Me, the foals, Starlight, Trixie, Number, and Josie, were all sitting on the dining room floor with the table vacant. No one seemed to want to take a chair when everyone else was on the floor. Malcomb was out in front of the house, waiting for the rest of the SPEC security to arrive. The original agents Number had brought were doing a patrol of the house. We had a mountain of pizza in boxes, some that would go towards the agents, and we were chowing down.
Number looked in the pizza box again as if its contents would magically change from the last time.
"Sun-dried tomato and brussel sprout pizza," Number said aloud once more in a mixture of wonder, disgust, and disbelief.
I finished chewing my slice of spinach, olive, and mushroom pizza and shrugged. "It seems a little unorthodox, true, but it was on the menu as a specialty pizza, and if it is a regular menu item, I assume that it must be better than it sounds."
"I don't see you trying it," Number replied as she wrinkled her muzzle up in disgust. "And is that sauerkraut they added on?"
"Sauerkraut!" Trixie shouted excitedly as she ran over and pushed Number away from the pizza box. The showmare looked in the box and squealed at the sight. "Trixie will have all this pizza."
"See, someone likes it," I said as I pointed to Trixie.
Starlight finished putting out a round of pizza slices for the older colts and turned to us. "It's the sauerkraut. Until contact with Earth, nopony in Equestria ever made the stuff. A few visitors to Earth tried it here, and they figured out how it was made. There aren't a lot of farmers producing it right now back home, and they aren't producing much of it—I'm pretty sure they are guarding the recipe and controlling how much is made. That has made it into this really trendy and really expensive food that mostly only the rich get access to. You're serving her a pizza that would cost as much as a house in Equestria."
"Huh," I replied. "I always thought of Equestria as more egalitarian, not capitalist."
Starlight shrugged. "We have capitalist elements, even if prices of basic goods and services, along with basic housing, are much lower than you'd find comparatively around this country. Luxury goods can still cost quite a lot back home, but I've still always been shocked at how expensive basic needs can get in this nation. If you have a job in Equestria, you can get by. It might be very meager living, but you can get by. Over here, it's crazy that people have to work two, sometimes three jobs just to meet basic needs."
"I realized early on that the key to peace between ponies and humans was money—at least in the USA," I said as I put another slice of pizza on my paper plate. "My early commitment to bringing ponies back into the economy was what earned me government favor, despite my Shimmerist beliefs at the time. In the immediate aftermath of ETS, it seemed like all the ponies wanted to turn away from the economy, and here I was, a pony who was an influencer, ready to bring them back. The government practically heaped aid on me. I was a Shimmerist, but I was their Shimmerist. It helped that I pushed a more moderate doctrine of Shimmerism and ratted out the radicals."
"And backstabbed even the nicer ones," Trixie said, then immediately stuffed her face with pizza.
I frowned. "They were a group that had worked to overthrow the US government. They were traitors."
"Traitors that you just happened to seize notes concerning transformation magic from," Starlight dryly commented.
I nodded. "I had learned that you had a temporary transformation spell. One that Sunset Shimmer frequently used a modified improved version of to travel among and blend in with the human population for years. I figured the real transformation spell was out of reach, but the temporary one might be possible in my lifetime. I seized those notes hoping it would lead me to that discovery. Unfortunately, they were not enough. I was at a dead end.
"But then something unexpected happened," I said with a sigh. "That maniac, Poly Glot, created a broken time travel spell, and I got hit with it. By sheer accident, I obtained a live sample of ETS, and with that to study, and what I had learned from those notes, I suddenly had the knowledge I had previously thought impossible to obtain before I died."
I stood up and turned, and faced a wall. "That changed everything. I felt like God was giving me all the tools to make a pony world happen centuries earlier than I could have ever dreamed. I pushed on with more projects, becoming reckless in my pursuits rather than my previous slow and steady pace. I could see the finish line and ran to it with complete abandon. I felt anointed by God. I was just as much a fool as Sunset Shimmer."
A hoof touched my shoulder, and I turned to see Number standing there. "Not a trip down memory lane we need to take," she said. "You have a second chance to live your life the right way. That's more than Sunset Shimmer got. I wonder if she regretted her actions before she died."
"No, she was committed to her course to the end, even after we told her about the coming threat she had summoned upon us," Starlight said darkly. We all turned to her, seeing her scowling at the floor. She looked up and cleared her throat. "Ignore me, just thinking out loud. I was there when she died, and her refusal to repent was a painful blow for us all."
The unrepentant went to Hell. Would my repentance save me from the same fate? Was it enough to repent when the wrongs were so great? I thought so until recently. Now, I wasn't as sure anymore. I deserved Hell, and I saw no reason for God to forgive me. I just hoped that I could make up in some small part for the wrongs I had done.
Líng finished eating his slice and made got up to find more pizza. Opening the first box he saw, he gave the contents a confused look. "What are those round red circles?"
I blinked. "Something you don't want to eat. Leave that one alone. I got that for the humans."
He completely ignored me and pulled out a slice and bit into it, and took several other bites of it in succession.
Josie stood up and headed for the door. "This can't end well. I'm going to find some towels to clean up what's coming. You might want to get him to a bathroom now to limit the mess."
Everyone else inched away from Líng, except for his brothers, who were oblivious to what was about to happen.
I looked over to Lántiān. "Aren't you going to do something?"
She shook her head. "I don't see you coming to his aid. He needs to learn, ma'am, and experience is the best teacher."
"Líng did something stupid again, didn't he?" Shǔguāng asked.
"He did something unwise," Lántiān corrected.
The earth pony colt sat down and clutched his belly. "I don't feel good."
I quickly lit my horn and moved him over to a corner away from the food. "I don't think we're going to have time to get him to a bathroom."
Trixie closed the pizza box she had been eating from. "I think I'm about to lose my appetite."
"I agree," Number said as she set her food aside.
"Hopefully, the first upchuck will be all it takes," I said as I watched the colt. "Josie should be back with a towel quickly if she already surveyed the whole house with her scrying or whatever that was. I'll get him some water to drink after he finishes."
"We may need to keep him up a little later to make sure he doesn't have diarrhea as well, ma'am," Lántiān said as she gave her brothers a considering look. "We don't want him spoiling the bed as he sleeps. Shǔguāng and Méng have to share it with him."
Starlight looked around at us with scorn. "You're all just going to let the little guy suffer?"
I shrugged. "There's not much that can be done at this point to stop that from happening. Maybe next time he'll listen to me when I tell him something. We'll comfort him once it's over."
Líng started coughing and gagging.
"Here it comes," Number said as she stepped further away.
I multitasked by lifting Líng slightly off the floor with my magic, moved an empty pizza box under him to catch the incoming mess, and gently patted his back with my magic. "Come on, just let it come out. The sooner you do, the sooner you'll feel better."
"Your magic seems to have largely recovered," Starlight observed.
Líng's coughing continued. "I think your announcement was a little premature, Number. As for my magic, Levitation isn't much of anything," I said dismissively. "I'm not about to try anything more complex yet. My reaction time is still fairly slow too."
"Mister Tibbs says differently," Number reminded me. "He says you're stronger than before."
"Really?" Starlight said, sounding amazed. "That's interesting. I wonder what could be the cause. There are a minimal number of ways magic power can suddenly increase later in life. Temporary increases due to emotional state are the most common, and I can attest to their potency, but I don't think this is the case here. A more interesting but unconfirmed method comes from Sunset Shimmer's notes. She did a study involving Princess Celestia that could demonstrate the power of—"
I cut her off. "My power has not increased. Malcomb is mistaken."
"His record doesn't indicate he was prone to exaggerating magical power," Number said. "Maybe you should at least entertain the idea. He didn't claim you were a powerhouse or anything. His reading would still make you the weakest magical power out of the adult ponies in this house, just not as weak as you previously were."
I shook my head. "If it was an accurate reading, it may have just been one of those temporary surges brought on by emotions. You all know I have a temper."
"You didn't seem angry at the time he read you," Number countered. "Why are you fighting this idea? Normally you are quick to study anything involving magic you don't understand, and you have always lamented your weaker power. It's like you want to reinforce the idea you are incapable of being anything but a magical weakling."
Líng did a rapid series of coughs, followed by a long gag, then the indigestible stuff finally decided to exit his mouth and out onto the empty pizza box.
Shǔguāng waved a leg in front of his nose. "That smells bad!"
"Ooooff, that's fragrant," Number said as she fanned in front of herself with a paper plate.
"Trixie needs to go to the little mare's room," Trixie said as she got up and ran out of the room.
Méng sniffed the air and then gagged.
I held Líng steady with my magic and continued to pat his back. "If you've got any more, get it out. We don't want any more of that nasty stuff in you."
Lántiān lifted her daughter onto her back and headed for the door. "I'm going to find that night pony and the towels."
There were a few more gags from Líng, and another, less dramatic emptying of his stomach. I kept him suspended in the air for a few more seconds to satisfy myself he was done. When he didn't continue to gag, I floated him back to myself and hugged him.
"There, all over," I said soothingly. "Now, what did we learn?"
"Round red circles are bad," Líng said weakly.
"Pepperoni," I corrected. "That is human food, not for ponies to eat. If I tell you don't eat something in the future, listen to me."
"Yes, Auntie Sunset," he said in a whisper.
Starlight lifted the putrid pizza box, and it vaporized in her magic. That was a convenient way of dealing with trash.
Using my magic, I gently floated the tired earth pony between Starlight and Number. "Can you watch him for a minute or two? I'm going to go get him something to drink."
"I bought some ginger ale and put it in the fridge," Number said as she used a clean paper plate as an impromptu napkin to wipe Líng's face. "My mother always swore by ginger ale to help settle upset stomachs."
I nodded as I opened the door for the kitchen and walked in. The mess from earlier was still all over the floor. There wasn't any spilled food, although some of the canned goods were dented. The mess could wait till morning. I remembered to shut the kitchen door as I walked over to the refrigerator to find the ginger ale.
A sudden thump at the cellar door, followed quickly by the unmistakable sound of a muffled obscenity.
"If you have questions about the bill, be sure to respond with a note," I called out. I had no idea why I did that. It was a stupid thing to do. It was a force of habit, perhaps—an inexplicable need to needle people that I had the intention of riling up.
It went dead silent for a few seconds after I spoke, and I held my breath as I watched the door. They knew I was in the kitchen, and I knew they were on the other side of the cellar door. More importantly, we knew that we were aware of each other's immediate presence. It hadn't been my intention to escalate to this point yet, but the moment had happened, and there was no undoing it. The other room had gone still as well, and I knew they were listening. That was good, because if a crazed human came barging through the door, I would be dependant on Starlight to defend the foals. There would be no hope for me. I wouldn't be able to disarm them in time, and my shield—if I could even manage one, wouldn't stop a bullet at this range.
"I accept direct bank payments, but no credit cards," I pressed on, playing the part I had chosen to the letter. "If you're experiencing a financial hardship, we can discuss some sort of payment plan or settlement, but I can't have you freeloading in my home."
"Your home?!" came a deep booming shout. The cellar door slammed open right after, I heard a girl scream, and I was face to face with an angry human.
His anger evaporated as soon as his eyes fell on me. I continued to hold my breath and heard movement from the dining room, but the dining room door did not open. The man looked around my age, with a short unkempt black beard and equally messy black hair. He was wearing dirty jeans and a brown leather jacket. I saw a gun in a holster hanging on his belt, but thankfully his hand wasn't on it. Standing behind him was a teenaged brunette girl who looked terrified as she tried to pull him back.
"I take it you have a complaint," I said with false bravado. I wanted to pee all over myself, but I couldn't let him see my fear. I also needed to reinforce that seeing a human was not unusual to me.
He seemed dumbstruck that I was talking to him as the girl I assumed was his daughter continued to plead for his retreat.
No movement on his part. I had to press on. "My human name is Charlotte Portsmith. I was born not too far from here at Fitzsimmons medical center—which closed during the nineties, I think. I'm a preacher, a person of God, a proud American, and I have a family I need to protect. I don't want any trouble. I understand you have been hiding down there with your family since before the ETS pandemic ended and may be out of the loop about what has been happening beyond this property. You must be starved for information. Do you need supplies, medicine, food, or new clothes? We can work something out. I am not here to hurt you or get you in trouble with the authorities."
He continued to remain silent. His daughter turned and went back down the stairs. I didn't trust that. Was she going to get a weapon?
"If you aren't up to talking. How about you close that door, write me a note as I asked, and we can continue this conversation that way. I understand if you feel safer that way," I said gently as I could. "I have friends and family in the next room who must be listening right now, and I know they must be very nervous knowing you are right here. Your family must be anxious, as well. I think everyone down below and up here will feel better if you just retreat to your bunker."
He continued to stare for a moment, then stepped back, closing the door as he went.
I collapsed down on the ground as the dining room door banged open and Number, Starlight, and the human SPEC agents came hurrying in.
As they reached me, I looked up at Number. "Did you buy any alcohol? I need a strong drink."