Pandemic: of Twins and Tails

by Seven Fates

Day 2 - Reassignment

The two siblings sat atop the desk in the borrowed office. Jacen, wide awake for the time of day, was propping up his twin with his body, somewhat unamused by the fact that he was being treated as an oversized pillow. Deep down, he knew it wasn't her fault for being so tired, what with the seemingly hard-programmed operating hours instilled by the virus and life in the hospital often waking her during that downtime. On top of that, there was something of a need for closeness being a pony brought the two. Still, he could have done without her starting to drool on him whenever she started dozing off.

Although he'd tried to convince her to rest so that she might be more lucid during today's scheduled meeting, Jinxi hadn't gotten any rest throughout the night. Much of the previous evening had become an impromptu celebration for the young mare finding her special talent. Even though the food was tight, one of the nurses broke out a bunch of snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. There were even a few boardgames and decks of cards to come out.

The celebration only grew in scope during when a doubles poker game began on the floor of the day room. Nopony was actively keeping score, but really, there wasn't any need to; Jacen had partnered up with Chloe, and was winning five games for every three Jinxi and Kate won. The siblings guided their inexperienced partners, rather than taking the lead, and the final hand was strictly between Chloe and Kate. When the former confidently won the game thanks to his guidance, he found all eyes in the day room on him, or more specifically, his flank.

He'd spent the rest of that evening in silent contemplation of the comet-like cluster of card suits—Or was it a four-leaf clover with suits for leaves?—and what it meant. It'd shown itself not from direct play, but rather from the guidance he provided Chloe bearing fruit. The mark itself didn't tell him much, but from what little understanding he held, the symbolism was up to interpretation and the bearer to decide. Rather than his choices directly leading to his mark, it'd come from his luck and guidance of another.

Is that to be my role as a pony? Leading and advising others? It'd been on his mind since he saw his mark that morning. He'd already sided with Chloe in regards to the relocation and resettlement of the Atlantic ponies, but if he really intended to take an advisory role, that'd seal that he'd probably never leave Canada again. The ponies here might need him, and as much as he agreed with Jinxi that Pete and Gage could very well be in trouble, there wasn't a whole lot he could do. That brought him back to the now.

On the side of the desk opposite of them, Grace Rowlins shuffled some papers. To her right sat a notary, a disinterested looking man in is fifties. The exact purpose of the meeting had not been revealed to the twins as of yet, and neither one had any real clue as to why someone from the Premier's office wanted to speak with them directly. The sleepy night pony seemed pretty certain that they weren't being singled out for infecting the region, but the rational part of Jacen's mind wouldn't dismiss the possibility.

After several minutes, of extended silence, Grace looked up from the papers and ran a pale hand through her ginger locks. "Right, so here's the rub, you two," she commented, startling the night pony into full alertness. "Although there have been cases of pregnant ETS victims elsewhere giving birth to foals not long after their transformations, so far as we can tell, you are a relatively unique case. As far as the government is concerned, you—" She pointed directly at the dark-coated pony, who narrowed her pink eyes at the gesture. "—didn't exist before ETS, which leaves us with a problem. You have no citizenship, or any form of identification."

That got a nod from Jacen. "Makes sense," he said in his flat voice as he gave his sister the side-eye. "Even if she's mentally my duplicate, I'm pretty sure she was born from the cells of a sibling who died in the womb. There wouldn't even be any documentation of a Jaina Cadlow back in the states."

Although the politician raised an eyebrow at the comment, she didn't address it. "This means that you have some options that the provincial and federal governments are willing to consider, Ms. Cadlow." Folding her hands atop the desk, she met the glaring pony's unflinching gaze. "The first is that you are given a retroactively dated birth certificate and have a Social Insurance Number made available to you. This would make you a Canadian citizen first and foremost, but you would be unlikely to get a passport for some time."

Jinxi rose to her hooves, and spread her wings. "That's not happening," she hissed as she gave a stomp on the desk. "Like I said yesterday, the two stallions who're the next closest thing I have to brothers are in Denver, and things have been going to pot there. I need to be able to check in on them!"

A smile graced the ginger politician's face as she quietly moved several papers from her stack to one side. "That's about what I expected," she agreed quietly. "Your other option, then, is having your American Social Security Number updated with your information to reflect what ETS has done to you, and have your ID updated as well. Meanwhile, Mr. Cadlow would retain your Canadian SIN. This would end your dual citizenship, but would allow you to return to the US. You will eventually be deported, but until the border starts allowing non-commercial traffic through, you are still likely to be stuck here."

Quietly, Jacen watched his other half. The frustration she felt at this whole mess was plain on her face. Neither option would be particularly good for either of them. It was either she'd be separated from him, or kept separate from Gage and Pete. Either case would likely result in her being unable to move freely, and it would conflict hard with her need to 'protect' those that mattered to her. The psychology of humans-turned-ponies was a relative mystery right now, but denying that programming sounded like something that would cause mental health problems down the line.

"There's a third option," the earth pony offered, turning his gaze back to the first stack of displaced papers. "Strictly speaking, I am most likely to be considered the 'original' by virtue of being male and retaining my name. Doctor Downey has even informed me that Jinxi has referred to me as such in conversations with staff she's had." Although it was not his intention, he knew that this line of discussion was needling at a sore spot for her, and he had no doubt that it was damaging her self image to think of herself is naught but a defective copy. "That said, what is to stop us from assigning the new identity to me?

"Ideally, I'd like to retain some of our assets in order to help establish a safe community for the Atlantic ponies." Standing up to display his cutie mark to Grace, he sighed. "I don't know how else to explain it, but now more than ever, I feel my place is here. It's like it's what this mark is telling me. These ponies are going to need guidance, and somepony with a rational mind to prop them up."

Without understanding why, he sidled up to Jinxi and threw a foreleg over her withers. Whether she knew it or not, this wasn't where she needed to be. She had a whole life ahead of her, but he didn't want her to shackle herself to him out of duty. He couldn't see any future where she stuck by his side where things didn't slowly become toxic; she needed a push to live, not just as Jacen but as Jinxi. "The boys don't need me right now, Jinxi. They need somepony who'll kick their flanks to keep them in line, and to keep them safe."

His sister jerked away from him, and when he saw the expression on her face, his heart broke. She was regarding him as if she'd been slapped, tears in her eyes. It occurred to him only as she quietly hopped off the table and exited the room that it could be inferred that he was saying he didn't need her. By his reckoning, she should have known that intellectually too, but he had to keep in mind that the split had altered the way they interacted with their emotional states. She's so much more vulnerable, and here I am being a blunt instrument.

With a sigh, he turned back to Grace with a serious expression. "Let's get this over with. What do we need to do?"

---

As the commandeered school bus carried Jacen and several other ponies toward their new home, he couldn't help but reflect on what he'd done. Intentionally or not, he'd ended up hurting Jinxi in a way he had failed to predict. Hindsight was always twenty-twenty, but in that moment it seemed like the right thing to say to convince her that she should take primary ownership over their identity and assets. Instead, she ended up going to the crystal pony, Kate, and he in turn got a punch in the jaw when he returned to the ward.

"Do you think I did the right thing?" he asked Chloe, who shared the seat beside him with her daughter. "To be honest, I don't know the first thing about being a real sibling, and I clearly suck at it. It's one thing to have people who may as well be brothers, but it's another entirely to suddenly have a real sister who is for all intents and purposes a gender-flipped version of yourself. I want what's best for her but..."

Much to his surprise, the mare draped a cerulean wing over his withers. It was soft, very warm, and far more comforting than it had any right to be. "Give her some time," the pegasus answered in a kind voice. "Whether she agrees or not, I think she was leaning too much on you for support. A little hurt now spares her a bigger one down the line." She rested her chin atop his head before nipping his ear. "She's a big girl, and besides...Ponies always forgive."

Even as his brain misfired, he nodded. "Ponies forgive," he murmured in agreement. "Hopefully sooner than later."

Of all the things to come of ETS, a mare taking a liking to him wasn't one of the things he'd expected—especially not a married mare. Jacen couldn't deny that he held a certain attraction to her from the moment he first saw her. Not only was she really pretty, but she was really easy to talk to. She was really kind, and she seemed to enjoy his company if all the times she sought him out were any indicator. Plus, her foal was cute as a button.

He couldn't exactly blame her for her behaviour, either. Most of their interactions since the vision had been initiated by her, like she'd been seeking something. From everything Chloe told him of her ex, the man was incredibly toxic, possessive, and bordering violent. Up until the start of ETS, she'd taken Alexa to stay with her parents in Colorado while she got things set up to divorce the man.

It was clear that she needed someone calm in her life, but it was still kinda odd to him that she'd gravitate toward him. From what he could tell, his new body couldn't have been more than a teenager by pony standards. It didn't matter if he was an adult if, from the outside looking in, she was flirting and being affectionate with someone that looked significantly younger; he had no pony metric to go by, and by human metrics, a relationship between the two could have been anywhere from acceptable to problematic.

"I'm gonna have to find some happy middle ground when she's ready to talk," he finally said aloud. "I know that getting her own bed will help for what time she remains with us." Turning his head, he glanced to the seat on the other side of the aisle a row back, where Jinxi slept, with the crystal pony nurse acting as a buffer between the two. "Making friends will help her."

A chuckle from Chloe drew his attention back to the mare. "What do you think is going on between those two?" she asked in a teasing lilt. "She was always kinda cold, with us, but when you made your sister cry, she socked ya really good."

Shaking his head, he leaned into the wing hug. "Dunno. Kate seems to be one of the only ponies she talks to regularly and vice-versa," Jacen answered, peering around Chloe to the snoozing foal and chuckling. "They're both outsiders—the only ones of their type in the ward. Maybe they bonded over that?"

Knowing that he felt attraction to Chloe, among other thoughts, he couldn't help but wonder if his sister retained whatever made them ace when they were one person, or if she had her own feelings in that regard too. The ETS and the split did so many things to their brains, and he actually had questions he wouldn't have minded looking up the answers to. Did ETS 'fix' him to encourage reproduction? Or did it merely make him open to the idea of a relationship? Did any other former humans experience peculiar mental changes? A shame the phone was currently in the sleeping night pony's bag.

---

Time passed, and eventually the group arrived at a small community centre in the city outskirts. The building itself appeared to have been a former church. It still held a steeple and bell, but it had clearly been added onto over the years after being sold off, and more recently, a high chain-link fence had been erected around the property.

There was about two acres of land, allowing for limited farming, and someone had even taken the time to set out some plots and bags of fertiliser. Even if the earth ponies of the group didn't get a chance to grow any sorts of actual crops, it was still something of a blessing. Open space could be used to practice earth pony and unicorn magic alike. So far the only unicorn to show any progress was Dr. Weintraub, having mastered levitation impossibly quick, and although that sort of thing could be practised indoors, anything else would likely be safer to test outside. Similarly, earth ponies would be better served learning their limits where they had plenty of space to run and play.

Although there were a few trees near the boundary and hastily installed gatehouse, there was still plenty of overhead clearance. Plus, the compound was far enough back from the road that nopony would have to worry about powerlines. Pegasi would have plenty of clear airspace to practice flight and weather stuff. If they were really lucky, one of their cluster would figure it out sooner than later and help clear away the late winter.

When everypony was led off the bus—or carried off in the case of the still-sleeping Jinxi—a man working for the government led them all inside. What might once have been a vestibule was now little more than a small secretarial area manned by an RCMP officer, much like the gate-house outside. Past that, the sanctuary was nothing more than a large open space that was likely more recently used for job fairs, voting, dances, and the like. Where once the aisles were, however, there were now several camping cots, sleeping bags, and futon mattresses laid out, far in excess of what the current group numbered.

The man was pointing out the various rooms branching off from the main hall: a computer lab, a kitchen designed around cooking lessons, a daycare, and even a small library space. Then, up on the chancel that had once been a stage, there was some hay. In short, it was everything that ponies would need in the interim until they finally ironed out land for the settlement.

"Hey b'y," Carruthers called out as Jacen settled his bag next to the cot nearest a futon claimed by Chloe and her filly. A quick glance at the stallion revealed that somepony had draped Jinxi across his back, and he had her bag of belongings hanging from his horn. Did none of the humans offer any help? Or had someone warned them about the teeth? "Where should I put li'l miss lazybones?"

He was about to point to the cot next to his, but he then remembered what he'd been discussing earlier. She needed to be separate from him, but not too far away. The goal was to encourage her individual development, rather than risk a codependent relationship. Keep her close, but not too close...

His decision became much easier when he caught sight of the former nurse stepping out of the restroom not too far away. Tiredly, the mare made her way over to a sleeping bag and dropped into loaf position. She's Jinxi's friend, so... "Put her down on the bag next to Kate," he said with a sigh. "She probably won't want to talk to me yet, anyway."

Carruthers looked kind of disgusted by the mare, but nodded and made his way over to where the crystal mare chose to rest. With something of a terse hello, the unicorn lowered himself down so that he could gently nose the deeply sleeping flyer gently rolled off, onto the plush sleeping bag. Once he had her down, he dropped her bag of belongings beside her and stalked off to a cot nearest the vestibule.

Interesting... I didn't really notice before, because she was originally a nurse, but none of the others have really been socialising with the crystal pony. Although he wanted to go stretch his legs after the long ride, he also wanted to stop and think about next steps. Do they avoid her because there were none of her type in the vision? Regardless of what the White Mare showed us, it's clear that they have a purpose... but what?

Might be something to keep an eye on, he decided, frowning at the idea that ponies might turn on their own. For that matter, what'll happen when they bring in other ponies? We should be worrying about learning the ins and outs of our abilities, and then establish some sort of leadership council. It doesn't hurt to at least ball-park a game plan.

His thoughts were interrupted when Rowlins entered the sanctuary, and clapped loudly. "Alright, ponies; listen up!" she bellowed. Everypony but the sleeping Jinxi looked up to regard the government woman with interest. "The first batch of ponies from out of town are just outside, having just shipped in from Truro. Make them feel welcome, 'cause you'll be seeing a lot of each other."

At some unseen signal, the vestibule door opened, and several more ponies strode in, as well as a young man who was sticking close to a mare while carrying a foal in his arms. There were nearly ten additional earth ponies, seven more pegasi, two more unicorns, and two night ponies, those being the mare and the filly with the young man. That brings us up to twenty-three earth ponies, thirteen pegasi, five unicorns, three night ponies, and Kate.

Even as the new ponies dispersed around the room to pick their spots and meet their new neighbours, Jacen kept his eye on the night pony mare and the young man as they seemed to be considering the the futon near Jinxi and kate. If there was a word to describe either of them, it was punk rock. Between his dyed faux hawk, piercings, and studded leather jacket, and the spiked collar and fresh piercings—ear, eyebrow and a side-labret ring—on the mare, it was hard not to think it. Then he caught sight of the wedding band suspended from her collar, which matched the one on the young man's finger.

At least that guy is standing by his mare and is willing to start from scratch, he thought with a smile as the man carefully laid down on the mattress with the little grey and cerise filly. He must've not budged on being separated from the other two. Gotta admit that hands will be useful for the settlement.

Rather than stick around, Rowlins made her way back to the vestibule door. "Ponies from elsewhere in the province will join us over the coming days," she said with finality. "The New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island groups will join you at the settlement."

Quietly wondering how many more would be joining them, he watched as the punk mare, a lighter grey than his sister, brushed her indigo mane from her face and regarded Jinxi. Vivid red eyes—Or is that just irritation from being awake during the day?—seemed locked on the smaller pony's cutie mark, and she seemed to consider talking to her. When the crystal pony tapped her hoof sharply on the hardwood floor and fixed the newcomer with a warning look, he almost expected to see a fight break out, especially when the two made direct, unflinching eye contact.

Instead, the indigo-maned punk looked her up and down before smirking slightly. "So, you're one of them, huh?" the mare remarked with a bob of her head. "Cool. I'm Evelyn." She stepped forward and offered a hoof, while angling her head back to the human and foal. "That's my hubby Jake, and the little one's my little Dust Bunny, Danielle. You?"

When the crystal pony clopped her hoof against Evelyn's, he let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding in. "Kate," she said simply before nodding towards the passed out night pony beside them. "That's Jinxi. Let her sleep, though; between ponies keeping her up, a stressful meeting with Rowlins, and her twin Jacen—" She pointed directly at the placidly observing earth pony." —being a prick to her, she's exhausted." Quickly, she added, "No, they're not mine."

The red-eyed night pony didn't seem to care too much about that last remark. Instead, the moment he'd been pointed out, the mare's wings twitched and she fixed him with a death glare. Oh boy... I can already tell she does not like me.

Comments

[Halira]

It lives!

[Seven Fates]

11887730
Been a bit sidetracked by fic binging, and my other projects. ^.^;