There's a Monster Pony Outside My Window

by Halira

Chapter 39: The Green Scare

Wendy blinked as consciousness returned to her and blinked some more when the daylight coming in from the window stung her eyes. She grunted and turned over, pulling her covers with her as she went. The problem was, there was no more bed in the direction she rolled.

"Oww!" she hissed as she collided with the floor. At least she seemed to have avoided landing on the bad arm.

Details were fuzzy. Why was the floor so hard? She touched it and felt the hardwood. There was no carpet. The blanket wrapped around her was equally unfamiliar. It took a few seconds, but where she was came back to her, and with it, the grim reality of the fantasy she had been living the last week. How many days had passed since the world had made sense? She wasn't sure.

She stood up and looked around. Charles and Andrea were already up and out of the room. She was still dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing for days, and she stank. That didn't matter in the big scheme of things, but it was another thing to make her feel worse, not that she imagined she could feel worse.

She remembered how she got in the room now. They had to sleep; they couldn't function without sleep. As soon as Andrea had come back, they had taken her to bed with them. Andrea was already asleep when she returned, so she couldn't see them cry, and Wendy and Charles had both cried themselves to sleep. Now, her eyes felt dry and crusty, as if every last drop of moisture that could have been killed had been exhausted.

"Find Charles and the girls. Find Andri. Find out if that crazy unicorn is under control. Pray nothing else has gone wrong," she listed off to herself as she dropped the blanket and stumbled towards the door.

As she exited into the hallway, she heard footsteps...no, hoofsteps approaching her, and she turned to see Mèng.

"Morning," Mèng said drowsily. "You're the last one up. I've been keeping an eye out. Your daughters and husband are having breakfast with Aunt Ami and Uncle Brief. If you look at that third door over there, it's a bathroom with fresh towels. No offense, but you smell bad. Everybody else has had a shower except you."

She wasn't going to disagree with that. "Where are your other aunt, your brothers, and your mother? Is your mother still under guard?"

He shook his head. "Aunt Andrea is watching her, and so are my brothers. There's a small chapel outside, and Auntie is there right now, praying. She seems...calmer, but she's still not right. She's got the ring on, but Aunt Andrea was talking about taking it off her."

Wendy took a deep breath. "She can't do anything with the ring on, right?" Mèng shook his head. "Well, take it off."

He did a small flap of his wings, maybe a nervous gesture. "They intend to. They want to be sure she's not going to blow any more holes in the house first. That's why she's praying. She's trying to find her calm. Auntie is… she gets very emotional. She can have big mood swings, dangerous mood swings. She can go murderous or suicidal or both under high levels of stress. Phobia thinks it is some type of depression or mood disorder, but it's never been properly diagnosed. She's had manic episodes as well before too, but she's normal most of the time. We'll have the ring off her soon. We just want to make sure it's safe. She's never been this strong, even in a rage, and she could have killed someone last night."

Emotional? That's what they were going to say? The fact that this was an elder version of Charlotte was troubling because these were problems Charlotte could develop too. Charlotte wasn't the primary concern now, Andrea was, but it was another thing to worry about.

"Okay," Wendy muttered. What else could she say? She'd seen what had happened, and now she was having to put everything on the elder version of Charlotte to save Andrea.

"Take a shower and go get something to eat. You need your strength," Mèng reiterated. "I'll let them know you are up." He flapped his wings again. "Please, don't be mad at Auntie. She's a kind person, and she's brilliant. She cares about everyone, especially family. Sometimes she cares too much. She's just… you have to learn how to handle her."

It explained why her sisters and parents stayed with her. They were there to wrangle her in and keep her under control when she had these episodes. Her kids might try, but there was always that parent dynamic in play that made her overrule them.

Wendy didn't say anything else to the pony; she just walked to the bathroom as directed.

---

Getting clean did make her feel a tiny bit better, with emphasis on the tiny. When she entered the dining room, she found Charles, Amicus, and the girls all gathered around a big computer screen that someone had set up on the table. There were some scraps from breakfast and half-finished glasses of milk sitting about as well.

Her eyes fell to Andrea, still in her pony shape, standing on the table and grinning as she looked at whatever was on the screen. No one must have told her yet that she was dying. Wendy was unsure if that was cruel or kind, but she knew she didn't have the strength to do it either, and Andrea looked so happy right now. The other two girls were probably unaware as well.

Charles looked at Wendy with a forced smile. "Morning. Amicus is introducing us to online shopping and says she'll pay for everything. We're picking out toys for the girls right now, and later we'll pick out bedding and clothes. She says most of it will arrive tomorrow, but some things might arrive as early as this afternoon or early evening. Isn't that amazing? Nothing like the old mail in order catalogs."

Wendy forced a smile. "Yeah, amazing."

Amicus looked at her, ears drooping and smile too tight. "We can order some things for you and your husband too. I know you must want a change of clothes. We need to take measurements for all of you. I'm not sure if sizes have changed since the eighties. Oh! And Shǔguāng found a unicorn to hold you still so he can do that spell to fix your arm. You'll be able to hold little Andrea soon."

Because I might not have chances in the future. That's what you're saying. Wendy thought bitterly. She tried not to get upset. Amicus was trying to be thoughtful, and it would be devastating not to be able to… she didn't want to think about it.

Kristin jumped off her stool. "Mom! Look what I can do!"

Kristin then grabbed ahold of the stool that Charlotte was sitting on and proceeded to lift it and her sister.

"Aww! Don't drop me!" Charlotte yelled.

"Kristin put your—" Wendy began to scold, pointing a finger, but her finger lowered, and so did her jaw as Kristin continued to lift Charlotte and the stool above her head. She didn't even seem to put much effort into it.

"Put me down! I'm going to fall!" Charlotte yelled with both hands gripped tightly to the stool.

"Put your sister down, carefully," Wendy finished, breathlessly. She held her breath while Kristin carefully lowered her sister down. As soon as the stool touched the floor, Charlotte slapped Kristin on the shoulder.

"Someone seems to have inherited some earth pony strength," Amicus said, half-frowning. "We heard that during the fight downstairs, she sent the fanatics' pegasus flying against the wall after ramming him. That explains how she managed that. Even an earth pony filly can hit like a horse."

"Nothing to report about Charlotte yet, or me," Charles said. "And we're trying to make sure Andrea doesn't do anything."

"I know, I know. It will mess up the necklace," Andrea grumbled.

Charles's mouth tightened as he nodded, then looked at Wendy. "Anything to report about you?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing unusual as of yet."

"That's actually good to hear," Amicus said brightly. "While Andrea might be sure you can do something, things should settle down first, and other concerns get addressed before we worry about that. Can't take on too much at once and expect to be productive."

How was she supposed to be productive? Andrea was dying, and there was nothing, NOTHING, that she could do to stop it other than hope that a manic-depressive pony could get her shit together. She was helpless and powerless and in a strange place surrounded by off-versions of people that mattered to her.

A guard came in and got their attention. "Excuse me, Miss Curea, ma'am. I didn't know who to report to, but Senator Growth is here."

Amicus jumped out of her seat. "Wild Growth is here? Now? I asked for her assistance, but I didn't expect her to show up here herself!"

"What should we tell her?" the guard asked.

Amicus was already moving. "We must go out and talk to her. Everyone, follow me, and be on your best behavior! This isn't anypony; this is Wild Growth!"

"Which means nothing to us," Charles said dryly.

Legal Brief came running out of the kitchen, tossing an apron aside as he went. "Just hurry along. Wild Growth is a legend, an even bigger deal than Sunset. Your future here could depend on her."

Wendy and Charles shared a look before gesturing for the girls to follow. "Come on, girls. Let's meet this pony. Someone help Andrea get down from the table."

"I'm fine!" Andrea said as she wiggled her rump and sprung off the table, landing on all fours.

"Don't do that! You could hurt yourself!" Wendy yelled, louder than she intended.

Andrea's ears sagged, and her tail went tightly between her legs. "I'm sorry. It was just a little jump."

"You're small enough that it was a big jump!" Wendy said, starting to cry again.

Charles grabbed her and pulled her aside, bending down to whisper angrily and quickly into her ear. "I don't want to be mean because I know your nerves are on edge, so are mine, but you can't upset Andrea. Amicus explained what it means to be a crystal pony, which is what Andrea is right now. Crystal ponies absorb and convert magic into different energy. If she gets upset, she can surge, and if she surges, she will absorb and convert the energy of the spell that keeps her alive. There is no hope then; she'll die. Miss Newman might need to get herself under control, but you do too. So help me, if I think you are endangering her any more than she already is, I will lock you in your room until Miss Newman is ready to try that spell. I love you, but I love Andrea too, and her life is the one on the line."

Wendy's eyes went wide. Charles had never spoken to her like that before. Never in their eleven years of marriage and never in all the time they were dating. However, what got her trembling was what he had said. She could be the one who ended up being responsible for Andrea's death. She couldn't let that happen.

"If it happens again, I'll lock myself away," she whispered. "Do what you need to."

They followed along out to the foyer, where a green earth pony wearing a suit jacket was gazing at the tarp-covered hole in the side of the building. She didn't look all that impressive. She was younger, maybe as young as the younger stallions. The most notable thing about her was she was the first pony Wendy had seen wearing any form of clothes.

"Wild Growth, this is unexpected," Amicus said subserviently as she approached. "I knew you would help us, but I didn't expect you to come yourself."

The green earth pony turned to look at them and gestured at the massive hole in the wall. "Sunset did this?"

Amicus stopped in her tracks and took a step or two back. "She was having a bad night last night."

Wild Growth nodded. "So it was reported to me. That's why I'm here. I was also told that she still needs to do something that I need to turn a blind eye to, and she doesn't have control of her magic. Where is she?"

Amicus gulped. "She's out in the chapel, with my sister and her sons. I— Brief, can you please go get Sunset and Andrea, now, please?"

Brief took off running at full gallop. Why did this pony elicit this much of a reaction? They said senator, which made her a government official, but they seemed to be reacting even stranger than that would account for. They hadn't reacted this way for the Marshmallow thing, which was supposedly very powerful and influential.

Wild Growth stopped looking at the hole in the wall and turned her attention to the girls. She took a few steps and stopped in front of the family, looking at each in turn.

The earth pony frowned at them. "So, she really brought back her family from the past. We can't have word get out that kind of thing is possible. The Dreamwardens have already dealt with the guards, and I'm told the detainees are still being negotiated with. It's not normal that people can just detain intruders like that, but Wabash Manor has its own special jurisdiction. Which one of you children is Charlotte?"

Charlotte raised her hand and jumped up and down. "Me! Me!"

Wild Growth smiled at the display. "A far cry from Sunset Blessing. I look forward to seeing how you grow up." The earth pony's eyes drifted over Kristin but didn't linger as she moved on to Andrea. "And you must be the brave little filly I have heard so much about. I'm told you saved your sister from some bad ponies."

"Yeah, I kind of forgot about that," Andrea said as if just remembering it for the first time.

"Well, I think that makes you a hero," Wild Growth said with a smile. "It’ll take me a bit but I’ll have to give you a special hero’s prize."

Kristin waved a hand. "I saved Mom from a bad pony!"

"Is that so?" Wild Growth asked, chuckling slightly. "A hero's prize for you too, and I'll have to give one to your little sister so that she doesn't feel left out. I'm already considering houses for your family and teachers to help you catch up."

"You seem very well informed," Amicus said breathlessly. "I didn't include all that in my message to you."

Wild Growth frowned at her. "I make sure I stay informed, especially when Sunset Blessing is involved. Do you blame me, given our history together?"

Amicus looked down. "No, I understand your desire to keep watch on my little sister, and I don't blame you for your caution. You've been nothing but generous and gracious in your treatment of her, all things considered."

"There is no need to be frightened of me. I mean her no harm," Wild Growth said placatingly. "If there is one pony in the world who will understand what she's feeling as she tries to control her new power, it is me. I'm here to help her so she can help others."

Andri and Sunset Blessing came walking in and came to a dead stop when they spotted Wild Growth. There was no sign of Legal Brief. Sunset Blessing still had the inhibitor ring on her horn.

Wild Growth looked at the ring and frowned. "That ring won't be necessary. You can remove it."

"Wild, I don't have a good grip on my strength right now. It isn't wise," Sunset Blessing said in a low voice.

"I'm aware," Wild Growth replied, and then she started stripping off her jacket. "You need to get control of your power, and you need to practice on something that isn't going to blow up under the pressure of your magic. Well, here I am. I'm your guinea pig. You might be strong now, but you're not strong enough to hurt me."

Sunset stepped back. "Wild, I don't want to hurt you. You're my friend."

"You can't hurt me any more than you already have. You can't imagine how much power I feel pressing against my insides every single day," Wild Growth said grimly, folding her jacket and setting it aside. "Can you think of any other pony, short of an alicorn, and maybe not even them, that you could safely practice on?"

"No… I can't," Sunset Blessing whispered.

Wild Growth nodded. "Then do what is needed. This is my gift to you and everyone you might be able to help. I can take the pain, especially when lives are on the line. Whatever you think you can do, it is nothing against my magic."

Amicus looked at Andri in confusion. "Is Wild Growth still that strong? She's supposed to be burnt out."

Andri licked her lips nervously. "I can feel her and Sunset. I can't tell you who is stronger. There's a saying among crystal ponies. When you stand at the edge of an ocean, they all go on forever."

"Who are you, and what's the big deal here?" Charles asked in confusion.

Sunset Blessing answered for the earth pony. "She is Wild Growth, Hero of the Cataclysm of Riverview, The New Demeter, senior US senator from South Carolina, vice-chair of the Senate Magic Safety Commission, Earth's Element of Generosity, and The Alicorn Who Wasn't. She is the most powerful pony ever born on Earth, by a large margin, and the most powerful earth pony ever known in either universe. Aside from being a senator, I doubt most of those things make sense to you without context, but she's also right. She is the only pony I can use my magic on right now without being able to seriously hurt. She can help me gain control."

"I don't endorse all those titles. I miss the days that the worst title I had to worry about was the Southern Slut," Wild Growth grumbled.

For the first time in a while, Sunset Blessing smiled. "We don't get to choose what others call us; otherwise, I would have a lot fewer titles too. I accept your help, Wild. Thank you."

"Can she really help her get a grip on her magic?" Wendy asked Amicus.

Amicus flicked her ears. "If anyone can. She can."

There was hope.

Comments

[harts fire]

well ok this is good and yet i have a feeling this is going to be messy.