Chapter 47 - Misdirections
"What have you learned, Bob?"
Despite having expected the dream to come to him that night, and even knowing the gist of it from the excited proclamations of his fellow ponies, Bob still meets the scene with a sense of surprise and bemusement. For one, he appears and feels like a full pony, and he imagines it will be so in reality upon awakening. He feels a sense of relief that the transition period is over, and he can get on with his life.
But exactly what is his life supposed to be? Is he supposed to be part of this now? Hasn't something fundamentally changed?
Bob turns to the large white mare. "Do you really need me for this anymore?"
The mare gives him a gentle smile. "You have seen for yourself. All ponies do their part. All ponies help one another. Kindness and generosity at the forefront of all things."
"That's not what I mean."
The mare tilts her head. "Then may I ask you to explain?"
"Maybe if this happens to the entire world, you would need everpony. But is that going to happen now?"
The mare considers before responding, "Do you not wish to be part of a world in which there is no strife or want?"
"Of course I want to be part of that," says Bob. "Who wouldn't?"
"Then that is indeed what you can have. You only need to help make it happen."
Bob pauses for a long moment as he looks back towards the pony village. They look no more strange to him than his family does. It would be easy to simply accept the mare's words and subsume himself into this idyllic vision.
"Have you not wanted to be more a part of your adoptive family?" the mare asks softly.
Bob hesitates before answering. "But that's happened now. I'm closer to them than I've ever been before. I imagine it will be more so now that I'm fully pony. The awkwardness will be gone."
The mare smiles. "This is an opportunity to acquire an even larger family. Surely you feel you deserve such."
But does he really need a larger family? Aren't the Tanners enough? Yes, he feels the same longing to widen his circle of friends as the others do. He once read in Sarah's writings that some ancient people considered a town to be an extended family. He is descended from that heritage; why would it need to be taught to him again?
As if sensing his thoughts, the mare says, "In a way, the world becomes one large family."
He realizes the mare has managed to derail him from his original argument. "You keep talking about the world. What is the world?"
The mare hesitates. "I am not sure I understand your question."
"Is the world all seven billion beings, or is it just our piece of it?"
The mare appears unprepared for the question. "Is there a difference?"
"Yes, if not every human becomes a pony."
"We are not speaking of humans at the moment," says the mare. "We speak of ponies. Why would we speak of anything else? It is what we are."
Bob cannot dispute her last statement. He is a pony as assuredly as his name is Bob. Yet there are still those who are not.
"We speak of a world of ponies," the mare says in a more confident voice. "There is no other world to consider."
"But are you sure?"
"I again fail to comprehend your question."
"The one behind all this was captured," Bob says. "Doesn't that mean this might stop spreading?"
The mare hesitates again for a longer moment. Bob suspects this vision is not equipped to deal with the concept of a world of both ponies and humans, which suggests a specific end result is assumed. Perhaps Bob is able to question it solely because he has this inside information about Sunset Shimmer.
"And if that's the case," Bob says when the mare remains silent. "Then not everypony would be needed. Some can do what they want."
The mare suddenly smiles, as if she has been steered onto safer ground. "Do you not feel a sense of loyalty to your fellow ponies? Would you not want to further their safety and well-being?"
Bob looks back to the village. "Of course I do," Bob says in a low voice. "I never said I wouldn't help."
"You certainly seemed eager to help when the barn caught fire."
Bob looks with longing at the other unicorns. He had been able only to levitate burning timbers out of the way, but his fellow unicorns could cast spells that quenched the fire itself. He could almost sense the runes behind them, and he thought for sure he could do that himself one day.
"Be honest with yourself, Bob," says the mare. "You are a unicorn, and you want to know what you can do."
Bob cannot dispute this. Being a unicorn feels natural and right, and he desperately wants to understand how magic works and how he can use it. He also cannot deny his desire to use his abilities to help his fellow ponies.
He understands more now what Laura feels. He wants to shrug off the revelation concerning Sunny and see this mare as a benevolent, guiding spirit. The assumption that this is the future of the entire world makes sense even from a practical perspective. For all he knew, there is no way to stop it, and it is simply a matter of time; to not prepare for that eventuality would be foolish at best and suicide at worst.
Bob turns more fully towards the mare. "I understand. I will help my fellow ponies in creating successful communities like this one."
The mare smiles more fully. "I am delighted you have come to understand."
"But I do want to ask," says Bob. "What will happen if this doesn't affect the entire world? What will become of our communities then?"
Bob feels this is also a practical question. Sure, they can prepare for the best, but what if that doesn't come to fruition? The mare hesitates again, but this time there is a subtle change in her posture. Rather than incomprehension, her face betrays wariness. "I believe ... I believe I have come to understand why you are continuing to make distinctions as to what the world encompasses."
"You do?"
"Rest assured, my dear Bob, this vision can and will come to pass so long as ponies honor the tenets of kindness, generosity, loyalty, honesty, and laughter. It is not up to a single pony, but all of us."
Bob considers. "Even if that single pony is the one behind all this?"
The mare smiles. "Remember, no pony needs to be alone. No pony is truly ever alone. Worry not for a single pony, Bob, for we are all in this together."
Bob is not sure his question was really answered, but before he can refine his point further, the vision fades to white.
Bob awoke to the sound of excited speech all around him. As he blinked away the last vestiges of slumber, he wondered how he had managed to sleep so late with all this noise until he remembered how the others had awoken a bit late after seeing their vision. Unlike an ordinary dream which would be slipping away from him the more wakeful he became, it stuck in his mind like something he had specifically memorized.
So much abuzz with conversation were the others that nopony heard the clop of his hooves as he stood and took a few tentative steps. Thankfully, his muscles moved in near perfect concert. He no longer felt so awkward. If anything, his dark-green-furred body felt as natural as did his sea-green mane and tail had the day before.
His ears swiveled as hoofsteps approached, and he had only just turned towards the sound when he was drawn into a tight hug. "Bob, thank God it's finally over for you."
Bob's muzzle pressed against orange fur, and he breathed deeply of Sarah's scent. It was both familiar and comforting, as if his senses had been this way all his life. He closed his eyes and returned the hug, the most demonstrative he had ever been with his feelings since arriving in the Tanner household.
Sarah gazed into Bob's eyes. "Do you feel okay?"
"Yes, I do," Bob said in a slightly bemused voice. "Do I look okay?"
Sarah smiled. "You look fine, other than you still have something hanging off your hindquarters."
Bob turned his head. His briefs were still wrapped around his rear legs above the fetlocks. He wriggled his hindquarters and dropped the briefs down his legs. A glow from Sarah's horn helped him extricate his rear hooves. Bob flicked his tail to get the hair to lay more naturally.
He glanced at the briefs. A faint thought swirled in his head that he ought to preserve it, like an artifact of a past time. He remembered how he had told Laura that he would try to remember the things that he used to do. He could indeed remember them, they just didn't seem quite as important now. Yet the act of remembering them itself did.
"You okay, Bob?" Sarah asked.
Bob turned his gaze back to her. "I'm fine. Just a little overwhelmed."
"Did you have the vision?"
Bob hesitated. "Yes."
"What did it focus on for you?"
"My family," Bob said. "Meaning the one I have now. Why do you ask?"
"I was just concerned for you, that's all," Sarah said in a subdued voice. "After what we talked about yesterday. It made me start thinking more on what's really going on."
"I tried to talk to the mare in the vision about what happened to Sunny," said Bob.
Sarah's eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure that was a good idea?"
"Well, Sunny is in custody, right?"
"So I'm told, yes. But just seeing and sensing what a unicorn can do, I'm wondering exactly how they accomplished it."
Bob glanced around him. He saw other unicorns casually moving their possessions about with magic. A few appeared to be sorting through them, face deep in thought as they pondered more relics from their human past. He felt the urge even more now to try it out for himself. He could see the flow of the spell in his head. He could sense how his magic would wrap itself around other objects in a way hands never could.
"You were right about how spells work, Bob," said Sarah with a small smile. "I think I can sense how my levitation spell can be adjusted to do more fine manipulation."
Bob continued to stare at the other unicorns. It almost looked like they were packing. "What's going on? What is everypony so excited about?"
"They're finally going to let us out of here later today," said Sarah with some relief. "Laura is positively ecstatic. She's like a little foal on Christmas morning."
Bob did indeed see that as good news. It gave him even more incentive to start using his horn, as he wanted to be able to help the others from the very start. He had even told the mare in his vision that he would help regardless of the final outcome.
He glanced at the humans standing at the periphery of the room. Why had he had so much trouble explaining to the mare about the uncertainty of the future? He didn't look upon the humans as future ponies. He doubted anypony else did.
"You have something on your mind," said Sarah gently.
Bob looked back to her. "I guess I do. I can't stop thinking about my conversation with the mare in the vision. I don't think I really got my point across to her. It was like I couldn't get her to understand that Sunny was no longer running things."
"Maybe Sunny was not quite as in control as they thought."
"You said you were starting to think about what's going on," said Bob. "In what way?"
"Sunny disrupted my research," said Sarah. "She actively prevented me from finding a connection to her plans for us. The more I've thought about it, the more I'm coming to resent that."
"You hadn't told me that part."
"I haven't wanted to dwell upon it," said Sarah. "It's like Harry says, we should look forward, not back. What's the point of hating a pony for something that's already said and done? Laura told me that Sunny had said we all have new talents and abilities now, and we need to adjust our life goals to that. It's hard not to agree with that, but when I discovered I might be able to adjust my levitation spell to do just the sort of fine manipulation that's crucial to archaeology, I started reconsidering."
"It's like what I tried to tell the mare," said Bob. "What about things I want to do? I want to help everypony, yes, but I need something more."
Sarah smiled faintly. "I hope we'll all come around to that thinking."
"I almost wish I could talk to Sunny, if for no other reason than to better understand her perspective."
"You and Laura both. I doubt anypony can see her right now."
Bob paused. "So ... she's alone right now?"
"Where other ponies are concerned, I would think so," said Sarah.
Bob's eyes became distant as words from the vision came to him again.
No pony needs to be alone.
No pony is truly ever alone.
Worry not for a single pony.
"Is something wrong?" Sarah asked.
"Aunt Sarah, they interviewed you and a lot of other ponies about the vision yesterday, right?"
"Yes, they did."
"Maybe I should volunteer to be interviewed about mine," said Bob.
"You certainly can if you want to," said Sarah. "Any particular reason why?"
"I'm not sure. It just feels like it might be important."
Jenny approached the human technicians when her position in the line came up, and a tag with the number "3" written upon it and attached to a string was placed around her neck. She nodded her thanks and headed away.
James trotted up to her, smiling, a similar tag around his neck. "Hey, we're on the same one. Cool."
Jenny rolled her eyes but grinned nevertheless. "You do know we're going to the same place, right?"
"Yeah, I know, but what can I say, I like your company."
Jenny blushed faintly. She was still getting used to being the object of somepony's affections. When they were still humans, she had been too wrapped up in herself to really understand and appreciate his feelings for her.
James stepped a little closer to her and said in a low voice, "I hadn't had a chance to ask you yet. You have any more dreams last night about the Fae Queen?"
Her dreams were really no big secret. She suspected he was using the excuse to be closer to her to take in more of her scent. That seemed to be what defined closeness among ponies. She felt safe and protected anytime she was this close to her father, and he was the only thing she could smell. "No, I haven't, but I've been trying to remember more details of the one I did have."
"And have you?"
"Only that the Fae Queen did something to me."
"You said it was like she had started transforming you."
"No, it's more than that," said Jenny. "She did something else to me, but I'm having trouble figuring out what. She said something to me, and it made something happen in my head."
James' eyes widened. "That's a little creepy."
She almost said it was no more creepy than somepony beaming a vision into her head, but why would she think of it that way? What was so creepy about showing them a bright future?
"The only part I can remember clearly is seeing her watch the storm head off into the distance," said Jenny. "It's hard not to remember it because of the way she towered over me."
James tilted his head. "Towered over you?"
Jenny paused. "I hadn't mentioned that?"
"Not that I can remember."
"Well, she did. She was way tall, taller than I remember depicting her. I never had her more than maybe half a foot taller than the peasant girl."
"Wow, this is weird," said James. "It really is like you're remembering more and more of that dream."
"Are you sure I never mentioned about the Fae Queen being tall?"
"I'm just about positive."
Jenny frowned. "I don't like this. It's like I remember stuff but don't remember remembering stuff, if that makes any sense."
Before James could reply, a yellow and orange blur flying towards them from the distance resolved itself into a hovering Laura. "Jenny, there you are! Did you hear the news?!"
Jenny smirked and lifted her tag with her hoof. "You mean about being let go? Yeah, kinda hard not to."
"No, I don't mean that!" Laura said excitedly. "They're actually going to let us go to the place I suggested to the ponies at the other shelter! God, I'm both really excited and so nervous at the same time. I hope I picked the right spot. I'd never live it down if ..." She trailed off as she finally noticed the tags around Jenny's and James' necks. "What are those?"
"What, you don't know?" Jenny asked.
Laura shook her head in confusion.
"They're bringing in some transports to ferry us out of here," said Jenny. "All of us are supposed to get assigned to a specific transport, so they're giving out tags."
"Oh, okay, I guess that makes sense for the earth ponies and unicorns."
"I think everypony is required to get a tag."
Laura stared. "What, seriously?"
"I saw a few pegasi getting them as well," said James.
Laura face-hoofed. "Oh, for heaven's sake, pegasi don't need transports, we have wings! Thanks for the heads up, I'll have to go talk to them."
Jenny wondered if the reason the part about the storm in her dream was what she remembered most clearly was because her sister was a pegasus. Laura's ability to control the weather dovetailed so much with the dream that Jenny had the wild thought there was a connection somehow.
But that was ridiculous. One had nothing to do with the other except the general subject, and the fact that something supposedly happened to Jenny concerning a storm in the still nebulous past ...
... when she was a little girl ...
Jenny suddenly stared at Laura.
"Is something wrong?" Laura asked.
Jenny blinked rapidly. For just an instant, she saw her sister as she had been many years ago when she was eight, a human girl whom Jenny had looked up to. The moment was gone almost as quick as it had come, and the more familiar form of a hovering yellow-furred pegasus reasserted itself.
"No, I'm fine," said Jenny. She slowly smiled. "I'll be looking forward to what you can really do once you have the open skies."
Laura smiled. "So will I! I'll catch you before you head out, I promise."
Jenny nodded and watched her sister the pegasus fly away.
"You looked like you zoned out a bit for a moment," said James gently.
Jenny hesitated as she struggled to forge the link in her head, as if her mind were resisting the very thought itself. Everything wanted to tell her that she was being silly for entertaining it in the first place, that it was just her making it all about herself again.
She looked off into the distance where Laura used her wing to brush away the hand of a technician holding a tag and started talking to him in earnest.
We're as close now as we ever had been as foals.
"Jenny?" James prompted.
Jenny turned towards him. "I had a weird thought. What if the reason the Fae Queen towered over me in the dream was because I was a little girl?"
"A little girl? How little?"
A specific age briefly lit up in her head but almost immediately winked out. "I'm not sure, but a lot younger than I ever portrayed the peasant girl."
"But you were the peasant girl in your dream," said James. "Now I'm confused."
"You're not the only one," Jenny muttered.
Laura uttered a wistful sigh as she hovered near her family and stared at the door that had been designated the exit. Already, eager ponies from the first transport group were lining up near it. She could faintly hear engines idling just outside.
She glanced up at the skylights. A gorgeous azure sky was peppered by small puffs of clouds, making her heart ache and her wings quiver even as they held her aloft. She glanced down and frowned at the tag hanging from the string around her neck, which had the number "6" drawn upon it.
"Sorry you're not going to be in the same transport as the rest of us, honey," said Sarah in a gentle voice.
Laura turned in mid-air and landed on her hooves with a loud clop as she gazed at her family. Each of them sported a tag with the number "3" on them. "I kept telling them that I don't need a transport, but they wouldn't listen to me."
"That's government types for you," said Harold. "Do everything by the book and to hell with common sense. At least we won't have to deal with that for much longer."
"But we're still American citizens," said Bob. "We still need to abide by American law and procedure."
"I don't think the Constitution was written with ponies in mind, sport."
"I never got the impression from that vision that ponies were under any sort of formal government," Laura said. "But I guess it makes sense there should be one if the population gets big enough. I'm not sure how that would work, though."
"I don't think the federal government would like us making a separate government in their midst," said Bob.
Jenny rolled her eyes. "Does it matter? It's not like we're going to make laws making murder legal or something stupid like that."
"There's more to law and government than that," Bob explained. "What about property? What about laws regarding how goods are bought and sold?"
Laura really didn't want to touch on these topics. They had never been her strong point, and it was one of the reasons she had dreading college: she saw herself being forced to learn subjects that simply didn't interest her, and she would do badly in them as a result. "I really think we need to take this one step at a time. Surely they wouldn't be letting us go if they hadn't thought of some of the same things. Don't tribal governments on reservations have some sort of autonomy?"
"Tribal sovereignty only goes so far," said Sarah. "It's rather complicated how it works."
"Then maybe this is a chance to simplify things," said Laura. "It's not like we even need to worry about the quality of the land we have, not with the earth ponies able to improve it and the pegasi to bring in all the rain that's needed."
Bob glanced towards the technicians who were approaching the exit door. "I guess I'm concerned about how much of an imposition this is on the remaining humans."
"We're not taking anything from them. We asked for a place to go, and they agreed to give it to us. It's really that simple. They could've told us no."
"I don't think a lot of ponies would take that answer well."
Laura uttered a sigh of exasperation. "But it didn't happen. I don't think there's any point in speculating about it."
She was frankly very glad she didn't need to worry about that outcome, for she saw no easy way for them to gain their freedom without generating some sort of ill will. Would the humans have actually tried to stop them if they had gone on their own to that particular plot of land? They were only trying to find a way to live happy and healthy without relying on humans to feed and shelter them. Wasn't the whole property thing just an overcomplicated boondoggle that stood in the way of what should really be quite simple?
More to the point: nothing in the vision said they couldn't welcome humans as well as they did other ponies. Certainly Laura felt no animosity towards them whatsoever.
A technician began making an announcement over a megaphone, the volume of which had been adjusted downward to be better suited for sensitive pony ears. "Attention, please. We are about to load the first transport. Only those designated for transport number one should be at the door. You will proceed single file. Please refrain from using magic until you disembark."
Laura's heart pounded. "It's finally happening. We're finally being let go."
"I have to admit, I wouldn't mind going by the old house one more time," said Sarah. "There are a few items of sentimental value I'd like to have."
Laura turned to her and smiled. "I can do it, Mom! I can just fly right over there and get whatever you want."
"How are you going to carry anything?" Jenny asked.
"I'm sure we can figure out a way to put together some sort of bag that can be slung over my barrel," said Laura.
Jenny smirked. "Saddlebags?"
Laura giggled. "Why not? Just without the actual saddle. Kelly already adjusted the straps of her backpack so she can just sling it over herself. I'm sure that--"
She was interrupted by the sound of a metal latch being undone, followed by a loud cheer and hoof-stomps. Laura turned around, and her breath caught.
A bright shaft of morning sunlight glowed with such splendor that it made the rest of the auditorium look even more drab than it had before. Laura swallowed as she stared, and her wings quivered against her sides as a fresh breath of early spring air wafted over her. At once, all her pegasus senses were alert, and her muscles tensed. Her wings unfolded from her sides almost of their own accord, as if to better feel that air on her feathers.
"Laura, are you all right?" Sarah asked.
Another breeze wafted over her, driven by an early morning wind that was so common at this time of year. She could even hear it whistling through the branches of trees that had yet to come out in leaf, and the distant roar of the wind's source rolling down the mountains.
She looked down at her tag for a moment, then hooked her fore-hoof into the string and yanked hard. The string briefly bit into the fur of her neck before it snapped, the tag falling to the floor with a faint clatter.
"Laura, what--??" her mother began.
"I'll see you all over there!" Laura cried before she leaped into the air. She turned her ears forward to attenuate her mother's protests and shouted, "Heads up!!"
The doorway was at least twice the height of a pony, and she could have threaded herself through the additional space with ease. Nevertheless, her pony brethren ducked as she rocketed overhead like a missile. A protest from a technician went unheard as Laura burst out of the building and soared into the beckoning skies.
Her wings pumped with not a desperate fury but a strong and sure confidence that she had never felt in her life. Her eyes widened at the glorious feeling of not just the air flowing over her fur and feathers, but the sheer reach of senses that she now understood had given her only the barest glimmer of what they could really do.
She soared at what would have been a dizzying pace to anyone other than a pegasus. The higher she went, the more exhilarated she felt. As she rose almost level to the nearby mountain peaks, she could sense not just the wind passing over her, but everything about it. The mountain wave flow that sustained it was like a tangible force. Words from weather reports that had been only a jumble of barely glimpsed meaning she now understood on an innate and almost intimate level.
The feelings were so intense that she wanted to cry, and she did indeed wipe away a few tears as she came level. Yet when she looked down, the tears threatened to well up again. The world was so beautiful from here. On plane trips, she had always liked to have the window seat so she could have such a view. That experience paled in comparison to this. She was completely unfettered, with only her own wings to rely upon.
"I can fly," Laura said, as if only truly realizing it now. "I can FLY!!"
Her heart soared almost as much as she had when she saw other pegasi having taken her cue and not bothered to be herded onto transports. She was about to call out to them when she heard her name screamed out in near exultation. She spun around in midair and gasped. "Emma!"
The familiar purple pegasus zoomed towards her and pulled her into a tight hug in mid-air. Laura breathed in Emma's scent, the presence of her dear friend making this experience feel complete.
"Oh, Emma, I'm so glad to see you!" Laura cried.
A huge smile stretched across Emma's muzzle. "I should've known you wouldn't want to wait, either!"
"Isn't this wonderful? Doesn't this feel great?"
"Yes, it does!" Emma said. "I almost thought this might be a fluke until I took off into the skies like it was second nature to me."
"Where's Joan?" Laura asked.
Emma blinked and glanced behind her. "That's funny, she was right behind me. She did make a comment about wanting a closer look at some of the clouds but--"
"Laura! Emma! Look at this!"
They turned as one and looked up. Joan was atop one of the finger-like clouds that rode the mountain wave and stretched out from the peaks. It took them a moment to realize her wings were folded at her sides, and yet she remained level with the clouds.
Laura gasped and flew upwards for better look. "What ... Joan are you actually--?!"
"Standing on a cloud?" Joan said. "You bet I am!"
Emma zoomed up. "We can walk on clouds?!" She zipped forward and came alongside Joan. She lowered herself, her hooves starting to disappear into the white. She suddenly gasped and drew her wings in. "Ohmigod, we can walk on clouds!"
Laura soon joined them. As she lowered herself, she felt the cloud's moist touch become more tangible. It never became completely solid, yielding like fluffy cotton. It even had a bounce to it.
"This is all just so amazing," Laura murmured.
"I'm really tempted to try shaping this cloud into something," said Emma.
"What I want to do is see the site they're sending us to," said Joan.
Laura looked up. "Yes, we should. I'm anxious to see it myself."
"I was so happy when they said they were going to take your suggestion, Laura!" Emma said.
Laura hoped that meant she had made the right decision. Surely someone had double-checked it would be a good--
No, she had to stop doubting herself. She had the ability to make good decisions. She didn't need to fall back on Sunny's pep talk. "Come on, let's go."
They took off from their cloud perch and sailed downward towards the valley that ran north of the town of Lazy Pines. Laura smiled as she realized she could sense the thermals just like birds could, letting her occasionally rest her wings. They even followed one down in a slow, lazy spiral.
Emma suddenly thrust a hoof forward. "I think that's it over there."
Several vehicles lay at the periphery of an open field, and camping equipment was being unloaded by men in fatigues. There were also men in dark suits standing about.
"Wait, what?" Emma said suddenly in confusion. "There are other ponies here already?"
"Where?" said Joan.
"Over there on the far side of the field."
Laura turned her head as well. Her gaze was first drawn to a particular human who stood there, whom she soon recognized as Doctor Conner. He stood among several ponies she had never seen before, and surrounding them was a tight contingent of the dark-suited men. One of the ponies was a pale pink unicorn with a tri-colored blue and cyan mane. Another unicorn had white fur and a purple mane. A pegasus stood near them with yellow fur and pink hair. Two earth ponies were present as well, one bright pink and the other orange. The former was bouncing on her hooves in an odd way, as if they were spring-loaded, and the latter wore a stetson upon her blond mane.
Now the pink unicorn's horn began to glow. Soon, Doctor Conner did as well, and then the other ponies.
"What's going on?" Emma asked.
Before Laura could reply, one of the National Guard soldiers looked up and shouted in alarm. He started to raise his weapon when his superior barked an order at him. Now some of the dark-suited men were looking up, and one shouted, "You were supposed to come with the transports! Get down on the ground at once!"
"We better do what they say, girls," said Joan.
Laura nodded and led the way. As soon as they settled on their hooves, Laura said, "We're sorry if we disrupted things. We just got excited at trying out real flying."
The man sighed. "And just how many others have done the same?"
"Among the pegasi? Um, a lot," Laura said in a sheepish tone. "So you'll probably get more arriving soon."
"Great, so much for security," the man muttered.
"I could have told you that," said Kevin Conner with a gentle smile as he walked over. "I really wouldn't worry about it. I can vouch for Laura here and her friends. In fact, I suggest you let me introduce them to Starlight and her friends."
"I'll have to clear that with Mr. Heller," said the suited man. "Meanwhile, if any more arrive, keep them all together."
Laura peered at the group of ponies. The pink one noticed her looking and stopped bouncing. She raised a fore-hoof and waved enthusiastically. Laura tilted her head in bemusement when the pony seemed to be singing, but in no language she understood. The white-furred one gently prodded her, and the pink one instead cried in English, "Hi, new-ponies-who-shouldn't-be-ponies-but-we're-going-to-call-you-that-for-now-anyway!"
Laura was even more confused as she looked at the yellow pegasus. She had two squirrels perched on her barrel, a bird sitting in her mane, and a bunny curled up asleep at her fore-hooves.
"Laura, look," Emma said in a hushed voice. "The orange one. Is that some sort of tattoo on her rear?"
Laura's eyes widened. The orange earth mare did indeed have a mark, one of three apples.
"They all have them," Joan said. "The yellow pegasus has one that looks like butterflies, and the white unicorn has diamonds."
"They're cutie marks," Laura said in a fascinated voice.
"I ... know what that means," Emma said. "Somehow, I do."
"It's like the final step," Joan said. "You get one when you're sure you know what you want to do."
"But aren't we already sure?"
"I think there's more to it than that, otherwise we'd all have them by now."
"I don't get this," Emma said. "How did they get theirs first? I thought our two shelters had the first full ponies."
"There's only one way to find out," said Laura. She looked up at Kevin. "I think we'd very much like to meet them, Doctor Conner."
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Nice cliffhanger there. I think Triss is definitely up to something as I think that the vision is definitely being tampered with by her. Also why didn't Twilight hide everyponies cutie marks until she either got the truth out or they started appearing?
Yes Jenny! Break out of the mold!
No Laura! Don't dive deeper into the mold!
I'm growing increasingly worried for the ETS victims, especially for those who know something's off but can't figure it out like Bob. It seems that Fred's the only ETS victim that has any semblance to proper free will.
Hopefully Twilight & co. can talk some sense into them, but I'm not holding my breath.
Rarity, Applejack and rainbow dash better not talk about their sisters. The cutie mark crusaders have a cutie mark of helping ponies find their marks.
There is about to be a great big dump of information on the ETS ponies. Knowledge of another world, what is involved with cuttie marks, widespread knowledge of who Sunset Shimmer is and what she did. Going to be interesting to see how they deal with it.
Is the dream on sort of autospell or does Josie (and possibly others like her contacted by Sunset similarly) have to craft it for each pony? With Sunset for the moment out of the picture I was wondering if the dreams would continue and they clearly are but curious to the mechanics of the dream vision. Plus is it widespread across the entire population of infected or currently localized to this region?
The fully transformed population elsewhere has to overall outnumber the Lazy Pines population by this point even if that population is less concentrated in one place considering the large numbers showing symptoms elsewhere long before Bob showed them. What is going on elsewhere?
I think I figured out what's going on with this story. It's all a big ruse. A social experiment. No, not the spell within the story. The story itself. The idea is to release as good a story as humanly possible with mystery and intrigue and cliffhangers galore. Get the readers really addicted to it. And release each update at a regular interval so they expect their fix at a certain time. Then sloooowly start increasing the regular intervals between updates, delaying their access to the amazing story and the fix they need. Then sit back and watch the results as they start to go mad. It's brilliant.
Oh man, I absolutely cannot wait for the Mane 6 (well, plus Starlight and minus Twilight) to talk. September second cannot come quickly enough.
Though was Dash missing from the group?
As for Triss, I rather suspect she's meddling in a way that will see the Devourers destroyed at the end. They wouldn't be lured out if Sunset's plan was stopped in its infancy, but it can't be allowed to succeed fully, either.
Finally, the Equestrians and ETS Ponies meet. I expect lots and lots of tension to arise, as Twilight tells Laura the things she doesn't want to hear.
Laura a little piece of advice don't try to understand Pinkie Pie you will only get even more confused then you already have.
8361585
In order for Laura to get the full story regarding Sunset she needs to talk to two ponies Twilight and Sunset herself only then can she give a truly informed decision about whether or not to forgive Sunset
8361475
No credit to Sarah? She seems to be moving further away from the pony ideal Sunset set up. Maybe not she resents being a pony but she resents Sunset trying to make her give up what she loves in favor of the pony utopian society. The very act of resenting anyone is a full slap in the face of what Sunset was pushing. And this is feelings that are growing not being suppressed further.
Not really sure how to think about Laura anymore. Trying to think about who she was before ETS and who she is now and it seems to me that she wasn't much of a free thinker before infection. Only concerned about what others wanted and thinking herself insignificant and not worthy of responsibility. She had some serious issues with her self image and wasn't happy. Her acceptance and embrace comes even more from her than Sunset I think since this is what has forced her to step up and she is finding that positive self image. Factor in weather control and the fact I think she might legitimately enjoy the freedom of flying (again she was always a slave to trying to please and her own self recrimination so freedom is a big psychological thing) and you have someone who might have been a zealot without any tampering at all with the mind. Not saying her mind wasn't tampered with since it was, but her full on zealotry beyond the rest of her family I think comes more from her more than the tampering. She would have embraced this no matter what without tampering and her level of embrace makes the tampering negligible in her case just a mild reinforcement.
Tsk, antagonizing people and running away when all she had to do is wait 20 minutes. It's petty, like talking on cellphone in cinema.
8361683
Like I said earlier the transformation has pretty much improved every aspect of Laura's life from her confidence and self image to her relationships with her friends and family and would likely be exactly where she is whether or not Sunset got involved in her life.
8361584
Dash is in Griffinstone right now trying to deal with stuff involving Derpy.
Fluttershy seems to have her abilities work with Earth animals as well despite them not being naturally tamer like Equestrian animals. Not sure how I feel about that.
8361119
They forget what it was like to be human.
I suspect that Applejack's about to give them both barrels about this over the top communalism abandon your homes for Ethiopian middle of nowhere group farming nonsense. Just because you're suddenly a magical tractor it doesn't necessarily follow that you're ready to make the mountains bloom in winter.
It's bad enough they're being shipped out in truck convoys. This is literally how the Ethiopian and Tanzanian famines of the Eighties started.
Something similar to a tribal government might actually work, though the details would have to be quite different, it would allow for coexistence with some ponies living separately from humanity for the most part and others being heavily involved in human society, though whatever form of government this takes I think Laura would likely end up being the one in charge.
8361449
Twilight has not hid her cutie make in the past she probably consider that an unimportant detail( she still has a problem remembering the nudity taboo) as most of her interactions have been with humans also it give the humans a positive id of who she and starlight are. currently only equstrian ponies have butt stamps.
now as to how fast converted ponies receive them foals seem to vary in ages the CMC may have been on the upper part of the bell curve but are most likely not the oldest ever .
I officially consider this a horror story now. Congratulations, you managed to take something I enjoy (humans transforming into ponies) and turn it into something low-key horrifying. The actions and thoughts of the majority of the former humans is extremely off-putting. Don't get me wrong, I still love this story, but I get absolutely creeped out when reading it now.
Thinking Triss is a well-meaning mastermind of the whole thing as a ploy to wipe out the Devourers. Plant the idea in Sunset's head to cause a massive interdimensional crisis between the two races whose cooperation could finally destroy them, then plant crystal ponies into ETS as the solution to keep it manageable. Her future she gave Star Singer is merely projected, if very likely, and given to spur cooperation. Also thinking her race may have invented them.
Also, reversal may be mathematically impossible because Sunset's rewrite isn't an invertible function and has random improvised steps. Lovely.
8361963
That actually makes a lot of sense and would make Triss the one ultimately responsible for everything that happened since Chapter 1.
8361683
I originally did consider to dole out some credit to Sarah, but all that she really figured out is that she doesn't necessarily have to perfectly fit with the 'traditional' role that Sunset has implanted in her. She still doesn't see a place for intermingling between humans and ponies like everyone else (except for Fred), and that goes to show that the ETS victims still have the full intent of forming their own segregated community with as few connections to the greater world that is humanity as possible. Granted, it's a step towards escaping the biological and psychological restraints that Sunset has imposed on them, but it's not quite enough for her to question the whole thing.
Jenny, on the other hand, is beginning to show full doubts about the whole debacle if unconsciously.
I feel like this is the part of a story when I see the writing on the wall (or the 'Bad Ending' tag) and then I have to decide whether to continue reading despite the disappointment at the end, or abandon the story.
There seems to be no good ending in sight.
I suppose I'll stay to see the %*!$ realise why she's a horrible individual.
8361987
Well, taking advantage of the situation since chapter one anyway. Could she have been the one that somehow caused Twilight to notice something was up with Sunset's old house? The timing seems extremely convenient that Twilight should take note of the situation just when Sunset is getting ready to go live with her pandemic.
8362020
Yeah that is implausibly good timing, It might even be possible that Sunset herself has been brainwashed by Triss to do what she did which would help explain her inability to even consider what she did was wrong and why she threw away everything for this crazy plan, this would also mean that Sunset is not the villain but is in fact the very first victim in this whole scenario not to mention Triss's scapegoat, regardless if Triss had anything to do with Sunset getting her views then what she did to Twilight's family is down right cruel.
I get the feeling that the ponies are going to call this settlement New Ponyville.
8361999
Intermingling seems still very much up to debate at least short term. You have humans who are likely hostile to ponies whether the ponies want to continue on with human type society or not and it will take time to rebuild infrastructure to support each in the same community and do the PR to not have it turn into open fighting. A reservation type solution at least in the short term with a long term goal of reintegration seems more practical.
Oh dear. She's gotten even more reckless. She's become an RD clone, impulsive to the point of jumping straight into things without giving an instant of thought to the consequences. Fortunately less aggressive, though. So there's that.
Smart move, Tia. You've prevented an international war by suppressing those memories. Undoing it now would only hasten it, thus undermining the efforts to reverse the curse. Undo it when the devourers are taken care of.
I sure do hope no new pregnancies have or will happen. But if they do, I imagine it would be the same going backwards as it was forwards. Given the existing embryo and mother both turned at once without harm, I imagine the same to be true in the reverse. Pregnancies don't seem to suffer for it.
Now the earthlings have met the equestrians. Let's see how this will go. Starlight already spoke English. I wonder how... on second thought, it may be better I don't.
Fred and Robert are awesome as always.
Anthony is being his adamant, authoritative self per usual, huh? LOPE's WL never fully adjusted to her situation, nor the way earth now is. If this has permanent shifts in our planet's ecological and climate function, I wonder if Anthony can ever open his closed mind and see the good in it, providing none of it can be reversed. It's clear that some of it will inevitably become irreversible, and no one can do jack about it. Minimizing damage is the plan now. I'd hate to see this planet become yet another clone of Eques. There are plenty enough tales to have done that as is. Let the climate and ecosystem function as they always have at large.
Are those dreams on autopilot or something? If not, whoever is behind their continued perpetuation seems easily stumped when you mention any other species exists. It only thinks of a pony-only world.
Unfortunately, Sunny seems beyond help. I wouldn't count on any help being effective. Committing her once both worlds declare her criminally insane beyond recovery seems the only outcome here. Simply be glad she's brought back safely. Like a religious person won't ever yield in the slightest, and will use any means necessary to make as many people as possible go to X or Y, preferably by constant persuasion and/or coercion, and ideally convert all of them. They'll use force if necessary. They will never quit, and are absolutely convinced they are right. Any suggestion they aren't all there gets retorted with the majority are the real crazies. We have all met some religious loons like this, and this is what Sunset is here.
I don't fully trust that chick, but I think her intentions are pure. She never did anything to actively do anyp- anybody harm.
Yes Laura, fly. Seek out your destiny and happiness, others shall soon follow. Soar amongst the heavens to your hearts content.
Damn, three weeks for another update? Noooo
Well then, the (proper) first contact with civilians. That's bound to be interesting, specially with pinkie involved.
8361987
That would be a lot of egg to break for her omelet though.
8362549
Not for a magical being who has had billions of years to herself to refine her magic it would probably be child's play for her
8362376
seconded!
boo!
evil delays!
She is unTrisstworthy.
Kevin, it's time to be a mature adult and tell her to be patient. That can and should wait for the transports to arrives. Transports you should've followed instead of going ahead like that.
Speeking of wich, I think the next chapter should pick up when all the ponies have arrived and the meeting is starting. You can only read so much of your character speculating about thing we already know before it get tedious.
Unless of course you do choose to have Laura being a reckless child once more, in wich case, carry on.
a grate to chapter totally awesome.
enjoy and relax you deserve it after all this hard work.
8361747
I don't think Fluttershy still having her abilities with animals, even foreign ones, is that implausible. The other magical abilities of ponies works between worlds. Also, Fluttershy still had ability to deal with beasts from the Everfree forest (manticore, cockatrice); I bring up the Everfree forest because the animals were described there as "taking care of themselves" (and uncontrolled weather) (S1E2) which mirrors the Earth animals/environment.
8361584
Yep, the unanswered questions about Triss' actions and motives are piling up. Wouldn't it suck if the devourers were this universe's form of Tartarus, created specifically to constrain Triss, and the humans/ponies have to choose to release Triss by taking out the devourers before they destroy Earth?
Anthony is becoming less and less empathetic and more and more apathetic, seems that now that he's immune he doesn't think he should consider then transformed to be his own people anymore, it makes him harder to like.
I fear that seeing cutie marks might accelerate the ETS cases into getting them thus making them possibly uncurable.
Side note: did Sunset straight up make the mental changes for each transformation slowly make them more and more of stereotypes?
8365057
Sunset holds an inflated view of her own specie: While ponies are generally nicer than humans, they still have their share of selfish jerks (Suri, the Flim Flam brothers) , radical extremists (Starlight Glimmer) , criminals (Caballeron) and even outright monsters (Sombra).
Sunset designed the virus so its victims would get their personalities twisted according to her beliefs. Is not a surprise they almost resemble G3 ponies.
*Checks Calendar*
Also: ETS Ponies finally meeting real Ponies =
(Besides Sunset. She doesn't count)
8365947
That was a long time ago, but I believe I was referring to how equestrians would react to it.
Dunno though, four months is a long time to forget about a comment.
8362073
That would be not only horrifying but also tragic. We have one soul who was corrupted by another being and it was completely missed but then we have a being that can do this and nobody would notic till it was too late. I hope Triss isn't behind Sunset’s fall becuase the implication is terrifying.
Oh man, I can't believe I read all of this in only a few days! What an outstanding story!
8367890
Though it does open up the possibility of a happy ending for Sunset as if you can prove she was brainwashed then she can't be held accountable for her actions and you can then punish the individual truly responsible.
8367890 If Triss' mind-magic is that powerful, and she is able to manipulate the universe in any significant way... I find it hard to fathom how any of them, even all together, could stop her now.
The doorway to Equestria is already open. She knows it. She only has to step through.
UNLESS... unless something is binding her and she requires a certain key.
Aaaaand all caught up.
Flight! Glorious flight.
Beautiful story. *sigh*
8362109
I think that they should name it Callipolis. I'm on mobile right now, so I will just leave you with this link to explain why.
8388240
Would any of them EVER think of that?
8362549
It is more like letting the roster into the hen house to fight the fox that keeps taking eggs and chickens at the cost of losing some eggs that you could sell to its desire to procreate. It is actually different from Sunset who only wants "MORE CHICKENS, I MEAN PONIES!"