• 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 50: We're Going to Need More Rooms

I decided to give the humans a few minutes. Starlight shut the basement door to make it clear they were not to retreat. They stayed huddled where they were and worriedly whispering.

"What's the deal with the two eldest?" I asked Starlight, using a spell to silence my words for any eavesdroppers. I found it highly unlikely they could read pony lips.

Starlight grimaced. "They are far more combative than their parents, the son in particular. The other main thing I can't confirm for sure, but they've been down there for years, and they believed they were the only humans left… I let you fill in the blanks."

"Aww hell," I muttered darkly. "If that's true, we can't let the social workers hear about it… or maybe we should—I don't know what the fuck I'm supposed to do under these circumstances. I know what to do under normal ones, but as you said, they've thought they were the last humans on Earth. Do you have any strong evidence of it?"

She shook her head. "Just some body-language. Nothing beyond that. I don't want to make any direct accusations with just that, but it bears keeping an eye on. In the more isolated parts of Equestria, marrying first-cousins isn't uncommon. Still, in most decent-sized towns and cities, it would be enough to get ponies run out or condemned—even if not technically illegal."

"It's taboo for good reason," I replied with a scowl. "I'll keep an eye on them. This is all so screwed up."

"It's not the kids' fault," Starlight replied.

"Doesn't change how bad it is," I countered and then took a deep breath. "I'm not going to assume that there's anything like that happening. Exposure to other humans might break that if there is. Dealing with one thing at a time."

"Agreed, but what do we do first?" Starlight asked.

I looked at the family and began walking towards them. "Let's consult them."

All of them shrunk back as I approached, except for John and his eldest son—who placed himself in front of his younger siblings.

I tried to give them my friendliest smile. "Your days of living in that bunker are over. Starlight is going to fetch your things and ready rooms for you. You say this is your house, well, it is time you start living in it again. We'll all be living together up here until Wild Growth decides what to do. She'll be coming tomorrow to talk to you."

"Who or what is Wild Growth?" John asked.

"She's a billionaire pony, a well-respected hero, and the person who legally owns this house." I saw John get ready to argue that point, but I held up a hoof to cut him off. "You can discuss with her what you need to do to reacquire the deed to your home tomorrow. She can be very reasonable if you are polite."

"Is she another alien that came and stopped the mutant virus, like your friend? Is that why she is a hero?" John asked in a suspicious tone.

I shook my head. "No, she's a former human, and what she did was hold back the equivalent of a nuclear bomb blast by herself, saving tens-of-thousands of lives." Well, technically, Twilight Sparkle bought her the time to get her trees into position, but close enough.

I saw the disbelief in their eyes. That was understandable. "If you don't believe me, you're welcome to research it yourself. I have a computer you can use for that purpose. Regardless of her accomplishments, the bottom line is that if you want your house back, you need to be on her good side, and she is coming tomorrow."

"And what do we need to do to be on her good side?" John asked.

"I don't want to speculate. It could lead to me giving you bad advice by accident," I replied. "I do know it would help if you can all be polite and civil with ponies and not so afraid. Would you like to meet the other ponies currently in this house? You can witness them giving me a dressing down. I ordered pizza yesterday, but I can order more for tonight or whatever else you might like. I'm assuming you haven't had much variety in your diet these past eight years."

"Are you sure that won't be overwhelming for them, Sunset?" Starlight asked from behind me. "We have a lot of ponies in the house right now, even if half of them are foals."

"The family room is large, and they can watch us from a comfortable distance and choose when they feel safe to engage," I suggested.

"We don't have to get close if we don't want to?" the eldest son asked.

"Just share the room," I answered. "Although I will have to come to ask you what you want for food." I narrowed my brow. "However, I need to remind you that these are my friends and family. I am doing everything I can to help you, but if you hurt any of them, you will know my wrath. I am sure you can understand the feeling."

"We understand, and the feeling is mutual," the eldest son replied in a tone that said he expected us to be the ones to cross that line.

"Goo—" My response was cut off by a knocking at the door. I flattened my ears as I looked at it. "What do they want now?"

"I think that might be your brother-in-law," Starlight explained. "I was able to get in touch with him before everything happened, and he said he would be coming over shortly."

My ears picked up. "Oh… hold a minute while I get that."

I trotted off to the door, leaving everyone sitting where they were, and used my magic to open it. Upon opening the door, I saw Paul, but was shocked to see his daughter standing just behind him along with a crystal pony mare I didn't know.

Paul's face contorted in confusion at the sight of me. "Sunset, is that you?"

I nodded. "It's me; I recently dyed my fur. Thank you for coming. Come on in."

He stepped inside, followed quickly by Jessica and the teal furred green maned crystal mare with a checkmark for a cutie mark. Jessica was now as tall as her father. She'd been rehumanized a year-and-a-half ago, and it had left her aged up by several years—while failing to get rid of her pony ears and tail, which were still on display. She was eight now, but she looked more like she was in her mid-teens. She was wearing a blue short sleeve shirt with a NASA logo on it, had a mid-sized purse at her side, and a pair of white shorts that, if I were still human, I would say were too short, but they exposed her yellow furred legs.

"Sorry if you weren't expecting Jess," Paul apologized. "She has just been very cooped up in the house, and this was a chance for her to get out. This mare is Silvia Gartenberg, by the way. She is Jess's professional therapist—to help her with her magic."

"Helping humans and ponies deal with unusual and difficult to control magic is what I do. It's a pleasure to meet you," Silvia said as she held out a hoof. I quickly tapped my hoof to hers in polite greeting.

"Hi, Auntie Sunset. The outside of your place is a dump," Jessica said bluntly.

Paul immediately stepped forward to apologize. "Sorry about that. She's going through some difficult changes. Being eight years old and a teenager at the same time would make her moody by itself, but add in her recent magic struggles and she becomes grumpy a lot of the time. She tends to take it out on the world by forgetting her manners."

Jessica crossed her arms and scowled in indignation but didn't say anything.

I smiled. "Jessie has always been advanced for her age. I assume nothing much has changed in that regard. I can sympathize with her having a lot of unique struggles that would put anyone in a bad mood."

"It's Jess, not Jessie," Jessica corrected in annoyed tone. "Jessie was my pony name. I'm not a pony. Jess is my human name."

Paul rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, she just started insisting on the different nickname recently. Whatever she prefers. Oh, and on'tday entionmay erhay onypay artspay."

Jess's ears flattened back against her skull. "I understand Pig Latin, Dad. They aren't pony parts. I'm a human. They are part of me. Therefore it follows that they're human parts." She then looked at me like I had done something to offend her. "And before you ask; I don't want them surgically removed or altered. People always ask me that, and it is annoying! I just want people to stop staring at them."

My ears pulled back slightly. "I didn't think I was staring. If I was, then I apologize."

Jess grit her teeth. "You aren't." She then pointed a finger at the Young family. "But they are!"

I looked over at the Youngs, who were all staring at Jess with wide eyes. "Them? You'll need to forgive them. They've been hiding underground for the last eight years, and literally came out for the first time in years just minutes ago. They don't understand ponies aren't monsters yet, and your features may be extra disconcerting to them. Come with me. I'll introduce you."

"Great, a bunch of morlocks," Jess muttered.

"What did you call them?" Paul asked in confusion.

"Morlocks, underground dwellers in H. G. Wells's The Time Machine, Dad," Jess said in a slightly condescending tone.

"Try to be nice, Jess," Paul pleaded.

I rolled my eyes. I felt for Paul. Teenagers were a difficult species all unto themselves. Jess wasn't technically a teen, but biologically she was, and seemed to be on that emotional level too. Maybe Jess could get along with Lántiān and bond over being unhappy with the world in general. I also wondered how the filly would respond to the rehumanized girl. It could be a transition into trying to better understand humans, or it could be an explosion waiting to happen. Knowing how things had gone thus far with Lántiān, I expected the latter.

I led them over to the Youngs and smiled. "Sorry about the delay. Meet my brother-in-law Paul, his daughter Jess, and Silvia. They'll be spending the night. I can tell you have questions about Jess. She had been a pony up until a year-and-a-half ago when she underwent the procedure for turning back into a human. The procedure left her with some unusual traits, but she's a perfectly healthy human girl. Being around her isn't going to get you infected with ETS."

"Ponies can turn back into humans?" Lauren asked as she stared. "Why didn't you and the rest do that then?"

I frowned. "There is a window for when the procedure can be done, and my window for being able to do it had been tiny. I also hadn't had any desire to be human again until very long after that window closed. Our species ultimately doesn't matter, only the content of our character. We are all God's children, and he loves us all equally."

"But now you wish you had done the procedure?" John asked.

I licked my lips. "I sometimes question whether it would have been better if I had never become a pony, but it is pointless speculation. Me rehumanizing now wouldn't undo things that have already happened, even if it were an option, which it isn't."

"And all the others?" the eldest son questioned.

I gave a patient smile. "As for others, for many it was a fresh start with new abilities to explore and marvel in, and friends and family that had transformed along with them. There is a strong sense of community among ponies which brought a sense of belonging many lacked until then. It also felt perfectly natural to be a pony, and thinking of ourselves as humans very quicky started to feel strange and unnatural. Given all these factors, it is easy to understand why so few of us rehumanized when we had an opportunity. Some people had regrets about whether they ended up as pony or human after the fact, but it is what it is now. No one should feel ashamed of their species."

"Um, what am I walking into, Sunset?" Paul questioned in a concerned tone. "I thought you just needed someone to watch a night pony foal tonight."

"You're just starting to wonder that?" Jess asked in startled disbelief. She then looked down at her hands, gripped then together, and took a deep breath. "Sorry, I'm being rude again."

I took stock of everyone's mood. Starlight had been quietly watching, and the humans seemed to have largely forgotten she was there. Paul was still looking at everyone in confusion. Jess seemed annoyed at herself. The younger children were doing the best the could to hide behind their older siblings. The eldest son was still giving me and Jess dirty looks. John seemed thoughtful. Lauren and her teen daughter were looking at Jess not in fear, but like trying to figure out a puzzle.

"I think it's time to go to the other room. Just follow me, and I will handle introductions," I announced. I then turned to lead the way and looked back at the Youngs. "Everybody up! You can't walk while sitting down, and you'll be more comfortable on the couches in the other room."

"So… you're not going to say what's going on," Paul said flatly as John and Lauren tried to get their kids to stand.

Jess gave a ponylike snort. "Let's just follow, and we can figure it out faster than she can explain it." She looked over to Starlight. "Hi, Miss Glimmer."

Starlight smiled. "Hello, Jess. Are you excited to be starting college at last?"

Jess gave an arrogant smirk. "A little, but I plan to breeze through it like I have done all my other school."

Paul sighed. "We haven't been able to convince her that college courses might be harder than her high school ones, and she might not be able to do everything without trying anymore."

"It will be easy. I'm smarter than anyone at that school. I defined a law of physics—once they officially certify it," Jess asserted confidently.

"That doesn't mean everything will come easy to you," Paul cautioned. "I know the concept of you being academically challenged is a completely foreign one to you, but I don't want you to fail just because you end up being challenged for the first time and getting discouraged as a result."

"I'll be fine," Jess insisted.

"Hey! Less chitchat and more getting ready to meet everyone else!" I shouted. I watched as everyone finally got up. "Everyone ready? Good then follow me."

"After all of you," I heard Jess say. "I prefer they have all of you to pay attention to before I get in there and get stared at."

"How's your magic doing, Jess?" I heard Silvia ask. "You've been making excellent progress, and we'll do some more practice later, but you haven't been out interacting with others as much as you should, and increased stress can cause unexpected surges."

"It's fine, for now," Jess responded quickly. "Don't worry. I'm not going to lose control."

"Good to hear. Just say something if you think you might need me," Silvia replied. "Making all the sound go berserk is not the way to make a good first impression."

"I'm well aware," Jess said in another annoyed tone. "This is fine, it helps me prep for being around more people in the fall. I haven't had an incident in the last two weeks."

Okay… maybe I needed to talk to Paul more about what exactly his daughter's powers involved. I knew it was something involving sound, but not the full details. Sound going berserk sounded a little ominous. How much control did she have over her fledgling power and how strong was it?

I would question them about that later. It was time to deal with introductions and hoping no one ended up freaking out.

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