//------------------------------// // Chapter 36: By the Poolside // Story: There's a Monster Pony Outside My Window // by Halira //------------------------------// One of the ponies that had been watching the girls, the one that understood video games, told them he needed a nap. That left them with the other two stallions, the earth ponies— Wendy was trying to learn the pony types and what each type did, as well as people's names and how they were related. It was basic information she needed to know if they were going to make a life here.  The two earth pony stallions were named Sinker and Hé Líng, or just Líng for short. Líng was one of Miss Newman's sons. Sinker was a little more closed-mouthed, and she guessed he was nervous around them. The reason was understandable; Sinker was her son, one that she knew she would never have, a fact he knew as well.  "The pool will be a good place for little Auntie and little Aunt Ami to relax. Little Aunt Andrea probably shouldn't go in since the necklace might come off, but she can stretch her legs. A filly needs room to run around," Líng said as they walked.  "Just call them Andrea, Charlotte, and Kristin, and I'm Wendy, not your grandmother," Wendy replied, then looked at Sinker. "Or your mother. It's like Miss Newman says, it's best to stop thinking of us being the same people." "Sunset Blessing, not Miss Newman," Sinker corrected in a low voice. He then lifted his head. "Yeah, best to think of you as different people. It's easier." Líng, who was in the lead, suddenly stopped, and the rest of them stopped, sensing something wrong. Wendy looked forward and could see the pool. She also spotted the shoes of two ponies lying beside the pool. "Maybe this was a bad idea," Líng said, taking a few steps backward and glancing at Wendy apprehensively.  "Is something wrong with the pool?" Kristin asked.  "We could do pony rides instead!" Charlotte exclaimed.  Andrea retreated away from her baby sister. "You aren't riding me. You're too big; you'll crush me!" Wendy looked at the two pony shapes in the distance. She didn't need to be told why those two ponies gave Líng pause. In her gut, she knew who they were. Could she face them? Sinker shook his head, staring down at the ground. "They'll have to meet sooner or later. They aren't the same people. We need to keep reminding ourselves that. I'll go ahead and talk to them first, so the shock doesn't kill them, and they won't think they're going crazy. Just wait here." The stallion walked on ahead as the rest of them watched.  "What's wrong, Mommy?" Charlotte asked.  Wendy shook her head. "It's nothing. You know how there are old versions of you here? Well… those ponies out there are your father and me." "They must be super old," Kristin gasped.  "Yeah," Líng confirmed, still looking nervous.  Wendy had an obvious realization at that moment. "Hold it; the girls don't have bathing suits. They don't even have a change of clothes. They can't go swimming." "Oh, humans, forgot," Líng replied, embarrassed. "It's only ponies here, and we don't care about nakedness. No humans will see them other than you." "Aren't there cameras watching us?" she asked, looking around. She didn't spot anything, but she'd seen the security monitoring cameras earlier.  Líng looked around. "Yeah, I'm so used to it I don't think about those anymore. If you want them to swim in their clothes, I can find someone to dry them off after. Any pegasus should be able to do it and some of the unicorns." She considered. She didn't want to bring the girls out here and then tell them they couldn't get in the pool.  "Kristin, Charlotte, when we get over to the pool, you can take off everything but your panties. That way, all your clothes don't get soaked." They were young enough they could get away with that. Neither of them had started developing anything yet. Andrea would have been a slightly different story, even if there wasn't much, but she wasn't getting in the pool or wasn't even a human at the moment. All three girls knew how to swim, and there were plenty of adults watching, so she wasn't concerned on that front.  Aw, crap. The few things they brought were still down in Miss Newman's workshop, scattered around the floor. She'd need to ask about that later.  "Okay, Mommy," Charlotte answered. Kristin just nodded, still watching Sinker talking to the ponies by the pool. A minute or so later, Sinker returned. "They've been briefed, so they won't have heart attacks or anything when they see you. They seem kind of excited to watch the kids swim. If you want to talk to them, I think it would be alright. Actually, you might hurt their feelings if you avoid them, but I'm sure they'll understand. Mom and Dad are pretty considerate of others." She nodded but kept quiet without committing to anything. She didn't know for sure what she was prepared for yet.  Líng directed them to follow him, and they proceeded towards the pool.  As they got close to the pool, she could make out the two old ponies. The adult Andrea may have looked old, but these two looked ancient by comparison. Both were heavily wrinkled, and both seemed very thin, practically skin and bones with fur draped over. Despite that, they were awake and alert and were watching expectantly as the kids came near the edge of the pool.  "Stay on that side of the pool, and don't cross the halfway mark," Líng instructed as the two started to undress. "That side is shallower and safer. Im a certified lifeguard and will be watching you. So if I tell you to go back because I think you're getting too deep, go back. No diving and no horseplay!" "Okay, Mister Líng," Kristin and Charlotte answered, giggling, slightly out of sync with each other.  "Andrea, stay out of the pool and stay in sight," Wendy instructed.  Andrea flipped her tail. "I'd rather run around anyway." "As long as you stay in sight," Wendy instructed. "I will," Andrea answered, and did a quick run from one side of the pool to the other, and then stopped to look at the distance she covered. Maybe she was trying to see how fast she was.  Andrea seemed to be taking this whole pony thing well. Unfortunately, they were going to have to take the necklace off her a millisecond later on, which would revert her to human for that span of time in the same condition she had been in when she put the necklace on. That tore Wendy's heart up because it seemed like putting Andrea through that pain again. Hopefully, they would sedate her first. No child should have to endure that, and never one of her daughters. The pool was set up so that you could wade into the water on one side instead of having to climb a ladder or the side of the pool to get in or out. That likely made sense for ponies. Traditional ladders and pony hooves didn't seem like they would be compatible. Charlotte took a few steps into the water and retreated. "It's cold!" Charlotte objected. Líng stuck one of his legs in the pool and then withdrew it. "The temperature is fine. You need to get used to it." Wendy looked out at the trees in the distance, just now wondering what time of year it was. Before, she had automatically thought it had been November because they had just had Halloween, but the leaves were far too green. The temperature didn't feel too chilly or too hot either. Nothing required that they showed up in the future in the same month of the year or even the same season as when they left. Perhaps it was spring, or maybe very early or very late summer.  Kristin waded into the water faster. Being the more experienced swimmer, she knew the best way to adjust was to get wet. Charlotte whined but followed after her big sister. Wendy stood on the side of the pool, watching her daughters get used to the water and making sure they were okay. If there was a problem, there wasn't much she could do about it, still be handicapped by one arm. When both of them started to doggie paddle around, she relaxed and carefully started to try to sit down by the edge of the pool. "There's a lawn chair over here, suited for humans if you want to sit with us." Wendy looked across the pool to an area she had been avoiding. The old mare was looking at her expectantly and hopeful, gesturing with a leg to a chair beside her. The old stallion was smiling contentedly as he focused on watching the kids swim, but he did briefly glance her way. Sinker was standing far away, giving his parents space, but seemingly ready to spring to their side if any need arose. The ponies were lying on mats despite having several pieces of lawn furniture near them.  She could put it off longer, but she did have to talk to these two eventually. Rejecting their offer would only get her off on the wrong foot with them. Taking a deep breath, Wendy got up and walked around the pool's edge to join them.  She saw the stallion whispering to the mare as she approached, but she didn't hear what was being said. The mare seemed to be slightly out at whatever was said before giving the nod to him.  She reached them and stood before them, unsure about what to say.  "Um… hi," she greeted them. The mare beamed at her. "Hello, Wendy! Take a seat. I'm Dry Soil, or just call me Dry. This handsome stallion beside me is Hook Line, or just Hook." Pony names. She and Charles had both taken pony names. That was somehow disturbing and comforting at the same time. At least she had another way of thinking of them than future her and future Charles. Still, what in the world would possess her to make her want to change her name to Dry Soil of all things? "Nice to meet you," she quietly said and took her seat. The ponies seemed to read her nervousness and didn't say anything else for the time being.  Wendy looked around to make sure Andrea hadn't wandered off. She spotted the little pony on the edge of the pool, squatted down, and sticking her hoof in the water.  "Andrea! Stay out of the pool! You aren't supposed to do anything that could make that necklace accidentally come off!" she shouted fearfully.  Andrea got up and backed away from the pool's edge. "I wasn't going to go in! I just wanted to know what the water felt like." Wendy took another calming breath. "Please, keep your distance. I don't want you to get hurt." "I'm not made of glass, Mom!" Andrea protested.  "Andrea—" Wendy began. "Okay!" Andrea shouted before stomping off towards a bush.  Wendy relaxed but kept an eye on her still. The other eye stayed glued to the younger two, who were splashing each other now in the shallowest part of the pool. "Andrea always has been a bit headstrong," she heard Dry Soil say. "She's was a good filly… excuse me… girl, though, for the most part, anyway. We had our arguments, especially when she was a teen, but teens always argue with their parents. They want to assert their independence. Andrea grew into a fine woman and mare. She might cuss more than I like, but she's very principled. She always does what she believes to be right, even if it isn't the easy choice. She'll curse and complain, but she'll be first in line to take action." Wendy nodded. "I hope my Andrea grows up the same, minus the cussing." Hook chuckled. "Good luck with keeping that part out." "How did you hurt your arm?" Dry asked. "I never had my arm or leg in a cast." Wendy rubbed her hand against the cast. "A pony knocked me into the street back in our time, then Miss...Sunset Blessing hurled me onto the sidewalk using magic so Charlotte and I wouldn't get run down by a van. I landed hard both times." Dry's ears sagged. "I'm sorry to hear that. It's horrible the things people will do to try to hurt my daughter. I should count my blessings that they don't try that on me. I'm so fragile that falls like that might kill me. I've been old so long I don't seem to remember ever being as young as you." "Could have fooled me. You barely look a day older than her," Hook said with a grin.  "You just want to have me let my guard down so you can go after the younger model!" Dry said, laughing.  "Why would I? You're so much more beautiful," Hook insisted.  The fact that this felt so much like a conversation Wendy had with Charles hours before, right down to the wording, gave her goosebumps. These might be elderly ponies who had lived very different lives from her point of life on, but this was a stark reminder they were still her and Charles.  The ponies seemed to calm down and focus on the girls again. It was quiet for well over a minute before they chose to speak again.  "I never thought I would ever see my little girls like this again," Dry said quietly. "You should watch them every moment you can while they're children and burn the images into your mind. They're so young and so carefree for so little of their lives, then they are adults, doing adult things, and don't have time anymore to be young and innocent. They're still your babies, but they don't need you to care for them anymore, and it feels...I don't know if I'm explaining this right, but… try to treasure this. I know I'm going to." And so they sat in quiet and listened to children splash, laugh, and play as if those were the most critical things in the world, and for the moment, perhaps they were.