//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Pandemic: Picking up the Pieces // by Halira //------------------------------// Wild came trotting up the road towards her sister's house and it was nearly in sight. The trot and open air had done wonders for her headache and now she was feeling much better overall. She just needed to tell Rosetta to go to bed like Luna wanted and she was free to spend her time as she pleased. "You know, I'm feeling perfectly fine now, Number. You don't have to keep with me still. I don't want Rosetta getting mad at you, or any of the rest of the family for that matter," she said to the unicorn following close by her. The blue unicorn mare shook her head which somehow barely disturbed her red mane. "I decided I want to try to clear the air with your family and say I'm sorry for what happened before. I'd like to do that today before I lose my nerve." Wild raised an eyebrow at this. "Phobia is almost certainly going to be asleep, and if she isn't she is in no state to be having that kind of conversation. Rosetta might be awake still, but you know she is pissed right now, and I'm supposed to be trying to get her to go to bed. Today is probably the worst day you could pick to be trying to make up with them." "I figured I'd start with your human family before trying to talk to Phobia and Rosetta; start with the ones who don't exactly know what I did to earn Rosetta wanting to beat me bloody," Number answered as she hung her head. "You are really hung up on this guilt and punishment thing. That can't be healthy," Wild responded as she looked over at the miserable sounding older mare. "I have a lot to atone for, there is no time like the present to start making amends," Number said with a tight frown as she kicked a small rock out of her way as she walked. Wild shook her head briefly to clear her eyes of her lavender mane dripping back down into them again, distracting her. She really needed a mane cut; Number's mane looked like it was styled and was behaving itself. She must either know how to do it or know somepony who did. That was a question for another time though. Right now she had other more important concerns. "It might not go as well with them. I'm a pony, that makes me a bit more naturally forgiving. Humans aren't going to be as easy to get to forgive you. I love my family more than I love growing trees, but they aren't going to be like me when it comes to this," Wild said with concern. Number looked at her with a baffled look. "I'm a little surprised right now. I didn't expect you to be on board with pony superiority." "I'm not saying ponies are superior, I'm saying ponies are different. Recognizing differences is not saying one thing is better than another. Turning that around they might argue that I'm too forgiving as a pony and that makes being a pony inferior. I don't think one is necessarily better than the other," Wild explained, wondering how Number got that idea. She had to remind herself that Number was a Shimmerist and saw things through different lenses. Number let off a sad laugh in response. "Your family is an odd one, where the humans are more inclined to believe in pony superiority than the ponies." Wild stopped in her tracks and Number walked a little past her before stopping and looking back at her quizzically. She glared at the blue unicorn and flicked her tail. "What do you mean by that?" Wild asked. Number frowned, and looked a little hurt by Wild's tone. For a pony that scared Phobia so much Number definitely spent a lot of time looking like a hurt puppy whenever Wild got cross with her. It was hard to picture her as dangerous as a result. "You're parents didn't tell you about their talk with Sunset Blessing?" Number asked as she walked back over to Wild. "No, what talk are you talking about," Wild asked, trying to soften her expression so Number wouldn't look so timid. It seemed to work, as Number's demeanor seemed to improve noticeably. "You're parents went to Sunset Blessing and told her that they support her fully in trying to find a way to convert humans into ponies still, and they would be very interested if she ever found a way." "They said what?!" Wild said as her mouth dropped in shock. "Rosetta and I talked to them about how they didn't need to be ponies. This was supposed to be a closed subject. They didn't need to be ponies just because Rosetta and I are ponies and the boys really want to be ponies. We told them we were being unfair thinking they should have gotten ETS too." "Well, you could be being unfair still, they might not have done that just because you and your sister are ponies. You're father, who is a botanist, sat there and watched you grow a forest more than once. They also see that your sister is able to fly through the air as naturally as she walked as a human. Do you really think they're immune to a little bit of envy and don't want those kinds of things for themselves in addition to being more like you?" Number questioned with just one ear laid low. "They shouldn't be feeling that way," Wild asserted as she looked Number in the eyes. "Why not? Do you think you should be a human still or have any desire to be?" Number asked as she held Wild's gaze. "No, but that's different," Wild said as she glanced back towards the path they had been walking. "Different how? The fact you became a pony without a choice involved and they instead are making an active choice to want to be ponies?" Number said with a smirk, knowing she had Wild. Wild snorted with frustration. There had to be a better way of saying why this shouldn't work that way, but she wasn't a good debater. It just felt wrong to her for some reason. Maybe she was the one wrong if she couldn't justify what she felt. None of this discussion really mattered anyway so she shouldn't get upset about it. "It's a moot point anyway, ETS is gone and won't be coming back. So there is no reason for me to get myself worked up about what my parents or brothers might be thinking involving it." Wild said as she dismissed the conversation and started walking again. "That's a fair way of viewing it I suppose," she heard Number say from behind her as the unicorn hurried to catch back up. They reached the Remedy-Stone residence. It was much like her parent's house only it was closer to the outskirts of town and its front yard looked much like her parent's backyard, completely overgrown. She advanced down the walkway with Number following cautiously behind. When she reached the front door she paused and looked back at her friend. "Last chance to back out. I'm not responsible if Rosetta gives you a bloody snout," Wild cautioned her friend. "I'll take my chances," Number said stoically as she stepped onto the front porch behind her. "Alright, your funeral," Wild said with a shrug as she turned and gave a light knock on the door, or at least not a knock with the force of earth pony strength anyway. It likely came off as hard to those listening. A moment later the door was encased in a blue aura that she recognized as Phobia's dad Tom's. The door lock undid itself and the door opened, revealing the middle aged unicorn stallion himself. "Here to check on you're family?" Tom asked as he started to step aside, then paused as he looked at Number Crunch. "Who's this?" "I'm on an errand involving my sister actually," Wild said before glancing back at Number. "This is Number Crunch. She's here because she wants to give you all an apology." "Apology for what?" Tom asked in confusion. "Um, I'll let her explain that since you haven't heard anything about it apparently. It mainly involves Phobia," Wild said with uncertainty on how to discuss that. "That person is not welcome here, Rosetta made that abundantly clear," Jean said as she advanced to the door quickly with a scowl. "She wants to make amends, Mama. I think you should at least give her a chance to explain herself and say she's sorry," Wild said as she looked up at her mama. "Dear, even though you paid for this house you did give it to them, and their wishes will be enforced here," Jean said in a lecturing tone as she looked down at Wild. "Rosetta was pretty clear she didn't want any of us near this pony. Why is she with you?" "I ran into her at the bank and we started talking. I want to give her a chance. From what I can tell this is really bothering her," Wild explained then straightened out her posture before adding, "Plus, Rosetta doesn't get to dictate who I spend time with. I'll consider her opinions, but it's ultimately my decision." "That's an argument you and your sister can have that I won't take sides in," Jean said as she glanced between Wild and Number. "Well, Number can talk to you from out here," Wild offered in concession then asked, "Is Rosetta still awake? I had Princess Luna coming into my dreams looking for her and telling me to make sure Rosetta went to bed soon so they could talk about Phobia. I really don't like having angry alien royalty showing up in my dreams because they couldn't find Rosetta." "Are you sure you weren't just having a nightmare?" Jean said with a skeptical look. Wild snorted. "I was having a nightmare and then she showed up and interrupted it. So I need to tell Rosetta to go to bed." "She just fell asleep just a few minutes ago," Jean said then narrowed her eyes as she looked at Wild. "And where were you sleeping if you had time to go get Number Crunch?" Wild got a deer in the headlights look to her face and didn't know what to say that wouldn't earn her mama's anger and disappointment. "She came by my place to help me unpack, but wasn't feeling well so she took a nap on my couch. She woke up insisting that she needed to go see her sister about Luna a few minutes back. I said I'd walk her back since I wasn't sure if she was in shape to walk if she had just felt sick," Number answered for her, bending the truth just enough not to be lying. "You're sick?" Jean asked worriedly as she bent down to lay a hand on Wild's head. "Maybe we should take you to the clinic, just to be safe. We don't know much about pony illnesses. None of the ponies I've seen or talked to have complained of being sick since their transformation." Wild stepped back to pull away from her mama's hand. "I don't think it's that serious, Mama. I feel fine now. It only lasted a few hours. I don't want to go to a doctor over that." "She might be right, Wild," Number interjected, which caused Wild to glare at her. Number continued unfazed though. "Remember how we were talking earlier about how we don't know how a lot of things will effect us and we're still learning? The clinic has Equestrian doctors who actually know these things. It might be worth it to just check it out." "Who's side are you on, Number?" Wild pouted as her ears wilted. She really didn't like clinics or hospitals, and Number knew exactly why she had felt sick. "On your side," Number replied with a smile. "I promised I would look out for you and that includes telling you what I think is worthwhile. You don't have to listen or agree with me. I wouldn't be much of a friend though if I didn't tell you I think the clinic might be a good idea." "Fine," Wild said with a deep groan. She then looked at her mama. "I still want you and Papa to take a minute to let Number talk to you. I wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't try to insist." "So...is this going on outside or inside or am I just going to keep holding the door open?" Tom asked with annoyance. "Roger! Can you come over here please?" Jean called back into the house. Wild heard the footsteps of her papa's shoes going across the hardwood floor inside. A moment later he appeared at the door. "Keep your voice down, Jean. You'll wake you're daughter and future daughter-in-law up," Roger whispered harshly. "I've made far more noise around them when they're sleeping and they've slept like rocks. Once they're out they're out until evening," Jean said, still lowering her voice all the same. She then gestured to Wild and Number. "You're other daughter wants us to hear Number Crunch give us an apology and hopefully an explanation about what went on between her and Phobia. After that I need you to drive Wild to the clinic." "I can walk just fine, Mama," Wild testily insisted as she flicked her tail with annoyance. "Why am I taking her to the clinic? She seems fine to me," Roger asked. "Thank you, Papa," Wild interjected with a satisfied smile. Jean gave Wild a raised eyebrow then looked back at Roger. "She was sick earlier and it is just a precaution. Even Number Crunch agrees it's a good idea. Speaking of whom, we have an explanation we're owed." Number lowered her ears with shame again as she stepped forward with her tail dragging across the porch. She looked up to the two humans and began speaking. "I said some things to Phobia that were beyond inappropriate and were threatening. I can only say that I was not in my right mind at the time. I keep saying that and I know it's true, but I also feel extremely guilty about it. I informed Sunset about my wrong doing and she punished me. I'm coming to you on my own to say that I'm very sorry," Number said as she met their eyes. "Threatening how?" Roger asked as he looked down at the unicorn. Number looked down at the ground before answering. "I believe my exact words or something close to them was if she spoke about my past with anypony I would see how well she flew buried six feet underground." "And your past? Is it really that bad?" Roger asked with a hard gaze. Number didn't answer. She just gave an affirmative nod. "Why are you hanging around my daughter when I know you were expressly forbidden by Sunset to come around us anymore? And why is my daughter suddenly getting sick after meeting with you?" Roger asked as he continued to glare down at Number. Wild watched Number try to search for a good explanation and knew she couldn't leave her friend hanging. She had to come to her rescue. There would be consequences to this, but she didn't care. "Because I was stupid and asked for beer from her and she complied. We didn't realize how easy it was for a pony to get drunk. After she realized I was drunk she made sure I was going to be okay and made me sleep it off," Wild spoke up, earning the shocked wide eyed gazes of both her parents. The moment of stunned silence was broken by Tom shaking his head and giving a very horse like snort. "Alright, guess you're all going to keep standing around in the doorway. I'm going back upstairs to make sure the twins aren't up to mischief and check on my daughter. Please close the door when you're done." And with that Tom walked off. With the silence broken others seemed to gain their ability to process again. The first to break the silence was Number Crunch who turned to Wild with a look of mixed gratitude and disappointment. "Wild, you don't need to throw yourself under the bus for my sake," Number said calmly. Jean then started glaring at Number again. "You gave my daughter alcohol?! She's only seventeen, she shouldn't be drinking. She'd never do something like that on her own." "Catherine, what got into you?" Roger asked Wild in disappointment. "I'm the one that asked Number for it, Mama. Don't blame her," Wild said to her mama. It was true at least for the second beer that had actually gotten her drunk. "She should've known better that to agree to do so in the first place!" Jean declared as she pointed at Number. The unicorn just slumped her posture further. came a new voice in Spanish from behind Wild. They all turned to look at Abuelita slowly walking down the concrete path up to the house, a quizzical look on her face. Jean answered back in Spanish, gesturing angrily to the two ponies. Abuelita asked in bemusement as she looked down at the ponies. Wild said, head lowered in shame. Number explained head also lowered in shame. Wild still couldn't get the image of a kicked puppy out of her head every time she looked at Number Crunch showing shame. Abuelita asked Number with a surprised expression. Number explained actually straightening up her posture with pride. Abuelita looked at Number for a moment then started to chuckle. All present stared at her in confusion as the chuckles advanced into outright laughter. It took her almost a minute to bring herself back under control. Abuelita said with a mischievous glint to her eye. She then looked up at the two other humans and continued. With that declaration the old woman casually walked by the ponies and then the humans into the house. "Did I just get endorsed by your grandmother? And endorsed specifically because she thinks I'm a bad influence?" Number asked in confusion. "I have no idea what just happened," Wild said, shaking her head in equal confusion. Tonya woke up groggily from her nap, absentmindedly wiping a bit of drool from her lips. All and all that had been one of the worst naps she had ever had. As she sat up in the chair that she had fallen asleep in and found that somepony had draped a blanket over her at some point. She gave a brief smile as she thought of Sunset Blessing, as she dislodged herself from the covering. Her lover was definitely caring towards her. She frowned as she considered the implications of what had happened while she was sleeping. The thought briefly crossed her mind that the alicorn was just a figment of her imagination, brought on by stress. This was lying to herself though. She knew that Princess Luna had been there in her dream, and that meant the Equestrian knew at least some of her secret crime. The next question was whether this even mattered. Was Luna going to come hunting her down for her involvement in Swift Strike's death? It was hard to say anything about what an alien from another universe might do or think. For all she knew Luna might have approved of the murder. Luna might be a pony too, but she was not like ponies here. Luna was something ancient and unknowable, with completely unknown cultural standards and values. There was one way of trying to get insight into what Luna might do or think. Lavender Mist claimed to be a servant of the dream alicorn. That pony might have some insights into her character. Tonya could definitely find an excuse to go by the clinic, whether that be checking in on Phobia's treatment or just having a regular check up for herself. If Luna had alerted Lavender about Tonya the night pony's behavior might be informative in itself. That could wait though. Right now Tonya had other things she wanted to take care of. She had actual family in town. There was no telling if Devon would embrace her with open arms, but Tonya let herself hope for the best. She'd even learned the names of her nephew and niece in her research earlier, Robert and Jessica. She hopped down from the chair and hurried out of the office and out to the lobby. Sitting at the information desk was the ever so ironically named Joy. The dark furred pegasus gave her a quizzical look as she walked into the lobby. "Have you been here the whole time? I didn't see you come in," Joy asked. "I fell asleep in Sunset's office. I had a very late night last night and needed to catch up on some sleep. Any pegasus news that I should know about?" Tonya asked. She was still the lead pegasus in town and liked to keep up with what was going on with them. She had considered delegating somepony else for the job, but they all were used to looking to her and she hadn't found a pony she liked for the position yet. "Sunset took some pegasi and let Tattered Wing use them for something or other, but she said you approved it. Tattered Wing has a request to you for some pegasi that you would suggest helping out with the Enclave on a more permanent basis. A few ponies were wanting plans on weather teams," Joy listed off. Tonya let her ears sag a bit. She really didn't want to be in charge of all this indefinitely. Finding a new pegasus leader was definitely a top priority. She'd done her time and wanted to go back to being a bit more carefree until she was put on duty as chief of security of the research center. Amber might work out in the position as she was effectively Tonya's primary fill in. She'd have to talk to Amber about it. "Alright, we'll see what we can do. You wouldn't happen to be interested in joining the Enclave would you?" Please say yes, please say yes. Tonya thought in her head. Joy definitely needed to hurry up and get a pony name. Joy was just so...joyless. Further, Joy had a much harsher Shimmerist philosophy than Tonya did that rubbed Tonya the wrong way. All and all she really disliked Joy. "You serious? Letting me go join the ponies that beat misbehaving humans up? Sure I would. Especially if it gets me out from behind this desk," Joy said with a dry laugh. If Joy thought Tattered was going to let her get away with ruthless violence on humans then she was sadly mistaken. Joy would get a wake-up call on that soon enough. "Talk to Tattered when she comes in then," Tonya said. The pegasus's more aggressive nature likely would fit in better among the Enclave, and Tonya wanted to jump for joy that she was going to have Joy be somepony else's grump. It was time to go search out Devon now, and before bed she'd track Amber down and see if the more aptly named mare was interested in a promotion. It was time to put less happy things behind her for the moment and focus on moving forward. Almost immediately upon exiting town hall Tonya took to the air. She would never get tired of flying, and if she managed to convince Amber to take the reigns of pegasi leadership she would be glad she would have more time for it. The buildings, ponies, and humans below moved quickly by underneath her. Other pegasi traveled in the air all around her, all seeming to be enjoying themselves as much as she was. Those that remained human were to be pitied rather than hated, because they didn't get to enjoy this or other pony magic. Someday the rest of humanity would get to enjoy Sunset Shimmer's gift though, even if the deceased unicorn had completely botched some things up that ended up delaying that happy day for the time being. Tonya found the correct set of tents and quickly counted the rows and spots with her eyes to find the right one. She then glided down just past in front of the entrance and then walked up to it. "Hello? Can I help you?" A rosy-pink earth pony who was feeding a foal asked as Tonya came into the tent. Tonya quickly spotted Devon asleep and smiled before turning back to the earth pony. She was pretty sure her name was Amanda Wilson according to the file, and it hadn't mentioned the earth pony taking a pony name as of yet. That wasn't surprising since the pony was still a blank flank. Tonya wasn't one to complain about needing pony names anyway since she was keeping her human one herself. Not unless their human names were something completely inappropriate anyway. "Hello, my name is Tonya. I actually came to see Devon. Any idea when she will be waking up?" Tonya asked and introduced herself cheerfully. "I really don't know, her sleep schedule is all over the place due to her foals," Amanda said with a sad smile at the human. She then turned back to Tonya. "Did you want to come back later and I could let her know you came by?" Tonya glanced around and took note of the sleeping form of the night pony colt she assumed to be Robert and the little earth pony filly who was playing with Amanda's tail that she assumed to be Jessica. It made her smile seeing blood family that were ponies too, even if they were foals. "I think I'll just wait around for at least a little while. I'm really eager to talk to her, and I don't have anything pressing to attend to for the second," Tonya said as she entered in and sat down across from the earth pony. It was true that most of her tasks could wait, even if the ones wanting plans for weather teams might mutter. If she convinced Amber to take charge it wouldn't be her concern anyway. "Oh, okay then. Well, I suppose you aren't disrupting anything," Amanda said with a quizzical look. "You're one of the town leaders, aren't you? I think I've seen you before. I'm Amanda by the way." "Yeah, for the moment I'm the lead pegasus, though hopefully I'll be pawning that job off soon. Has everything been going smoothly for you so far with this migration?" Tonya asked. "It's been alright. Devon and I help each other out with our foals and I have an interview lined up with the school in a few days for a teaching position. Keeping Jackie here under control keeps me pretty confined a lot of the time though so I haven't gotten to really meet or talk with many ponies other than Devon," Amanda said with a gesture at the sleeping human. "You and she get along well?" Tonya asked. She was curious how her sister-in-law seemed to get along with ponies in general. "Yes, we have a lot in common all around. We're very good friends, and we talk together about everything. I don't really know anypony else at the moment, but even if I did I think I would consider Devon my best friend," Amanda explained. She playfully teased Jessica with her tail while she spoke. "Well, that's good to hear. Those of us running things like to know that ponies and humans are bonding well," Tonya said as she watched her niece play. "If you don't mind my asking; what do you need with Devon? Are you planning on moving her away from the tents?" Amanda asked with a small concerned frown. "If the two of you are getting along well there's no need for that, so don't worry," Tonya said, earning a visible sigh of relief from Amanda. "The truth is she's my sister-in-law and I wanted to have a chance to bond with family again. We've been estranged for years and it feels like a good time to reconnect." "So you're her husband's sister?" Amanda asked in a strangely hopeful tone. "Do you think there's any hope of him getting back together with her? She told me about what happened with him and I was hoping that with Jessie having gotten over her surges that he might be convinced to come back." Tonya frowned before answering. She really didn't know for sure, but she doubted there would be any reconciliation with Paul. Her brother had been perfectly willing to turn his back on her for good, it seemed likely he'd be willing to do the same with pony foals. She didn't want to crush this mare's hopes though. "I couldn't say. We can only hope I guess." "Oh," Amanda said with a downcast look. They sat talking about nothing in particular for a little while after that as Tonya waited for Devon to awake. Amanda was a nice enough mare, though she seemed to have some general discontent with being a pony from what little Tonya could pick up. That wasn't a big deal really, because as time went by Amanda would almost certainly get more comfortable with her circumstances--especially once she finally got her cutie mark. Some ponies just needed more time than others to adjust to their new lives, and that was okay. After a long while the night pony colt unfurled his wings and took a big stretch as he woke from his sleep. He sniffed the air and turned to Tonya and gave her a confused look at first. He then stood up and turned towards her wild a more hostile look as he stepped between her and Devon. "You're the pony who yelled at Momma and made her upset yesterday," Robert said as he fluffed his mane and spread his wings wide. It made Tonya want to giggle, she knew it was suppose to be threatening, but at his size it was just adorable. "I'm sorry for that. I was just really shocked at the time. I got pretty upset about something myself, and it came out wrong towards her, but I want to be friends with you and your mom," Tonya explained with a smile, hoping to coax him down. "Um, I guess that is okay then," Robert said as he blinked and lowered his wings back down. "What's your name? Can you teach me to fly?" "I think you might be a little young for flying just yet," Tonya explained sympathetically. Robert gestured with a wing towards the filly suckling away at Amanda and whined. "Jackie can fly and she's much younger than me." Tonya looked over at Amanda and her filly with a raised eyebrow. "She's having magic surges, they make her able to fly when she wouldn't normally be able to. It's a newborn thing and it has almost run its course," Amanda explained. "I see, I learned something new today. I wonder if Phobia and Rosetta know that," Tonya said as she looked down at the pegasus filly. "Phobia? I heard Devon mention her a few times. She was the one that told us about surges to begin with," Amanda said with her ears perking up. "I guess she knows then," Tonya said with a small laugh, before turning back to Robert. "She won't be flying for long and then she will have to wait until she's older to fly again too. Maybe you'll be able to teach her to fly when she gets to that age. When you get a little older I would be happy to teach you though. I'm your Aunt Tonya." "You're my aunt? I never knew I had an aunt," Robert said in confusion. Tonya considered how to answer. "I've been...away for a a while. But I'm here now and ready to spend time with you, your sister, and your mom." Robert started shaking Devon's shoulder to wake her. Tonya briefly considered stopping him, but Devon was already stirring from her sleep. Tonya sat and waited patiently for Devon to fully wake up. "Momma, Aunt Tonya is here," Robert said as Devon started opening her eyes. "Aunt Tonya? What're you talking about Robby?" Devon said sleepily as she turned over and started pushing herself upright. "Aunt Tonya, the pegasus from last night that yelled at you," Robert, or Robby, explained to her. Devon looked up at Tonya and Tonya smiled while giving a hesitant wave of a wing in response. She really wanted Devon to be accepting of her and this was kind of a moment of truth. "Hello, Tonya," Devon said as she sleepily pulled herself into a sitting position with a yawn. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon." "I can always find time for family. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me on a few errands I have to run and we could talk quietly along the way about...things," Tonya said, not wanting to have a conversation forbidden in front of Robby. "I had a few things I needed to take care of myself. I don't mind the company if we can fit them in as well," Devon said as she looked over at Tonya. "Is there anyone else in the family here?" "Just me as far as I know. I really don't keep up with family at all since I was kicked out years ago," Tonya said with a touch of bitterness. "I'm sorry about that, I really didn't know what that was all about at the time. Paul never really spoke about it after whatever went down, and it seemed a touchy subject that just didn't come up later on. Looking at you now I can kind of guess what the issue was with them back then. Don't worry, at this point I'm just happy to see someone else in the family. I think people changing species, my foals included, is a bit more to take in than people switching sexes," Devon said with a sad laugh. "Well, I'm glad you're happy to see me...but just a little reminder for the future. People like me don't like our sex assigned at birth being told to those that didn't know," Tonya said with a frown, before turning to Amanda. "No offense to you, of course. You're a nice enough mare, but it's just private information." "I won't discuss it, but it's pretty public information to anypony that looks at your cutie mark," Amanda said with a wave of her hoof at Tonya's cutie mark, a mix of the male and female gender symbols done up in blue and pink. "Devon's right, I can't imagine that being an issue with anypony anymore." Yeah, her cutie mark did kind of put her past on display for all to see. Kind of a dramatic irony considering she wanted to help ponies move on from their pasts. "Let me feed Jessie real fast and then we can be on our way," Devon said as the little earth pony filly hurried over to her. Tonya smiled. It seemed she would get acceptance from Devon. That almost made her stop fretting about the rest of the things that were bothering her. Almost.