//------------------------------//
// Chapter 71: Meet-Up at the Museum 
// Story: Pandemic: Starting Over 
// by Halira 
//------------------------------//

It was a chore, but I finally convinced the Creams that they couldn't visit the house just yet. However, I did agree to have them tag along with us as far as the mall. Their bakery turned out to be at the mall, and being very proud of it; Eclair was eager to show it off to her brother. They typically made a short trip by it on Sunday anyway to see how things were doing while they walked around shopping.

But first, we needed to go to the museums and the observatory. 

After checking in at the museum lobby—which had a reconstruction of a giant Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton as you walked in, I found Rosetta waiting just outside the gift shop for me.

"Where is everyone else?" I asked her as I looked around. My question was immediately answered when I took a look in the gift shop and saw the foals looking at stuffed dinosaurs. "Never mind, I see them. Have things gone smoothly?"

She nodded and looked past me at the Creams and Youngs, who were gaping at the skeleton. "You somehow picked up even more people?  Who are those ponies?" 

I smiled as I glanced back at the families. "John's baby sister and her family. We ran into them by chance at the church. They aren't coming to the house. We have enough people there as it is."

"That's for sure," Rosetta mumbled. "It's been smooth enough here. Kids will be kids, and it was an effort to keep them from wandering off at times, but Robby and Lántiān were very helpful in aiding the adults to keep them in line. Jess… well, she wandered off a bit, but she was always easy to find. She kinda stands out in a room, and I didn't make a big deal out of it as long as I could spot her head in the crowd. Only had to throw a fit at her once when she left to go the restroom and didn't tell anyone. Oh! Starlight and Trixie headed out to do some things together. Trixie was getting discontent that she wasn't getting enough time with just her and Starlight."

I rolled my eyes at the last part but didn't complain. Starlight might have her eyes set on a certain stallion, but I sometimes wondered if Trixie had her eyes on Starlight. I nodded at the rest. "Well, I guess I can go pay for something for everyone at the gift shop, and we can run you to the hotel to check you in."

Rosetta's ears flicked. "Actually… Could you delay the hotel check-in? We can stay up a little later today and maybe check-in after the observatory, or you could cancel the reservation, and we can sleep on the bus. There's something here that is happening in a few minutes that I'm dying to see."

I laid my ears back. "That's going to throw off my schedule, and I don't want to tell Phobia I had you sleeping on a bus."

She batted her eyes at me. "Please, Mom," she asked in an overly sweet voice.

I blinked. "You've never called me Mom, even when you were trying to get something out of me. I'm thrilled to hear it, even if I know you are just manipulating me. Alright, consider me manipulated. What was worth you making that sacrifice?"

She let out a long breath. "It was a huge sacrifice, but I think it is worth it. Doctor Sarah Tanner is going to be doing a presentation in a few minutes, and I really want to go see it."

My lips turned upward. "So… Sarah's going to be here. I've never met her face-to-face, but we had a long-standing business relationship. I wouldn't mind seeing how she is doing. Let me pay for whatever they are after in the gift shop, and I believe I saw a restaurant outside they can all go to while you and I go and see the presentation. Number can hoof the bill for feeding them."

Now her ears laid back. "You and me… by ourselves?"

"I figured we could do some more bonding," I replied. "I think we made some real progress yesterday, and you did just call me Mom. A little more time spent together, doing something we are both interested in, will do us good. It isn't like there are that many things we share as interests, so this is a rare occurrence."

She seemed like she might reconsider her request, but then hung her head in defeat. "Fine, but let's not push it too much with the bonding. Things might be a tiny bit better after yesterday, but overdoing it might undo it."

"No overdoing this," I assured her. "It is a presentation, so we are just sitting and listening anyway. If there's time, maybe we can talk to her after."

Rosetta smiled. "That sounds good. I've talked to her before, but it has been a long time."

I walked into the gift shop and made an announcement. "Okay, everyone who is with me. Make a selection of one thing. After this, you are eating and off to the observatory. Be quick, we're on a schedule, and I already have to make adjustments."

There was a mad dash and movement. It didn't take long for most of them to make selections. Most of the adults, including the teens, picked out books. The exception of this was Tempest, who got a rain staff—a hollowed-out wooden staff with sand inside that when you turned it made a sound that reminded people of rain. Robby, Lántiān, and Devon all got books on Native American art. Jess grabbed a book on—who'd have guessed, astronomy. Paul got a book on Anasazi history. My mother a geology book of all things, which talked about unique stones you could find in the area. My dad grabbed a joke book about dinosaurs that had me rolling my eyes—it was juvenile, but so was his humor. Number abstained, saying she could buy something on her own if she wanted. 

Qīng Yǔ ended up with a stuffed stegosaurus that she almost refused to let go of to let the cashier ring up. Méng grabbed a stuffed pterodactyl. Líng grabbed a set of dinosaur action figures. Shǔguāng surprised me by grabbing a put-together model set of a Pueblo cliff dwelling. Sinker grabbed a dozen or so brightly colored and polished stones that could be bought by the dozen and came with a small pouch. Grace got a stuffed brontosaurus, and her brother got a train set. My grandfoals all got stuffed dinosaurs as well, but those I couldn't put names to.

I was glad Wild was paying the bill because by the time the cashier rang it all up my eyes about popped. 

"Okay, everyone, load your stuff on the bus," I instructed. "Number, can I have a few words."

"Words are freely given but may cost you everything," Number replied sagely, but walked over to me.

I got in close to her to whisper. "I have some information that I'd like you to pass onto the security teams and authorities. There's an earth pony Shimmerist who went missing around a week ago who is known for keeping a pack of very loud dogs. People call him Howler, but I got the impression this is just what people nicknamed him, not his actual name. Since the timing lines up with the foals arriving with me, this is a Shimmerist, and it involves dogs; I thought it was worth looking into."

Number frowned. "Not much to go on, and it could just be a coincidence.  Plus, earth ponies don't cast complex spells like that. I'm guessing you're interested in finding out if any other prominent Shimmerists have gone missing in the same time frame and where they ended up? If it's them, then I would assume it's a group effort."

"If it ends up being a coincidence, then no harm was done investigating it, and if it turns out to be something, then we can help put an end to this," I replied. 

Number nodded. "Very well, I'll make some calls and have some people look into it. I might have to hire a private eye. Our security is just that, security, not an investigation team, and I'm not sure the police or FBI will take any action without any actual evidence beyond him having dogs and having gone somewhere for the last week. It isn't a crime to be a Shimmerist, own dogs, or take a vacation."

"Thanks, Number," I then gave her a sheepish grin. "One more favor, would you mind hoofing the bill for them eating in a few minutes? Rosetta and I are going to go watch something, so I won't be there to pay."

Number shrugged. "Sure, it isn't like I don't have the money. Technically, I'm the account manager, and an authorized user on the same credit account Wild gave you, so I could pay from that, but I'll take the hit myself this time. How long is whatever you are doing going to be?"

"Around an hour, I'm guessing. We're going to cancel the afternoon hotel stay for the night ponies and let them sleep on the bus so that it won't throw us off that much. I had planned travel time to the hotel and getting them checked in, so we are basically cannibalizing that time now."

Number chuckled. "I'm sure the ponies won't mind, they can just snuggle together on the bus floor, but it sucks to be Tempest. Sleeping on that bus isn't going to be comfortable for a human."

I snorted. "She can fuss at Rosetta about her backache. It was Rosetta's idea." I wasn't sure how I felt about Tempest in general. She and I had never been what I would call friends—adversaries would be the better word for our early days, but things had lightened up some after the Cataclysm. However, what Rosetta had said about her raised a whole new set of conflicting feelings, the majority of them unpleasant. Why did my daughter have to be so liberal with how she dealt with relationships? I liked these things to be more clearly defined. Maybe I was old-fashioned, but it seemed easier to me to say you were married to one person, and if you were involved with someone else, then that was infidelity. I might be a bit of a hypocrite on that, considering my relationship with Tonya began when still in a failed marriage, but that was different...wasn't it?

My daughter's love life, beyond the concerns about her ongoing psychological and emotional issues, was no concern of mine. I needed to stop trying to define it in my head, but it was hard. Even if I was not her mother, everyone had a right to be concerned about the psychological and emotional state of a Dreamwarden, especially since it had already had butterfly effects on the course of past events. How different would so many things have gone if she had never been raped? I wondered how many people understood that her rape had altered the course of history.

Thinking about this was making my blood boil. I needed to refocus. Today was supposed to be a nice, calming, family day away from the mansion. 

"You're staring into space, Sunset. Is everything okay?" Number asked in concern.

I shook my head. "Everything is fine. I find myself pondering life more than I used to. I don't know if it is a sign of wisdom, losing my mind, or just getting old."

"All three, perhaps?" Number suggested with a laugh. "We've passed the half-century mark. Thanks to ETS, we may not feel it, but there's no denying we're getting older. It seems just yesterday I was a little girl wishing she could be like Jem and the Holograms. Glamour and glitter, fashion and fame! Oh, Jem! Jem is excitement! Oh, Jem!"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Keep that up, and I'll start humming the Ducktales theme."

"You monster!" Number said in mock horror, then immediately started humming the theme in question. "Ack! You've already done it to me. Let me get all these people together to go eat before you have me singing through the entire Saturday morning line-up. It's been decades, but it's all still stuck in my head. People who wrote those themes must have made a killing in the marketing business."

Number began gathering up the group, not even batting an eye at the fact I had added four more ponies to the mix. I was lucky she was around and took on each new task with little fuss and outstanding efficiency. Wild was fortunate to have her as a best friend and helper. I could think of no one else more capable of getting things done. 

I rejoined Rosetta, and we hurried to the auditorium where Sarah Tanner was presenting. We arrived with little time to waste. Almost as soon as we took our seats, the lights dimmed, and Sarah came on stage with a head mic on and a big smile on her face. Her smile slipped for just an instant when she spotted me in the audience, which was perhaps a little over thirty people, so it wasn't hard to spot me. It instantly went back on her face, though, and she began her presentation. 

Her presentation was on the existence of early Homo Habilis somehow migrating into Equestria from Earth via one of the many random portals that popped up in the past. These early hominoids quickly evolved in their new environment over the course of just around a hundred thousand years into what she named homo equis and built a civilization on Equestria. Apparently, many of her diagrams of the species and notes about their culture she had gotten straight from the Dreamwardens, who claimed that Luna's predecessor in Equestria had come from this distant relative of modern humans. It was fascinating to hear there may have been humans on Equestria in the past, even if humanity had sadly gone extinct in that world. 

Unfortunately, she was still in need of funding and Equestrian government approval to go on an expedition to find physical evidence of this lost culture, and at the moment only had the Dreamwardens' accounts to go by—and even they couldn't confirm it was a definite hominid, only that it bore all the traits of a hominid and would fit in with the hominid family tree well. These presentations had the museum and local universities' support, but more funding and public interest were needed. So trying to raise public interest was what Sarah was doing. I silently wished her the best of luck.

The presentation wasn't overly long, about thirty minutes, but it was long enough that I was worried we would not be able to speak to her. Fortunately for us, and unfortunately for her, this group didn't include any large pocket dinners, just run-of-the-mill tourists. That meant after a quick few greetings with other guests; she was able to turn her attention to us. She had the sense not to draw attention to me and silently motioned us to join her in a side office.

She used her magic to shut the door behind us as we finished entering, and took a seat at a desk, and let her neck and head fall on it as she looked at us. "I don't suppose you are here to donate me a couple million dollars, are you? Working with you came with drawbacks, but I never had to beg for money."

"Sorry, I'm living off the charity of others these days. I could talk to Wild Growth about you." Her head lifted slightly at that. "But I doubt it would be the big windfall you need. Wild is always interested in helping, but she wants to use that help to get people jobs, food, shelter, a better quality of life. Other than increasing our knowledge of the past, I'm not sure what you would be selling her."

Rosetta gave a sad nod of agreement. "I hate to agree with Sunset, but I know my sister. If you told her that it would make a thousand new jobs, she would be writing you a huge check, but if you can't, she'll end up spending her money where she feels it will make more of an impact. That said, you should be able to get something from her, just not the full funding you need."

Sarah sighed dejectedly. "Anything would help. The word of an Equestrian princess and the Dreamwardens doesn't count as physical proof, and most large donors want to see that first, no matter how high profile the word of mouth." She suddenly sat up straight. "You wouldn't happen to be here to investigate all the disappearances, would you?"

Rosetta and I shared a confused look, before Rosetta turned back to ask the obvious question. "What disappearances?"

Sarah got down from her seat and came over to us. "Blessingists. There have been a string of disappearances lately. The police say they are looking into it, but I'm not sure how much effort they are putting into it. I'm not a Sunset Blessing is the messiah crackpot that some are, but I am a Blessingist, and these are my friends we are talking about here. Six of them have disappeared over the last month, and they aren't the types to just vanish without a word."

Missing Shimmerist, missing Blessingist, unexplained magic invading my home, everytime a piece fell into place something else came up. I wanted nothing to do with the group that bore my name, but if they were tied to everything else it seemed I wasn't going to get my wish.