Author's Note

Here's a rather special chapter for you all, Set during a few months before the Reignite actually starts, and just after the end of Reignite: Downfall. If you want see more chapters like this let me know in the comments.

Special Chapter: For What It's Worth.

Samantha Rio just sat there impatiently, giving Samuel a quizzical look as he paced back and forth in the room of his office. The look of worry was clearly etched upon his features, which to those who knew him personally was clearly a bad sign.

“How is she taking it?” Samantha asked.

“Bad…” He answered simply, “She’s barely spoken a word since she changed, and she’s frightened beyond all belief.” Samuel sat down upon the nearby chair in his office. “She’s afraid someone will take her away as if she was some sort of lab experiment, not to mention all those jeers and insults from the more…idiotic members of staff.”

“I know…ever since this all began there’s just been more and more people being transformed into these…ponies, was it?” Samantha replied, “I can assure you they’re just as frightened as Antonia is now.” Samuel sighed,

“It’s only been a few days since Antonia’s transformation, and it’s been less than a month since these transformations began in the first place.” Samuel explained, “You’ve seen it on the news, about what happened to some of the earliest cases…” Samantha shivered at the memory.

She recalled the 10 o’clock news showing an extremely graphic image of one unfortunate soul beaten within an inch of their life and left to bleed out and die tied up in that monsters basement. By the time the authorities had found her, she was already dead…

“Yes I remember…” Samantha answered, “I heard they had found the one responsible a few days later…” Samuel raised a curious brow.

“What happened to him?” He asked.

“He was found beaten to a bloody pulp, even worse than what that monster did to that pony. He was screaming, begging to make the memories stop.” Samantha shivered, “I read the psychological report, it was like someone had made sure he was constantly living out his worst memories.”

“What kind of person could that sort of damage to someone?” Samuel briefly wondered, “But anyway what am I going to do with Antonia?”

“Just…be there for her Samuel.” Samantha advised, “She needs you know more than ever…”

Antonia trotted back and forth in the living room of her home, she was nervous as she had been for the past few days, As much as she wanted Samuel to be with her right now, and as much as he wanted to stay with his wife. They both knew that as doctors they couldn’t abandon their responsibilities to their patients.

Over the past few days Samuel had expressed his frustrations over these changes, and he has been personally been trying to find out the cause of it all but with little to no luck.

One of the biggest trials Antonia had to face was relearning to walk, and adjusting herself for the more personal parts of her everyday life. Although Samuel had never said anything, but she had clearly heard about the some of the names Samuel had been called behind his back by some of the others they worked with.

It’s only been a few days since her transformation, she had been complaining of headaches a couple of days before but she put that down to the stressful nature of her work. Antonia figured that she was one of the more fortunate ones with her change happening as she slept rather than some of the others she had heard about.

A few hours later Samuel had come home in the late evening hours, He was tired as he sat on the living room couch in an exhausted slouch; Antonia made her way to his side and cuddled into him for comfort, it was easy for her to forget she was now less than half the size of her husband in her current form.

“How was work honey?” She asked warmly hoping to ease his mind a bit.

“It was…an interesting experience dear.” He answered simply, “Interesting but stressful…there’s been over dozen new cases admitted and we’re no closer to even understanding what’s causing all this.”

Antonia could give a very good guess of what Samuel thought of the situation, it was frustrating him plain and simple. She knew Samuel didn’t like it when he couldn’t do anything to help; it was one of the main driving motivations of why he became a doctor in the first place...and admittedly was one of the main reasons why she loved him so much.

Right now Samuel just wanted a moment to relax with his wife after another long hectic day. Although she hid it well Samuel could tell that she was still uneasy and scared of what might happen to her. A flash of some of the slurs some of his work colleges had muttered behind his back made themselves known in the back of his mind. He frowned but paid it no mind, at the end of the day Antonia was still his wife and was the same person she always was pony or not.

“Are you okay dear?” Antonia asked concerned.

“O-oh I’m fine honey.” He said quickly, “I spoke with Samantha today…She’s helping me look into what is causing all these changes…”

“I know you’re doing all you can…” Antonia replied, “You know how I worry sometimes.”

“I know…I know…” He said reassuringly, remembering what Samantha had told him, “We’ll get through this somehow.”