//------------------------------//
// Chapter 47. Making My Way Home. 
// Story: Dust on the Wind 
// by Sparky Brony 
//------------------------------//

I'm woken by my wound, and the kicking of my little one. One hurts, one fills me with wonder. I shift around, nosing my wound, it's scabbed over pretty well, I guess. Do I want to worry about stitches? I inspect it for a long while, then decide to leave it alone. I was lucky, in more ways than one. A few inches one way, and it would have hit my outstretched wings, a few inches the other way, and the new life growing inside me would be dead. Hell, I could have died, the tough leather of the armor wouldn't stop a bullet. Perhaps I should ask Moon Shadow about a way to strengthen it to resist bullets. 

I shake my head, I need to worry about that life. My little one, I haven't even decided on a name for her yet. Mindy told me that the names for her foals came to her once she saw them. I'm waiting, but I don't have a clue at this time. I sigh and roll off the bed, wincing at the pain in my flank. My wings extend automatically and I hover off the floor. That's much better. I float to the door and out to the living room. It's very late at night apparently, and Fiddlesticks is asleep on her couch. I feel a pang of guilt, I put this very nice mare out of her own bed. I alight in front of her. Nuzzling her a bit, she moans in her sleep.

"Fiddlesticks, you can take your bed back." I whisper.

Her eyes open, and she smiles at me, "Oh, hun, your awake."

I smile back, her smile is almost as infectious as Mindy's, "Yes, and thank you so much, and I'm so sorry that I put you out of your own bed."

She yawns sleepily, "Oh, Dust, it's not a problem. No apologies necessary. I made a call before I turned in, you have a flight to Billings, Montana leaving at ten in the morning."

My ears fall, "Oh, you didn't need to do that."

She grins at me, "Oh, but I did. You were going to be stubborn about it, and I'm insisting. You fly home, and not on your own wings."

"I'll pay you back for the ticket, a ticket with no advance purchase..." I look at the email confirmation on the table, "And Business Elite, that's not cheap." I then look at the price of the ticket on the confirmation, holy shit. "You didn't need to do that."

"Mayor Mare has offered us money, she says helping all the ponies is a pleasure. I declined, I'm not hurting for money, Dust."

I turn and look at her, "I'm going to pay you back."

She rolls off the couch, she comes over and hugs me, "Dust, you truly want to repay me? Fine. You take it easy and have that foal, and have her be strong and healthy, and I'll consider that payment enough."

"No." I look down, "Well, I will be doing that, we have a lot to do since the portal is opening soon, but I promise, no more adventures, but I want to pay you back."

She looks firm, "No, Dust. You write me a check, I'll burn it. You give me cash, I'll throw it out the window. Damn it Dust. Can you take anypony else being generous to you?"

I look down, is my pride taking over? After a long time I finally speak again, "Thank you, Fiddlesticks."

Her smile is like the sun coming over the horizon, "Now, that's Dust. Why not snooze for a while before you have to go to the airport, I'll have a friend drive you. But I don't want you getting any altitude on your wings for a while. You are recovering from a serious injury."

"You think it will scar?"

She chuckles, "I could virtually guarantee it, it missed your cutie mark by a hair. But you will have a fine scar after all of this."

I chuckle myself, "You are always welcome at my home. Come and visit anytime."

She smiles and nuzzles me as she leads me back to the bedroom, once I see the bed, "Oh, no, you sleep on your own bed."

She uses her head to knock me onto the bed, "Dust, we just talked about this, accept generosity when it's offered, and get some more rest."

I lay my head down on the bed, it's queen sized, and I'm not big, "Fine, but only if you hold me."

She chuckles and climbs onto the bed, "You miss your herd?"

I nod, tears shining in the corners of my eyes, she gathers me up and holds me. "Thank you Fiddlesticks, you are a godsend."

I hear her sigh, "You are very welcome, Lightning Dust."

Earth ponies are strong, but they are very gentle. I fall asleep in her embrace very quickly.

***

Waking up was a very pleasant prospect with the yellow earth pony holding me. Sometimes it is nice to be held once in a while. I nuzzle her as I see that the sun has risen.

"Morning Fiddlesticks."

She yawns and stretches, "Well, good morning, Lightning Dust. Did you sleep well?"

I nod as I head to the bathroom, and in minutes we are in the kitchen, I try to start making breakfast but am quite firmly told to sit down and let her make the food. I sit down, thoroughly cowed and she whistles as she works, and in a matter of minutes, I'm enjoying a stack of waffles with syrup. 

"You don't let anyone steamroll you at all, do you?"

She chuckles as she digs in herself, "I'm a member of the Apple family, Lightning Dust. What do you think?"

I smile, "A lot of strong personalities in that family, am I right?"

She nods, "Granny Smith is one of the most forceful personalities I've ever met. She is just as kindly as she was in the show, but she got her way, no matter what." She chuckles, "The Apples, we are a very big family, I've had to adapt."

I take a bite, "So, how did you end up in charge of the ponies here?"

She look down, her ears folding flat, "I was among the first to change, I turned on the third of May, so I remember that Discord was making ponies disappear.  It was pandemonium in Equestria." Tears start to form in her eyes, "There were witnesses to the attack that took Rainbow Dash, you, and many of the other Wonderbolts. Some of the guard tried to resist him, they fought near my home."

The tears start to flow, "Discord took them, every single one of them, with that bright white flash. I watched it, but before he flashed away, he smiled at me and said that I was on his list, that I couldn't go anywhere to avoid him."

"How long after that did he get you?"

She moans a little, and she shudders, I move close and fold a wing over her withers, she takes a deep breath, "It was about a day later. He popped up at my home, he didn't even say anything, he simply hit me with his spell, I heard his five score chant as I screamed. I know it happened in a matter of seconds, but it felt like hours."

I shudder myself, time did stretch out while his spell was taking effect. I wouldn't call it painful, but feeling that dissolution was horrible.

She looks sad for a long while, then brightens, "Then I ended up in Hawaii, and I'm happy here. I have quite a few family members here. And I'm staying, at least for the foreseeable future."

I smile, "Well, you are always welcome to visit Montana and New Beginnings."

She smiles, then her eyes dart to the side, "Oh crap, Dust. You'll miss your plane."

I look at the wall clock, "How far to the airport?"

"It's about a twenty-five minute drive, but you can't drive, I'll get someone to drive you."

"Oh, it's okay, I'll fly there."

She stops in her tracks and looks at me, "Do you remember what I said, Dust?"

I nod, "But surely you don't mean..."

Her face turns dour, "Dust, when I said no flying, I meant it, you hovering around is okay, because you'll do that no matter what I say, but you promised, right? And you don't break promises, right?" She wiggles her eyebrows as she says the last. 

Message received, "Okay, Fiddlesticks."

"Dust, I'll make a quick phone call, and we'll get going."

A few minutes later there is a knock on the door, I get up, though that doesn't sound like a hoof, my ears fall as the door opens and one of the largest humans I've ever seen comes in the door. He looks at me, and smiles. Visions of pain run through my head as I charge a wing. I see Saul, I see the mercenaries, I see the all the humans that have hurt ponies, that have hurt me. My wing flashes forward, and I let loose a bolt as Fiddlesticks bowls into me. She's shouting in my face, I can't understand what she's saying, I'm sobbing too much.

After a long time, "What the hell were you thinking, Lightning Dust?"

I look at her, "Huh?"

"That is my brother, Lightning Dust, he's going to drive you to the airport."

I look at the human, he's wearing a pony shirt, it's Rainbow Dash, and says this shirt is now 20% cooler. I look at him again, he has a big smile on his face, though it looks strained. There is a jagged burn on the wall next to him, and right now he's pale as a ghost.

I look over at Fiddlesticks, "Oh, no."

She hugs me, I tremble in her embrace, "I'm so sorry!" I wail.

She finally pulls away and smiles at me, "I think I should have warned you, my brother is here. He was a brony when the show first came out, he's almost forty now. He's told me he wishes that a cutie mark appeared on his hip, and not mine, but he wouldn't hurt a pony for any reason." She looks at him and back at me, "I'm sorry Dust, I should have warned you."

He steps forward, "I'm sorry for scaring you, I'm Alan." He extends a hand, which I tentatively shake, though I have trouble suppressing a shudder. I get another look at him, he's almost seven feet of muscle, he has to duck through doorways. I don't think there is an ounce of fat on him. I think he could give Irony a run for her money in strength.

Fiddlesticks comes up and hoofs him in the side, "My big brother, he's big, but he's harmless. He wouldn't hurt a fly." She trots to a bookshelf and brings back a photo, showing two humans, "This was taken about a month before I changed into a pony." 

The photo shows the huge man, Alan, he's holding what I assume is his sister, she's tiny compared to him, I have to laugh. 

She laughs as well, "We were always an odd pairing, he was seven foot and nearly three hundred pounds, and I was just over four foot, and ninety two pounds. He was thirty seven when I changed, and I was twenty five, so there is a twelve year difference there."

He speaks up, his deep bass voice resonating, "Nice to meet you, Lightning Dust, I was a big fan of you. I do have a Lightning Dust T-shirt, but I didn't think you would want me to wear it."

I walk up to him, then take to my wings to get up head level with him, "I'm sorry, Alan. I've got a really sour taste when it comes to humans, and I saw you, and I freaked. I'm so sorry."

He reaches forward and grabs me, and pulls me to his chest, I reflexively wrap my hooves around him. I feel warm and comforted by his hug.

"Now, don't you be getting any ideas about my brother, Dust."

I look at her in confusion, then I notice my wings, once again, I'm popping a pinion, but over a human stallion. What. The. Fuck? He lets me go and I land lightly on my hooves, my face glowing.

"I'm sorry, Fiddlesticks."

He looks at his sister and at me in confusion, "What?"

The yellow mare comes up and bats my stiffened wing with a hoof. "Alan, the fandom is right about pegasi and wingboners."

My blush redoubles, and he blushes as well.

I look at Fiddlesticks, "I won't jump his bones on the way to the airport. I do have a herd to think about."

She looks at her brother critically, then at me, "Maybe I should buy a second ticket, have him join you. He has talked about visiting the main land."

I look at him, he holds his hands up in front of himself, "Sis, you don't need to do that."

She smiles, "Oh, you think you can tell me what to do, big brother?"

He shakes his head emphatically, "Of course not."

She smiles, "I thought not. Now I have to grab a phone. You guys get to the airport."

In minutes we are in his brand new Dodge Ram, he shifts it into drive and takes off.

"What do you think of my sister?"

"She's a member of the Apple Family, that's for certain."

He chuckles, "She was always very forceful as a human, as small as she was, she wrapped everyone around her fingers."

I think about the yellow mare, "So, do you think she's ordering another ticket for you?"

He looks thoughtful as he merges into traffic, "I think she is, she's always wanted to find me a girlfriend, she says I'm too shy to go about it myself."

I chuckle, "And she's thinking about a pony girlfriend for you, I guess."

He smiles, "No objection here." His face blooms in another blush.

I sit back in the seat, "Do you usually do what she wants?"

He chuckles, "Yes, I don't really want her mad at me, as a pony, as a human, Lauren was always a force to be reckoned with. I always said that whatever God wanted to give her when it comes to height and strength, she took and made it force of will. Tiny but mighty."

I look out at the buildings as we pass them, "I've known a few like that, as a human, and as a pony."

He surprises me with a subject change, "When are you due?"

I look down at my swollen belly, "April."

"What are you having?"

"A pegasus filly."

"That is amazing."

I smile, "Not really, over fifty percent of the mares back at home are with child, and every mare but Mindy in my herd is pregnant as well."

He looks at me oddly, "We have five pony mares and a human woman, as well as two stallions."

"A large family."

I nod, "It's myself, Irony, Moon Shadow, Sunset Shimmer, and Mindy, as well as Helen, who was my wife before the change. And the stallions are Ray Stevens, and Star Shine."

"Ray Stevens?"

"Yes, he's a unicorn."

He cocks his head to the side, "A very human name for a unicorn based on MLP."

I smile as I remember, "He visited Equestria, and he was with Irony, who has her own unique magic, on the way back through the portal, which prevented him from changing back into a human, and he decided to stay that way for now. Moon Shadow's foals are his, Star Shine is the sire for my filly."

"What a family."

I nod, looking out the window, "A wonderful family, I miss them."

"You said Sunset Shimmer, as in the one from the movies?"

I nod.

"Wow, I never thought Sunset would herd with anypony, she seemed too independent."

I smile, "She was originally planning on going through the portal and was going to come back a human, then continue her life. But she changed her mind."

"May I ask why she did?"

I lean back, remembering, "She said that she felt how our family was strong, and that she wanted to join our strength, and she wanted to teach my daughter magic."

I hear a gasp from the human, "Your daughter, so I'm assuming she's human, but magic?"

"Yes, my human daughter, Hannah. She was ten when all this started, and she gained magic. My daughter would probably be classified at level four or five, she's really strong. I'm so proud of her."

That prompted questions how a twenty five year old man can have a fifteen year old son and ten year old daughter, so I had to let him know about my fight with Discord, and the fact that I was older than most when it comes to being a human before I became myself as a pony. This lasts until we pull into the airport.

Once again, everything goes quiet the moment I step into the airport. I pause at the doorway, hundreds of human faces turned towards me. I lean up against Alan as he leads me to the ticket counter. 

He sets down my confirmation sheet and informs the ticket agent about my flight, she looks over the counter at me severely, "Animals need to travel in crates."

Before I can say a word, he growls at the ticket agent, "Lightning Dust is as smart as you are I. She's no animal."

I quickly produce my Montana ID card, since I gave up my driver's license since it's kind of hard to drive as a pony, and I prefer my wings anyway. I slide the plastic card up on the counter, silencing both of them.

"I would like to take my flight, please." I say quietly. She looks at me in shock.

She gets to work on her computer, and in moments she hands over my ticket. Alan's phone chimes, he looks at it, then heaves a great big sigh, "And a ticket for me has been purchased as well."

In moments we are through security and waiting for our plane. There are hundreds of humans who have stopped what they are doing and looking at me. I feel suddenly exposed. I lean up against Alan. He puts a massive hand on my withers. Then glares at the humans. And apparently having a seven foot tall, muscle bound human glare at them tends to have people on their best behavior. We continue chatting during the wait. Finally our flight is called, I walk up to the ticket agent and he looks at me for a long time before he takes the ticket from my mouth. I know how to pick things up in my mouth with it ending up covered in saliva. He looks at the ticket in wonder, then scans it, and the computer beeps. I smile as I head down the jetway, the Boeing 747 -400 is a massive widebody jet. Alan and I head up the stairs and get comfortable in the seats, 77A and K. So, we are right across from each other. I get comfortable, and look over at Alan, he's looking around the well appointed Delta Airlines flight. 

"Fly much?" I ask cheekily.

He looks at me shyly, "Not very often, never been in a plane this big."

I have to admit that this plane is huge, I haven't been on one of these before. My flying as a human was always in the narrow bodies, this is fun. I grin as I look around.

A steward comes up, "Champagne, uhhh."

I giggle, "It's Dust, and yes, I'm a pony." I flex my wings, "A pegasus pony to be exact."

He looks at me a long time, "So," He coughs, "Uh, Dust, would you like some champagne?"

I giggle again, "No, I'll take orange juice."

He moves on to the next passenger, though every passenger's eyes are glued on me. I wilt more and more in my seat. Alan's face starts to get red as he looks at all the passengers looking at me. Apparently he finally has enough, he stands up and walks to the front of the section, right behind the door to the cockpit. 

"Look at you all," His bass voice rings out, "I'm ashamed of you!" He looks at all the humans in the section, even the steward has stopped what he was doing and is staring. "Ponies have been around for over two years. Surely you know about them, the rumors, the videos you've seen of ponies moving clouds around. You certainly know that  Los Angeles no longer has a smog problem, and in fact has had the best weather that anyone has seen in years." He walks over to me, he touches my wing gently, "Well, now you know why, pegasus ponies like Lightning Dust here have been taking care of the weather. They have been helping humanity all over. The good weather in Denver is due to pegasus ponies, and in case you didn't know, the nearly thirty percent jump in food production in this nation are entirely due to ponies. They control the weather around them, they have to. The earth ponies are driven to grow food, they have helped farmers all over the nation."

He walks up and down the aisle, "Ponies are everywhere, and yes, some are leaving forever. But not all of them, not even a majority, they want to stay in the home they've known for the last quarter century. You should be happy they have decided to stay, they are a boon for us. Humanity can learn a lot from these ponies." He stops and looks at me with a big smile. "The ponies I know, like Dust here, are friendly, intelligent, and are actually great to have as friends. My sister turned into a pony, I know a lot of ponies. And there are a lot of ponies in the US. Just treat them as you would any human, and they will do the same."

A lot of human faces around me are looking thoughtful, looking at the massive man talking to them. Alan finally gets quieter, "I love my sister, it doesn't matter that she turned into a four foot tall quadruped, she's still my sister. And the other ponies, I have a lot of affection for all of them, and that's independent of that TV show."

He finally sits down as the steward shakes his head, coming back to himself. The pilot makes his pre-flight announcement, but I do keep looking around, no longer are all faces glued to me. Acceptance, that's all that I want.
The steward finally brings me orange juice in a champagne glass. I smile at him as he helps me with my seat belt. I can feel the engines spooling up, I gulp a little and swallow my apprehension, I'm severely claustrophobic, but I can make it through this flight. I look over at Alan, and he seems to understand my trepidation, he smiles at me, and reaches a hand across the aisle to touch my withers. I nuzzle his hand, there is one human outside of my family that doesn't consider me an oddity.