//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Birth, Growth, and Change // Story: Pandemic: Monsters We Make // by Halira //------------------------------// A human nurse let Jessie and her grandmare into a room and Jessie's eyes immediately fell on her mother laying in bed holding something wrapped in a blanket. Her dad sat in a chair directly next to the bed and gave the two ponies a smile as they walked in. Small hints of the previous smell she'd smelled from her mom hung in the air, as well as a tiny hint of blood, but the smells weren't strong. She could just barely make out them out, which meant her parents likely didn't notice them at all. Her dad stood up and walked over to them. "Do you mind being picked up so I can introduce you to your little brother?" She didn't give a verbal answer; she simply reared up on her hind legs and stretched her forelegs as high as she could, raising her tail to try to keep balance. Her dad reached down and grabbed her up in his arms. He walked over to the side of the tall bed and gently set her down on the edge of it next to her mom's elbow. Her mom gently touched a hand to Jessie's mane and then took it away to adjust the bundle in her arms. "Meet your new little brother, Dusk--Dusk William Middleton." Jessie almost timidly stretched her neck over to look into the bundle. She'd have stepped up on her mom's arm, but her mom seemed a little fragile right now and she didn't want to accidentally hurt her. Her mom propped the bundle up a little higher so she could get a better view. Dusk was small, really small, and wrinkled--very wrinkled. Were human babies supposed to be so wrinkly? His eyes and mouth were closed and his nose was so small she couldn't believe it was good for anything. His hands were extremely tiny, a fraction of the size of the frogs of her hooves, and they were gripped into little fists as he slept. His ears were tiny little nubs on the side of his head that she also wondered if they were capable of picking up much sound with how small they were. Was he supposed to look this way? Why was he sleeping already? He was just born and he was already taking a nap. Her mom had to give birth to him and she wasn't sleeping after all that work. "Is he deformed?" She asked after looking him over carefully. He seemed deformed. There was no way he could do anything for himself like this. Her mom gave Jessie a hurt look which immediately made Jessie regret saying that. Perhaps she should have had a bit more tact. Her mom seemed to recover quickly and now seemed amused for some reason. "No, it's just like I told you this morning. Human babies are much more helpless than pony ones. He's going to be dependent on me for everything for a long time. You were much smaller and more helpless looking than this when you were born, less than half his size." She tried to imagine that. Imagining herself as human was hard enough as it was, imagining herself as something half Dusk's size and even more helpless was beyond her ability to picture. It was hard to believe, but she had to trust her mom's word on it. Dusk chose that moment to wake up with a tiny little groan that sounded completely off key. He opened his eyes up and she could see that his irises were a bright blue, the first bit of color she'd noticed on him other than his pasty white skin. He started slowly looking around. His eyes never seemed to rest on anything and at least once they went cross-eyed in front of his face. His eyes passed her over several times, never stopping to actually examine her. He didn't turn his head either, just let his eyes move around. "He can't really see well yet either. His vision is very blurry. It will get better soon enough," her mom explained. Jessie frowned. It seemed completely silly that nature would do this. Newborn foals were supposed to be largely functional within a week out of the womb. At least in terms of being able to walk, see, hear, and start learning about their environment. What was the point of coming out of the womb if you weren't actually able to do basic functions yet? It seemed really inefficient to her. Human babies just came out too early. It was obvious with how wrinkly he was he wasn't done baking. Maybe they could put him back in so he could finish. She reconsidered this idea. If they could put him back they could have put her back years ago. She wished her sex ed textbook hadn't focused primarily on ponies. She needed to learn more about human babies. Her mom brought Dusk a little closer to Jessie now. "Go ahead and touch a hoof to one of his hands. Just remember to be extremely gentle doing so. He might not realize what's touching him right now, but he'll learn over time the feel of his big sister's fur. If he tries to grip it just let him. Babies tend to grasp onto whatever you put near their hands, though it will be a few months before he starts picking anything up on his own." Her mom seemed really tired, but introducing her to Dusk seemed like a big deal to her. She thought back to the earlier argument they had and realized why. Her mom wanted to be completely sure that she accepted Dusk. She raised a hoof up and reached out to touch one of Dusk's little hands. He didn't look at it or her, but the hand opened up and tried to grab onto her hoof. It was far too small to actually reach around her hoof, but he still lightly latched on and kept holding on. She just stared at the little hand and her little brother. There felt like there was something important happening but she couldn't say what; something special, something sacred. Dusk was so tiny, and so helpless. She knew logically that he wouldn't always be this way, but at this point in time he really was her little brother and her the much bigger sister--like a giant to him just like Robby and her parents were to her. Something clicked in her head as she thought of that. It was very likely she'd eventually get just as big as Robby and far stronger, but he was still her big brother through and through. The same thing applied to Dusk, he might get bigger than her in time, though not as strong, but no matter what she was his big sister who was always supposed to be there for him and help make him feel safe. Her mom pulled Dusk back and his hand slipped away from her hoof. She was actually a little saddened to feel the hand go. She understood though. Her mom did look very tired. "Come on, Jessie," her dad said as he carefully lifted her off the bed and set her on the floor. "It's time to give your grandmare a chance to look at her newest grandson." Her grandmare looked up at her dad consideringly. "Are you going to hold Dusk so I can get a good look or are you able to lift my weight without any problem?" Her dad blinked as he looked at the night pony. "Are you expecting me to lift you up and put you on the bed too? You're a little big for that." "No..." Her grandmare said in a tone that she sometimes used on Jessie. "But I'm not going to flap my wings close by the baby, it might upset him. The bed is too small for me to stand on anyway while Devon is lying in it. You'll need to either pick me up and hold me or hold the baby yourself and bring him down where I can look at him. Don't be dense, Paul." Her mom held Dusk out to her dad and he cradled him in his arms. He then crouched down low so Grandmare Nocte could see. Grandmare Nocte raised a hoof to her muzzle and awed at Dusk. "Oh Devon, he's got your eyes, and he's got Paul's hair." "He's bald at the moment," her dad said stiffly. "Well, don't think I didn't notice that receding hairline," her grandmare said. "Next thing you'll need a toupee." "I'm not going to get a toupee," her dad said with a partial growl. "Well then, you'll be bald too before you know it," Grandmare Nocte said with a sniff. "Maybe you should just shave it all off. It receding like that makes you look older than you are." Her dad just rolled his eyes as he kept holding the baby out for Grandmare Nocte to look over. The night pony didn't make any movement to actually touch Dusk in any way, just examined each and every one of his features closely. After a solid minute of this she stepped back. "I'm going to try to take a short nap," her grandmare announced. "I didn't think I'd get any sleep at all in earlier, but this birth went faster than expected. I guess I really shouldn't be that shocked about that. Robby's birth was pretty quick and easy too. I was worried after what went on with Jessie that this would turn into a C-section. I was always told that if I have had a second child it would have to be a C-section because I needed a C-section for Devon." "They don't require that anymore. They haven't for a while," her dad informed her. "We were worried about that though. Jessie's birth had been pretty rough. Are you sure you don't want to hold him? It's perfectly alright; we know you won't drop him." Grandmare Nocte shook her head. "If I start holding him right now I'll spend so much time cuddling him I won't get any sleep. I'll get plenty of opportunities to hold him tonight. I'm cashing in my personal and vacation time to help out. I can help watch him overnight while you two get some sleep. I'm not going to be uninvolved this time around." "That's kind of you, Mom," Jessie's mom said softly. Her Grandmare turned toward the door. "It's the least I can do. Anyway, I'm going down into the lobby and finding a corner to nap in for two or three hours. I'll dreamwalk Robby and get him an image of his baby brother. I'm not the dreamshaper he is, but I got a pretty good impression of Dusk's appearance." Jessie blinked as she realized that was what her grandmare had been doing when examining Dusk so closely. "Your pink earth pony friend and her husband are downstairs. Do you want me to send them up?" "Amanda and Tom are here?" Her dad asked in confusion. "I guess I should have realized that because you don't have the other fillies with you, and I know you wouldn't leave them unwatched, but I was a bit distracted too." Her grandmare shrugged. "Shocked me too. Maybe they can talk to you about why since it's more private in here than out in the lobby." Jessie found her dad looking down at her for some reason. Why was he looking at her when talking about Ms. Amanda and Mr. Tom? "You might as well talk about it right in front of her. Your daughter will eavesdrop anyway," Grandmare Nocte said with a laugh. Jessie gave her grandmare a dirty look as her grandmare continued. "I can watch their foals for a few minutes more. I doubt you'll want them keeping you too long. You need your rest." "She won't have a chance to eavesdrop if you're watching her," her dad said with a frown. "It's Jessica, if she wants to find out something she'll find a way. The trick is making her keep it to herself," Grandmare Nocte replied. "I can take her down with me if you want, but you're the one who'll be fielding her questions, not me." Jessie's mom groaned softly and put a hand to her face. "Mom, why are you doing this?--Deliberately stirring up trouble by having her get curious about things that aren't supposed to be talked about." "Just trying to see that her education is expanded. It will all be public knowledge by tomorrow anyway, so no harm done," Grandmare Nocte said innocently. Her dad sighed. "Jessie, go sit off to the side. You can listen, but don't interrupt--and definitely don't talk about this with Jordan, Jackie, or anyone else." "Paul, are you sure that's a good idea?" Her mom said with concern. "No, but it's what we're doing," he said with a shake of his head. "Your mother might discuss it with her if we don't with the way she's going on." "I wouldn't...." Her grandmare began. "Seriously, why are you deliberately stirring things up?" Her dad cut off. Her grandmare stuck her muzzle in the air. "If my suspicions are right then the comparison in how the two different types of tests went should encourage some much needed proper thinking." "Today is supposed to be about Dusk, not that," her dad said with irritation. "But you're getting your way, so be happy. From now on though I'm telling you to keep out of how we see to our daughter's education, understood?" "Understood," Grandmare Nocte said with a bow of her head, then turned and exited the room. "I just want to spend time with Dusk. You don't have to let me know...whatever it is," Jessie supplied helpfully. She really did want to know what the secret was, but this was getting her parents unhappy and she thought her dad was right; today was supposed to be about her little brother. Today was his birthday, and she knew that she didn't want people getting upset or just ignoring her on her birthday. "It's okay, baby girl..." Her mom started then paused. "I guess I should stop calling you baby now that you aren't the baby of the family anymore." "She's our big girl now," her dad said as the mood started to lighten up again. "And as a big girl we're letting you stay and listen. Just do what I said and don't discuss this with anyone, understood?" Jessie held her head high, proud that she was being treated like she was older now. "I understand. I'll be good." Being a big sister came with unexpected benefits. "That's my big girl," her dad said with a smile as he passed her little brother back to her mom. Jessie frowned as she looked at her mom. Her mom really did look exhausted and needing sleep. "Mom, are you alright?" Her mom gave her a small smile. "Just tired. Even an easy birth is exhausting." "We're going to be going home in a few hours. We'll let her sleep for an hour or two after everyone else leaves and then we'll head home," her dad explained. "What about Robby?" "Your grandmare should hopefully be rested enough she can go get Robby and the two of them can fly back to the house just fine," her dad explained. There was a light knocking at the door and Ms. Amanda and Mr. Tom peeked into the room. Her dad gestured for them to come in and the two ponies entered in slowly. They still looked tired too. They'd seemed more energetic when they were with Jordan and Jackie, but now they looked almost as ready for bed as her mom. Why were they so tired? She got over to the side of the room as she'd been instructed as they came in and just watched. "Devon!" Amanda said with joy as she came over next to the bed. "I was so excited when I heard today was going to be the day. How big is he?" "Eight and a half pounds," her mom said as she kissed Dusk on the forehead. "Perfectly healthy with all the right number of toes and fingers." Jessie raised an eyebrow at that. Was there any doubt he'd have the right number of toes and fingers? Was that a regular concern? She'd never seen any humans that were short the right number of fingers, but she'd never really payed attention to that either. Maybe it was a common problem and she just never noticed. She also noticed Ms. Amanda's face scrunch up like she was thinking about something she didn't like when her mom mentioned that. That was weird. Her mom passed Dusk back to her dad and he once again bent down so the two ponies could look. "He's adorable," Amanda said with a big grin as she looked him over. "And such bright blue eyes!" "He does look healthy," Tom said with his own smile, but still sounding weary. "We can't stay too long. The two of us are very tired as well, and we have another exhausting day tomorrow." "How did it go?" Her dad asked them. The two ponies gave Jessie a considering look before her dad continued. "She'll keep quiet about whatever you say. She'd find out about this tomorrow anyway. I specifically told her not to talk to Jordan and Jackie about anything she hears from you two and she's taking that seriously." Amanda sighed as she sat down. "I can only speak for me, since Tom wants more time to figure out how he feels about a human form, but it bothered me...a lot. Nothing felt right. I mean...I knew how to do things, but the whole time I was wanting to move my tail...which wasn't there, and being furless and feeling all that stuff on bare skin was kind of freaky--human sense of touch and temperature are so much stronger. That doesn't begin to get into all the stuff I was feeling. I know that's what I used to be, but I honestly don't know how I used to be so fine with it all. I may know that it's just that it's so different from what I've grown accustomed to, but it still left a very negative impression on me." Jessie burned with questions, but sat silent as she'd been instructed. Was Ms. Amanda talking about a memory or did they actually become human temporarily? "Human sense of touch and temperature are stronger?" Jessie's dad asked in confusion. "I thought pony senses were better all around." Tom shook his head. "That's not actually true. Ponies do have stronger eyesight, hearing, and smell, but things like touch and temperature humans feel more acutely. Except for pegasi most ponies can't tell subtle temperature changes like a human can and fur dampens the sense of touch a lot, and with the pegasi that's not even really their sense of temperature--just an extension of their weather magic." "There's a few sensitive spots on ponies where we have a strong sense of touch, but overall it is weaker," Amanda added on. Jessie tried to imagine what it was like to feel touch like a human based on what was described. The best idea she could think of was if her whole body felt as sensitive as her nose. She wasn't sure she'd like that. It seemed like that would end up hurting really easy. Maybe more like her belly where she was ticklish? That would be weird having ticklish spots everywhere. She'd never noticed if her parents had ticklish spots on them, she'd have to ask. The temperature thing she had noticed before though, because her mom would complain about it being too hot and turn the air conditioner on to drop the temperature only five degrees--while she and her brother couldn't tell a temperature change unless it was like ten or more degrees. Her health class had even pointed it out, and she'd been taught to always listen when a human said it was getting too hot because it could get to where a pony might overheat slowly over time without noticing that it had gotten too warm until it was already a potential problem. The teacher said a lot of earth ponies every year ended up going to the hospital because they kept working in the sun while temperatures slowly rose and they ended up overheating by the time they finally noticed. "How about Jean's test?" Her mom asked. Her mom seemed eager despite how tired she was. "That seemed to go great," Amanda answered. "Turned into a pretty blue crystal pony with a pink mane. She looked happy as a clam most of the time. She did start to get upset when Rosetta and Wild looked like they were arguing and Rosetta left in a huff, but other than that she was nothing but smiles and giggles." Jessie's eyes went wide and she started fidgeting in place because she was dying to ask questions. She managed to contain herself, but just barely. "She also had mind magic Incorporated into her version that we didn't," Tom said with a scowl. "So of course she would feel happy as a pony; the mind magic was telling her to feel that way. It was just like six years ago." Amanda nodded. "But what's done is done. We know that ETS forcibly changed how we think years ago. We also know that by this point there's no way of going back to how we thought before ETS. Anything they tried to do now to make being human feel natural would be more of the exact same thing Sunset Shimmer did." "It wouldn't be the same," Tom corrected with a sigh. "We'd have a choice in the matter now. I don't want my mind messed with anymore, but Jean is free to make that choice. She's also dealing with an awful situation that I can't even imagine dealing with. Having a choice and a need changes things." The idea of having her mind or anyone she cared about altered bothered Jessie. Her mind was the thing she was most proud of. "Do you think they'll open this up to the rest of us soon?" Her dad asked. Jessie held her breath, dreading the answer. Ms. Amanda shook her though. "Don't count on it. Wild was being pretty adamant that this was for the sick and injured humans. Sunset Blessing might want to, but at this point I think Wild has more pull for politicians ears." "Oh," Jessie's mom said with disappointment. "Devon, you're my best friend..." Amanda said with hesitation, then her look firmed up. "I know we disagree about some things, but they told us what it did to the person that did it with no mind magic. You don't want that being done to you." Her mom frowned. "But they're going to use mind magic to make it alright. I'm not a huge fan of it, but for this it's worth it." Amanda looked at her husband and back to Jessie's mom. "That kind of mind magic... it'll change you a lot." The pink pony raised a hoof to stare at it as she continued speaking. "This whole experience has really hammered home just how much of a different person I was. Sure we both have all the same memories and most of the same personality traits, but there's this fundamental difference between who I was as a human and who I am now that I'm still coming to terms with. Because I have to accept that Amanda the human has been gone for a long time, that she was essentially someone else than me, and she's never coming back." Ms. Amanda turned and looked right at Jessie and then back to her mom again. "Your family loves you. The pony you might become might seem very familiar, but she wouldn't be the same Devon we all know and love--she'd be someone new. All of us who went through ETS were forced to replace ourselves, even those who rehumanized weren't really the same people after changing back. Please, don't seek to do that to yourself." It was at that moment that Jessie gained a newfound respect for her friends' mom. Ms. Amanda articulated things that Jessie hadn't even considered earlier today. Because Ms. Amanda had actually lived as a human she had insights Jessie lacked when trying to explain why all the humans didn't need to be ponies. Sure, being able to do things you normally couldn't would be fun and interesting, but not at the cost of losing yourself. "But it's okay for Jean to choose to replace herself and not the rest of us?" Her mom asked bitterly. "You know there's a big difference there," Amanda said with a sigh. "Jean is suffering day in and day out. Because of that she and her family would all rather meet the pony that would take her place than keep watching having her suffer." The two continued to debate back and forth and Jessie ceased listening. She was now back to thinking deeply. Her earlier argument with her mom played in her head overlapping with the current argument between Ms. Amanda and her mom. She considered Dusk, her dad, her mom, Robby, and came to the only conclusion she could; one that brought back all the anger and hurt from earlier several fold. "I don't want to lose my mom," Jessie said aloud, bringing a heavy silence to the room. She knew she wasn't supposed to say anything or interrupt, but this felt important. "I love you just how you are, Mom. I don't want some pony replacement for you--I want you." Her mom looked at her with a sad look. "Jessie...you don't under--" "I understand perfectly!" Jessie shouted as she stepped forward. "I'm not stupid! I'm a foal but I understand things better than anyone thinks. You think I can't love you as much because you aren't the same as me. That I'd love you more as a pony. It's like Ms. Amanda said; I don't know that pony, and I don't know if I'd love her or not." She couldn't help it, she started crying. "I know I love you though. I love you enough to be angry that you would ever think I'd want you replaced!" The whole room sat in shocked silence at her outburst. No one seemed to know what to say. She just sat and cried. "You've got a very smart daughter. You might want to listen to her," she heard Mr. Tom say quietly. "I know I've gained a lot of wisdom over the years listening to mine." "Paul, I need help getting out of bed," her mom said in a tight voice. Making Jessie lift her tear filled gaze to her mom. Her dad looked uncertain. "I don't think that's a good idea. You shouldn't be trying to move around too much right now." Her mom shook her head. "I just need to get to the floor and sit down. I'm not trying to walk anywhere. Please, just help me down." "If you're trying to get to Jessie how about I just bring her up to you instead?" Her dad asked. "She'll be even more angry than she is right now if you hurt yourself trying to overstrain." Her mom gripped her fists then released them in defeat. "Fine. Set her up here." Her dad took Dusk and held him out to Amanda and Tom. "Do you two mind holding him just a moment?" Ms. Amanda sat down and lifted up her forelegs. "Of course not. Let me hold the cutie. Do what you need to do." Dusk was transferred to Ms. Amanda's eager hooves and her dad moved towards her. Her initial instinct was to resist and refuse to be picked up. She was mad and wasn't in the mood for physical contact, but she relented and allowed him to lift her into his arms without any struggle. Not that she made it simple for him either. She made no move to assist him and let herself hang as dead weight as he lifted--not that it actually impacted his ability to do so in any way. She stared downward at her hooves, still crying, as she was set on the hospital bed. Her mom gently touched a hand to her head and Jessie let her displeasure be known by pulling away from the touch. Her mom wasn't going to be allowed to just make this all better with some mane and ear rubs. Her mom withdrew her rejected hand. "Jessie...this is the second time today you've gotten furious with me, and it's over the same thing. You'd think I'd have listened to you the first time it happened. I heard you, but I didn't really listen. I'm sorry for that." Jessie just kept glaring at her own hooves, not wanting to give her mom any reaction. Her ears were still laid all the way back, but she was listening. "Your opinion of me does matter very much to me," her mom continued, her voice still tired despite the adrenaline everyone was feeling. "And you are absolutely right; I have always thought you'd be happier with me as a pony. I've always felt so lost dealing with you, and the fact you are as bright as you are has actually made me feel all the more lacking. It feels like there's some gap between us and I'm just desperate to close it." "So it's because I'm just too smart then?" Jessie mumbled. "No," her mom asserted. "It's just... it's hard to explain." Jessie looked up at her mom, giving a hard glare. "Do you feel that same gap with Robby? He does art just like you. He probably got into art because of you." "It isn't as strong a feeling as him," her mom confessed. "I still feel lost when he starts talking about the dream realm, flying, and magic dream seaponies." "Seapony, singular," Jessie corrected. "He's talking about Yinyu Wu Yan. She's a big deal to night ponies." "I'm not meaning to make this a talk about your brother," her mom said in an exasperated tone. "Maybe you should think more about my brothers--also plural," Jessie snapped. "How do you think Dusk will feel when he's older? You gave him a pony name because apparently a human name wasn't good enough. Are you meaning to teach my little brother he's not as good as me and Robby because he's human?" "Jesus, she sounds just like an adult when she argues," she heard Ms. Amanda whisper in the background. "I'm glad Jackie and Jordan aren't capable of that advanced level of thought yet. I'd never win an argument with them." Her mom was taking time to respond and that meant she either felt guilty, was considering something she hadn't before, or both. She decided to make herself more clear. "Robby always protects me, Jackie protects Jordan, and I'm going to protect Dusk. I'm not going to let anyone tell him he's not good enough." "I'd never do anything to hurt him," her mom replied, and Jessie could see she was crying. "You're hurting him already by treating being human as inferior!" She yelled with a stomp. "He's not inferior, you're not inferior, Dad's not inferior, humans aren't inferior. I don't care what you or Grandma Nocte or anyone else thinks." "I'm not as smart as--" She headed her mom off. "Except for maybe Twilight Sparkle, Bob McDermott, and a few others most ponies aren't as smart as me either--and I know there are humans just as smart as me too. It has nothing to do with me being a pony. I'm smart and I'd be just as smart even if I were human. It doesn't need me having any special powers and that's what makes it special." "She is six--right?" Mr. Tom could be heard whispering. Jessie stood up and rounded on the two commentating ponies as new wave of tears started. "Yes, I'm six. I hate being six. Being six means no one takes me seriously." She sat back down. "I just want my mom to listen to me. She thinks I'm so smart, but she won't listen to me." "You're right..." Her mom said quietly, which made Jessie glance back. "You're right that I'm hurting Dusk--and hurting you--by treating humans as not being as good as ponies. You're also right I don't take you as seriously as I should." "Do you mean it or are you just saying that to make me happy?" Jessie asked skeptically. Her mom reached out to her again. "Believe me, having my own six-year-old daughter call me a fool and back it with strong arguments is a humbling experience. You won't hear any more Shimmerist talk from me." "But that doesn't mean you aren't thinking it," Jessie accused. Her mom looked ashamed. "No point trying to fool you about that; you're far too smart for it to work. I promise to try not to think that way though. I can't promise I'll be successful all the time, but I can promise to try, and I can promise to listen when you call me out on it. Is that fair?" Her mom reached both arms out with a pleading look. "Please say it's okay, it's the best that I can do." Jessie sat for a second and then went into her mom's arms, and she let loose every tear she had left in her and so did her mom. A second later her dad joined in the hug. It wasn't all better, but it was better enough for now. Tonya landed gently at the entrance to the hospital lobby, and took a second to adjust her saddlebags that had shifted slightly out of place with the quick flight. Wild had backed her into a corner before leaving and angrily demanded to know what in the hell was going on in Sunset's head. Trying to explain Sunset's feelings about Sunset's legacy, the new direction of Shimmerism, and the drama between Sunset and Tom had not been a particularly fun experience--made worse by the fact she hadn't even had time to sit down and think about all of it yet. Wild hadn't been particularly impressed with the explanation. There wasn't any better answer to give the angry earth pony though. She'd tried for a while after that to convince her wife not to go through with the test tomorrow, to the same result as the previous attempts. On the plus side she'd been absolutely right about Sunset being on board with finding an excuse to see Poly Glot taken away and put on trial again, hopefully getting the death penalty he so very much deserved. So the talk with her wife had not been completely fruitless. Now she just wanted to see her new nephew. Unfortunately she still had another task that needed attending to at the hospital as well. Velvet needed to be checked on. Hopefully that would go quickly and she could focus on happier things, at least for a little while. Today was far from over, and tomorrow was going to be stressful on a level only to the time she'd been put on trial before the Dreamwardens. She calmly walked into the hospital. The front lobby was largely vacant, as it had been the last time she was here. Only the receptionist at the desk was present. It was rather plain, with a single television that played old Looney Toon cartoons endlessly, a few potted plants, chairs of both human and pony sizes, and various posters giving reminders to have regular doctor checkups without going into detail about any particular health problem. There were other lobbies around the hospital, depending on the department. She wasn't well versed on the geography of the hospital though, and therefore had no idea where the psych ward or the maternity ward were at--or absolutely sure if who she was looking for were at either. She walked up the receptionist, a cream colored unicorn mare with a bright red mane, and propped her forehooves up on the counter. "Hi, I'm actually looking for two different people. I'm looking for a night pony that came into the ER yesterday named Velvet Nightshade and also looking for a human named Devon Middleton who I'm guessing is in the maternity ward." The receptionist smiled and lit up her horn. "Let me check for you. It will only take a second." The unicorn used a pen levitated in her magic to quickly type out some things on her computer. Some unicorns would do it this way because they found it less tiring than trying to strike each key individually with their magic. "Mrs. Middleton is indeed in our maternity ward right now, recovering from a successful birth. That's down the hall to the left, past another waiting area and nurse station, and there's an elevator at the far end of the hall. Take that up one floor and the nurses at the station right as you get off the elevator should be able to direct you right to her. Now let me see about the night pony." Successful birth was a good thing to hear. She had been worried Devon might still be in labor. This meant that she could actually get to see her nephew today despite being busy. "Ms. Nightshade was released late last night," the reception said. Tonya's eyes went wide. "She was what?!" The receptionist double checked the notes. "Velvet Nightshade was released as it was viewed she no longer needed medical care. A member of the OMMR came and took custody of her so she could have twenty-four hour supervision in a non-isolated environment. I'm not sure why the OMMR was involved, but the person in question had paperwork signed by Phobia Remedy herself authorizing it." If Phobia really did authorize it she was overstepping her authority just a little bit, depending on how it had been justified. There was no knowing without actually seeing the paperwork, and the hospital wouldn't show that without a court order. Now she had to figure out where Velvet was at and with who. That probably meant a nap, and that nap needed to happen soon or she wouldn't catch Velvet in the dream realm. "Thanks for the information," she told the receptionist as she set her hooves back down on the ground. Like many dreamwalkers she did keep some sleep aids in her saddlebags. After she visited the maternity ward she could try finding a corner to take that nap, or maybe find a nice cloud to lay on. After a short trot down the hall she came upon the next waiting area and nurses' station. She spotted Nocte snoozing in a corner with Jessie beside her reading a book. Jessie looked up and gave her a little wave and she took a quick detour to go speak with her niece. "How's your mom doing?" she asked quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping night pony next to Jessie. "She's asleep," Jessie said in a whisper and then lowered her ears. "She was really tired, and I think I made her more tired by fighting with her." That earned the little yellow earth pony a confused look. "You were fighting with her? About what?" Jessie shook her head. "She and my dad said I'm not supposed to talk about it." That would have to remain a mystery for a moment. "Where's your dad? Is he up with your mom? I'm a little surprised they let you stay in the lobby by yourself." Jessie pointed a hoof at the pony beside her. "I'm not by myself, I've got Grandmare Nocte. I'm supposed to wake her up if I need anything." It was still showing a remarkable amount of trust in a small filly not to just go wandering off. To be fair to Jessie she behaved much older than she was, and it was easy to imagine she was dealing with a pony Robby's age or even older listening to Jessie talk. The nurse at the station wasn't likely going to let the filly go wandering off either, and a quick glance at the station confirmed that the nurse on duty was watching. She still worried about her niece sitting in the lobby largely unsupervised, though. "Okay, well...I guess I'll just pop my head in, look at the baby, and pop back out, like a ninja," Tonya said as she partially hid her face behind a wing. Jessie gave her an odd look. "What's a ninja?" Tonya lowered her wing and sighed. "Foals these days! You never heard of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? The great martial arts superheroes?" "That sounds like a really weird thing to name something," Jessie said with a doubting look. "How are turtles supposed to be martial artists? And what happens when they aren't teenagers anymore? And mutated how?" Tonya gave Jessie a level look. "It's supposed to be a little silly. It's for fun, like SpongeBob SquarePants." "Who?" Tonya shook her head in frustration. Were all the things she loved as a child completely irrelevant now? "What cartoons do you watch?" "Furton's Cat," Jessie said with a small smile. "Furton who?" Tonya asked. Jessie tilted her head slightly. "They just had the third big movie for it. It was number one at the box office for close to a month. Didn't you notice? They're like the most popular cartoon characters ever. They are going to open a theme park based on them next year and I'd really like to go. I love how the cat goes meowmow then Furton's all." Jessie stuck her tongue out to the side and tried to cross her eyes. Tonya didn't get it. She lowered her ears in defeat. "Okay, guess I'm getting old and not cool anymore." She put her hoof to her head to give an exaggerated lament. "I'm completely out of touch with the younger generation." "You were born last century, so that would make sense that you watched really old cartoons that weren't as good," Jessie pointed out. Oh, this little twerp! Tonya held her head up with mocked indignation. "I was not! Your dad was, but I wasn't. Plus, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and SpongeBob are classics that never go out of style." "If you say so, but I watch cartoons all the time and I've never heard of them," Jessie said with a confused look. "And I heard that Aunt Sunset was born in 1978 once. I figured you were her age." Tonya rolled her eyes. "So she's a little bit older than me. I'll be twenty-seven next month, I'm not that old. How old do you think your dad is? He's my older brother." "I never asked," Jessie responded earnestly. "So it's okay to marry ponies more than twenty years older than you?" "If you love each other it is," she answered. Then considered her answer again before she gave her niece a very bad idea. "And both are consenting adults." Jessie seemed to consider this new information. "I guess that's why Mom and Dad are always mad about unmarked mares getting near Robby. It makes sense." The subject of her nephew and unmarked night pony mares was a minefield she didn't want to walk into. She just nodded in agreement and sought to exit the conversation. Robby thought she was fun and silly at least, and that reassured her that she wasn't getting boring. This kid just needed to lighten up. "Anyway, let me get going. I have things to do and still want to meet your new little brother." "Okay Aunt Tonya," Jessie replied. She gave her niece a quick hug and then headed straight for the elevator. She'd just head up, say hi to Paul while Devon was sleeping, gush about the baby, and then find somewhere to fit a one hour nap in. The nurses directed her to the correct room and she quietly made her way in. Devon was indeed sleeping. Paul was holding the baby in his arms while sitting in a chair next to the bed. He looked up at her as she walked in and held a finger up to his lips. She nodded and walked over to him as quietly as she could with hooves on tile. Hopefully Devon was so used to the sound that she wouldn't be woken by it. The bigger concern was waking the baby who was not used to such sounds. "Such a gorgeous little baby," she cooed as she looked at Dusk's sleeping face. Looking at him made her desire for having her own foal jump up even farther. The fact she was going to the doctor the day after tomorrow to find out what kind of options she had to make that happen was something to look forward to. "You probably guessed already we won't be at church tomorrow," Paul said quietly. "But there's a chance we won't be coming back at all." That made her head shoot up. "What? Why? Did we do something wrong?" Paul shook his head. "Jessie challenged Devon about the entire belief system. I didn't get involved with the argument, but I was paying attention to her. I think she made some good points. We may be moving away from Shimmerism." Well, that mystery was solved quickly. Tonya looked down at Dusk and thought about the things Sunset had said about the future of Shimmerism. Was Sunset right? Was it time to abandon the idea of a pony world and focus on making humans the equals to ponies in magic? "There's some things going on that may shake up Shimmerism in the future," Tonya responded. "Until things have settled taking a break from the church might not be such a bad idea. Sunset is getting ready to challenge one of our core beliefs. I can't see all the Shimmerists being okay with what she is going to say, and there may be a schism in the church." "Her?" Paul asked in hushed astonishment. "She helped write out the belief system. Now she's going to challenge it? How?" Tonya sighed. "I don't want to say anything yet. It will definitely appeal to new groups, but also enrage some among us. We'll just have to see what happens. I'll back her no matter what." "Have you told anyone else yet?" Paul asked. Tonya nodded. "Wild Growth cornered me demanding to know why Sunset was taking risks with tomorrow's presentation and I had to try to explain what's going on in her head." "If you can tell her why can't you tell me?" Paul asked. "We promised that we were going to be open with one another and not keep secrets from one another anymore." She gazes down at the baby. "You're right, just keep this to yourself, please." "You know your secrets are safe with me," Paul assured her. "The only person who I'll share with is Devon, because there are no secrets between us either, but she won't talk about it with anyone." Tonya lowered her voice as low as she could get it while having a human next to her still able to hear. "She's going to stop pushing for everyone to want to be ponies. Her new focus is bringing magic to every human. She wants humans and ponies to eventually have equal magic and work together." Paul blinked. "Is she trying to appeal to Harmonists and Lunites?" Tonya shook her head. "They aren't interested in human magic, but it may appeal to some of them; I don't know. This really is about what she's saying though, with no hidden motivations. She really thinks that the key goal should just to bring magic to everyone, and that will help end want and need." Paul sat and considered this for a few seconds in silence before continuing. "And is she just abandoning all the humans that want to be ponies then?" "I'm scared that's how it will seem, but she isn't," she answered with an understanding look. "Turning humans into ponies still works towards that goal of everyone having magic, but she's decided that it isn't the only method to accomplish that or the way we should be trying to push the hardest." She paused then added. "I'm actually more scared that it'll make a lot of pony Shimmerists angry. A lot of them aren't concerned with magic as the main thing, and some of them may be fearful of human magic." "It wasn't primarily about the magic to us either," Paul said gravely. "For a lot of humans in town this was about being more like our friends and families. Wanting magic was something too, but it was also making us all part of one cohesive whole, especially those of us with mixed families." Tonya let off a dry chuckle. "Humans like to think they have no herd instinct like ponies. It's there, it's just not as obvious at first glance. Sunset understood that, it's part of how she's been as successful as she's been. Humans long for belonging and being part of the herd just as much as any pony." "I'm just not sure how to feel about this yet," Paul said as he glanced at Devon. "Between what you're saying, and what Devon and Jessie were arguing about, it's hard to really decide what to think right away." "What started the argument anyway?" She asked as she looked over to Devon as well. Paul frowned. "First it was Amanda trying to convince Devon that becoming a pony isn't what we think. That it changes who you are so much that it might as well make you a different person. Amanda had said that her human self was long dead and gone, and that only her pony self remained. She didn't want Devon to lose her human self. Jessie listened on to all this." That gave a little bit of unexpected insight into Amanda's mindset after the experiment. Nothing surprising, but insight all the same. "And Jessie got angry about the possibility of losing her mom then, right?" Paul just nodded and didn't say anything. Tonya sat in silence thinking about this. She wished she could have heard the whole argument from all sides. How would all of them feel about Sunset's new vision for Shimmerism? It was her responsibility to try to see that Sunset got support for this new way of thinking, even if she wasn't sure about how she felt about it herself. Sunset was really committed to this and mitigating the fallout of that announcement was important. Getting as many insights as possible from how ponies and humans felt about these things would help her figure out how to do that. That lead to the presentation tomorrow and why Sunset was so dead set on an impressive showing. So much so that she's taking risks she'd normally not take to wow the delegates. Tomorrow, Sunset could effectively win the war for the future--even though most people wouldn't realize it in their lifetime. Win that war before it even began. If this ended up going public there was no stopping human magic from eventually spreading to all the world in time, and completing the human magical awakening. Sunset sensed her decisive battle was upon her and she was not holding back cautiously this time. Tonya just hoped it didn't bring ruin to everything Sunset had already built in the process. Wild sat in her limo reading through profiles of each of the delegates that were viewing the demonstration tomorrow. Sunset had her worried with this out of character recklessness. Tonya's explanation involved things that went far beyond the scope of what Wild was presently willing to concern herself with, but it did show that Sunset's fanatical drives were in full effect, even if they had taken a new form. "Number, I don't see a lot of information on this kirin, or what kirin interests are," she said as she viewed the file in question. "The kirin don't seem to have much for interests from what I can ascertain," Number's voice came over the phone. "They are a very isolated group in Equestria that is just now trying to learn about the world beyond their immediate borders. There is apparently debate among the Equestrians about whether they are actually a tribe of ponies or something else entirely. Consider him the equivalent of a wide-eyed tourist. Just don't make him angry; they burst into flame when angry." "Are they a tribe of ponies?" Wild asked. "And do the kirin view themselves that way?" "Biologists say yes, some offshoot distantly related to unicorns with some other unknown strains of ancestry mixed in. Perhaps some other lost tribe that no longer exists or maybe they somehow bred with dragons, who knows? They determined kirin can breed with ponies with no problem and have offspring that may reflect the pony tribe of the pony parent or be kirin. That same trait for bursting into flames has been observed in some unicorns, further showing a common ancestor," Number reported sagely. "The kirin wish to have that link recognized as they try to bond with the ponies." "And the Equestrians don't?" Wild asked in mild confusion. Number gave a sad chuckle. "Celestia is either the worst liar or the blindest ruler if she says she failed to see where Sunset Shimmer developed such racist views. Racism abounds in Equestria, and the kirin are viewed as non-ponies by many--and not just in elite circles." "Hmm," Wild hummed as she considered. "So, talking points for him are mainly recognizing him as a fellow pony and making sure he's enjoying his trip then?" "I would say so, yes." "And the ponies in the delegation, how do they stand with him?" "I can't be sure with all of them, but Rarity seems to accept kirin as ponies. It may be logical to assume anyone she chose to accompany her in her party might share the same views." Wild closed the file and grimaced. "Logical to assume, but not safe. I'll have to be careful what is said in front of whom." "You always were an excellent student at politics," Number praised. "I may be, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it," Wild said with a groan. "I'm looking forward to my maternity leave where I can just ignore all this crap." "You're too important a pony to ever escape political games, it's the price of being powerful," Number said sympathetically. "Have you given any thought to my offer?" "It's still under consideration," Wild replied, not really wanting to discuss it right now. Her thoughts trailed to her running into the other member of their elite magic club who was currently in town. She envied the pegasus for seeming to effortlessly avoid the spotlight and stresses of politics. Sapphire was definitely involved with them, she wouldn't be in Riverview right now if she wasn't, but didn't have to worry about the constant magnifying glass being put over her. Perhaps it was because Sapphire had Sunrise Storm soaking up much of the fanfare on Earth--to a degree of scrutiny Wild did not envy. Having another powerful pegasus getting the limelight certainly gave Sapphire some freedoms. Unfortunately, Wild's closest comparison among earth ponies was a stallion in Mexico, El Capitan. Capitan, while powerful, only registered a six to her eight. He was locally famous there, and had comparable physical strength to her. His powers were more exclusively focused on drawing minerals from the earth, which was something she could do as well and then some. A great deal of his local fame had nothing to do with his powers though, but instead his propensity for trying to charm and sleep with any mare--even married ones. If he was the standard bearer for earth ponies it would be a PR nightmare for their tribe. She had her own famous sex drive, but she wasn't a homewrecker. It was just as well she overshadowed him. The Equestrian earth ponies that may be comparable to her weren't as flashy as Rainbow Dash was for pegasi, nor confirmed to be as powerful on their own. Surely Applejack or Pinkie Pie had some great latent earth pony magic they could do if they were protectors of Equestria, right? She wished they'd show it off so some attention could be redirected from her. Having to always live worrying about public relations was exhausting. "Can you forward a request to the hotel to see if the guests would be interested in a surprise visit from me?" Wild asked. "I can. Are you hoping to butter up the delegates before the presentation tomorrow?" Number asked. "Butter them up if possible, but at the very least get a better idea how to respond to them and play up that we're still in development, particularly if Sunset has something screw up," she answered. She had no intention of letting Sunset's fanaticism derail this. Her mama needed this too much for it to be taken from her now. "I'll make the call now, hold one moment," Number said before music started playing from the phone. Wild turned her attention back to reading profiles, trying to determine talking points with each person and the goals and ambitions of each group. Ambassador Grannor the griffon was apparently no friend of the Equestrians, despite that being the official stance between the nations. The griffons were also allied with the Russians and the Chinese, which must have put Sunset on edge considering the level of hatred Sunset had for the Chinese. Though the griffon's alliance with these two nations wasn't particularly helpful to them all the time as the Russians and Chinese hated each other as much as the US hated either of them. The griffons themselves didn't seem to represent a major power on the other world, but strongly aspired to be. The Equestrians went out of their way to keep the griffons happy, but that could be due the Equestrians' pacifist nature rather than any real threat posed by the griffons. Their primary interests seemed to revolve about whether the spells could be repurposed to turn ponies into griffons temporarily. There was some sort of major issue that happened with Sunset Shimmer before she came to Earth involving a griffon chick being turned into a pony that the griffins wanted a way of at least temporarily undoing. This had been one of several major points of contention for years between the griffon kingdom and Equestria linked to those events. Wild was unsure if Sunset was prepared to make such promises, but it seemed possible, eventually. The Equestrians were hard to get a gauge on, which was why meeting them in person before the presentation was so important. It had been Equestrian policy for some time not to comment on what the US was doing unless it involved trade or the living conditions of ponies. They still to this day had teams come to help educate and train ponies in the use of their powers, and they had a steady export of minerals that were hard to find on Earth but were easy to find on Equestria--and imported many electronic components that they had yet to develop enough factories of their own to produce. They kept out of politics for the most part though. The music on the phone cut off. "Okay, so, mixed results." Wild raised an eyebrow. "How bad is it?" Number coughed. "Rarity expressed she would be simply delighted to meet Earth's Element of Generosity." Wild gave the phone a baffled look. "Is she talking about me? Last I checked I didn't have some magic stone from a magic crystal tree." "You aren't up on the Equestrian tabloids I see," Number said with a chuckle. "The Equestrian public has developed a very positive view of you after hearing about your altruistic endeavors. Comparisons between you and Rarity started almost immediately, somepony nicked named you Earth's Element of Generosity, and it stuck. It also helps that PonyCo stamps your face on all the products the Equestrians like to buy when they visit Earth. Great for visibility and sparking conversation." She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling at the idea of ponies in Equestria complimenting her. "It's better than being called the Southern Slut, I suppose." "Wild, that was one tabloid, one time. You really need to let that go," Number said with concern. "Anyway, the bad news. The griffons have heard of you too, but if you're going to visit with them today they want a show of your power." Wild groaned. "And I'm guessing they won't be satisfied with a demonstration of something any significantly powered earth pony can do." "Nope, they want to see something that will really wow them. They also said they aren't really impressed with trees if that's what you want to show." "Did you tell them I'd be demonstrating my power Monday anyway?" "They want to see something today if you want to talk to them today, and I don't think growing something will do much." Wild looked out her window forlornly. "Great." She got an idea as she saw she was driving by one of the bigger parks. "Can you get Sunset on the line? I need to ask permission to do something I might normally need a permit to do and she might be able to order it through." "I suppose so," Number answered skeptically. "Give me a moment to call her up." The music of being put on hold began again. "Driver, please pull over to this park. Signal my security entourage I need them to be ready to look the area over." Since she'd been going out and about near official people today she actually had a full car of security trailing the limo. The music stopped. "I've got her on the other line. Starting a conference call now." "Wild? What do you need? I'm very busy," came Sunset's voice almost immediately on the tail of Number's. "I'm at Patel Park. I want permission to put on a demonstration of my magic. Something that would require over a six PREQUES rating to do." "That's a big deal. I can maybe fast track a permit through for that, but you'll need to tell me why, and give me assurances it won't cause any property damage or damage anything more than grass and dirt." She looked around the park to make sure she actually had a spot she could make those promises with. She saw a large field that would be perfect. It had some ponies playing in it right now, but her announcing she was going to do a demonstration should get them to clear to the outskirts to watch. "I can promise that. As to why, I'm trying to get on the delegates' good side and the griffons want me to wow them with my powers before they talk to me." Sunset was silent for a second before answering. "Okay, I'll fast track you through. Don't do anything until I've confirmed with you that the permit has been filed. It should only take a few minutes. Keep whatever this is contained so I don't look like a fool in front of the city council for approving this." "I will...I mean I won't...or...you know what I mean," Wild assured her excitedly as she pictured what she was going to do. They wanted to be wowed, she'd wow them. "Number, you heard where I need them to come, right?" "Yes..." Number said slowly. "Though I need to point out that I had been negotiating you coming to them, not them coming to you. That might be a little bit of a political boo-boo." Oops..."They asked for a demonstration, I can't do that in a hotel lobby--not without leveling the hotel anyway. So...um...please do your best to get them here. You know how much I appreciate you, right?" "You owe me a full box of Cubans for this," Number grumbled. Music started playing again, which meant Sunset was gone as well. The limo stopped and a moment later she watched as her security detail got out and started looking over the area. Ponies stopped what they were doing to stare at the mix of human and pony security looking about. After a solid minute of them looking about they signaled her that it was alright to come out. She exited the vehicle and was glad to feel her hooves connect with soil. She was attuned enough with her magic that even through the limo she could feel the earth around her, but it was no substitute to the real tactile sensation of having her own hooves in direct contact with the grass and dirt. The feeling of confidence and strength it gave her reaffirmed that earth ponies were meant to be in contact with the soil. With music of the sound of Eye of the Tiger coming over her phone she walked into the center of her security. The song wouldn't have been her first choice, but it definitely pumped her up. "Follow me, keep alert, and don't get overly aggressive with anyone unless they present a clear threat." "Yes, ma'am," all of the security said in well trained unison. She calmly walked to the center of the park like any other pony would if you could forget she was surrounded by security Several ponies and a human or two that were in the park pointed at her excitedly, with a few snapping pictures of her. She gave each of her admirers a wave in turn as she made her way towards the field. The music stopped. "Okay Wild, I think I asked too little. The griffons are unhappy about being asked to come out, and I think they expect you to disappoint them, but they're coming. Even Rarity complained about how she wasn't properly prepared to go out again, but she relented." "Appreciate you, Number," she responded with a grin. "Appreciate me using your bar for the rest of the night, and I'll be drinking top shelf," Number said with a huff before hanging up the phone. She wished she knew how to enhance her voice with magic, that would make things much easier to tell others to keep a distance. It always seemed like she should be able to manipulate her body to do it, but she came to discover such magic was more a manipulation of the air than a manipulation of herself. Air was something she couldn't really manipulate directly. What she could manipulate was the ground, and one thing the residents of Riverview were familiar with were her set perimeters. She looked about her, judging how much space she needed, and how much space was needed to keep people at a safe distance. The field offered more than enough space as long as she kept her work centered within it. With her mental estimates made she sent her magic into the ground and started growing higher grasses in an outline larger than what she had estimated as the needed safe area. Those that were in the park were all familiar with what this meant and excitedly retreated back to outside her perimeter. A few passing pegasi noticed what was going on and joined the others on the ground outside the perimeter to chatter as they all looked on with expectation of her coming display. Perimeter established, she started feeling deep into the soil and all around the area for some distance. The hum of her magic was able to be felt by all around her as she worked, and added to the crowd's excitement and attracted more who felt it to the area. She felt around, pinpointing all the minerals and seeds that she needed in the park's immediate area, and started slowly drawing them below the center of the field through shifting earth. She had to be careful to move the soil without damaging anything above ground or any plumbing or electrical wires that were hidden below ground. There was always the danger of an earthquake if she did this sloppily. She took extreme care that any movement of the earth would be so small that it wouldn't damage anything, and be only perceptible to earth ponies. Years separated her from blind brute force displays of magic, and she had pride in the precision she was capable of using it at such a high level of power. She kept focused, effortlessly tracing the runes in her mind that allowed her to do things with precision. The government had feared what her magic could do if left wild, and had eagerly approved her training by Equestrians as a result. It had been a challenge to learn, but once the skills had been learned they became second nature to her. Now she could move objects within the soil like a unicorn could levitate them through the air. People believed that earth ponies couldn't be mages, but they were mistaken. Earth pony magic was geomancy, and her power made her without peer in that type of magic. Only the alicorns had the power to surpass her, and they lacked her natural affinity with this type of magic. Her senses told her a few of her preferred seed types were not numerous enough here. She could reach out further to find them and draw them to her, but that would take time and energy she'd rather not spend. This was going to be a huge enough undertaking as it was. She was also obligated to localize her powers to just the park area anyway. Luckily she had a solution for this. She turned to a member of her security while still drawing what she needed to her. "Bring me my seed case, please. It's in the limo." She'd have to remember to order a restock of it after this, but blowing through some of her stock of seeds was worth it. Those griffons wanted a display of power and they were going to get one. "Sunset Blessing calling," her phone announced as it started ringing. She gently touched a hoof to it to answer it, not stopping in her work. "Wild? What the hell are you doing? I have reports coming in from all over that part of the city about ponies feeling your magic at work. I told you not to do anything until this was officially filed." "I haven't done anything that needs a permit as of yet. I'm just preparing," Wild answered calmly. That was more a technicality, she was moving things in the soil. Moving things in the soil technically didn't need over a six PREQUES rating. She was just doing that on a larger scale than most could. "Is the permit approved?" "It's approved," Sunset confirmed. "What exactly are you up to?" "I thought Rudra, and the night ponies, might appreciate a statue in honor of him as Riverview's first pony doctor. After all, this park is named after him," Wild said with a grin. "A statue?" Sunset said bemused. "How big a statue are we talking? You aren't going to cause a quake making this thing are you? This seems pretty complex to do with earth pony magic, even for you." "I can do it without causing an earthquake. I got to play and experiment when I was building myself up for the Sahara project. I know what I'm doing," Wild confirmed. "And the goal is to wow our guests, I intend to give Riverview's first pony doctor a proper monument." "If you say so," Sunset replied, clearly still doubting and clearly concerned. "This isn't a desert with nothing for miles around that you can possibly damage in the process, this is the middle of a city. There's a lot more factors in play here than when you were playing in Africa. Make sure whatever you do doesn't impact anything past that park; don't overdue it showing off. This isn't a game." "I know what I'm doing, Sunset," Wild said with a hint of annoyance that she was being doubted. "I had the science camp near me in Africa and I didn't disturb it with what I did for practice. Didn't you look over the reports?" "I only looked at the report for the actual test and that involved a pretty significant quake that if they hadn't been prepared for it would have leveled that camp, and would have leveled any settlement nearby if there had been any," Sunset replied crossly. "Well, I'm not trying to raise anything on that scale here. I'm making a statue in the middle of a field, not trying to pull magma from the Earth," Wild said dismissively. "I made a few out there with no harm to anyone before the test destroyed them. I know I can do this." Sunset let off an audible growl. "If something goes wrong I'll make you wish you had a volcano handy to hurl yourself into, right before they're done tossing me into it for approving this." "Noted," she said as she ended the call. The nerve of that unicorn. Like she would ever do anything that would hurt anyone if she thought there was any chance it may. At least her adrenaline was going now, and that would help her out. Everything below seemed ready for her to start working on it so she ceased drawing things to her location while she waited for the key members of her audience to arrive. Hopefully they would be quick. She didn't want to keep her current audience waiting too long. The number of ponies who were already watching had grown. Now there was a full flock of pegasi hovering above the park in anticipation, making their own circle around the field in the air, and some pulled up clouds to sit on. Since they didn't know exactly what she was up to they probably didn't want to be directly over where she was working--a giant tree sprouting up at the rate she could grow one might knock a flyer out of the air. On the other side of her grass perimeter the number of more ground bound ponies had grown into a fair crowd, with more humans joining them. The humans were probably just here to see what had attracted all the ponies, but there may have been some rehumanized among them that had felt the magic as well. There was even a solitary night pony mare wearing a dark pair of sunglasses lounging in a tree. She gave the crowd a wave as her security delivered her seed case to her before retreating back beyond the perimeter. Then she started marking out on the ground a rough outline of where she meant to have her work done. She didn't actually need to do this, but it made for a good show that she was still preparing to do something. Keeping anticipation building was important for making people excited. Keeping people excited helped with her image. These were things that she had learned over the years. It wasn't just doing these big displays of magic, but how she put on the performance. Despite how much she hated having her actions scrutinized she had to admit she enjoyed positive attention a great deal, and was eager to cultivate it. At long last several official looking cars pulled up to the edge of the park. An additional team of security, which included a few military members, got out of vehicles and consulted with her own security as the crowds watched. The new security took up their own positions while the delegation from the other world exited the vehicles and were given instructions about where they could watch and observe. Rarity was the first out, and was easily recognized, even though Wild had never met the unicorn. If Wild had never seen pictures of her she'd have recognized her by that particular mane style since Phobia often modeled it herself and was open on saying who it was modeled after. Several other unicorns and and a few other token ponies of other tribes quickly joined her. The griffons were a sight to see in person. She'd seen photos of, but never any in person. They bore little resemblance to ponies past being quadrupeds, more bird and cat-like in appearance. Some looked like they had hawk-like features, others falcon-like, and a few buzzard-like. Their feline tails were held high for the most part, though a few of them swished them about in a way that displayed their mood. One old buzzard-like griffon was holding what looked like a whole roasted chicken in his talons, and was chomping away at it with his beak. The last guest was the kirin. He stood slightly taller than the ponies with peach colored fur and a golden mane that hung about his head and shoulders like a lion's. His height was apparently unusual among kirin, and was ascribed to the fact he came from their leadership line, who as a whole tended to stand much taller than the more average pony height kirin. It looked as if he had what looked like scales along his muzzle and back, and his tail seemed a bit different than a typical pony's. A strange branching horn that was almost more antler than horn was centered in his head. He clearly had pony facial features and bone structure, but she could see where some would see him as something other than a pony. The kirin seemed to be dancing in place as he tried to take in all the sights around him, and his youth and enthusiasm was clearly evident despite his size. As they came up to the perimeter she smiled. It was showtime. Turning back to the center the field she stretched out a leg towards it. Again, this was completely unnecessary, but it added to the show--and to be honest it had become a habit that she'd started doing even when she wasn't trying to show off. Her power gathered in her and everyone around seemed to feel the buildup of magical energy as they all went silent waiting for the hoof to drop. It came down with a hard stomp that sent clods of grass flying. A sensation like the sounding of a gong went off to all that could feel magic, and likely could be felt at the very edges of the city. All the things she had been gathering beneath the surface began to push together and compact to form stone, and in the center of the field the ground could be seen moving as if it were a carpet of grass draped over water. She focused and started forming the stone into the shape she wanted, starting from the top and working her way down. As she did this she reached down and opened up her case of precious seeds and bent her head down to gather up the appropriate ones in her mouth, before spitting them out towards where her work was being done. The seeds hit the ground and her magic grabbed them from the soil and swept them towards their new home. The wingtips of Rudra's statue started to rise from the ground, and she was pleased that she had properly formed them without actually seeing them with her eyes. She had seen them with her magic and that was better than eyesight. With her magic pulsing through the park she could see all in it, even the shape and form of each person that stood upon the soil. The few crystal ponies in the crowd lit up as her magic seeped into them, making them sparkle brightly. The statue continued to rise from the ground in front of the astonished onlookers. The mane of the statue was not stone like the rest. She had made it so where that would be was instead looser soil that her flowers had taken root in, and Rudra was given a mane of bright red roses. If this statue remained here after this they would need regular tending, as this was essentially just one giant planter for them, otherwise the poor night pony statue would eventually go quite bald. Weariness started to kick in at this point. She'd been steadily using a lot of power and shaping the stone was not the easiest of tasks. Up it continue to rise still, with a small rumbling of the ground, but not too severe. Climbing foot by foot out of the ground until the whole body of her art was exposed; ten times the size of a normal pony, with wings lifted high and a stethoscope around his neck, Rudra's likeness was perfect. She was not done yet, even though she was very tired from the sustained use of her magic. The statue continued to rise higher as she made a great boulder like pedestal for the statue to stand upon. Vines sprang up and wrapped themselves around the boulder as it rose completely out of the ground, and small blooms appeared from the vines. With all the statue with its stand raised she laid out a carpet of flowers all around it, perfectly sectioned off by type so it looked like the boulder was standing in the center of a rainbow. With her work finished she sat back down, lightly panting, as the cheers went up all around her. Glancing over at the griffons and other delegates and she was pleased to see muzzles and beaks agape. She'd found a way of impressing them with her power while working on a relatively small scale. Now they understood that her power and capabilities were not just limited to growing trees. They wanted a show of magic that they'd never seen before and she'd delivered. There were now meet and greets to do. Politics was going to reassert itself. She really wanted to take a nap. She was going to be drained for hours after this. Her magic naturally flowed in single large bursts, not this steady flow she'd been using today. Going against it's natural flow with this much magic was more exhausting than putting on even bigger displays with her natural wild power. If an assassin took a shot at her right now she was pretty sure her defenses would fail. She put a big smile on her face that masked her current weariness. Appearances were everything in politics, and they were critical to survival as well. No one could ever be allowed to see her weaknesses.