happened with the oil light when we first left town. Something wrong with the car?"

"Fuck, who knows? This thing was a beater when I--"

"We can't go to Denver!" Jenny blurted as she snapped out of her inward narrative.

"Huh?" Eileen said.

"They're going to catch us if we do. The Ba ... um, I mean the FBI will be looking for Beverly."

"They couldn't know she was there," Fire declared. "She's been carefully hidden the entire time. Even the nearby human communities didn't know she was there, and the pegasi flew patrols around the clock looking for drones."

"They must have found out some other way," Jenny said.

"We were very careful."

"It doesn't matter how careful you were!" Jenny cried in a strident voice. "They found out. Somehow."

"And just how are you so sure of this?" Eileen demanded. "I mean, no offense, Jenny, but this isn't one of your fantasies."

Jenny frowned and huffed, only to realize how that made her look as immature as Eileen's tone had suggested. It was something the old Jenny would do when she was upset. Yet her supposed conviction was based only on the running fantasy in her head. How would that sound if she admitted to it?

"I believe her," said Beverly in a soft voice.

"You do?" Fire asked. "Why?"

Jenny's heart raced into the ensuing pause, and she tried to make herself look as small in the seat as possible.

"I'm not sure," Beverly said. "It's just something I sense. It's hard to describe."

"The rest of you don't have to believe me," Jenny said in a quavering voice. "It should be up to Beverly, right?"

Eileen thumped a fist on the steering wheel. "Well, someone needs to tell me what the fuck to do, because we're going to make really good time if the road stays this clear." She glanced at the instrument panel. "Assuming the car stays in one piece."

"Where else can we go if not into Denver?" Fire asked.

"Could we come in from some other direction?" Jenny asked.

"If you're right, they can set up checkpoints from all directions," said Eileen. "Shit, I wish I hadn't given up smoking, I could use a hit right now."

"Then let's not drive into town," Fire said.

"Then how the hell do we get there? Walk?"

"Why not?"

"Maybe that's fine for everyone who happen to have hooves, but what about the rest of us?"

"Lots of ponies back in Denver are expecting me to arrive there," said Fire. "Once they see that I haven't shown up, they'll start looking for me. A pegasus patrol is sure to spot us."

Eileen frowned. "Just as easily as the feds could spot us with a drone or a helicopter."

"Well, what do you prefer, certain capture or only the possibility of capture?" Fire snapped. "Besides, I also know a few government contacts in Denver. They could help as well. Jenny, do you think they specifically know Eileen is driving?"

Jenny wanted to say no because her narrative had not stated as such, but she felt like she had already given it far too much credence. It was just a stupid story that gave her a moment of insight. "I don't know. It's not like Aunt Eileen really drew a lot of attention to herself in town."

"Yeah, I had my fifteen minutes of fame when I was interviewed by that news reporter months ago about me being the first one to get the ETS cure," said Eileen. "Again, someone tell me what you all want to do. I'm not the one running this show."

"Castlewood Canyon is on up ahead on this road," said Fire. "It's a state park. Lots of trails that head off into the woods. We could follow Cherry Creek north from there. That would let us bypass Franktown. If we can get north of that, we'll be on the outskirts of Parker, which is where the pony sector of Denver really starts."

"And just what are we supposed to do for food and water?" Eileen demanded.

"There's a small pony community in the northwest part of the park. I'm sure they'll be happy to supply us. They may even have some camping gear we can use."

"If the military doesn't get there first and drive them out."

"There are hundreds of these tiny settlements," said Fire. "It would take them months to root them all out. I'm beginning to think Jenny is right. They knew Beverly was there and used the excuse of resettling the community to try and take her."

"As much as I don't want to go back to one of those camps, I don't want to get you all into trouble," said Beverly in a quavering voice. "Maybe you should just let me fend for myself."

"No, absolutely not," Jenny declared. "We can't. Please, Aunt Eileen, don't--!"

"Save it, kid," Eileen said. "I'm already too deep into the shit to pull out now. Fuck, I hate camping. I hope it doesn't take more than a few days to get to Parker or I'll go nuts."

Jenny felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Beverly smiling at her.

"Thank you," Beverly said.

"Uh, for what?" Jenny asked in an uncertain voice.

"For caring enough to warn us."

"I may be dead wrong on this."

Beverly withdrew her hand. "I don't think you are. I don't think you believe that, either."

Jenny said nothing in response.