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// Chapter 17: Time to Go Home 
// Story: Pandemic: Starting Over 
// by Halira 
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It might surprise some people, given that I had been a Shimmerist, but I had always found Lunites to be rather narrow-minded. That isn't saying that Lunites are bad people, far from it, but I found their views to make little sense. Lunites believed in ponies and humans each having their specific place in the overall order of things. Ponies could manage the weather, grow food, and do feats of magic. Humans controlled things like heavy industry, electrical power, transportation, and commerce beyond the small towns. There was no need to focus on a greater philosophical harmony, like the Harmonists, but there was a view that every creature contributed something unique to their tribe or species to the overall good. I always questioned Lunites on why ponies couldn't do the same jobs that humans did, and they always seemed to counter by asking why would they want to do that? You might as well be asking unicorns to try to control the weather as ask ponies to work like humans. 

My dad was an earth pony electrician and a Lunite, which seemed contradictory to me. As we sat talking, I asked him how being an electrician reconciled with his Lunite beliefs. He stated that he didn't provide the electric power or make the wiring; he only helped ponies utilize what humans provided. Lunitism just seemed like lunacy to me, Shimmerism I had learned to be the evil that it was, and Harmonism felt like some far-eastern religion that tried to encroach on Christian beliefs. The major three pony philosophies all seemed to fail me. Regardless of whatever those Blessingists believed, I wasn't getting myself mixed up in some organization that wanted to put me on a pedestal. Sunrise Storm might have had the right idea not to take sides (aside from the fact she needed to be harder on Shimmerists), but it didn't give me any guidance on what I should believe. However, my parents were right; I couldn't just live my life condemning without defining what I felt was right. My Christian beliefs were a start, but only a start, and my warped mind had twisted those in the past. I needed more. 

My parents, being Lunites, enjoyed living with other ponies, building a pony community while still appreciating humanity. In this case, their appreciation of humanity meant they appreciated the fact humans provided them with satellite television and internet- with my mom having an almost religious love of game shows, something that hadn't changed much since I was a child. I endured the latest iteration of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with calm grace. I didn't understand what she saw in this show, since she didn't even care about money. The only thing a contestant could do was weigh when it was time to cut and run with what they had- deciding when they had enough risk. I didn't like that there was no way of determining beyond simple statistics whether the risks were worth it. Statistically, most people couldn't win a million even if they had the best guesses in the world. A person should be given the agency to reach the best outcome. 

We ate ice cream as a family, and Sinker made himself a chocolatey mess with his promised three scoops. I couldn't complain, as I was quite embarrassed by my efforts at using a spoon in a pony strap. I was just so used to using my horn for everything. That, of course, led to the uncomfortable admission to my parents that I was dealing with magical exhaustion and then having to deal with them insisting I spend the night to recover more, rather than try to walk through town again with no means to defend myself from Shimmerist hoodlums. I made clear that spending the night was not an option, as I had five foals at home that needed me to return. Not to mention that the government would be peeved if they misconstrued that I was on the run from them. 

We also discussed the rest of the family. My parents regretfully did not know what had become of my sisters, Andrea and Kristin, who I had failed to locate in my research as well. I had tracked them up to where they were before ETS, but they'd dropped off the map after ETS- as if they never were. My parents were grateful for what news I did provide, and hoped that one day they'd return home as well. Most of my aunt's and uncles were deceased, save my mother's youngest sister, who was only a few years older than me. The identity of that one had been shocking to me, as I knew of her as a pony, but without realizing she was my aunt. I quickly decided I preferred not to contact her, as I recognized she would just try to use me for her political advantage. I had no intention of being part of her games. Mom was disappointed, but agreed to keep me secret from my aunt. For all I knew, my aunt already knew she was the aunt of Sunset Blessing and was holding that as a card to play at some point later- I wasn't the only person who could do research. 

The time came for me to go. We exchanged emails and phone numbers so we could keep in contact with one another, and my mother couldn't contain her tears. We were alike in that. We were both very emotional individuals. It was just different emotions that were dominant- she was full of sentimental feelings and excitement while I often found myself at the mercy of my rage. 

I was saying my final goodbyes when my phone began ringing. I lifted my leg and gave the phone a quick tap. "Hello, Sunset Blessing speaking."

"Sunset, where are you! I'm at the condo, and you aren't here." Demanded the voice on the other end of the line. 

"Hello, Wild Growth," I replied, just to impress my brother. "I'm visiting my parents in Pony Hope. Starlight should have told you that if you're there." Then I narrowed my brow. "Starlight is there with the foals, correct?"

Wild's voice relaxed. "She and the eldest one of them are in the middle of a shouting match- something about how rice should be prepared. Neither of them is willing to break from the argument to talk to me, and Trixie is no help. She's busy hiding in the closet."

I gave my phone a dumbfounded stare. "Where are the rest of the foals? Why is Trixie hiding in the closet?"

"They're all huddled together behind me at the front door," Wild explained. "And Trixie is hiding in the closet because she's terrified of who's swimming around in the pool."

"Who's swimming in the pool?"

"Bursa, you know, the person your scientists twisted into something monstrous and mistreated," Wild said casually. 

My mouth dropped. "What?! You brought that thing with you!"

"Bursa is not a thing; she's a person," Wild said firmly. 

"Semantics. You told me she was swinging you around like a ragdoll, and now you have her within a mile of the foals! Are you insane!"

"She was swinging me around like a ragdoll because I wasn't fighting her, and was trying to gain her trust," Wild replied. "And I'm continuing to gain her trust by not locking her away somewhere like she was. As for the foals, I'm between them and Bursa, and if she were to try to hurt them, I would fight her, and things would go very differently. I'm monitoring the situation. She seems quite content to swim and enjoy actual daylight."

"Why are you and that thi- that person at the condo?" I asked, more than a little flustered. "If you have a monster with you, then you should be going somewhere a little more secure, with less vulnerable people."

"It's a pit stop on the way to such a place," Wild replied. "I'm stopping here because I want you to apologize for what was done to her."

"Me?! I had nothing to do with it!"

"Who employed those ponies?" Wild questioned. "Who gave them the knowledge and means to do this to her?"

I shook my head. "I never intended them to do that to her. If you want me to say that to your pet monster, then fine. Are you going to protect me if she decides that's worth ripping my head off for?"

"I doubt she'll try, but I'll protect you if she does," Wild assured me. "And I apologized already for my part in her creation. It isn't like I'm without guilt. I'm going to get her trusting again, and that means giving her some freedom and making sure everything is being done to get her justice. I know you didn't intend this, but that doesn't mean you don't owe her an apology."

I stomped my other foreleg. "Fine! I'll do it, but I'll never forgive you if she rips one of my legs off or so much as breathes hard on one of those foals."

"Well, hurry up and get back here," Wild ordered. "I intended to make this trip an in and out affair. How much longer will you be?"

I didn't like being rushed. "I'm getting ready to return to the place Starlight has marked for teleports and will contact her to come to get me when I arrive there. It should be less than an hour. Pony Hope isn't that big."

"I'll see you then," Wild replied, then hung up on me. 

Sinker bounced on the edge of his hooves. "That was Wild Growth!"

I nodded. "Sure was. I told you she liked to call and yell at me."

"Wild Growth has a pet monster?" Sinker asked eagerly.

"Apparently she does now," I replied warily. "Hopefully, her pet monster doesn't eat me."

"I'm sure it can't be bad if Starlight Glimmer thinks cooking rice is more important," Dad assured me. 

I sighed. "Good point. Trixie is probably just being dramatic. I trust Starlight’s judgment. If she's not worried, then I won't be worried. I do need to get going, though."

Mom grabbed me into another hug. "You better keep in touch, don't forget that we're here for you. I love you, baby."

I squeezed her back. "I love you too, and I'll keep in touch."

She released me, and Dad immediately grabbed me instead. "You be careful on your way back. I don't trust the Shimmerists. Have your phone at the ready to call for help if anything happens."

"I can take care of myself, too, don't worry," I replied. 

Sinker just hugged me without saying much else. I gave him a good squeeze, then turned and exited the house. 

Luckily, whoever their neighbor was, she wasn't out in her garden. There didn't seem to be any pony out on this section of the street. That suited me just fine. It meant it was less likely that anyone would tie my parents to me, and they wouldn't face any harassment because of me. I glanced upwards, and while I saw some pegasi up in the sky, it was impossible for me to tell if any of them were Sunrise Storm. They were just too high up to make out the details. Again, this was fine. If they were too high up for me to tell anything, they likely couldn't identify me from the height either. 

I started walking back the way I came, and it didn't take long to begin seeing ponies once again. Things went just as they had earlier—lots of staring, lots of hushed conversations, and the telltale stares of Shimmerists. This time around, I had no reason to engage anyone in conversation, and I just kept towards the middle of the dirt road. I had yet to see a car on any of these dirt paths, so I had no fear of being run over. It made me more visible, but it also gave ponies the most opportunity to put space between them and me. A less significant benefit was that if anyone wanted to jump me and drag me behind a house would find it more challenging if I wasn't near any houses. 

The walk seemed longer without a companion. I glanced up again at the sky, hoping to see Sunrise. She wasn't someone I would be eager to see usually, but she was a face that didn't have fear or hate for me. Her joining me for the return walk wouldn't be entirely unpleasant. I was more aloof than many ponies, but that didn't mean I enjoyed the isolation and shunning any more than the rest- I just cried about it less. 

When I was about halfway back to where I needed to be, I noted that I had picked up a shadow. It didn't take long for that shadow to gain some companions. Ponies seemed more eager to get away when they saw me now. I glanced down at my leg. Should I stop to call for help, or at least prepare it to be ready to call? Stopping gave my slow-moving pursuers time to close the gap further. No, stopping wasn't an option just yet. I looked to the skies again as I walked. Where was Sunrise? The situation was starting to make me nervous. I kept walking, keeping to the center of the street as best I could. If anyone started anything, I needed to be visible. 

A group of three unicorns—a mare and two stallions, stepped out into the street in front of me and looked at me menacingly. Crap, this was bad. Sunrise needed to get her flank down on the ground, and she needed to do it now. I was no match for three unicorns even when healthy, and right now, my magic was still primarily exhausted. I might manage some little things, but not a shield or anything to defend myself. Maybe flicking some dust up in their eyes, and even that was questionable. 

One of the stallions stepped forward, a giant beefy white unicorn with a purple mane. "If you're looking for Sunset Shimmer's forsaken protegé to come save you, save yourself the trouble. She got called away on other business, and it should keep her busy for a while."

This was coordinated then. I quickly lifted my phone but immediately felt a searing pain in my leg as the phone burst into flames. With a burst of adrenaline, I was able to light my horn and remove the phone from my leg. I winced and looked at my leg. It seemed I'd been quick enough to avoid any severe damage, but it was still a nasty burn that hurt like hell and would hamper any attempt to run. 

"Poor little Apostate," the stallion mocked as he stepped closer. "Nopony is going to help you this time. It was foolish to come around here and not bring any of your human friends to protect you. Did you think we had forgotten or forgiven your betrayal?"

No Sunrise Storm, no police, no magic- that only left me with my tongue. I looked the stallion in the eyes. "Ganging up on an old mare? I thought you believed ponies were better than humans. You’re behaving worse than a human street gang."

He sneered. "Even ponies in Equestria have to rally themselves against villains from time to time. You've proven yourself to be the enemy of all ponies time and time again. You're no better than those Humanity First humans, in fact, you're worse."

I arched my brow at him. "Because I denounced Shimmerism in front of the whole nation? Please! I was not the first, and I certainly won't be the last. I'm not even the first prominent Shimmerist to do so. Go cry me a river over how I said mean things about you, colt."

His sneer turned into a snarl. "That was just what you did to top it all off! For years you worked as an agent for those humans to arrest honorable ponies who were just trying to make a better world. You took the secrets of transformation magic, and you perverted it so that even a pony with a mark could be turned into a human. You even bragged about how you knew how to recreate Sunset Shimmer's spell and that you'd keep that knowledge to yourself rather than help save the world. You even gave humans access to chaotic and unnatural forms of magic. You had my wife arrested for treason! You're a traitor to your species a hundred times over, and you need to face the consequences!"

So much for being reasonable and shaming them about being violent. This was a personal vendetta if I'd had his wife arrested. I was in deep shit. 

"Hey! Leave that mare alone!"

I turned and saw an earth pony stallion had stepped out from a group hiding on the side of a building. The rest of the ponies in his group seemed terrified. 

The unicorn I assumed was the leader of my lynching committee leveled a glare at the other stallion. "This doesn't concern you, Brookstone. Be about your business and look away. We don't want to hurt anypony except her, but if you get in the way,” he left the threat hanging.

I jumped on my chance. "Now you're threatening your neighbors for trying to be decent ponies? You don't seem so righteous to me."

The unicorn gave me a deadpan look. "Stow it, Apostate. You won't confuse the issue."

"I don't think she's confusing anything!" A new voice rang out. I turned to see a pegasus land down in the street between him and me. She was quickly joined by two more between the ponies behind me and me. None of them were Sunrise Storm, but I wasn't going to complain about any aid.

"Yeah! You aren't acting the way ponies should!" Another voice called out. This time it was one of the first one's friends, who seemed to have grown a little backbone with the arrival of the pegasi. He stepped out of hiding, and a moment later, the remainder of that group stepped out as well.

I suppressed the urge to smile as I looked at the unicorn. "Are you ready to mow down all these ponies to get to me? Are you ready to turn this street into a battleground of pony against pony? Turn and leave. There doesn't need to be any violence here."

The stallion's two companions looked around uneasily, and I knew they were on the verge of bolting. I didn't look behind me, but I could only imagine those ones were as well. He still stared defiantly at me, though, with burning hatred in his eyes. 

There were a few more seconds of tense silence before he relaxed his posture. "Another day. We will have justice, Sunset the Apostate!" He then turned and marched away as if there wasn't a large group of ponies here who had just been gearing to fight him.

Just then, the mare I had been hoping would be there the whole time came flying down from the sky in a rush. She brought herself to a hover a few feet above the ground as she surveyed the area. 

After she seemed satisfied that nothing had happened, she turned back towards me. "I'm so very sorry. Somepony deliberately set fire to an old barn, and I was helping deal with the fire and find out what happened. It took time for me to realize that it was meant to divert me away. Are you alright? Did anypony get hurt?"

I lifted my leg. "Only slightly singed. I got lucky. It seems that your friends aren't as skittish as I accused them of being." I looked around. "You all have my thanks. I'd be dead without you. I wish I could repay your kindness."

"Ponies should never have to stand alone," the first stallion that had come to my aid declared in a very Harmonist way. A sentiment I could agree with at the moment. 

One of the pegasi walked hesitantly over to me. "Are the things they say about you true?"

I frowned. "About how I betrayed ponies time and time again?"

She rapidly shook her head. "No! About how you learned how to bring magic to the humans. Is it true? My brother never transformed, but he dreams of having his own magic."

I sighed. "Giving a human magic is no guarantee that they'll ever be able to use it."

She gasped. "But you do know how, don't you? It isn't just a rumor."

I looked away. "It's something that better people than me need time to study and understand. I gave them the foundation and clues about how to go about it. Maybe someday they'll know how to safely and effectively use that knowledge. I'm done with all that. It brought me nothing but misery."

She didn't seem to be dissuaded. "But-"

“Everypony,” Sunrise flew in front of her. "Sunset Blessing has just had a very trying experience, and she needs to have her leg looked at. I think everypony needs to give her some space and try not to stress her."

The mare looked disappointed but backed off. "Of course, you're right, Sunny." She brightened up. "Hey, could we call her Sunny too?"

"Not on your life!" I barked. 

Sunrise chuckled. "I think she made herself clear about how she feels about that. Thanks, everypony. I'll take care of her from here."

The crowd dispersed, and Sunrise gave me a concerned look. "Let’s go get you to our local doctor to take a look at that leg."

I shook my head. "I'll be fine. I just have to take it slow. No worse than touching a hot pan. Getting home as soon as possible is all I care about. I hope that someone at that office Starlight teleported me to knows how to contact her. My phone is fried, literally."

"I might be able to get you a replacement," Sunrise offered. "I feel awful that I let this happen."

"Not your fault," I replied. "I’ll just get Wild Growth to pony up the money for a new phone. If only because she needs me to have a phone if she's going to call me up regularly to tell me how much of a screw up I am."

Sunrise pouted. "That's not very friendly of her."

I waved my sore leg dismissively and instantly regretted it. I didn't let her see me flinch, though. "She can do so if she wants. She pays my bills and has more right to be angry at me than most people. I need to get back home so she can feed me to her monster."

"So she can what?!" Sunrise exclaimed in shock. 

"She's got a new pet monster," I replied. "I'm exaggerating; she probably won't feed me to it. I just need to tell it I'm sorry and hope it doesn't dismember me before she can tackle it."

She still stared at me in disbelief. "A literal monster? Where did she find a monster?"

I looked down. "She found it while digging the skeletons out of my closet. I'll be alright. Wild isn't going to let anything happen to me. She wouldn't have anyone left she felt justified yelling at."

Sunrise still didn't seem like she was content with hearing that but didn't push the issue. "Well, I'll still escort you. Are you ready, or do you need a few minutes to rest?"

I took a few steps to prove I could walk. Each step gave me a jolt of discomfort, but it was bearable. "Let's get going, and please land, so I don't have to keep staring up at you!"

She rolled her eyes and landed. "As you wish. But tell me if you need to take a break."

"I’m not made of glass," I snapped.

She just accepted my attitude with grace. "Of course, Sunset."