Chapter 41: We are Family
Late into the night a chill breeze blew over the tiny town nestled deep into the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Spring had yet to fully take hold and the nearly clear skies did little to retain the heat of the ground far below. Despite this, in one dark and still home, all was snug and warm. All was still and quiet in the house that played host to two adults and three children. At least all was supposed to be still and quiet…
“You awake?” a small voice asked softly, toward the lump beneath the blankets.
“Yeah,” came the equally soft reply. “Can’t sleep.”
“Me either,” the first girl added. “Can I hop in?”
“Better,” the lump answered. “Don’t wanna wake up Mom and… dad?”
The last word ended on a questioning note, which didn’t stop the first girl in the slightest from moving down from the top bunk and sliding under the covers beside her sister.
“Everything’s changing,” Romy Pedersen whispered to her sister, once she had settled in. “It’s all going different. I’m kinda scared.”
“About what?” Rowan, the older sister, replied.
“We’ve been pony kids for a bit now and it’s been fun. Being Seeker it’s like something… I dunno,” Romy offered, unable to explain herself further.
“Like something out of a story, like its not real,” Rowan filled in, then continued after thinking for a few moments. “Romy, remember how we became the Power Ponies in the first place?”
“Yeah, you cast a spell. You did real magic for like the first time ever,” Romy answered, raising her voice a little.
“Shhh,” warned Rowan, and the two paused for a moment to listen. The silence stretched out for several long moments before Rowan continued. “Keep it down, you don’t want to wake up Mom and… Mr. Kye.”
“Should we call him ‘Dad’ or ‘Mr. Kye’ or what?” Romy asked, lowering her voice to almost inaudible levels. “I’m glad Mom and him are happy, but that’s one of the things I don’t get.”
“Are you kidding?” Rowan asked, with a tiny giggle. “How often has Mr. Kye been over for dinner? Or fixed Mom’s car? How often has she taken Billy out into the woods when she’s gone looking for salal and stuff? We’ve been kinda almost family for a couple of years now. Him and Mom are just making it official.”
“If you say tho,” Romy replied, her lisp intruding on the one syllable she could never seem to get right. “It’s weird to think Billy is our brother now.”
“Step-brother,” Rowan corrected, making sure of the details, as was her habit. “That’s what you call a brother by marriage.”
“But Mom and Mr. Kye aren’t married yet,” protested Romy, voice raising a touch. “Tho he can’t be our step-brother yet.”
“You really think those two are gonna break up?” Rowan replied, jerking her head toward the bedroom where the two adults were sleeping. “No way.”
“I’m not sharing the bedroom,” Romy declared, deciding on the important things right away. “Or my dresser. I might let him have some closet room though.”
“Well, he can’t keep sleeping on the couch. That’s for sure,” Rowan added, after a moment’s consideration. “Maybe we’ll have to move into his place. You think of that?”
“WHAT?” Romy burst out, followed by frantic shushing by her sister.
“Keep it down,” Rowan added. “Don’t freak, but I heard them talking about it. We both have two bedroom houses, but Mr. Kye’s place has a bigger yard, so he could build us a whole new bedroom. Maybe even two.”
“You mean I’d get my own bedroom?” Romy whispered, eyes wide. “For myself?”
“Yeah, sounds good, eh?” Rowan asked her sister, who nodded in agreement. “See that’s kinda what I was meaning when I brought up how we first became ponies.”
“I don’t get it,” Romy replied, moving a bit to shift some blankets off of her.
“It was something new. Really new. Like the first time ever in all the world,” Rowan explained, tasting again the wonder of that moment. “But it wasn’t scary, or bad. A lot of people would have been scared, but we weren’t.”
“Well, yeah,” Romy responded, jutting out a chin. “We got super powers. That wasn’t scary at all, just different.”
“That’s what I mean,” Rowan said, driving the point home. “It was just different, and a fun kind of different too. Maybe having Billy as a brother will be the same way. Different, but a fun kind.”
“Huh,” Romana answered, chewing her lip for a moment. “I’m still not sharing the closet with him though.”
“I don’t think you have to worry,” Rowan assured her sister. “Hey, wanna see something neat?”
“Sure,” Romy replied instantly, wondering what her sister was going to show her by the dim glow of the nightlight.
“Okay, I’ve only done this a couple of times, so I hope it works,” Rowan said, drawing out her amethyst pendant on its leather cord.
“I thought you lost that when you first turned into Shield Maiden,” Romy commented, with a bit of surprise.
“I thought I had too the first time,” Rowan confirmed, letting the small gem-like crystal dangle between her and her sister. “But it was there when we changed back. I think it might have changed with me. I dunno.”
“Well, that’s pretty cool. Thanks for showing me,” Romy said, and was about to say something else when Rowan interrupted her.
“That isn’t what I was going to show you,” the young witch interjected.
She took a single, sharp breath in and breathed it out slowly. She did it a second time. Then furrowed her brow in concentration and uttered a single word. A word laced with all the force of personality a twelve year old could muster, “Twilight.”
Hesitantly at first, but then with growing strength the amethyst began to glow with a purple light. It was never terribly bright, and shifted from a deep purple all the way to pale violet and back again in a slow cycle. Rowan’s face split into a huge grin and her sister’s face shone in the mulberry radiance with wonder and amazement.
“That is tho cool!” Romy whispered intently, remembering to keep her voice low this time. “How are you doing that? You aren’t a pony right now.”
“Dunno,” Rowan replied, which let her concentration slip and as it did, the amethyst faded back into dark quiessence. “I said the word ‘twilight’ just after the sun went down and the crystal kinda flashed that purple light. Tried it again just before bedtime in the bathroom and it lit up like that.”
“So you can do magic even when you’re not a pony now?” Romy asked, reaching out and touching the pendant. “Cool.”
“Yah,” Rowan replied, before tucking the amethyst back into her pajama top. “Wonder if the rest of us can do pony things when we’re kids now?”
“Lemme try,” Romy said, and Rowan thought she saw a light pass behind her sister’s eyes as she flipped her perceptions beyond what most people saw.
“Oh,” Romy breathed, the power of Seeker coming to the fore. “Oh wow.”
“What?” the older girl asked. “What do you see?”
“Your crystal, it’s like a little star. And you’ve got a kinda orange glow inside of you,” Romy replied, wonder in her voice. “It’s beautiful.”
“Look around, what else?” Rowan asked, urging her sister on. Who obligingly turned and looked around.
“Mom,” Romy added, “I can see Mom. She’s glowing too. Super bright, and purple like your crystal with smoke all around her. Mr. Kye too. His glow is all silvery, but it’s not as big as Mom’s.”
“Can you see Billy?” Rowan asked, impressed by Romy’s abilities.
“Just,” the younger girl answered, brow scrunching up as she concentrated to focus her newly found ability. “His is kinda funny. He’s got four little glows insteada one big one.”
“Maybe cause his power is in his hoo— I mean, hands and feet,” Rowan suggested, deciding not to pull her pendant back out to look at it. “Anything else?” Romy obliged her sister by sitting up in bed and looking around.
“Kinda sorta,” Romy said, unsure of what she was seeing.
“Just say it,” Rowan asked her sister, her voice reassuring. “I won’t laugh or anything.”
“It’s sorta weird,” Romy replied, after nearly a minute of looking and trying to decide what to say. “There’s this bright yellow glow out toward the village hall. You know, by the Mayor’s office? Anyway, it’s kinda like how the sky looks when the sun comes up. But there’s another colour beside it.”
“What colour?” Rowan asked, frustrated a little with her sister’s holding back. “C’mon, what colour?”
“Can’t really describe it,” Romy commented, dropping her gaze and rubbing her eyes. “Remember the Night Horse? That colour.”
“Oh!” Rowan exclaimed, excited. “I remember that. You think it might be another Night Horse? That would be cool.”
“Yeah,” Romy replied, still rubbing at her eyes. “Ugh, my eyes are thore now.”
“That’s why you shouldn’t push a new thing too hard,” a mature female voice interjected from the unnoticed open bedroom doorway. “Shouldn’t you two be asleep?”
“Mom!” both girls exclaimed at once, spinning around to see a snow white unicorn standing in the doorway, her horn alight with a dark purple radiance.
“Unless I’m incredibly wrong, it’s night out,” Foxfire commented, a wry smile on her muzzle, “and nighttime means my little ponies should be sleeping. Or is it daytime right now?”
“Sorry Mom,” both girls said in chorus.
“Didn’t mean to wake you up,” Rowan added, chagrined. “We were just talking.”
“Mmhmm,” replied their mother, not entirely amused but not upset either. “More like shouting a couple of times. It’s a big day tomorrow, you need your sleep.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” Romy interjected, thankful that the lighting in the room was so dim. “Me an’ Rowy were talking, and one thing kinda led to another and…” She trailed off, waving a hand into the distance.
“I figured that out myself, girls,” Foxfire replied, and heaved a sigh as she continued. “I’d make us all some sleepy time tea, but Billy is actually asleep on the couch.”
“We’ll be quiet,” Rowan offered. “We should be fine now.”
“You girls are worried about things changing aren’t you?” the unicorn asked, stepping into the bedroom and easing the door closed with her magic. “Worried that you might not be as important to me as you used to.”
“No way,” Romy replied, bouncing out of bed to wrap her arms around her mother’s long equine neck in a powerful hug. “We know you love us more than anything in the whole world.”
“So it doesn’t upset or worry you that I love Mr. Kye too?” Foxfire asked, taking up the strain of her daughter’s weight with surprising ease. “You aren’t worried that I might not have enough love to go around?”
“Everybody has enough love to go around for the people they love,” Rowan declared, suddenly very sure of herself. “Mr. Kye will just have to share you with us, is all. But he doesn’t get to use the kitchen. Billy says he’s a terrible cook.”
“And Billy gets his own closet and dresser,” Romy added, her priorities already set. “I like him, but I’m not sharing my space with his stuff.”
Foxfire desperately tried and failed to avoid giggling. “Oh, my dear sweet girls. When did you both become so wise and practical?”
“When we were born,” Romy answered. “You’re our mom, after all.”
“Indeed I am, and if I haven’t said it before, I am very proud to be your mother,” Foxfire affirmed, blinking away proud tears.
“Awww,” both girls said together, and Rowan joined the hug. For several long moments, there was no sound but that of three hearts beating as one.
“Well,” Foxfire said at last, her smile now a happy one indeed. “Much as I do love this, we all need our sleep.”
“Could we, um, could we sleep with you tonight?” Romy shyly asked, neither girl having yet let go of their mother.
“I don’t think Mr. Kye is quite ready for that stage in our relationship,” Foxfire replied, almost giggling again. “I could climb in with the two of you though.”
“Yay!” both girls cheered, again with one voice, and Foxfire rolled her eyes at the exuberance and noise of her beloved offspring.
“Keep it down,” she told the girls, who finally let go of her as they gave her repentant looks about their cheer. “Let me just go check on Billy, and let Arnold know where I’ll be. Make me a spot, okay?”
“Sure thing Mom,” Rowan chirped, and as Foxfire descended the stairs with all the stealth she was capable of, the two girls grabbed extra bedding from the top bank. Combining the two sets of blankets and pillows into a comfy nest for all three of them was quick work and by the time the unicorn mother of two snuck back upstairs her daughters were ready for her.
“All set, Mom,” Romy said, patting the comforter beside her. “You can lay down here. Oh, I forgot to ask. Do you need a blanket? I sort of assumed you didn’t because you’ve got fur now.”
“Have you needed a blanket?” Foxfire asked, stepping onto the bed with dainty care.
“Um, sometimes?” Romy ventured, a little nervously, but easing as her mother settled her equine body between her girls.
“Me too,” Foxfire replied, giving her youngest a comforting nuzzle, and drawing a small giggle. “Sometimes I like being wrapped in a blanket, sometimes I don’t.”
“How about now? Rowan asked, her nervousness hidden better, but just as obvious to her mother.
“As long as I’m with my best girls, your hugs will always keep me warm,” Foxfire answered, drawing smiles and “aww’s” from both youngsters.
“Anyway, tomorrow is going to be a big day,” Foxfire continued, as a light blanket was drawn over her withers and back. “We really do need our sleep.”
“Okay,” Rowan said, snuggling down into her own covers and putting an arm across her mother. Romy, not to be outdone, did the same from her side. Soon, all was again at peace in the small home save for the restful breathing of a newly minted family.
Across the street from the Kye/Pederesen household, a light was burning late into the night in the study of Ernie Harding. The middle aged man had spent the past few hours typing away at an oddly configured Excel spreadsheet. The usual use of the software was to keep track of his farm animals, their daily consumption of feed, and other details about their lives.
This time however, Ernie’s data entry had been punctuated by visits to his small, but wide ranging personal library, plus various texts he had borrowed from the local library. It was almost two in the morning when the ghost of a satisfied smile crossed his face.
“In Nomine Sol,” he muttered, hitting the save option on his work. “Damn, it really is that simple.”
“What’s that simple?” a soft, but steady female voice asked from the study’s doorway.
“Hey hon,” Ernie replied, recognizing the much loved voice of his wife. “I think I’ve finally figured out the pattern of how people turn back into ponies.”
“Oh?” Lynn asked, stepping into the study and closing the door behind her. “Is that what’s been keeping you up so late?”
“Mhmm,” Ernie replied, face growing serious as he took in the human form of his wife. “By the way, did you get out in the sun today?”
“I did, as a matter of fact,” Lynn replied, sweeping her crimson hair back in an automatic gesture. “Is there a problem?”
“Notice anything… different?” her husband prompted, and Lynn saw that the spreadsheet was open to a column with her name on it.
“Warmth,” Lynn replied, casting her mind to that moment during the day when the full rays of the sun had hit her. “Comfort. A feeling of peace. Like being wrapped up in a big soft blanket.”
“You guessed it,” Ernie said, nodding and pointing to the screen and the columns on the spreadsheet. “I’ve done my best to record when people became ponies for the first time, and more importantly, when they became ponies afterwards.”
“You aren’t making any sense, dear,” Lynn said, a bit of annoyance showing on her face. “What have I guessed?”
“In Nomine Sol,” Ernie replied, causing his wife to frown in confusion. “It’s latin. ‘In the name of the Sun.’ It’s the first line in the chant in the book, and it gave me the clue I needed to crack this.”
“You aren’t making any sense, dear,” Lynn repeated, annoyance turning into a touch of frustration with her husband. “I love you, but if you don’t come out and say what you mean I may just give you a good thump.”
“In the name of the Sun,” Ernie repeated, then continued as his wife gave him an arch look from beneath a crimson brow. “The sun is the source of all life, and all magic. It’s the power of the sun that’s affecting when people return to being ponies.”
“But Rowan and Jean are both casting spells,” Lynn argued. “They have magic.”
“That’s just it, it’s not their magic,” Ernie replied, waving a hand toward the screen. “Rowan and Jean aren’t really casting spells. They’re just shaping magic that’s already here.”
“But their abilities?” Lynn argued. “They have powers.”
“I didn’t say they didn’t have powers,” Ernie replied. “What I meant to say is that they are shaping forces that are already here. That’s their power. Everything else started with the book.”
“No, no it didn’t,” Lynn responded. “It started with a trapped miner.”
“Who was given the book,” Ernie added, voice firm with conviction. “With the chant in it. Which let him use magic and change his shape. He didn’t create magic, he used what was there.”
“I don’t know,” Lynn replied thoughtfully, propping up her hip on the edge of the study’s desk. “Seems to me you’re missing something. And what does that have to do with how people return to being… Oh, oh wait. It’s lack of sun, isn’t it?”
“Bingo,” Ernie confirmed. “The chant invokes the power of the sun. The first time you change, it’s without consequence. But the second time? After someone’s second change the only thing that keeps them from being a pony again is time in the sun. It sort of renews their humanity, in its role as the source of life.”
“Dear, there are two problems with that,” Lynn said, cupping her husband’s cheek. “First off. I’ve changed twice now, and I’m still a woman.”
“You spent time in the sun today,” Ernie pointed out. “That warm feeling you had? That was the power of the sun renewing itself in you and keeping you human.”
“Oh,” Lynn replied, looking at herself for a long moment. “Well, at least things should be fine as long as I get some sun everyday.”
“Love,” Ernie said, gathering his wife into his lap. “Other than summer, we don’t get a lot of days with direct sun around here.”
He felt a small shudder go through his wife as she realized the implications, and he spent a long minute just holding the woman he loved. Lynn didn’t say anything during that time, merely staring out into an uncertain future. Ernie kept whispering reassurances that he would always be there for her. Be she mare or mother she was, and always would be, his beloved.
“You going to be okay with this?” he asked Lynn, when she blinked and came back to the here and now.
“Well, Wind Weaver is just someone I’ll have to get used to being, and it isn’t like Thunder didn’t appreciate her,” Lynn replied, drawing a blush of memory from her usually staid and stolid husband.
“Ahem, yes,” Ernie said, recovering his composure and smiling with the knowledge that his wife had been able to accept the news that she wasn’t entirely human anymore. “You said there were two things I got wrong?”
“Oh right,” Lynn responded, snuggling a little deeper into her husband’s arms. “The first line of the chant is, ‘In Nomine Sol’ but the second line is ‘In Nomine Luna.’ My high school astronomy class reminds me that ‘Luna’ is the latin name for the Moon. If we have sun ponies, where are the lunar ones?”
“Uh…” Ernie began before trailing off, realizing he didn’t have the answer for that very basic question.
“Luna, you need to rest,” Celestia declared, looking over at her sister.
“I am fine,” Luna shot back, in a grumpy tone that she regretted in an instant. “Sorry, sister. I am… frustrated with the slowness of our progress upwards.”
“And the explosion we touched off when we hit that gas pocket a couple of hours ago couldn’t have helped either,” Celestia replied, taking no offense at her sister’s tone. “How is your horn doing?”
“It seems to be still attached,” Luna answered with deadpan humour. “Let us take a small break, eat the lovely meal Twilight ferried to us, and then press onwards.”
“Your head is killing you, your stomach is trying to eat at your spine, every muscle in your body is screaming at you to lie down, and you feel like you could sleep for a week,” Celestia said, as Luna looked at her in shocked surprise with an open mouth.
“How.. how did you know?” the dark alicorn asked, amazed that Celestia had read Luna’s physical condition so accurately. In truth, Luna had long since passed the point where she should have rested, driving forward through force of will alone.
“Because you look exactly how I feel,” Celestia responded, gesturing a wing to her own filthy and aching body. “We should have done this in shifts, or gotten help.”
“Only we are strong enough to do this, Celestia,” Luna assured the white alicorn. “Only we could push forward as swiftly as we have. Even if that pace is far slower than I would have preferred.”
“There was no real rush,” Celestia said, her own exhaustion causing her to miss seeing her sister’s eyes flash in outrage.
“No rush? No rush!” Luna shouted, finding an outlet for her frustration. “Somewhere, up there, the spirit of my Tantabus lies. I sent it out, only to have it perish. Either through some power or quirk of fate, it has survived and managed to reach out to me. Only I can complete the rescue of that brave spirit. The burden lies upon me, and I feel it keenly.”
“Easy, dear sister,” Celestia replied, speaking in calming tones. “You are a brave pony who has always lived up to her responsibilities, no matter what the personal cost. But, you don’t always have to do it all on your own. Let me share in some of the burden.”
“My apologies, for you are correct,” Luna said, blowing out her anger with a huff of air. “I do need your help, and I am thankful you are here. Even if I don’t always show it.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Celestia smiled, drawing her sister into a hug. “I know you love me, and I’m not always the best at telling you how much your support and strength mean to me. Maybe we should call it a night though, and get some rest.”
“That might be for the best,” Luna added with a nod. “We cannot be far from the surface now, and I would like to try to dreamwalk again.”
“Do I have to get out the horn sheathe?” Celestia half-teased. “Remember what happened the last time you dreamwalked into this realm.”
“Now that I am here, dreamwalking seems no real issue,” Luna informed Celestia, even as she cleared a ledge of rubble to begin setting up the meager things they had brought forward with them. “I have been staying out of any specific dreams, merely getting an overall view of the general population. Two things are disturbing me, however.”
“I am not exactly happy that you’ve been dreamwalking again, especially after your collapse,” Celestia said, spreading out blankets and pulling out one of the meals Twilight had brought through to them. “But I have to admit I’ve been wondering what the ponies here are like and you’ve been the first to actually have a look at them.”
“Ponies can be any shape they want in a dream. So, I do not have a true idea of how they look,” Luna explained, lying down on a spread blanket. “What I do have is a fair knowledge of their minds and hearts.”
“Tell me,” Celestia gently commanded, settling down herself and uncorking a water flask. “I only have my old memories of Lee Ung to guide me. What are they like?”
“Lee seems to have been typical of the ponies there,” Luna replied, dividing an apple-themed meal into halves. “With very few exceptions, they are large of heart towards friends, family and neighbors. Determined to find their own paths in the world. Proud of their unique character in what apparently is a large, and in places very wild and untamed, nation.”
“You said two things worried you though,” Celestia prodded, before digging into her half.
“Indeed,” Luna replied, the smell of Apple family cooking beginning to make her mouth water. “Firstly, I have been unable to contact the spirit of the Tantabus again. Although I can sense the mystic pattern of its spirit, so I know that it is not yet lost to me.”
“And the other?” Celestia asked, from around a mouthful of apple brown betty. Even cold, its flavour was a wonder.
“I also cannot sense the unicorn I felt before,” Luna said, barely holding back from eating so she could finish her explanation. “The one who was surging. I can detect her workings, so I do know she survived, but I am unable to touch her directly. It is as if she is cloaked in shadow and hidden from my direct gaze.”
“That sounds familiar,” Celestia commented, frowning in concentration before giving out an exasperated snort. “I’m too tired to remember where I’ve heard of that before though. Let’s eat and get some sleep. Maybe we’ll remember in the morning.”
“Yeth,” Luna replied, spraying her sister with crumbs from her portion. “Tomorrow ith a big day.”
No huge note this time. Just that I am punching out words at a steady pace and while I am likely not going to make my target date of the 21st for the conclusion of the story, I will not stop until it is done. The next chapter is already 25% done. Busy days ahead for me!
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Yay! A new chapter and an update from the Celestia and Luna!
Nice update. Things are beginning to get interesting now
Heh. Wait until Twilight finds out some human girl's been invoking her.
Uh, yeah, keep an eye on that smoke.
I understand where he's coming from, but the way I think of magic, that's a bit like saying "They're not making vases; they're shaping clay that's already here."
In any case, with the Godwindigo about, this could get all kinds of complicated, especially given the loss of sunlight on multiple fronts. Still, with this much togetherness and warm fuzzies, there's a decent amount backing the other corner. We'll see what happens.
9872563
Eyup, Ernie's trying hard, but it's like an elephant trying to understand where an ice floe came from. He means well, but he's probably never going to completely understand magic. That doesn't mean he won't hit on a few truths along the way though.
9872563
The missing piece to his puzzle of Magic is that portal deep in the mine that's leaking active magic into Earth. Question then becomes; is it acting as a catalyst to stir up the Earth-bound magic from dormant "tar" due to non-use into a usable form? Or is the Equestrian magic the only source as the Earth-bound magic has almost dissolved not unlike the atmosphere of Mars blasted away over eons till there's practically none left? The recent development of magic use while human would make me believe it's the former and tie into tales involving wizard, witches, and other supernatural elements far back in history... when magic was easier to tap. And with each use of magic, continues to stir it up.
In both cases, it explains how "pony power" wanes with distance from the source (the portal in the mine). It also poses the thought of how far the magic will expand.
Alicorns inbound!
Cuddles for everyone! This really is the most beautiful image, well done!
9872755
I would also agree with the dormant magic theory, given that one of those ancient tales, a wendigo, is about to cause some problems.
9875538
To extrapolate on that idea, would they be the root cause of "demonic" encounters? Do religious persons actually do anything to them or is all the pontification of latin and splashing holy water around just annoying the "windego" until it gets bored and leaves?
9872755
Added to that is the magic that the newfound ponies are spreading around. If this is a limited pool fuelled by the magic from the mine, then that's that. But if they are creating their own magic now, then magic is here to stay no matter what.
9872755 There's now an ancient Wendigo suddenly. A creature which could not possibly exist without some kind of magic. So, magic is now apparently natural to Earth.
And that opens the doors to pretty much every single myth being realized in this story. If one is real, why not ALL the rest?