Wendy sat, getting the pots back into the kitchen cupboards. Charles had already swept up the broken and shattered plates and glasses from the kitchen. The living room was still a wreck, but the girls' rooms were merely messy. It would take another few hours of work to get everything back in order and another few days to fix the back door.
Some things couldn't be put back in order. Earlier she had held the fragments of a plate that Andrea had crafted for her back when Andrea was in kindergarten. It was a small thing, but it had left Wendy crying as she held it. She'd gathered up the pieces and insisted that she was going to superglue it back together. She'd done the same for a coffee cup that Charlotte had made her and an ashtray that Kristin had made. There were family pictures that had been torn and family heirlooms destroyed. None of these things were expensive, but their value had gone beyond dollars, and they were irreplaceable.
Her daughters were all alive and healthy, that was what was important, but it didn't make it any easier seeing all that had been lost. Just because the worst hadn't happened didn't make dealing with what had happened instead any easier.
After sticking the last pot back in place, she stood up. Charles was working at getting the living room in order. The girls were supposed to be cleaning their rooms. She didn't know what Miss Newman was currently doing and didn't have the energy to care. The older woman might have been asleep again since she complained several times about needing to rest and recover, stating she was still magically exhausted.
Dinner would have to be prepared soon, but Wendy didn't have the willpower for that. Working with one hand turned an easy task into a challenging one. Maybe she could find Miss Newman and draft the woman into making dinner since the woman hadn't helped at all with cleaning. She didn't know for sure if Miss Newman could cook, but it seemed like Wendy would have taught each of her daughters how to cook at some point in the future. Miss Newman might be from a different timeline, but that much should be the same. Miss Newman had also said she had four or five children of her own. It stood to reason she would have cooked for her kids.
Wendy briefly wondered what those grandkids she would never have were like. She'd seen Mèng in the video, and he seemed to be a tech nerd. Phobia had been mentioned a few times with comments about how Phobia was more important than Miss Newman, although a real explanation why had never been given or even a description of Phobia's personality. It didn't matter. Phobia would never be, so there was no use trying to learn about her.
Not sure what to do now, she wandered into Andrea and Kristin's room to see how cleaning up their room was progressing. It didn't surprise her at all to find they weren't cleaning like they were supposed to be. Andrea was shoving everything into piles around the outskirts of the room, and Kristin was playing with her Intellivision again.
Charlotte's door was open, and she spotted both Charlotte and Miss Newman in that room. There was no cleaning going on there either, not that Charlotte's room was ever clean. It looked like the two were playing with Charlotte's toys. Wendy felt no need to intercede with that. Miss Newman was putting Charlotte at ease, and if anyone knew how to entertain Charlotte, it would be Charlotte's older self.
Rather than fuss at them for not doing what they were told to do, Wendy pulled the chair from the girls' desk over beside Kristin and sat down.
"What game are you playing?" Wendy asked, feigning interest.
Kristin glanced at her then back to the screen. "It's Lock 'n' Chase. My guy is a bank robber trying to avoid the cops."
Wendy looked at the screen. "It looks like Pacman."
"It's kinda like Pacman, but we don't have Pacman," Kristin said with a shrug. Then she seemed worried she'd said something wrong. "This is still fine. I don't need Pacman. This is good enough. It's funner than Pacman."
"It's a dumb game!" Andrea called out.
"You just don't like that the cops are bad guys in it," Kristin yelled back. "It's just a game."
"Please, don't fight," Wendy pleaded with them, not having the emotional fortitude to deal with that at the moment. She just wanted to spend some time with her daughters. "Do you have something that is two players, Kristin? Something I can play with you?"
Kristin looked at Wendy's cast. "Yeah, but you kinda need two hands to work the control… sorry."
"I understand," Wendy replied. "Is everything okay? I mean, do you feel any different since you were a little pony?"
"I wasn't little; everything else was big," Kristin asserted. She then grumbled some more as her robber got caught in the game.
"It's all perspective," Wendy replied absently. "But you are feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Kristin replied as she started another round of her game. "Um...Mom, you're distracting me."
"Sorry," Wendy said contritely. Having been rebuffed, she got up and turned her attention to Andrea.
Andrea was still shoving things into piles but noticed Wendy's approach. "Don't be mad. I'm going to pick the stuff up. I just want space to sit and walk around."
"I'm not mad," Wendy said as she sat down next to her eldest. "I know I've been focused on your sisters lately. I don't mean to ignore you. How are you doing?"
Andrea sat down and bit her lip. "I'm okay. I get it. Charlotte is the one the bad guys want, and there're two of her now. Kristin turned into a pony for a while; that's a big deal. I'm the only one who doesn't have problems."
Wendy placed her hand gently on her daughter's back. "We all are going through a lot right now. It's been a terrifying experience, and I think every one of us needs some support— your sisters, your father, you, and me."
The girl picked up a Star Wars toy and tossed it into the toy bin. "Everybody has stuff to worry about. I don't want to be selfish."
"It's not being selfish," Wendy said as she pulled Andrea in for a hug. "Your needs are just as important as everyone else's."
The hug did it. Andrea slumped against her and started crying. She didn't say anything; she just leaned into her mother and wept. Kristin turned and looked at them and sat watching.
Charlotte came to her doorway and looked in. "What's wrong with Andrea?"
"Don't worry. She just needs a moment," Wendy assured her. "You can keep playing. Why don't you close your door and give her a little privacy?"
"Come, child," Miss Newman instructed as she guided Charlotte back into the room. She started to close the door but paused to look at Kristin. "It might be good if you came in here. The game will be there later. Would you like to come play with your sister and me?"
Kristin hesitated, then nodded. She took a few seconds to turn her game system and TV off and then exited into Charlotte's room. Miss Newman shut the door behind them.
"I'm sorry. I'm being a big baby. Charlotte and Kristin aren't crying," Andrea muttered.
Wendy rubbed the back of Andrea's head. "Believe me; I want to cry. One of the benefits Charlotte and Kristin have are they are younger, and younger kids have the ability to push worry about things out of their minds easier. I think Charlotte is too caught up in Miss Newman to worry about anything else. It's harder to tell with Kristin. She's more aware than Charlotte, and the stress is hitting her in its own way. That entire incident with the necklace was her way of acting out against the stress. You're older; you have more awareness and ability to think about implications and everything else. That's got its downsides, especially when going through what we are. It can get overwhelming. You don't need to be embarrassed if you need to cry."
Andrea sniffled. "I'm sorry I didn't say Miss Newman was Charlotte before Kristin did. I figured it out first. I saw her birthmark right before she changed to flatten those guys' tires when we were getting ready to leave the house before. She told me not to say anything. She said it would be a distraction. Kristin and Charlotte didn't see it until later."
"I'm not sure I disagree with her about it being a distraction," Wendy muttered. "I certainly wish Charlotte didn't know."
"Is Miss Newman bad?" Andrea asked.
Wendy considered it. "I don't think she's a bad person. I think she cares a lot about us, and she wants to protect us, but she's a dangerous person. The things she has said about her life, and the fact that there are people that hate her so much that they're willing to go back and time and hurt her as a kid, it's all… I don't know what to think. She said those ponies had originally broken into her house to try to kill her, and they didn't care if they got captured or killed doing it. I don't understand what could make someone hate her that much, and I don't know if I want to understand."
"She seems too weak to be a great mage. None of the unicorns on the show get worn out really easy like she does. Even Rarity could kick her butt," Andrea remarked.
"Great and powerful are two different things," Wendy reminded her. "She might be old and weak, but enough ponies seem to care enough about her that they're willing to ruin our lives over it. I think that's an important thing for you to remember. Being small and weak doesn't mean you can't make a difference or be important. I know you might feel that way sometimes. Like you don't matter just because you're a kid, but you do."
"But I can't do anything!" Andrea insisted, crying again.
Wendy sat and considered what to say. "I have something for you to do, and it is very important."
Andrea looked up at her. "What?"
Wendy took a deep breath. "You spend more time with Kristin than any of us. Miss Newman says that there's a side-effect of putting that necklace on. Kristin has magic in her now, and it isn't going to go away. Miss Newman says it might grow with time. She said she thinks it will take years if it does, but she didn't say that for sure, and she couldn't say what form it would take. I need you to pay attention and tell me if there is ever anything weird about Kristin. You're doing this to protect her. If she starts developing magic, people might want to hurt her or take her away. We need to know about it first, before anyone else, so we can keep it a secret. Don't ever let Kristin make you keep it a secret from us if something happens, and don't let anybody from outside the family find out, no matter how close of a friend they are. We need you to help us protect your little sister."
"Does Kristin know?" Andrea asked.
"No, she doesn't," Wendy answered, shaking her head. "I'm going to pull her aside later and have a talk about it after this whole thing with the ponies is done. Only me, Miss Newman, your father, and now you know. Keep it to yourself. I'm only telling you because I know you can help us keep an eye on her. Don't treat her any different. She is still your little sister. Just keep your eyes open. I know you're good at picking up on little details, so you might notice first if anything happens. It is essential; your sister's life could depend on you noticing."
"I'll pay attention. You can count on me," Andrea assured her.
Wendy hugged her again. "I know I can. I love you."
"Love you too, Mom."
She released her daughter and stood up. "I'll let you get back to cleaning. I need to think about dinner."
"Okay, Mom."
Wendy turned to go, but her foot caught one of the piles, causing her to trip. She tried to correct herself, but her free arm was on the wrong side to catch anything, and she ended up overcorrecting, falling in an even more awkward stumble. She yelped as pain lanced up her ankle through her leg.
"Mom!" Andrea shouted in dismay as she hurried over beside her.
The pain hadn't subsided, but Wendy gestured for Andrea to keep her distance. "I'm okay, just a little trip. Let me get back u...ahh!" Putting any pressure on her ankle caused the pain to intensify dramatically. Had she just sprained her ankle? Was she going to be down both an arm and a leg for the duration? How much more useless could she get? "Go get your father."
Andrea didn't need to be told twice. She hurried out her door into the kitchen. "Dad! Mom fell, and she's hurt!"
She was sitting for only a second or two before Miss Newman hurried through the other door, barking quick orders to Kristin and Charlotte to stay in the other room. Charles wasn't far behind her, having cut through Charlotte's room as well. Despite being behind Miss Newman at the start, he was the first to reach Wendy.
"What happened??" Charles asked as he bent down beside her.
Wendy winced in pain. "I twisted my ankle, tripping over the girls' toys. I think I might have sprained it."
Miss Newman bent down quickly and shoved in. "Let me see. I may not be a doctor, but I have a lot of experience dealing with household injuries for both humans and ponies. Which leg is it?"
"This one," Wendy said as she tried to move it, then hissed in pain.
"Pointing at it would have been good enough," Miss Newman said tersely as she started taking Wendy's shoe off. That only made Wendy wince more.
"I've only got one arm to hold myself up with!" Wendy shouted in frustration.
"Apologies. I was too focused on the leg, and that slipped my mind," Miss Newman said hurriedly. "I'm going to move it a little. It may hurt. I'm sorry for that, but I need to see its range of movement and how much pain moving it causes."
"The girls were supposed to be picking this all up!" Charles growled.
"Don't be mad at— AHHH!" Wendy yelled as Miss Newman shifted the ankle.
Miss Newman instantly withdrew her hands. "It's definitely sprained and badly."
"Another doctor's visit then," Charles said with a sigh.
Miss Newman shook her head. "No, it just needs to be braced, and she needs to stay off it. That's all they will say, so save yourself the trip and money. You can get a brace at any pharmacy."
"Can't you just magic it better?" Charles asked.
"If my son were here, he could. He knows those kinds of mending spells and is strong enough to cast them. I'm not very well versed in them and am too weak to do them anyway," Miss Newman answered.
Wendy started crying. "What happens if we have to start running? Charles can't carry me and run."
"If that's what I have to do, then that's what I'll have to do," Charles said firmly.
"No! You leave me and protect the girls if it comes to that!" Wendy said harshly.
Miss Newman looked away. "There are two possible solutions I have, but you wouldn't like either of them."
"What are they?" Wendy asked, afraid to find out but looking for any answer.
The older version of her daughter met her eyes. "Option one, I put my necklace on you. That will leave you functional and healthy for the period it is on, although you'll make no progress on your recovery until it is off. The same concerns about Kristin would apply to you going forward."
"That seems extremely drastic; what's option two?" Charles asked.
"Something more drastic," Miss Newman said in a low voice. "Call it my nuclear option because it involves my last-ditch plan to protect you all if everything else fell apart."
"What is it?" Wendy asked in a whisper.
"I take you home with me, to my time," Miss Newman answered. "It would be a one-way trip because I couldn't bring you back. You'd be safe from those ponies and the bookies and would get the care you needed as well as the care Kristin will need in the future, but it would completely uproot you from your life here for good."
"You… you can do that?" Wendy asked in astonishment.
Miss Newman nodded. "I originally made this spell to rescue someone from dying but had to shelve it because rescuing that person would have had major negative repercussions on the timeline I took her from. Many people would have died if she didn't do what she did, millions, maybe billions. I couldn't deal with that much blood on my conscience or put it on hers. She'd hate me forever, and so would I."
"Would we have trouble with the government in your time?" Charles asked. "I can't think they'd be okay with extra younger versions of us showing up out of nowhere."
"Phobia and Amicus could help smooth it over. Amicus would find some legal civil rights loophole, she's good at that, and Phobia has a lot of political influence," Miss Newman answered. "Plus, the government would want to keep it quiet and probably just issue you new identities. They wouldn't want people to know time travel in any form was possible. It isn't too much worse than what I'll face when I go home anyway."
Wendy shared a look at her husband then looked at the older woman. "What are the chances those bookies keep harassing us after this week is up?"
Miss Newman shrugged. "I don't honestly know."
It was a big step, a huge step. It was drastic, but it was also her family's well-being that was on the line.
"Give us a few minutes alone. Charles and I need to discuss this. Then we need to talk about it with the girls. We can't just jump into it without discussing it and thinking about it."