Pandemic

by ASGeek2012

Chapter 38 - Hard Choices

Twilight and Starlight cantered down the corridor Thursday morning, their security contingent jogging alongside. The people directly assigned to them had been changed; Anthony had referred to them as "Secret Service," the same agency that protected people like the President or foreign dignitaries. Twilight chose to take that as a positive sign that they were being treated more like diplomats than suspicious foreigners.

Twilight had to restrain herself from using her magic to open doors, as it was the Secret Service's job to go on ahead into any area she visited. She was reminded of what she had read about Celestia's court back in the days when protocol was more formal; she, too, had a contingent of Royal Guards who accompanied her everywhere she went, even though she was far more capable of dealing with threats herself.

Twilight and Starlight burst into the conference room. "Sorry we're late!" Twilight said as they hopped into their assigned seats. "Please tell me there's some coffee left."

Kevin smiled and gestured to the still half-full coffee pot over by a table against the wall.

"Thank you," Twilight gushed as she poured a cup with her magic.

Starlight leaned over and said out of the corner of her mouth, "I've already tried it. You're not missing much."

"Caffeine is caffeine, no matter what world we're in," Twilight declared as she levitated the cup to her muzzle.

"Are you all right, Twilight?" Kevin asked. "You look a little bleary."

"I was up late last night trying to learn as much as I can about your world's technology," said Twilight. "This morning, Starlight and I were scanning arriving staff and casting counterspells where needed."

"Just how many of them were affected?" Sandra asked.

"More than half. They all had the flu recently."

"I believe we all owe these two some thanks," said Kevin. "The whole emergency zone operation would be breaking down by now."

"I understand you have existing staff that have started to show flu symptoms," said Twilight. "I can check on them later this morning. I can't stop them from being sick, but I can stop it from progressing to transformation."

"Is it just the hardened nature of the virus, or is this a new vector?" Anthony asked.

"We've established the vector," said Sandra in a level voice. "Hair."

Kevin's eyebrows rose. "I beg your pardon?"

"The hair of those in the process of transforming is shedding influenza."

"Yes, that would make perfect sense," said Twilight. "It would allow it to spread to authorities who attempted to help those who were affected."

Anthony frowned. "Why didn't we see this before now?"

"Because all tests for active influenza infection are based on respiratory samples," said Sandra. "There's no reason to think the virus would exist elsewhere in the body. It wasn't until magic entered the equation that we started thinking outside the box, and even then we had to rig up something and do repeated tests for any sort of accuracy."

"What about those fully transformed?" Kevin asked.

"They're clean. It apparently halts once the end state is reached."

"Coming back to the counterspell," said Anthony. "Has any progress been made on how to distribute this apparent cure to the masses?"

Twilight sighed. "Not yet. That's why I was interested in your technology. I don't have a magical solution yet, so I was hoping I could find something of yours I could adapt. I'm still investigating."

"I feel I have to emphasize that we need a solution fast. According to Doctor Marlowe, the number of new ETS cases is accelerating."

"You don't have to tell me that, Mr. Heller," said Twilight. "I'm the one who can feel the transformation magic building up. I'm well aware we're on a deadline."

"Deadline?" said Kevin.

Twilight exchanged a look with Starlight. "We talked about this last night after we received the latest figures from Sandra. We estimated that we have five days to stop or slow this down. After that, it will be almost impossible to stop."

Several people let out troubled sighs. Sandra briefly covered her eyes with her hand.

Twilight's eyes glistened. "I'm sorry, but we thought you had a right to know."

"Do we have any contingencies at all?" Anthony demanded, his voice tinged with desperation. "What about changing transformed humans back to normal?"

"That's a far greater undertaking than what we're already trying to accomplish."

"Twilight, we already have ETS-affected people coming together into their own little communities."

"Yes, I know," Twilight said in exasperation. "It's the herding instinct coming into play. Ponies tend to do that for their own mutual protection. It's why I suggested that you let your already transformed patients in the emergency zone come together as a group."

"With all due respect, we're not here to pave the way for Sunset's pony utopia on Earth," said Anthony. "We're not going to do anything to encourage the intended end result."

"I'm only thinking of their welfare--"

"Let's instead focus on the welfare of the remaining humans, shall we?"

Starlight frowned. "You know, this isn't my idea of a good time, either. We're just trying to--"

Twilight pressed a hoof into her shoulder. "Starlight, stop, please."

"Sorry," Starlight murmured.

Twilight looked over the faces of the assembled humans. Was their fear so great that they wanted to ignore the problem that was right in front of them? She was aware of the news reports of ponies-to-be being subjected to violence when they weren't being outright shunned. She had hoped to appeal to reason, but that was difficult when they were watching their own civilization collapse before their eyes. She sorely wished these humans were turning into something other than ponies; then she could be more detached.

As it was, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic to the transformed. They hadn't asked for this to happen, and they didn't deserve to be treated badly. She believed they had a right to be comfortable until they could be changed back. She didn't want to see anyone suffer, either human or pony.

Twilight caught Kevin's eyes, and she was immensely grateful to see no judgment in them. Instead, he said in a calm voice, "May I make a suggestion? Let's leave the disposition of those transformed to the emergency operations staff. Mr. Heller, what was it you told me before Twilight and Starlight arrived that was the embodiment of the President's attitude towards those affected?"

Anthony let out a long sigh. "His exact words were: 'I don't give a damn what they look like now, they're still American citizens.' My question, however, is: do they still consider themselves Americans anymore?"

"Mr. Turner seemed to be very vociferous about asserting his rights as an American."

"As far as I can tell, this transformation doesn't alter or remove memories," said Twilight. "Yes, it's given them new priorities, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll reject your existing institutions."

Twilight had overhead on more than one occasion the term "brainwashing" being applied to what had happened to these unfortunate humans. She tried to see it from their perspective, as anything less would be to lose sight of what she had come here to do. Not for one moment would she ever think Sunset was even remotely justified in what she had done. As much as Twilight wanted to see those who may be permanently transformed live their lives in relative happiness, she realized that only the humans could decide what the right thing to do was with regards to their fellow humans, transformed or not.

Anthony rubbed his eyes. "I want to apologize for my combativeness just now."

Twilight shook her head. "No, I'm the one who needs to apologize. To put it bluntly, I need to butt out of affairs that concern the disposition of your transformed people. I'll provide as much advice as you wish, but I need to leave their welfare in your hands."

"This is largely the stress talking," said Kevin. "God knows I had my own episodes where my assistant Heather bore the brunt of them. I think we can all agree we want the best possible solution."

"Perhaps we should take a short break," said Sandra as she stood. "I need to follow up on those genetic tests we ordered yesterday on the new immunities we discovered."

"Um, Twilight?" Starlight said in a meek voice. "I'm sorry for running off at the mouth earlier."

"It's fine, Starlight," said Twilight softly. "Kevin's right, we're all really stressed right now."

Starlight hopped out of her chair. "I need some water. You want anything?"

Twilight shook her head. "I'm fine."

Twilight propped up her head with a fore-hoof. It seemed hard to believe that only a week ago she was taking a leisurely walk with Rarity in Canterlot which led to the start of this mess. She wondered if she could've done anything differently, perhaps penetrated Celestia's secrecy sooner or worked harder on unraveling how the portal worked.

"If it helps any, Twilight," Kevin said softly, "I think it's only natural to worry about the welfare of the transformed. I imagine they seem just like your own kind."

"I was quite struck by how Fred looked and even smelled like an earth pony stallion might back home," said Twilight. "I had trouble seeing him as once human. I'm sorry for that."

"As much as you might seem alien to us, there's a lot of similarity between humans and ponies. We both care about our own kind."

"Yes, but I can't lose sight of the fact that these transformed people are not my own kind, they're your kind."

Kevin smiled. "But we can care about each other's kind as well."

Twilight slowly smiled. "I'd like to think that we do."

Starlight returned to the table, levitating a glass of water before her. Twilight stared at the glow of Starlight's horn for a long moment.

Sandra approached the table. "The genetic tests came back positive for the same mitochondrial mutation that Kevin has."

Twilight turned her head and stared at the cell phone still in Sandra's hand.

"So does this mean we're on our way to a possible vaccine?" Anthony asked.

Twilight looked back at Starlight's horn, then at the cell phone again.

Sandra sat down. "That may be a long ways off. According to Twilight, there's no guarantee that the mutation will always give rise to a boosted immune system, not to mention it requires that the ambient magic be present, which we want to get rid of in the long run."

"I want to hear Twilight's opinion on this," said Anthony.

Twilight's eyes widened slightly, her gaze still fixed on the cell phone.

"Twilight?" Kevin prompted.

Starlight looked at Twilight and smiled as she murmured, "Three ... two ... one ..."

"That's it!" Twilight cried.

"You have an idea about a vaccine?" Anthony said.

"No, not that! I just had another idea!" Twilight said in an excited voice. "I had mentioned once to Sandra that when a unicorn performs magic, a small amount of that thaumic energy is wasted as light, which is why our horns glow. According to your physics, light is a form of electromagnetic energy. So thaumic energy can be converted into it. What if there was a way to convert electromagnetic energy into thaumic energy?"

"What would that accomplish?" Starlight asked.

Twilight jabbed a hoof towards Sandra's cell phone. "You see that device, Starlight? I learned that's called a 'cell phone'. It lets her communicate with anyone on the entire planet in realtime."

Starlight's eyes widened. "Are you serious? How do they do that?"

"Electromagnetism!" Twilight said. "They use that energy for a significant portion of their communications technology. What if some of that could be converted into thaumic energy and hence magic?"

"Uh, are you suggesting we use that to somehow broadcast the counterspell?"

"No, that would require far too sophisticated a mechanism and likely too much power. I'm looking for something simpler. Something more brute force."

Starlight smirked. "And I thought you said a brute force approach wouldn't work."

"That was before I had any idea just how advanced their technology was."

"Excuse me for interrupting," said Anthony. "But could you be more clear on what your idea is?"

"Gladly," said Twilight. "The transformation spell operates in distinct stages. The first stage is the infection, or the casting of the spell, when the transformation magic is generated. This is followed by a dormant phase. Then in the third and final stage, the spell activates and starts drawing in magic. The spell has a sensing rune that detects when the ambient magic has reached a certain level, which is why the later cases are progressing faster, since there's more magic available. That rune could be jammed by generating enough thaumic 'noise' at the right resonance that it has trouble telling if there's enough magic available to start the transformation!"

Anthony leaned forward. "Let me see if I understand. Are you proposing to make use of the communications grid to stop new transformations from starting?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," said Twilight. "Yes, it's crude, and it may not work in every case or cover every affected area, but it will put a dent in Sunset's plans, extend the deadline, and give us more time to figure out how to get the counterspell to everyone."

"I'm certainly no expert in the field, but I don't think a typical cell phone tower is suitable for a wide-area broadcast-type transmission."

"Could radar be adapted for it?" Kevin suggested. "Meteorologists use it all the time. They're fairly ubiquitous."

Anthony turned to his laptop. "I'll make a note to set up a conference with the right experts."

"There's got to be a catch here," Starlight said.

"Just one," said Twilight in a more subdued voice. "In order to make this work, I need materials capable of conducting magic and holding an enchantment."

"Are there such materials on Earth?" Sandra asked.

"I'll have to do some experiments to find out. But if that doesn't work out, there is a source that will work, namely the gems and crystals that were left behind by the Equestrian explorers."

"Which Sunset has in her possession," Anthony deadpanned.

"Whoa, wait," said Starlight. "None of them could be any bigger than my hoof. Just how do you expect those dinky things to hold the kind of magic you're talking about?"

"This is going to require a very dense thaumic matrix," said Twilight. "I think I can apply what I've learned of Sunset's plasma research to cobble together something that will make them last longer. Not to mention if I can get the resonance precise enough, it doesn't have to be as strong."

"Can you explain this in simpler terms so I can make sure I know what you're talking about?" Anthony said.

"Think of it this way," said Twilight. "Say you were told to do something the moment you saw someone signal you from far away, say with a flash of light. I'm intending to block that light. You never see the signal, so you never do what it was you were told to do."

"And how do you propose to solve the problem of the magic artifacts you need?"

"I'm almost positive they're in Sunset's human home. I can find and retrieve them when I go to give her the confrontation she expects."

Anthony sighed and leaned back in his seat.

Starlight frowned. "Oh, you are not going to cite legal technicalities at us again!"

"I take it your search turned up nothing," said Twilight.

"Nothing we could see, but that was as you predicted," said Anthony.

"What about those genetic tests of Sunset?"

"Still in progress," said Sandra. "I hope to have the results by this afternoon."

Anthony cast an earnest look at Twilight. "While I've been advised that I can be more flexible where legal hurdles are concerned, we have to consider the risk to you. If we lose you, it's game over."

"I'm an alicorn, she's not," said Twilight. "I'm more inherently powerful than she'll ever be."

"Except there's your reluctance to use force," said Anthony. "That, in my view, is a liability that she can exploit."

Twilight took a deep breath which she let out as a shuddering sigh. She cast a forlorn gaze at Starlight. "I guess sometimes a brute force approach is the answer."

Starlight's mouth dropped open. "Twilight, you're not seriously considering--!"

Twilight turned to Anthony. "I need a location not too far from town that's relatively isolated. Someplace I can teleport myself and Sunset so that if it does come to blows, there will be less chance of anyone accidentally getting hurt."

Anthony tapped a finger on the table.

Starlight rolled her eyes. "Okay, now what don't you like about this?"

"As much as it would be nice to get definitive proof of Sunset's identity, we again face the problem of Twilight being incapacitated."

"Starlight knows everything I do," said Twilight. "She can carry on in my stead."

"No, I can't," said Starlight.

"Of course you can!" Twilight said. "You're just as magically capable as I am."

"I don't mean that. I mean you're crazy if you think I'm going to let you confront Sunset alone."

"Starlight--"

"No, listen to me! You went on the other day about how I'm your ace-in-the-hole. Well, use it, dammit! I might be able to cast my unmarking spell on her to weaken her enough to do something with her." She paused and added in a softer voice. "And, um, I'm kinda used to you, you know? I don't want to risk losing you."

Twilight smiled, her eyes glistening. "Thank you, Starlight," she said softly.

Anthony glanced between them, hesitating as if reluctant to interrupt the moment. "Let's hold a separate meeting to discuss the logistics of such an operation. We have a potential plan on the table. Are there any other developments we need to know about?"

"I'm expecting to be contacted by the Arizona Department of Health later this morning," said Sandra in a subdued voice. "They discovered a statistical blip in the reported influenza cases. They think it's a data collection anomaly, but they want to follow up."

"Thank you," said Anthony. "If there's nothing else, meeting adjourned."

---

Kevin sat in an office that had been assigned to him not so much out of respect for his elevated status in the emergency zone staff, but because it was a place they were sure Sadie had not seen, thus reducing the chance of an unexpected visitation. Arrayed to his left were the latest medical reports on the Tanner family, while to the right were reports on pony anatomy compiled by the scientists on staff. Even though he could see much of it was guesswork, they still had more of a firm handle on how it all worked than he did.

Where now most of the Tanner family were in the end state, it made one thing clear: he was no longer qualified to treat them.

Kevin slipped off his reading glasses with a long sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He admitted to feeling a twinge of guilt; here were people losing their humanity, and he was lamenting over feeling obsolete. He had prided himself on keeping up to date with the latest medical discoveries and technology, but now it had taken not so much a great leap forward as sideways, challenging even what he thought he already knew.

Twilight had mentioned that cutie marks gave the ponies of Equestria a sense of purpose. He envied that, in a way. He imagined if he had been a denizen of that world, he'd have no worries about what he would do next. On the sliding scale of optimism versus pessimism, he was normally somewhere left of center: pragmatic but hopeful. These days, he was not so sure.

His head jerked towards the door when he heard a knock, and from both the cadence and location of the sound, he knew it to be a pony hoof. "Come in."

A Secret Service agent opened the door, glanced about the room for a moment, then stood aside to admit Twilight. Kevin smiled faintly as he said, "Enjoying your new entourage?"

Twilight rolled her eyes as the door closed behind her, but she managed to return the smile. "This is worse than the pomp that surrounds the nobles in Canterlot back home."

Kevin turned to face her, folding his hands in his lap. "At least it's respectful of your status as a diplomat."

"I do admit, I wish it were more based on trust than desperation. As far as I know, the general public is not even aware of me yet."

"Probably to avoid more panic," said Kevin. "The idea of aliens secretly living among us or having visited Earth in the past enjoys almost a cult status."

"Still, I look forward to when I can open formal relations with humanity," said Twilight. "I was told you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, I wanted to broach a topic that we had only barely touched on in the heat of the moment," said Kevin. "I'm not even sure Mr. Heller is placing a high priority on it right now except as a means of combating ETS."

"I think I know what this is about," Twilight said softly. "Your ability to passively channel magic."

"That's part of it, anyway."

"If you're wondering if it can be developed further, that's not something I can answer right now," said Twilight. "We believe we know how ponies acquired magic, and there are some similarities here, but in terms of developing real magical ability, it's impossible to estimate how long or how much."

"I suppose I'm considering it more in the bigger picture," said Kevin. "According to Starlight, Star Singer had indicated something about a magical awakening."

"I know, but it could be hyperbole. There's no way to know right now whether this is a one-off or not. Even if the other people with mutations show evidence of passive magic use, it might not mean anything. It's hard to tell."

Kevin cast a forlorn look at the medical records. "It was worth a shot, anyway."

"I'm sorry?"

Kevin gave her a wan smile. "Just feeling a bit inadequate at the moment. I occasionally wish I had not been immune so I could better relate to my former patients."

Twilight sighed. "I had this conversation with someone who was reluctant to accept the counterspell. She thought being a pony would solve all her problems."

"Oh, I'm under no such illusions, Twilight," said Kevin. "And despite my odd musings, I have no desire to become something other than human. This crisis has simply reopened some old emotional wounds that I had fooled myself into thinking were healed." He paused. "Do you have any sort of affliction similar to cancer on your world? Or any afflictions which are very hard to cure?"

"A few," said Twilight. "They're rare, but always devastating when they happen. I'm sorry if you had to go through something like that or see a loved one go through it."

"The latter," said Kevin in an even voice. "My wife."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's not so much her loss as my attitude towards it, which I know is wholly unhealthy, but I find it hard to turn loose off."

Twilight considered. "If you don't mind me giving you some advice ..."

"Please, do," said Kevin in a slightly quavering voice. "I'm frankly at a loss."

"Talk to Starlight," said Twilight. "I won't tell you the details, as that's for her to reveal, but I will say she's still struggling with similar issues. The circumstances are very different, but the emotions aren't."

Kevin chuckled weakly. "And here I was just saying how much humans and ponies are alike. Perhaps in more ways than I thought."

"If it helps any, Kevin, I do sometimes have my own bouts with feeling inadequate. When I was under the tutelage of Princess Celestia, I constantly worried if I was good enough despite my mentor's praise."

Kevin stroked his beard. "Wasn't that the same name of the ruler when your kind last visited this world?"

"She's the same pony. As far as anyone can tell, she's immortal."

Before Kevin could further comment, a staccato knock came at the door, and Sandra burst in before he could respond. "I just heard back from the Arizona Department of Health. We may have just had a major break."

"What is it?" Kevin said.

"They found out that the incident of lower flu infection rates was not an error," said Sandra, her voice tinged with excitement. "They discovered a pocket of immunity."

"Where?"

"Right inside an Indian Reservation."

Kevin's eyes widened.

"We're in the process of negotiations with their Tribal Council to allow us to conduct genetic tests."

"I don't understand," said Twilight. "What's an Indian Reservation?"

"It's a long story, but suffice it to say--" Sandra began.

"Which tribe?" Kevin suddenly demanded.

"I'm sorry?" Sandra said.

"Which tribe was it?"

Sandra quickly opened her folder, her eyes scanning down the page. "Hopi."

"Sandra, my great grandmother was a Hopi."

"That could be significant!" Sandra said. "If the immunity is hereditary and can be passed on to future generations, that represents a possibility of creating resistance to any future outbreaks of--"

"Wait, please, you're going too fast for me," said Twilight.

"My apologies, Twilight," said Sandra. "When this continent was first colonized, the natives of this land where pushed out and eventually confined to small areas called reservations. It wasn't exactly our proudest accomplishment, to say the least. Apparently, one tribe of these Native Americans is showing a common immunity to--"

"Native Americans?" Twilight said. "That's the same term that was applied to the people the last Equestrian exploration team met. Are they the same?"

"Well, the term is the same," said Sandra.

"More so than you think," said Kevin. "You might want to confirm this with Doctor Tanner -- if she's in the presence of mind to do so -- but I believe the Hopi are direct descendants of the Anasazi."

Twilight's pupils suddenly shrank.

"Is something the matter?"

Twilight swallowed hard. "I, uh, think this is a good development, especially in the long term. Let me confer with Starlight and get her take on this. I'll check back with you later."

She rushed out before anyone could say a word.

Kevin stood and glanced at the door as it closed behind her. "Something just spooked her."

Sandra turned to him. "Are you sure?"

"Let's just say I've been learning that ponies and humans are more alike than perhaps people realize."

---

Starlight discovered that she rather liked the whiteboards that the humans had invented, once she got used to the rather odoriferous ink that the markers used. She had always hated blackboards, as her mane seemed like a magnet for chalk dust no matter what she did.

She stepped back and examined the runes she had drawn. They represented the unmarking spell she had once thought she never wanted to even think about again considering all the grief it had caused her. While it was already rather potent, she wondered if there were a way to boost its strength further, considering that the target was a pony who was once considered a candidate for Ascension on accomplishments alone. While she realized she had used it successfully on an alicorn no less, she was going up against a pony who likely had done nearly as much research into cutie marks as she had in order to attain a completely successful transformation.

Starlight glanced behind her when she heard the door open. "Oh, good timing, Twilight. I just heard that there's been another group of complete transformations. That's almost the whole town. If Sunset is going to try something to impart some sort of vision on them, she--"

Twilight rushed up to her. "Starlight, we have a huge problem!"

Starlight paused. "Uhhh, you mean other than an entire race being mass-ponified by your mad scientist aunt?"

"This may go even deeper than that!" Twilight paused. "Wait, did you say 'ponified'?"

Starlight set aside the marker. "Yeah, someone came up with that term on the internet. I swear, humans really love to put labels on things."

"Never mind that," Twilight said. "I need to tell you something I just found out."

Starlight listened as Twilight explained about the immunity found among the Hopi Tribe and their relation to the ancient people that Equestria had contacted. "Um, okay, so?"

"Don't you see the implication here?!" Twilight cried. "Star Singer mentioned something about humanity's magical awakening. At first I thought maybe she was exaggerating in hopes of convincing Sunset to relent, but what if she wasn't?"

"I'm sorry, Twilight, I'm not following you."

"Magic developed in our species about a thousand years or so after sapience," said Twilight. "It's believed to be a natural development after constant exposure to a thaumic energy field over successive generations. It started just as we saw in Kevin, with the ability to passively channel magic."

Starlight slowly nodded. "Okay, I get you so far."

"But now we have humanity, which has a civilization that's been around for about six thousand years, and they were potentially sapient long before that, yet at no time did they show any sort of ability to use magic. That could mean they have something inherent in their makeup that prevents it. I kept wondering, what would cause it to suddenly appear now?"

Starlight thought on it for a long moment, and her eyes gradually widened. "You're not saying that Equestria's contact seven hundred years ago--"

"--may have somehow caused this inherent change in humanity that was passed down to the present day!"

Starlight raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a bit of a stretch, though? We really don't know every detail of what that exploration team did."

"But we do know that they made unauthorized contact with the natives," said Twilight. "What if that had some sort of consequences, either intentional or not?"

"Didn't you say that exposure to magic wasn't harmful to humans?" said Starlight. "You even proved it with all the spells you've been casting on or around them."

"At least as far as I know, yes."

"So I'm not sure this is something you need to worry about."

Twilight's eyes glistened. "Starlight, if Equestria is at all responsible for humans discovering magic in a world that was not intended to have magic--"

"Whoa, wait!" said Starlight. "Not intended to have magic?"

Twilight started to pace. "I've been thinking a lot on what you got from Star Singer concerning her vision. Considering that it sent her into a healing trance, I had to ask myself, what would be the absolute worst possible monster that a magic pony society could face?" Twilight stopped and faced Starlight. "And the answer I came up with is: Tirek."

"Tirek is in Tartarus back in our world," said Starlight. "And you personally improved the security of the entrance so we don't have to rely on a temperamental three-headed dog to guard it."

"I don't mean that it's him specifically, but what if it were a creature similar to him?"

Starlight rubbed her mane with her hoof. "I have to admit, I did wonder how Sunset would think that her plans to give ponies more magic would stand up against him."

"I read Sunset's analysis of Tirek in those pages she left for me," said Twilight. "Apparently, even Tirek had a limit as to how much magic he could absorb before he became unstable. It was simply greater than what Equestria could provide. Also, there was something about Harmony magic that he couldn't absorb."

"Well, there you go," said Starlight.

"Starlight, Harmony magic comes from one source: the Tree of Harmony. Maybe something similar could develop here given time, but remember the second part of what you read."

"Yeah, she said 'all the magic rainbows in creation won't stop it.' You really think that means a threat not even Harmony magic can defeat?"

"It's certainly possible. Harmony is just another form of magic, we just don't know quite everything about it yet. Discord's plunder seeds proved that even the Tree itself is not invulnerable. For all we know, Tirek could adapt himself to feed on that as well if given the chance."

"All right, let me get this straight," said Starlight. "You believe that Star Singer saw a vision of some sort of magic-eating monster?"

"I know it's not the only possibility, but if that is the case, it would explain why there don't appear to be magical civilizations in this universe."

"Hoo boy," Starlight said with a sigh. "Sunset really screwed things up, didn't she?"

"It's bigger than that!" Twilight said. "Even if we fix the damage that Sunset has done, humanity may face the problem anyway if they develop magic all on their own. And it might be Equestria's fault!"

Starlight placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Okay, Twilight, take a step back. You might be getting yourself worked up over nothing,"

"Starlight, the humans are a very clever people. They'll piece this together themselves. Kevin already suggested consulting with Sarah. It's bad enough that one of our kind is interfering with the present. What if they come to believe that an officially sanctioned exploration team from our world altered their ancestors?"

Starlight frowned. "I would think they'd be happy about it, considering it gave them an immunity to Sunset's virus!"

"But now they're talking about distributing this as some sort of inoculation against it, and I even offered to help. That would only hasten humanity's magical evolution, which may be exactly what we don't want." Twilight sighed. "I really wish Star Singer would come out of her trance so we can talk to her about this and confirm exactly what it was she saw."

"In the meantime, we need to keep focused on dealing with Sunset," said Starlight.

"Yes, but shouldn't I tell the humans what I just discovered?"

"If it were me, I wouldn't bother. Why risk getting them upset over something that might not even be true?"

"I just want to be open and honest with them."

"There's being honest, and there's being alarmist," said Starlight. "And the humans are upset enough as it is. Wait until we make some more headway first and the pressure is off."

Twilight took a deep breath. "I suppose you're right," she said in a more calm voice. She turned towards the whiteboard. "You've been working on your unmarking spell?"

Starlight approached the board. "Yes, and I think I'm close to giving it another boost. I figured you would get Sunset talking, and once she was distracted, I could zap her with this spell. It should weaken her long enough."

"Yes, but long enough for what?" said Twilight.

Starlight turned to her. "Just restrain her somehow. So long as I keep her away from her cutie mark, she shouldn't have all that much magical power. All we really need is to keep her out of the picture long enough for us to broadcast your thaumic jamming thing and figure out a way to mass-cast the counterspell."

"Yet you said that you can't sever the connection completely, and I'm not sure we can find the proper materials to isolate her cutie mark without you having to constantly hold onto it. Even the containers you used were heavily enchanted, and I'm not sure we can find the proper material here."

"Then how about this," said Starlight. "Figure out how to unlock the portal and shove her through. Let Princess Celestia deal with her. That way she ceases to be a threat, and we get the added bonus of having control of her portal."

Twilight stared at the whiteboard for a long moment. "That might be our best option. I don't like surprising Celestia like that, but I think she would understand." She turned to Starlight. "Now we just have to hope Mr. Heller understands."

---

Anthony sat quietly for a few moments after hearing Twilight's plans, his fingers laced before him. He finally leaned back in his seat slightly and said, "I need to make something very clear, Twilight. While we are according you as much leeway as possible as diplomats from another world, there are limits to what we can do in the absence of any formal treaties between us."

Starlight rolled her eyes. "Yeah, why am I not surprised."

"Starlight, please," Twilight said softly before looking over to Anthony. "Mr. Heller, Sunset represents an ongoing threat to your world. Removing that threat is of paramount importance."

"I understand, and I do agree with you," said Anthony. "I simply don't agree with spiriting her out of the country -- and out of this universe -- as you propose."

"I want to do what's simplest and most expedient," said Twilight. "My world is better able to handle her, with or without her cutie mark. Our ruler, Princess Celestia, is far more powerful than any pony and can easily keep Sunset confined in some way so she doesn't try to return."

"I think you're missing an important point," said Anthony. "Removing her from this world would be seen as removing her from justice."

"I can assure you, Mr. Heller, she will not go unpunished for her actions. Princess Celestia does not in any way condone what she has done."

"Even if I'm willing to take your word for it, there are others who won't. The President has been in discussions with other world leaders, and already the word 'genocide' is being heard."

Twilight swallowed hard.

"If you wish to educate yourself on how we view such things, I would strongly suggest searching the internet for such terms as 'Nazism,' 'Holocaust,' and 'Nuremberg Trials.'"

Twilight's eyes glistened. She could present all sorts of arguments as to how the situation was likely different than simply exterminating a population, but ultimately she knew it would be a wasted effort. Humans had to decide for themselves how they wanted to view Sunset's actions, and she had no place in arguing otherwise.

Even if it meant handing over a family member to an alien world's harsh justice.

"All right," Twilight said in a low voice. "What would you propose instead, Mr. Heller?"

"If the goal is to keep Sunset subdued so she can't interfere with stopping ETS and the subsequent recovery operations, could that be accomplished by keeping Sunset sedated while she's vulnerable? Or are magical ponies immune to such things?"

Twilight let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Well, that's better than what I thought you might suggest."

"The free world values such things as a proper trial," said Anthony. "Granted, the situation here is special in that we have no conventional means to incarcerate her, but it's important to us to live up to our ideals as much as possible so long as any of us are still human."

"I apologize for thinking otherwise."

"I will openly admit that our society is likely more violent than yours," said Anthony in a softer voice. "We've made strides over the centuries to curb that tendency, but many people see what Sunset is doing as robbing us of the ability to determine our own destiny."

"In that, I agree," said Twilight. "And to answer your question, it would be possible to sedate a pony, but without a magical component, it wouldn't last long."

"Can you provide that component?"

"It's not something I've done before," said Twilight. "I don't have a medical background. I can try, but I can't guarantee how well it will work."

"Would Star Singer have that knowledge?" Starlight asked.

"Her background is more general biology than medical," said Twilight. "But given that she was originally focused on similar goals, she might have the proper knowledge of pony physiology. I'm just not sure we can wait for her to come out of her healing trance."

"Did you have any specific time you wanted to do this?" Anthony asked.

"I wanted to wait until the morning after Sunset makes her move concerning the night ponies," said Twilight. "Where Sunset has effectively infiltrated one of the shelters, she'll likely be distracted encouraging the others in how to interpret whatever vision she gives them. She won't be able to just teleport out right away, giving me more time to investigate her home."

"We can place an agent among the medical staff," said Anthony. "He can keep us apprised of Miss Sommers' movements and help determine the optimum time. I would also like to suggest the location where you will take her to."

"What would be that be?"

"There is an entrance to an old silver mine a few miles north of town," said Anthony. "It has the benefit of several structures nearby where we can hide recording equipment so you don't have to carry it on your person. That should reduce the chance of her discovering the ruse."

"If I can be shown detailed pictures of that area, that should work," Twilight said. "So let me summarize what we're going to do: I'll investigate her house and set up a teleportation trap. As soon as she arrives, I take her to the location. I get her talking enough so she reveals her identity, then Starlight hits her with her unmarking spell to weaken her long enough to be sedated. Then Starlight will hold onto Sunset's cutie mark long enough for me to figure out how to unlock her portal and procure proper materials to contain her cutie mark indefinitely."

Starlight sighed. "There's an awful lot that can go wrong, Twilight."

"I know, but I can't think of a better plan that keeps Sunset on Earth," said Twilight.

"I'll start the preparations at my end," said Anthony as he stood. "So we can be ready to go when you give the word."

"Thank you," Twilight said in a barely audible voice.

Starlight watched Anthony leave before turning to Twilight. "You okay?"

Twilight sighed. "This is exactly what I had hoped to avoid: a direct confrontation with Sunset."

"I, uh, noticed you haven't been referring to her as your aunt much anymore."

Twilight hopped out of her chair. "I'm finding it harder to believe she was ever family, Starlight. I know that's harsh, maybe unfair, but it's the only way I can remain objective about this."

Starlight left her chair and faced her friend. "It's no more strange than me feeling a little sorry for Sunset. If the humans have anything to say about it, she's never going to get a chance to actually understand what she did wrong and reform herself like I did."

"When we have Sunset subdued, and I have the portal unlocked, I'll need to immediately send off a message," said Twilight. "I need Celestia's advice concerning Sunset."

Starlight raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"Whether to leave her to the humans' justice system or not."

"I thought you just--"

"I had to placate Mr. Heller so we could agree on a plan," said Twilight. "But I can't make the final decision, only Celestia can. If she refuses to allow Sunset to be tried in a human court, I'll have to take her back to Equestria, which means shattering the already delicate trust that the humans have placed in us." She cast a shimmering gaze at Starlight. "But there's something I fear more than any possible outcome."

"What's that?" Starlight asked.

"Being told I have to make the decision myself."

Comments

[newhope0722]

.. Have to wait USA MLP S7 E11 aired end, then I can read this update

[newhope0722]

Anthony had referred to them as "Secret Service," the same agency that protected people like the President or foreign dignitaries.

[badninja]

Ouch, I get a feeling that Twilight will end up making that call and she is going to hate herself for a while becuase she hands over Sunset.

[Kiper]

I don't think genocide is the correct word here. it refers to the killing of a specific group of people. Nazis being an example. Sunset is attempting to commit something closer to Xenocide or Omnicide: the destruction of the entire species.

[maniacal grin]

8238748
wouldnt it be something more like exomorphus? since its not killing, but transforming them into an outside species?, i mean the net result would be the removal of a species, but its still not the same especially since they're being allowed to keep their memories and most of their behaviors

[newhope0722]

8238748

If Queen Chrysalis finds a method to transform all ponies to changeling...

I think it is genocide.

[redandready45]

8238748

That underscores the legal clusterfuck the world will expect, since nothing like Sunset's actions could have been conceived.

[Halira]

I am surprised Twilight doesn't just drop the whole secrecy thing with keeping her presence unknown to Sunset. She can be in the same room as Sunset and simply "ignore" Sunset. I think it would leave Sunset at a loss of what to do if Twilight just started making direct contact with the transformed and not saying a word about Sunset's presence even when seeing her directly. Sunset is a careful planner which has a high opinion of herself and this kind of action would just make her seriously unsure what to do. To have Twilight not only clearly in league with humans but also completely ignoring Sunset's presence even when Twilight knows exactly where she is baffling and insulting to Sunset. It would feel like Twilight calling her out "Yeah I am here and I am working against you and you can't do anything about it without calling yourself out"

[Halira]

Also just realized that Twilight is making a big assumption in thinking Sunset is going to move fast with the dream vision. As far as we know she only has access to one pony capable of dreamwalking at the moment and we don't know if she has started building any sort of bond with her yet. This could be more a long term plan and not something she plans on acting on quickly considering she still has to form a bond of trust with multiple night ponies strong enough that they will do what she wants and as far as we know we have one night pony that she may not have had much time bonding with yet. Sunset could be thinking she has plenty of time to move and the fact that she has been waiting 20 years bears witness to her being patient with her own plans. Twilight is the one on a tight timetable before she can no longer deal with the situation; Sunset on the other hoove has plenty of time and no need to hurry-----and perhaps every reason to take her time for this to reach a point it can no longer be contained.

[Narrative Style]

I'm curious as to whether the Secret Service agents assigned to Twilight and Starlight overheard any of the conversations about potentially not telling the humans certain things, and how they would deal with that.

[YellowStripedBat]

"I'm certainly no expert in the field, but I don't think a typical cell phone tower is suitable for a wide-area broadcast-type transmission."

"Could radar be adapted for it?" Kevin suggested. "Meteorologists use it all the time. They're fairly ubiquitous."

Anthony turned to his laptop. "I'll make a note to set up a conference with the right experts."

Radar would be a lot worse than cell towers: cellular towers are omnidirectional and work well for objects near the ground. Radar uses a concentrated, highly directional beam (which usually rotates to sweep the beam in a circle) which would mean that a magic disrupting transmission wouldnt be constant. They are also pointed permanently at the sky and do not reach the ground. What they need is something like AM or FM radio towers. Or the metal cell towers with new electronics. Or maybe the old analog cellular network equipment? Maybe all of the military's electronic warfare equipment... Or software updates to turn smartphones into many, many tiny personal magic disruptors that people can keep with them. They have three or four different, independent transmitters each these days.

[irish_moon]

Guys it's Dormammu

[ferret]

even though she was far more capable of dealing with threats herself.

Yeah, they don't make presidents like Franklin Delano Rooseveldt anymore.

[Lancerlot]

8240055
The AM or FM broadcast bands might be more useful. There are few places those don't cover.

[Truthseeker]

If they didn't need her to reopen the damn portal, I would recommend just utilizing a sniper to take her out from a distance. She represents a clear and present danger and does not give two shits about whom she hurts to do it.

[Luna Aeterna Solutae]

8239578
It's probably in Equestrian sing-song.

[AnormalUnicornPony]

8856055
Well I suppose you would know after all. First hoof account and all.

[titanhades70]

8238748
Actually it is genocide. Look up Cultural Genocide.

God, do people even learn anything in school anymore?

[Skittlebug]

9121167
Cultural Genocide can be far less malicious than this. When the USA declared war on the German Empire in 1917, the German Americans basically ceased to exist. That is one of the least malicious forms of cultural genocide, as German-American culture is for the most part dead. This is very malicious, however cuture isn't really being affected here. It's just bodies that are being warped.

[CrystalWaters]

9212072
"just bodies"?

Did you not notice any of the cultural changes? The increased desire for community and social connections? The complete removal of any nudity taboo? The way they speak and the words they use?

They've even had the capacity to mourn their loss of humanity taken away from them.

[Detsella Morningdew]

8627633
As abhorrent as I find that, I'm actually quite impressed with the human authorities that they made an effort to capture her nonlethally. They could easily label her actions as acts of war, despite only being a single pony.

[CoolBreeze]

9460696
She's currently an internationally wanted terrorist. We're pretty barbaric for sure, but most humans still want 'fair' trials where the accused is tried for their crimes publicly in cases like these.

[MatTheBook]

8238748
Thats still genocide

[MatTheBook]

8238817
still genocide.

She may not be 'killing' them but she is killing of the human race

[MatTheBook]

9212072
Its still genocide

She is killing of the entire human race from her transformation virus.