• Published 10th May 2020
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Pandemic: Starting Over - Halira



A unicorn with an unscrupulous past finds herself as a guardian to five orphaned foals. Now she must help them after their world has fallen down, and they must help her become a better pony.

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Chapter 25: Two Founders

The morning came, and I rose with the sun. It always seemed ironic that I typically awoke with the rising of the sun each morning, yet I had taken the name Sunset, a time of day that had little meaning to me. Of course, my first instinct was to reflect; to reflect on my dreams, my meeting with Yinyu, and what I wanted to accomplish that day. Unfortunately, the first thing that came to mind was the fact that Mèng was currently downstairs with young Miss Woods, and I promised that I would be down to relieve her early. I needed a shower, but that could wait until after Lántiān was up and ready to watch her siblings. Oh well, there were things to do, and the world was right when there was work to be done.

I got up and cautiously tested my horn with a simple dim light spell. It lit up with no discomfort, and I smiled. I didn't want to overdo things by trying to do multiple spells at once, so I ended the light spell and tried levitating over my Bible. The Bible felt slightly heavier in my magic than usual, but it wasn't a strain. I knew I shouldn't be at a hundred percent quite yet, so that wasn't any cause for alarm. The good thing was that I was recovering, and I could do some simple tasks with magic again.

I decided to keep doing single levitation and grasping spells, which were among the simplest spells, for the remainder of the day. I could try expanding to two levitation spells at once come tomorrow, and try some slightly more complex spells the day after that. As long as I didn't strain myself, I should be back to my normal levels by the end of the week. It was a relief that my brief use of magic yesterday didn't seem to have set me back at all.

With that done, I left the room and trotted down the stairs. I found Josie on the couch, holding a bowl of cereal in her forelegs, and using a spoon she had grasped in a wing to feed Mèng. The colt was sitting quietly and accepting the spoonfuls without fuss.

"Good morning, Miss Woods; how was Mèng over the evening?" I asked as I walked into the living room.

"Surprisingly quiet," Josie responded as she fed Mèng another bite. "Night pony colts have a reputation for being particularly rowdy, but he followed me around quietly, laid beside me when I sat down, and hasn't given me any problems at all."

I frowned. "About that… I failed to ask Yinyu about it last night, but I am not sure how many night ponies he has been around, aside from his mother. I think seeing you might have reminded him of his mother."

Josie nodded as she continued feeding him. "I'd wondered about that myself. Even if he wasn't thinking of his mother, he could be lonely, not seeing any ponies like himself. I know I had that kind of experience right after I transformed. He may be a toddler, but that doesn't mean he is incapable of recognizing the fact he's a little different than the ponies around him. Kids are a lot smarter and more aware than most ponies are willing to give credit."

"Well, when you’re done feeding him, I can see about paying you for the night," I said as I made my way towards the kitchen before pausing. "I don't suppose you made any progress on communication with him, did you?"

She shook her head. "No, but if you wish, I can dreamwalk to him later today. There is no language barrier in dreams. I wouldn't spend much time there with him, since he is so young, but I could try to make some progress that way… I wouldn't charge extra for it."

I considered it as I watched her feed him. "If he can't learn language through a dream, what would dreamwalking accomplish?"

She shrugged. "I could try to help him to understand certain concepts, maybe try to understand how he thinks but can't effectively communicate. Make him understand I'm trying to teach him words when we're awake."

I frowned. "That's all well and good, but you are aware of who his mother is, right? She'd almost certainly want to supervise it. I'm not sure how she'd feel about you intruding on her time with her foal."

Josie stiffened, and I could see the spoon paused on its journey to Mèng's open mouth. When Mèng realized that his mouth had been open longer than it should have, he closed his maw and glared at the spoon. After a second or two of consideration, Mèng reopened his mouth and lurched forward to get the food. The sudden jolt nearly spilled the cereal but knocked Josie out of her temporary stupor, and she resumed feeding him.

I arched an eyebrow at her. "I didn't want to pry, but that wasn't a normal reaction. What went on between you and the Dreamwardens?"

Josie sighed as she set the spoon down in the empty bowl, then set the bowl aside. "I'm always surprised how few day ponies and humans know who I am. Every night pony does, or at least, any night pony that was a teen or an adult right after ETS knows who I am. I know the government must have some extensive file on me somewhere, and I always heard rumors that you spent days and nights reading every notable pony file the government had. Like Big Brother from that book, you were always watching."

"The stories are true, to a point. It depends on who you consider notable," I replied. "The thing about reading every such file is that it is far too much to remember, and if I didn't have a reason to continue to be interested, I would forget most of what I read. Even experts keep books and files on their subjects, since there are details that they don't often use, and forget about. So, remind me about your file."

She shook her head. "I don't know exactly what it would have said. I'm from Lazy Pines, the first person that transformed into a night pony. I'm also the night pony with the most potent magic, even if I try to keep a low profile. I'm the originator of the vision you all experienced right as you finished the transformation. Sunset Shimmer guided me on how to do it and what to make it do, but I was the one who was the source."

"I remember something now-" I said slowly. "Like the spell that cured ETS, it had a single source, but it sought out each night pony as a spreader, just like the cure spell sought out the crystal ponies."

She nodded. "Almost the same principals, they had to be willing, but if they were, they spread my magical vision, like conduits. I tried to craft more visions, but the Dreamwardens disapproved. Luna asked them not to do anything to hurt me, and they listened out of respect for her, but they still took action against those that assisted me." Her voice caught, and a tear dripped down the side of her face. "That sadistic bitch Sha'am was the absolute worst; she did unspeakable things to my friends and followers, and made sure I watched. More than once, the other Dreamwardens had to intercede to stop her."

It all came back to me. "I remember your file now. I went over it twice. The first time when I was accessing whether you'd be of use to me. By the time I could even consider it, Dreamwardens were a thing, and your powers were a moot subject. The second time was when doing threat assessment and suggestions on neutralizing threats regarding powerful ponies for the government. It was the same case; Dreamwardens were the perfect counter. It's probably why the government didn't lock you up and throw away the key."

She gave me a sick look. "I'd rather not have known all that."

I shrugged. "Doesn't much matter. Although, it is quite the twist of fate that we are sharing the same room. Between the two of us, I think we've influenced or given birth to every single major philosophy and religious cult that has sprung up since ETS, whether we intended to or not. Harmonists, Lunites, those crazy Celestia-worshiping cults out in Russia and other parts of the world, all of them would not have existed without your visions."

"I'd prefer I wasn't associated with any of that," Josie replied in a downtrodden voice.

"You and I both. It is nothing but misery and regret. I know I wish I never influenced Shimmerism or any other group, and it feels like I can never escape reminders of how much I did," I replied in agreement. "I understand; you don't have to elaborate more on your regrets. If there is any pony on Earth that can get it more than me, then I feel deeply sorry for him or her. Let's agree that I don't bring up your past, and you don't bring up mine. We both just want to move on and live as close to a normal life as we can."

She nodded, and gave a small smile. "Agreed, and thank you."

I heard footsteps coming down the stairs that were too heavy to be one of the smaller foals. "Lántiān, I'd like you to meet Josie Woods, she's going to be your little brother's foalsitter overnight, at least for half the time. Please treat her nicely, and with respect. She doesn't mean Mèng any harm. Josie, meet Lántiān, Mèng's big sister. If she says something regarding her brothers, you should comply unless you think it might endanger one of them. She does not have the power to dismiss you or turn you out the door, and if you disagree with something she says, that isn't an urgent safety concern, bring the matter to my attention when time permits."

I turned to see Lántiān accessing Josie like a hawk observing a mouse, even though Josie was a grown mare, a night pony, and the more physically intimidating of the two as a result. Having a night pony as a mother must have rubbed off some character traits to the filly, pony behavior was not determined strictly by nature.

Lántiān turned her hawkish gaze back to me. "I want to make clear to her that she is never to touch or do anything with my daughter, ma'am. I'd prefer that she not involve herself with any concern in regards to my brothers, aside from Mèng, but I will allow it if you say she can, ma'am."

"She is a grown adult, and you are not young lady, but I will not ask her to do anything with your daughter, " I replied. "Now that you two have been introduced, I have some instructions for you, Lántiān."

The filly stood up straight. "What do you wish, ma'am?"

"See to it that everyone has bathed and eaten quickly this morning. I'm planning an excursion."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "An excursion, ma'am?"

I nodded. "I'm going to call Wild Growth about a small escort for us, along with a ride, but we need to buy some things. I need a new phone, I promised you art supplies, we need food, the younger foals could really do with some toys-"

Josie nodded along in agreement as she gave Mèng a pointed look.

"-and since the lot of you arrived here with just the fur on your back, there are many other things we will be needing."

"So, you are taking us to the market, ma'am?" Lántiān asked.

"I'm taking us to probably the most American store there is, that has everything we will need."

Josie started laughing, and Lántiān turned to her with a deep from. "What is so funny?"

The night pony shook her head, still chuckling. "Nothing, I'm pretty certain I know where she is going to take you. I just find the term most American store hilarious since it’s true for all the wrong reasons. She's probably right about that description, but it still gets a chuckle out of me. Have fun with that."

Author's Note:

Next chapter update is the Ponies of Walmart. This is your last chance to get your oc included, by describing them in the comments.

Aside from that, hope everyone is doing well and keeping safe.

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