Wild stood beside her sister and papa as the waited to be admitted into the testing room. At this point her mama had been a pony for about thirty minutes with no sign of problems. It was still far too early to tell if there would be any, but Sunset had made the call that her mama could start taking guests. All they were waiting on was some final instructions to be given to the crystal ponies-- other than her mama-- on what to look for in terms of trouble.

Her head jerked up when the door opened and Sunset stepped out. "She should be ready. Be alert for any signs of distress about her form and let the staff know if you notice anything. Beyond that you might notice some behavioral differences that are reminiscent of what ponies were like immediately after ETS. Don't worry too much about those."

"Behavioral differences?" Her papa asked in a puzzled voice.

Sunset nodded. "We didn't anticipate them, but there's no mistaking she's definitely thinking like she's a freshly transformed pony from six years ago; pony pronouns, super friendly, really touchy-feely. She even started speculating about what her cutie mark might be when she looked at my cutie mark; at least before I reminded her that this was temporary and she wouldn't be getting a cutie mark. That made her pout for just a second-- and I mean just a second."

Wild frowned. "That's way more than what we had wanted."

Sunset nodded. "I agree. I'll be trying to find a way of turning that down in future versions of the spell."

"As long as she's happy and healthy I'm not going to worry too much," her papa responded. "It's not like it ended up being a big deal for the rest of you."

That stirred a bad memory of her time transforming and immediately after. She hadn't thought of it in years, but she'd been isolated, scared, and felt unloved and betrayed. There had been things that were big deals at the time.

"She's definitely happy and healthy," Sunset said with a smile. "Go on in; she's waiting for you."

Her papa didn't need any more prompting than that he pushed the door and walked straight in with Wild and her sister hurrying to follow after before the door swung shut again.

Her papa had the blue crystal pony latch onto his legs almost as soon as he got into the room. Her mama looked up at him with a big grin. "Good God, you're tall! You make me feel like a little filly when looking up at you. Soooo, what do you think? I think I rock the sparkling blue look."

Her papa bent down and gave her mama a hug. "It looks good, really good. How are you feeling?"

Her mama hugged him tight for a second...tight enough he grunted in discomfort before releasing him with an embarrassed and concerned look. "Sorry! I don't know my own strength. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"It was a little tight, but I don't mind. You haven't been able to grip me tight in a long time," her papa said with a warm smile. "You didn't answer me about how you're feeling. Being a pony isn't too weird for you, is it?"

"Weird?" Her mama said with puzzlement then giggled. "Why should it feel weird? This feels like what I was always meant to be! I'm also feeling the best I have felt in--ever!"

That set off red flags in Wild's head. Sunset had said this spell was essentially a reengineered version of Sunset Shimmer's spell. It was supposed to be reengineered to be temporary and not have as many mental changes, but at the moment her mama hadn't failed to check off a box on the mental change checklist. What happened when she had to go back to human? Would these changes go away or persist? And if they persisted what would that do to her? That was on top of the fact she was going to be returning to a form she wasn't comfortable or happy with to begin with.

"Mama, you know this is temporary, right?" Wild asked slowly.

Her mama's ears sagged for a moment then perked back up. "I know, but it's just a little while as a human again till I'm back to normal."

"Human is your normal, Mama," Rosetta stated in a flat tone, then turned to Wild. "I'm starting to get concerned about this again."

"I'd hardly call what I was normal, by any definition," their mama said with a frown. Then smiled and reared up on her hindlegs with her forelegs spread wide. "Oh, my sweet fillies, don't worry!" She said in a perky voice. "Come over here, let me give you each a hug. Do you know how long it's been since I've gotten to hug either of you myself? I'm fine, nopony needs to worry."

Wild was going to have a long talk with Sunset about this. Rosetta was staring at her with an accusing eye. Wild gave her sister a practiced smile and whispered. "Just roll with it. She's happy. We'll get the bugs worked out."

"I'm your mother, don't discuss me like I can't hear you," their mama chided before suddenly grinning and looking up. "Though these ears are great for hearing you whisper about me," she emphasized by purposely swiveling them in different directions.

Rosetta gave their mama an embarrassed look. "Sorry, Mama. I'm just worried about you."

"There's nothing to worry about. Why can't you just be happy for me?" Their mama said as she settled back down on all fours and pouted.

Rosetta put on a smile. Wild was an expert on fake smiles, and easily recognized it, but their mama probably wouldn't. "I am happy for you." Rosetta walked over to their mama and embraced her. "I'm very happy you're feeling well."

Wild watched as her sibling and mama took in each other's scents as they hugged. That was second nature for a pony, and now her mama was doing it. She was a pony at the moment, but the instincts weren't supposed to be anywhere near this strong. Seeing her mama display those instincts made this feel a little odd. Like this wasn't her mama but someone else instead. Was this what those who remained human felt years ago when first dealing with those who changed to ponies? Wild knew she and Rosetta were very different from who they'd been as humans, had it been this disconcerting for their parents?

The two finished their embrace and her mama beamed. "That felt...amazing. What was that tingling sensation?" She then turned to Wild with a happy expression. "You too. I am overdue for quite a few hugs from you."

Wild gave her mama a careful look. "That was your magic stirring. You might want to be careful touching too many ponies till we're sure you aren't going to accidently use it." She looked at the other crystal ponies standing to the side. "Can you confirm that or not?"

One of the crystal ponies, a stallion with a deep pink color nodded. "Her power was definitely fluxing a little bit. None of us ever hurt anyone with it after we were freshly transformed so It should be alright."

"My magic?" Her mama said thoughtfully as she rubbed a foreleg against her barrel as if recalling the sensation that was just there.

Great, now her mama was going to be itching to try out her crystal pony powers. She should have just kept her mouth shut about it. The damage had been done though. Now to try to appease that.

"I know you're wanting to try," Wild said with resignation. "Come and give me a hug. You can try it out on me."

"Wild...are you sure that's a good idea?" Rosetta asked. "We don't know how much she can absorb."

Wild shook her head and waved the question off with a foreleg. "Doesn't matter. No matter what she can't put a dent in me. No crystal pony can."

"What if it has some impact on the spell?" Rosetta pressed.

"We can syphon off whatever she absorbs. She can only hold so much," the other other crystal pony stallion said dismissively.

Her mama looked at her with concern. "Are you sure? Rosetta's acting like I could hurt you."

Wild grinned. "Mama, you could never do that. Believe me, the typical crystal pony reaction to trying to drain me is pretty humorous."

"Easy for you to say," one of the stallions muttered. "It'd be easier to drain a river with just a shot glass. I even heard that when Jarris tried to drain you as far as she could that she collapsed from exhaustion and you didn't even seem to notice."

"I noticed she was doing a lot of cussing as she lit up pretty brightly-- right before she fell over. Never thought a black furred pony could glow until then," Wild said with a sheepish grin. That had been back when they were trying to assign a PREQUES number to her, they'd just had the strongest crystal pony they could find go at her with everything they had. After that they tried teams of crystal ponies--including Jarris; it had gone no better for them. They eventually threw up their collective hooves and said PREQUES eight, and promptly agreed they all needed a good hard drink.

"But what if it does something to the spell?" Rosetta repeated.

"We were told to end it in four hours no matter what if it doesn't end on its own or need to be ended. I will be alright," the same stallion repeated. "If she is a crystal pony we need to get an idea what she's capable of anyway and document it."

"Just four more hours, that's all?" Her mama said with flattened ears.

"If today goes well you'll get another go at this tomorrow," Wild assured her. "Come on, let's see what you can do."

Her mama walked over to her slowly and stood before her. "I don't know how to do this."

"Try doing a hug again. Crystal ponies can draw magic without touching, but you have no experience drawing power so touching will make it easier," the other stallion explained. "Just focus on that sensation you were feeling and try to draw it in. I can't really explain it in words better than that."

Her mama licked her lips nervously and then embraced Wild. Nothing happened right away, at least nothing that Wild could tell. Crystal ponies could drain from her without her noticing though. The power drain was just too small for her to feel it.

A gasp left her mama as she started to glow. Wild still felt nothing, but her mama was glowing steadily brighter.

"It's so wonderful...this sensation," her mama breathed.

"I think you should stop. That's more than I thought you could take in your first try," one of the stallions said apprehensively "You seem to be a natural."

Her mom let go and and blinked a few times, seeming a little dazed. She was still all crystalline and refracting the artificial overhead lights which made it appear like little rainbows were coming off her at points.

"Jean, are you alright?" her papa asked hesitantly as he eyed her. "You're acting a little doped up."

Her mama shook her head as if clearing it and turned to him with a soft smile. "Of course." Then looked herself over again and giggled. "¡Me veo increíble!"

"That you do," her papa said as his smile returned to his face.

Her mama turned back to him. "You have to volunteer for this too. I want to see how handsome you are as a stallion. You're going to love this."

"That's not going to be happening for a while," Wild cautioned before the conversation went too far down that road. "We're trying to get this to just the those with severely debilitating conditions or in critical care. There are going to be enough people skeptical as it is about this and we want to focus on getting this to the ones that really need it most."

"I'll believe Sunset plans on limiting it when I see it," Rosetta said with a grumble. "I'm not the only one who'll be thinking that too. One of the most noted Shimmerists in the world developing this spell is going to have a lot of people wanting a stop put to this."

Wild gave her sister a long suffering look. "There may be detractors, but if the government wasn't interested in this themselves we wouldn't even be here in a secret lab that is literally crawling with military personnel, or having government delegates from two worlds coming to watch a demonstration tomorrow."

"I still don't understand how," Rosetta muttered.

Wild pointed at their mama. "Because of that, because we can make a real positive difference in the lives of those hurting. Plus, this time it will be regulated by them."

"Is this really an argument you two should be having now?" Their papa asked with a hint of anger. "Maybe you two should take a few minutes away from here and let some of the others come talk to your mother. I don't want you two upsetting her when this should be a happy day for her."

Their mama walked over to him and laid a hoof on his leg. "Roger, it's okay, they fuss with each other all the time. I'm sure Rosetta is happy for me, and we know Wild is."

Rosetta shook her head. "No, Papa's right. If this really is the first of many times doing this I'll have more time to spend with you later. I should take some time to cool down. I'll send Phobia's dad and Amanda over." She looked at their mama. "I am happy for you. I love you too much not to be happy seeing you moving around and not suffering. I'm just afraid of what else might come of this."

Rosetta didn't wait for a reply as she headed straight for the door.

"Haley! You don't need to go," Their mama cried to her.

Rosetta didn't pause, she went straight out the door into the hall.

By this point Wild wasn't going to let this go unsettled. She turned towards the door herself. "Don't worry, Mama. I'm going to talk to her. We'll be back in a little bit."

"Please, don't fight anymore, Catherine" her mama pleaded. "I know you two love each other dearly, and I don't want to see you two push each other away like this."

"There are things that need to be said," Wild replied in a firm tone. Her mama was really upset by this whole thing if she was calling them by their old human names, but this needed settling sooner rather than later. "I'm not going to have her treating taking care of you as wrong."

Her mama started walking towards the door. "I can come with you and talk to her."

"No, ma'am, you can't," one of the stallions said briskly. "Our orders are to see that you stay in here for the duration of this test."

The newly minted crystal pony looked at Wild and the door with a trembling lip. "But, my daughter needs me."

"You'll have to wait till later to talk to her. I'm sorry," the stallion said firmly.

She winced as she heard her mama start try to cry, and then got angrier. Rosetta was ruining this day for their mama. She opened the door and stormed out it.

"Rosetta!" She yelled as she came into the hallway, and was shocked to see her sister just sitting there with her head held low instead of having moved on.

Her sister looked up at her with a sad gaze. "I knew you'd come out after me. You can't help yourself; you've always got to be the grand savior who fixes everything."

Wild set her jaw and glowered. "I just do what I can to make things better. You shouldn't be treating this like it is a bad thing. You're hurting Mama on what should be one of the happiest days she's had in a long time."

Rosetta frowned and flicked her tail. "You never consider the cost of what making things better entails."

Wild stepped forward with her ears laid flat. "This coming from a pony that sees no problem with collars being fastened around every mind magic user's neck whether they've done anything wrong or not, including her own wife!"

"That's different," Rosetta said sullenly.

Wild flicked her tail angrily. "Oh, you're right about that. It's about taking away rights in that case; being iron hoofed. You are so afraid of what might possibly go wrong you'd deny people their rights to stop perceived threats. I'm looking at what is wrong right now and trying to figure out how to empower them to make their lives better!"

"With no thought of how your empowerment can be abused!" Rosetta snarled.

Wild shook her head. "I trust more people are willing to do the right thing, you're too worried about who might do the wrong thing. Someone will always do the wrong thing no matter how much you try to ban things, there will always be bad eggs, but you shouldn't hurt everyone else because of it."

"What you're doing is making it easier for those who want to do harm to be able to do so," Rosetta replied.

Wild tilted her head. "You know who you remind me of? You remind me of Sha'am Maut. Declaring everyone guilty whether they've done anything or not, and thinking you can just force everyone to be good by any means necessary--not even realizing that your methods are making the very monsters you want to prevent."

Rosetta bared her teeth. "How dare you compare me to that bitch! How about I compare you to Sunset Blessing! Oh, it's just a choice. We're just trying to make things better--horseshit!"

Wild narrowed her eyes. "I am not Sunset Blessing. She might have ulterior long term goals, but I do not. Whatever her goals, they will be held in check by the people who want to do the right thing."

Rosetta glared back. "Well, you already expressed our difference of opinion on how much people can be trusted. Sunset thinks she's doing the right thing after all."

This conversation was getting nowhere. They were both entrenched in their views. Something still needed to be done to make it so Rosetta wouldn't continue to hurt their mama though.

"Rosetta...sis," Wild said with a sigh. "The decision about this project will be made tomorrow, and not by us. I'm going to do my best to see it gets approved. Can you please stop voicing feelings about this for the sake of Mama? She isn't out to get anyone. She's just someone getting help."

Rosetta looked back at the door they had just left and let out a long breath. She just gave a small unhappy nod. It would have to be enough.

---

Jessie sat at the computer and glared at the telephone icon. Her grandmare was laughing again on the other side of the room.

"Jessie, this really isn't the right time or place to be having this conversation with you," her dad's voice came over the speaker.

"Why?" Jessie demanded. She was getting really tired of people avoiding her questions today.

"Because I have Jackie, Jordan, and the three demons standing right here listening on."

"So?" Jessie countered with frustration.

"Their parents would kill me if I had this conversation in front of them," her dad explained with a note of pleading.

"What are they talking about?" She heard Tabby say somewhere in the background.

"I think they're talking about Auntie Yinyu stuff." She heard Alfie respond.

"Ohhhh, I always wanted to hear about Auntie Yinyu stuff!" Charlotte said with excitement.

"Robby! Can you come take these five somewhere else in the house? Your sister is asking me inappropriate questions they shouldn't be hearing," her papa called out.

"What's she asking?" Robby could be heard calling out curiously.

"I'm just asking about why sex shouldn't be discussed," Jessie protested.

"What's sex?" Jackie asked from somewhere.

"I think she said six," Jordan said helpfully.

"Aww, more boring number stuff?" Jackie whined.

"Oh..." Robby said, sounding amused. First Grandmare, now Robby, what was so funny? "Come on squirts. I'm going to teach you how to draw better."

"But I want to hear about Auntie Yinyu stuff!" Charlotte protested.

"You know your moms don't want you hearing that. Do you want me to tell them you were doing something they'd be mad about?" Robby asked.

"No," Charlotte said with resignation.

"Thanks, Robby " their dad said with relief. "Okay, so as for your question. Let's deal with this in ways you can relate to. Can you agree with me that foals shouldn't be doing that kind of thing?"

"I don't know why'd they even want to," Jessie replied.

"Because foals are curious and we'd rather they didn't get curious about things like that when they aren't mature enough mentally or physically," her dad explained. "That includes you. You're very mature for your age, but not that mature--and no where near physically mature enough. So we'd rather you weren't curious about it either. That's why no one wants to talk to you about the subject or have you being exposed to the subject."

"But you're telling me now," Jessie pointed out.

"Because I know you won't let it go until you get a straight answer," her dad responded. "I'd really prefer not to, but I know you far too well."

"So why couldn't Mom just tell me? Why'd she have to act all weird about it?"

She heard her dad sigh. "Your mom is a teacher and she deals with foals your age for a living. She has a hard time sometimes separating how to respond to an average foal your age from how to respond to you. She looks at you and sees a foal that's coming up near seven years old and responds accordingly."

"But I'm not like them," she said grumpily as she flicked her tail. "I'm smarter, I understand things they don't, I understand concepts most grown-ups don't; I shouldn't be treated like a little filly. It's unfair."

"Saying it's unfair all the time is something I expect out of a filly rather than an adult," her dad said with a hint of mirth. "Your time to be treated as an adult will come, Jessie. The majority of your life is going to be spent as an adult. You only get one foalhood, and when it's over you'll wish you could have it back, because it's a special time in life. Don't be in such a hurry to leave it behind."

"I don't see what's so special about it," she replied in a sour tone.

"Well, for one it's a time of life where everyone is making sure you're taken care of. After you become an adult you have a lot more fending for yourself to do," her dad said slowly. "Second, you don't have the same responsibilities forced on you now as you will as an adult. You don't only have to be responsible for yourself and your obligations, but often times responsible for others--especially if you have your own foals that will be depending on you. That can be very stressful. Third, you have a lot less time to just do what you want to do because of your responsibilities. You'll never have the same level of freedom as when you're a foal when it comes to just having fun."

Her thoughts drifted to the responsibilities that she had coming. Phobia Remedy said that she'd be a big part in saving the world from the Devourers, but didn't want her getting too involved yet. Protecting the world like that was a huge responsibility. If she messed up it wouldn't be just hurting her it would be hurting everyone. She couldn't even decide that she didn't want to do it--it was just too important not to do. The Dreamwarden must not want her getting too involved yet because she knew how much of a burden it was. She also thought of all the empty picture frames that were in her dream, and how she wanted to see what would fill those.

"I think I understand," she said after much consideration.

She jumped as her mom let out a squealing scream. Her grandmare moved like lightning, jumping into the air and into flight straight out of the room and through the hallway.

"Jessie, go check on your mother then come tell me what's going on," her dad instructed in a worried tone.

She didn't need any more prompting than that. She jumped down to the floor and ran out to the living room. Her mom was breathing hard and looked like she hurting while her grandmare was trying to soothe her. There was also a strange smell that smelled very faintly of urine. A damp spot was slowly growing where her mom sat on the couch.

Her grandmare turned to her quickly. "Jessica, go tell your father that I'm calling the hospital right now to come get your mom. Her water just broke. Your little brother is on his way now."

Jessie stood in shock for a second. "What's he supposed to do. What do I do when I'm done? Are Mom and Dusk going to be alright?"

"They're going to be fine," Grandmare Nocte said firmly. "Your dad is going to have to figure out what to do with all the foals he is watching. I'll find a way of getting the two of us to the hospital as well. Just move and do as you're told."

She ran back to the other room and hopped up on the chair and looked at the computer. "Mom's water broke and Grandmare Nocte is calling the hospital."

"Of all the days it had to be the one I agreed to foalsit," her dad said in frustration. "I'm going to figure something out. I might just have to just pack everyone in the car and go to the hospital--if the mares outside let me take the demons away from the house. Be good, and do whatever your grandmare says. I'll see you at the hospital soon."

"Please hurry, Dad. Mom seems like she's hurting and I'm scared," she said as the initial shock started wearing off. "Why can't the night ponies just watch them? They're already there."

"Phobia and Rosetta are very particular about who they let supervise their foals. Guarding the foals and taking care of them are two different things," her dad answered. "I'll call them and see if they are going to let me take them to the hospital and if not then find out what they want me to do."

"But we need you now," Jessie protested as her fear grew. "Can't you--"

"Jessie!" Her dad cut her off and she could hear him getting a frantic himself, which didn't help her feel better. "I need to get going. I'll be there." The line abruptly cut off.

She didn't know what else to do so she left the room and went back to the living room. Her grandmare was just getting off a phone call and her mom was laying down on her back on the now very damp couch, still taking deep breaths and grunting occasionally.

Her grandmare gave her a considering look. "Jessica, the ambulance is going to be here in just a few minutes. You need to gather whatever it is you need to keep yourself occupied because when we get to the hospital we're likely going to be there a while. I'm calling us a cab and we'll be leaving right after they get your mom. What did your dad say?"

She took a deep breath to try to calm herself and show she was mature and brave. "He said that he's coming, but he has to figure out what to do about the demons. He promised he'd be there though... Why don't they just teleport Mom to the hospital?"

"You don't teleport someone who's pregnant unless you don't have a choice. It could hurt the baby," her grandmare explained. "This is just her water breaking, it might be hours yet before your little brother chooses to grace us with his presence. Now get ready, and when the paramedics get here stay out of their way so they can do their jobs."

Jessie didn't obey right away; instead she stood and stared at her mom. Her mom somehow realized she was being watched and turned and looked at her. "It's okay, baby girl. I'm alright. I'll be feeling much better when Dusk is out and in my arms. Just do as your grandmare says."

"Take a shower first," Grandmare Nocte ordered. "I'm not going to have my granddaughter out in public unwashed and smelly. You've got time if you're quick about it."

Jessie scrunched up her nose. She didn't stink that much, and her mom smelled much worse right now. Plus, drying took a long time and there was no way she would be able to get properly dried in time if what Grandmare Nocte said was true about how fast the paramedics and the cab would be arriving.

"Jessie...skip the shower, just get ready," her mom said, directly overruling what her grandmare just said. Her mom couldn't be as bad off as she seemed earlier if her mom was thinking things through better than Grandmare Nocte--who should know how long it takes a pony to get their fur, mane, and tail dry. It soothed some of Jessie's anxiety that her mom was thinking clearly, even if Grandmare Nocte wasn't.

She hurried to her room started getting what she needed together. She hadn't yet put her Pony Strap on today and that was the first thing taken care of. The next was double checking her saddlebags to make sure all her accessories were still properly packed. Typically they were, but there had been once or twice she had taken something off to clean or set aside in a hurry and forgotten about it.

After she was satisfied that nothing was missing she double checked her other bag to see what was currently in it. All that was currently in there was her notebook. She considered it for a moment and decided to return her notebook to it's safe spot in her pillow; just protect it from getting possibly lost. She'd be far too distracted today to work on it anyway. She added instead her copies of Frankenstein and her biology textbook, along with a separate notebook for each for taking notes if she needed.

She wished her parents would let her get a cell phone so she could browse the internet at the hospital. They wouldn't even let her get a phone watch like most grown-ups had. They said she had no need of one and she was too young. What could be so wrong with a foal having a cell phone?

Her mane and tail took a few minutes to properly brush. As she was finishing she heard knocking at the front door. She quickly put her brush away into her bags and went out into the living room.

A pair of humans, a unicorn, and a crystal pony were all talking to her mom. Grandmare Nocte was standing a short distance away just watching. The front door was open and she could see a stretcher sitting right outside. Her mom was red faced, but like she was hot or something rather than embarrassed. She was propping herself up with her elbows to answer the questions the paramedics were asking.

"Come over by me, Jessica," Grandmare Nocte instructed as she gestured her over with a wing. Jessie quickly complied and snuggled close to her grandmare as her grandmare draped a wing over her.

The paramedics seemed to be done asking questions and the pair of humans went outside and started maneuvering the stretcher through the door as the crystal pony mare sat beside her mom and spoke soothingly as she rubbed her hoof against her mom's arm. The unicorn stallion walked over towards Jessie and and her grandmare with a smile on his face.

"We'll be taking her straight to the maternity ward," the unicorn explained. "Everything seems to be perfectly fine with no signs of complications so far. Hopeful Heart over there is an experienced midwife and if anything happens along the way she can help get her through it. Contractions have just started and may be going on for a while."

Grandmare Nocte's phone watch rang and she raised it up and touched a wingtip to it. A voice came from it. "Someone order a cab? I'm right outside."

"Thank you, we'll be right out as soon as the paramedics get my daughter into the ambulance," Grandmare Nocte replied, then touched the watch again before setting her hoof back down.

They watched as her mom was carefully moved onto the stretcher and strapped on, with the paramedics asking about whether straps were too tight and giving her mom reassurance that the trip to the hospital would be quick. The crystal pony kept telling her mom that she was doing a good job, but Jessie didn't see her mom actually doing anything.

"We'll be there soon," Grandmare Nocte called out to Jessie's mom as the stretcher went out the door. She then looked down at Jessie as she removed her wing. "We need to go out to the nice cab driver who has been very patient to wait for us. Do you have everything you need? I'm not sure when we'll be back."

"Yes, Grandmare," Jessie replied with a nod.

Her grandmare led them out and shut the door behind them and then frowned at it. "I don't have a key for this so I can't lock it. I don't like leaving houses unlocked. I know most ponies don't lock their doors, but I think that's just stupid."

Jessie didn't have a good reply to this so she kept quiet. The concept of locking doors seemed strange to her. Yeah, that might be something important in other places, but this was Riverview and most people were really nice and wouldn't break into houses. Even if they did break into houses she didn't think a door lock would do much to stop them. Her grandmare was a night pony and a police officer so it was probably just protective paranoia.

Her elder led them out to a yellow cab and opened the door with a wing. Jessie hopped into the vehicle and her grandmare followed her in then reached with a wing and pulled the door shut with it--she was always so impressed with how strong and agile night pony wings were. Night ponies couldn't fly has high and fast as pegasi, but they definitely put their wings to more use when they were down on the ground--like less nimble versions of human hands.

"Where to?" The cab driver asked.

"To the Central Hospital, please," Grandmare Nocte instructed.

The car pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. Jessie didn't feel much like looking at the scenery as they drove down the road. She instead looked at her grandmare. Grandmare Nocte's face was calm, but her ears and tail were twitching, and on and off she'd rubbed one leg against another.

"Is Mom going to be alright?" Jessie asked with worry. "And Dusk? Mom told me about how I was born early and how bad it was. Wasn't Dusk supposed to be born a few days from now? What's going to happen because he's early?"

Her grandmare looked at her with her ears slightly flattened. "He's not really early, not like you were. Due dates are best estimates and a few days before that isn't really that big a deal. You were months early, not days."

"But you look worried," Jessie said in a low voice.

Grandmare Nocte took a deep breath and a lot of her twitching stopped. "I'm a little anxious, that's true. I wasn't there for your birth and I always felt bad for not being there to help. After everything that went on with your birth and not having helped I can't help but feel that she's depending on me, even though I know that's not true."

That perked her curiosity. Hearing a story might distract her. "Where were you back then?"

Grandmare Nocte looked out a window. "I was a prosecutor at the time. That's what I used to do for a living; I was a lawyer. It was a critical part of the case and I couldn't take time off to go to your mom and help. You showed up so early there was no way to make plans to do so. I just couldn't drop what was going on with the trial though--I had duties and obligations. I was even working through a very bad case of flu."

"ETS?"

The night pony nodded. "Yes, though no one really knew it was more than just the flu until reports really started springing up all over the internet from what was going on out west. I had it in my head that I couldn't just drop everything and come down to help. I likely would have spread ETS to your parents if I had, and you'd have pony parents right now."

There was a sound of regret in her grandmare's voice. Why was everyone so concerned about that? Her parents being human was perfectly fine. She knew her grandmare felt even stronger about it than her mom did so she didn't say anything about it.

Her grandmare turned back to her. "You know, Jessica, your mom is always so concerned about how to get you more social. We all want to see you have more friends and enjoy life more. I don't think you're as socially inept as everyone makes you out to be, though. You pick up on others' emotions; and display care, empathy, and love. What you lack is an appreciation of what life gives beyond academics."

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked in confusion.

"You can make friends, but you don't understand friends and family are as important as your math--maybe more important. I don't want you to be like I was and make those kinds of mistakes," her grandmare replied. "I could introduce you to some more foals you could be good friends with."

That was something she couldn't agree with. Phobia Remedy said her equations were going to help save the world. That was way more important than her going out and reading with Jordan or stealing cookies with the demons. There was no way saving that the lives of everyone on the planet was less important than her playing. She wasn't sure she wanted to be introduced to any foals that her grandmare had in mind anyway after that talk about youth groups.

Her grandmare must have picked up on her reluctance and gave her a pat on the head with a hoof as she sighed. "Forget I mentioned introducing you to those foals, but please take to heart that no matter what what goes on with your friends and family is more important than whatever job you have might be. Whenever you get your cutie mark--which I'm betting is going to be some math or science-y thing--I hope you realize that's not what defines you; you're relationships with friends and family do."

Jessie looked out the window then. Friends and family were important, but they weren't as important as her math and nothing was going to convince her otherwise.

---

Tonya watched with as much detachment as she could muster as Roger wheeled the once again human Jean away in a wheelchair, and her ears twitched at the sound of the squeaking wheels. She had spent several agonizing minutes interviewing the poor woman after the spell had been brought to an end. She couldn't blame Jean for being unhappy with being returned to her human form. She had been given four hours of true freedom from parkinson's disease and was now forced to return to it again. Jean's brave front couldn't hide how despondent she truly was and Tonya didn't need to probe her with her powers to feel how upset she really was. Her heart went out to her.

Jean, like Megan before her now registered a weak PREQUES rating now. The crystal ponies had given her a rating of a quarter of a point. That wasn't much, but it was infinitely more than nothing. It was unlikely such a weak amount of magic would actually be useful for anything, but such magic had grown in rehumanized people before to the point they gained magical abilities with time. Melissa was a prime example of that.

Tonya didn't think she'd be able to find Jean's dreams tonight even if she tried to check up on the woman. Rosetta as a close family member would be the only one outside of the Dreamwardens who could possibly do it. The Dreamwardens would certainly be able to but they wouldn't give her any information on what they found.

Now it was time to deal with Amanda and Tom. She'd done all she could to dissuade them from going through with the spell like this, but they wouldn't budge on allowing mind magic being incorporated into the spell no matter how much she pleaded. Amanda seemed to take a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing this wasn't going to continue past tomorrow; she said that it was best that she and Tom just got this out of their system so they could properly move on with their lives. Tom had been silent on the issue, but had put up no protests to what his wife said. From what Tonya could tell Tom liked to take a backseat to strong females. Sunset might have actually been good for him, even though he certainly wasn't good for her.

Crystal Dreams pushed by as Tonya returned to the monitoring room, giving a quick apology and saying she was in a hurry. Almost everyone was still there; Sunset, Phobia, Rosetta, Wild Growth, and Tempest Shadow. Amanda and Tom were now in the testing room filling out the mounds of paperwork that needed to be completed before the test. This could have been done earlier, but Sunset insisted that such signings be withheld until the last minute in case any of the testing subjects developed second thoughts at the last minute. She didn't want paperwork filled out for nothing.

"You need to let them know that Paul is in route to the hospital and he's bringing Jordan and Jackie with him. Devon's just gone into labor," Rosetta instructed as Tonya was stepping over to Sunset. "Crystal is going to be watching our foals and Robby, but we didn't want to make the decision to have Jackie and Jordan left with her when Amanda and Dad don't really know her well."

"Couldn't Robby just watch them?" Sunset asked. "I know he's only thirteen, but he has an army of mares standing right outside the house guarding them."

Phobia chuckled. "We suggested the same thing, but Paul isn't too keen on leaving Robby near a swarm of night pony mares without an adult he trusts close at hoof."

Tonya felt a mild rush of euphoric excitement at hearing that her newest nephew was going to be likely be born today. She turned to Sunset and her wife sighed while rolling her eyes before nodding and gesturing for Tonya to follow her out into the hallway so they could go inform the couple in the other room that their foals were doing an impromptu visit to the hospital. It was doubtful they would call off the experiment for this, because they trusted Paul absolutely, but they still had a right to know about the sudden change in their fillies' whereabouts.

"Do you think they'll call this off with this news?" Sunset asked as they stepped out into the hallway.

Tonya shook her head. "They were pretty committed to it, and they trust my brother with their foals completely. They'll probably just want to visit the hospital to go see Devon after they are done here."

"Pity," Sunset muttered.

Tonya raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you having second thoughts? You could still call this off. You know my opinion on this."

Sunset hesitated for a moment then shook her head. "No, we're just going to limit it to forty-five minutes and be done with it for today. We can use the fact they will want to go see Devon as an excuse for the further limitations on the time. I'll admit, I've been thinking about it, but this must be done."

"It doesn't have to be, Sunset," Tonya whispered as she laid her ears flat.

Sunset raised her head high. "Yes, it does. This is for the future of our world. This is my legacy to future generations. When the government approves this we will have our avenue to slowly bring magic to every person on the planet over time. It won't even matter if they all choose to be ponies or not. Just doing the temporary transformation once gives them magic, and they will pass that on to future generations. Time and the needs of humanity will slowly ensure everyone will eventually carry that magic. We're going to heal the world and grant it the light of magic, as God intended."

Something about that struck Tonya as odd. "Wait...I thought the idea was people would see how good being a pony was and spread the word--that they'd slowly cease wanting these transformations to be temporary. The way you describe it moves away from Shimmerism."

Sunset shook her head. "The world becoming all ponies might be the more effective for reaching the end goals of Shimmerism--in theory, but ultimately our goals are a society without scarcity or need--where all have magic. It was always an unrealistic pipe dream to expect that we could convince the whole world to become ponies permanently, but we can accomplish bringing magic to the humans. There is more than one route to our end goals. This isn't a betrayal of Shimmerism, but the evolution of it."

"But where do ponies fit into this new world?" Tonya asked with confusion about what she was hearing.

Sunset waved a hoof dismissively. "We aren't going anywhere. Our magic is developed and specialized already. It will take a long time for humans to catch up, and even then it is unlikely they will have all our specializations. We will all fit together in God's plan. There may even be some humans that do eventually permanently transform that will hasten the world's rebirth along. Everything will come together in the end."

Tonya sat trying to process all this. This was such a sudden change in what Sunset had always preached. Tonya herself didn't even know what to make of it all or if Sunset was right or wrong--or if some strange doppelganger had come and replaced her wife.

"Where is all this coming from Sunset?" She finally asked as she shook her head in confusion. "This isn't what we've always believed. You haven't even discussed this with me before now. I...I just don't know what to think right now. I almost want to ask who are you and what have you done with my wife?"

Sunset gave her a sympathetic look and touched a hoof gently to the side of Tonya's face. "It finally came completely to me today, but it has been a slowly growing thought since the first days of rehumanization. When Megan came out of her transformation with magic, and then we saw the same thing happen today with Jean, God opened my eyes to the truth."

"How many times must God open your eyes to the truth?" Tonya asked, still in disbelief of all this.

Sunset smiled as she looked upwards. “Revelation is ongoing, we learn things when we’re ready to. None of us were prepared after ETS to realize that his plan wasn’t for a world of only ponies, but to instead shepherd in a world of both humans and ponies using magic in a new Eden."

Tonya licked her lips nervously. This was definitely Sunset. Only Sunset could go so deeply into her zealotry for God's work. There would be no reasoning with her when she was like this. The scary thing was she wasn't entirely sure if Sunset was wrong. It was so easy to be caught up in what her wife was saying. Sunset saw herself as a prophet of God, and listening to her you could believe she was--Tonya already did to some extent. What Sunset said did seem like a natural progression of divine revelation, despite seeming the sudden change in course. This really needed time to sit and consider--away from her wife and her ability to catch everyone up in her vision of a better world.

She looked around the hall, there had been soldiers who had walked by during all that. How many of them had heard that? She had no doubt some had, and it was going to be reported on to the government. They might think it some ploy on Sunset's behalf, but it would intrigue a lot of people. There had been those that dreamed of the prospect of human magic since the early days after ETS. Sunset had to know that what she said was going to reported, and that it would help curry favor with those factions. Tonya's wife was no liar; if she said this she meant it, but her timing and placement of when she revealed it was likely no accident.

"We'll discuss it more later, but for right now let's get to Amanda and Tom before the mages start working," Tonya said hurriedly as she started back towards the testing room. Sunset nodded and followed along.

As they entered into the testing room it looked like the couple who were subjects for today's test were on their last few sheets of paperwork. Amanda glanced up at them and grimaced. "Ma mouff is zarting to go mum from all thiz watting," the earth pony mumbled around the pen in her mouth. They weren't allowed to have their Pony Straps on in here so that made writing more cumbersome.

"Set the pen down for a moment, we can finish the paperwork in a minute," Sunset instructed. Amanda gratefully complied then sat working her jaw for a moment like it had a cramp.

"Is there something else to go over before we start?" Tom asked as he lowered his own pen with his magic.

Tonya shook her head. "Just passing some information on as a courtesy. Devon just went into labor. Paul had to go to the hospital right away and didn't see much choice but to bring Jackie and Jordan along with him. We figured you'd want to know."

Amanda squealed with excitement as she hugged Tom tightly. "Oh, that's exciting to hear! Of course we understand him bringing the fillies' with him. They're going to be bored, but they at least will have Jessie to keep them company while they wait."

"We're going to cut the time of this experiment down so you can head out sooner," Sunset cut in. "We're doing just forty-five minutes then ending the spell."

"That's not much of anything," Tom replied with narrowed eyes.

Sunset looked her ex-husband in the eyes. "It's enough to get the data we need for today. I have my reservations about this version of the spell being used at all--unless you're willing to reconsider."

Amanda held up a hoof. "We aren't changing our minds about that, forty-five minutes will be fine. I am confused about why you would want to change our minds anyway. It seems out of character that you'd be trying to mind magic us into being more comfortable in human bodies than we'd normally be on our own."

Sunset raised an eyebrow at the pink earth pony. "Is it so hard to believe I don't want to see you hurt by this? I admit, I'm not perfect and would personally find being human again repulsive, but that's just me. There's no need to make you uncomfortable if there's a way not to."

"If we end up being uncomfortable at least we know it comes from us and not what you put in our heads," Amanda said in tone that had a hint of steel to it. "We're doing it this way."

"As you wish," Sunset said with a sigh and a flick of her tail. "We'll leave you to finish signing the rest of these forms and will be back after the spell is done."

Tonya stepped back into the hallway with her wife. Sunset glanced back at the door unhappily. This was clearly weighing on her.

"Just tell them no, Sunset," Tonya pleaded again.

"It's happening," Sunset said with a tone of finality. "Our other subject will have to take the same spell as them tomorrow just to keep consistent in front of the Equestrians. They'll be reading the spell closely and we can't be showing multiple versions of it at the same test."

"That's endangering another person," Tonya protested will a stomp of her hooves. "Does this pony even know?"

Sunset looked her in the eyes. "Yes, yes I do."

Next Chapter: Chapter 10: Shadows and Unease Estimated time remaining: 14 Hours, 3 Minutes