//------------------------------//
// The Beginning Part 1 
// Story: Such Is Life 
// by EpicSmiley13 
//------------------------------//

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna gazed at the mirror steadily. It was a large item, reaching from the bottom of the floor all the way to the ceiling, taking up about half the wall. It did not reflect the room, however; instead, it showed a young woman reading a scroll. The image flashed to the same woman talking to a young girl. They were in a bedroom, straightening out a bed sheet. The girl laughed at something the woman said, and a smile grew on the woman’s face. The image changed again, this time showing the same woman standing in front of a tall man dressed in black. He nodded his head, bowed slightly, and departed the scene from a door behind him. The image faded to the reflection a mirror would normally give.
“Are you certain this is the best course of action, sister?” Luna asked. Celestia glanced at her younger sister.
“I have observed this young woman for quite a while,” she said. “I am confident in her abilities. What better way, after all, to learn about a new world than see it in person?” 
“It is not you that is going, Tia,” Luna turned to her sister. “You are sending the Elements of Harmony into this unknown world…”
“I find it interesting, Luna,” Celestia said. “That we know nothing of this world, and yet they know of ours. I have seen it. The woman I have watched appears to be an avid fan of our tales…” she turned to look her sister dead in the eyes. “I have faith in both her and the Elements. I am certain they will succeed in their tasks.” Luna looked a tad uncertain for a moment, but nodded.
“Your Majesties,” the voice of her guard, Swift Shield, called behind her. The stallion bowed to her and said in his low voice:
“The Element Bearers and company have arrived.”
“Thank you,” said the sun goddess. “Please send them in.”
The guard bowed once more and exited the room. Ten other beings entered it. Twilight Sparkle and the other five Elements of Harmony, three fillies that are more commonly known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and a purple and green baby dragon all walked up to the princesses.
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight briefly nuzzled her mentor. Celestia smiled at the young mare she’d taken as her student.
“It is good to see you all,” she said happily. “I trust you are all prepared for your journey?”
“We are, Princess,” Applejack said.
“Though I must admit that a whole year in a new world seems like quite a long trip,” Rarity added.
“Rest assured, you will all be safe and cared for during your stay. However, I would like to test you on a few of the things I told you about this world. The species you will be changing into is…”
“Humans, Your Majesty,” Twilight answered.
“Good. Humans do not have hooves, they have-
“Ooh! Hands and feet! Hands and feet!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing up and down.
“Yes. Because humans have no fur, they mostly…”
“Wear clothes at all times!” Rarity responded, waving her hoof.
“Excellent. Now, the final question. What is the name of the human you are staying with?”
“Oh, I know!” Pinkie Pie jumped up. “It’s Ivy, right? I remembered that part the best because if we’re gonna live with her then we’ll become friends and you can’t have a friend and forget their name, so I-
“We get it, Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash shoved a hoof into Pinkie Pie’s mouth. “Alright, Princess, we’re ready!”
“I can’t WAIT to see this new world!” Scootaloo cheered. “It’s gonna be great, I just know it!”
“Do you think they have karaoke there?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Ah bet they’ve got more games than we could ever think of!” Apple Bloom said excitedly.
“They’ve probably got BILLIONS of gems! And ice cream…” Spike said, off in his own little fantasy.
“Well then, everypony, please stand in front of the mirror.” Princess Celestia gestured to the large mirror on the wall. The ten friends stepped toward it, sharing looks of excitement and anticipation. Celestia looked at her sister, whose expression clearly said, ‘Are you sure about this?’
Celestia nodded, and Princess Luna gave a small smile. The two goddesses closed their eyes. Their horns became enveloped in their gold and blue auras respectively, and the mirror began to glow brightly. Then ten ponies – and dragon – standing in front of it were gently lifted to its surface. Twilight Sparkle was the first to touch it. It was cool and soft, like being submerged in a gentle stream. Once she was fully inside, she began to change.
It wasn’t a painful feeling, but it wasn’t altogether pleasant. Warmth spread through her body, and a tingly feeling followed it, like the feeling you get in your limbs when they have fallen asleep. She felt her legs stretch outward, her bones realigning, and her hooves separating into smaller appendages. She felt her face’s features soften, her fur coat receding and making room for skin. She could feel her horn shortening, until it was gone. This feeling upset her a bit, but she could still feel magic, pulsing gently as it left her head and took refuge somewhere else in her new body. Then, finally, it was over.
Twilight had the disorienting sensation of being plunged downward, stationary but still tumbling, like when one falls within a dream. The feeling abruptly ended as colors swirled about her, slowly forming shapes and patterns. When everything finally cleared, Twilight Sparkle was standing on two legs on a grassy lawn. She gazed at herself in awe, taking the time to flex the new appendages at the ends of her light brown arms. As she had studied all she could about human anatomy, she quickly identified them as hands. The fingers had hard tops, the nails. They were neatly painted powder purple. She noticed that she was wearing a short-sleeved lavender dress with a polo-like top and a pleated hem. Her cutie mark, she could see, was stitched on the top left like a crest. Upon looking down, she noticed that her new feet were covered with plain white socks up to her knees and mauve shoes. It was strange how naturally everything seemed on her.
“Whoa…” Twilight looked up. She was greeted with the sight of a male human boy, a good deal smaller than her. His hair was green and raised up in the middle. He wore a purple drawstring hoodie and dark green shorts with large pockets. His shoes were green and white, with a black check mark on the sides. His socks came only to his ankles, allowing the pale skin on his legs to show.
“Spike, this is amazing!” the young woman squealed. A groan to her left alerted her to her other friends:
Rainbow Dash wore a sky blue zip-up hoodie with short sleeves and her cutie mark on the back. She had black spandex capris, and the light tan skin extending to her shoes showed that she wore either no-show socks or none at all. Her shoes were red and white high tops. The former Pegasus was currently complaining about how her wings were gone.
Pinkie Pie wore a hot pink t-shirt with a cute cartoony cupcake on the front and her cutie mark on the left shoulder. She also had a bright magenta tutu skirt and over-knee socks that were white with yellow stripes. Her shoes were like Rainbow’s, but they were light blue. She was already hopping around excitedly, taking in her surroundings.
Rarity had on a lovely white dress with spaghetti straps and a scallop hem. Her cutie mark was set with shimmering gems all around the waistline of the dress. Her pale skin was complimented by the dark tone of her stockings and black heels. The designer was fretting over her missing horn, but the mourning quickly turned to awe as she took in her new outfit.
Applejack, meanwhile, was marveling at her new form rather than her outfit. The cowgirl wore an orange t-shirt with her cutie mark on the front. She had slim blue jeans that fit into her tan cowboy boots. Thankfully, she had kept her Stetson hat on throughout the transformation. Applejack was shakily taking to her feet, trying to walk around.
Fluttershy was still on the ground, in a kneeling position. Her wings were gone as well, but she didn’t seem too concerned. She was looking around the new world in wonder. The shy girl had a canary yellow turtleneck sweater with her cutie mark on the chest and a baby pink skirt that came to her knees. Her feet were covered by pink flats, and no socks covered her sand-colored skin. Applejack came over to her and helped her up.
“This is SO AWESOME!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, jumping over to Twilight. She shoved her hands into the girl’s face. “I have hands! I HAVE HANDS!”
“Pinkie, calm down!” Twilight said. “There are houses here; don’t make such a scene.” Indeed, it appeared that they had landed on the lawn of someone’s home; a house stood not far off. Twilight could see several other houses in the distance down the paved road.
“Aw man, this stinks,” Rainbow pouted. “My wings are gone!”
“So is my horn!” Rarity wailed, holding her hands to her head. “This is awful! Although I must say that this dress, while simple, is simply smashing…”
“I don’t think our magic is gone for good, Rarity,” Twilight said. “I could feel-
“Hold on a second. Where are the girls?” Applejack interrupted, looking around the area. “Apple Bloom?”
“Sweetie Belle? Girls, can you hear us?” Rarity called. Within moments, three young girls came crashing into the yard from the right. There were trees there; this house seemed to be the last one on the street before forest took over. The first girl was obviously Apple Bloom, with her apple red hair and pink bow. She was wearing a yellow and white t-shirt and blue jeans. She had simple black and white shoes.
Scootaloo came next. She had tan skin, which was complimented nicely by her orange hoodie and tan cargo pants. Her shoes were like Spike’s, but were orange with a black stripe. Finally, Sweetie Belle came up. She wore a powder purple shirt with a microphone on it. Over top of it she wore a white cable knit cardigan. She also had a simple white skirt over sheer pink tights, and white ballet flats.
“Wooow,” she gasped, taking in the women’s new forms. “We’re all humans!”
“This is SO cool!” Scootaloo laughed. She and Spike began to compare shoes while Apple Bloom looked around the world.
“Hey, look!” the girl said, pointing at the sky. “Somethin’s happening!”
Sure enough, a prismatic swirl was forming in the sky. As it grew larger, the portal glowed, and several things fell from it. Bags of different colors dropped in front of their new owners: Twilight got an indigo one, Spike got a green one, Sweetie Belle got a pink and purple patterned one, etc. Then, a sunset purple notepad, a sparkling pen, and a matchbox drifted down to Twilight. Finally, five necklaces and a tiara glided to their respective owners.
“I didn’t know the princess was sending the Elements of Harmony,” Rarity said, holding her necklace delicately.
“Perhaps she’s sending them in case there’s an emergency,” Twilight said. “But what are these for?” She picked up the notepad, pen, and matchbox. Opening to the first page, she read the note out loud.
Dear Twilight Sparkle and Friends,
This is a special journal in which I would like you to record your journey in. The matches are fused with the same magic as Spike’s dragon flame, and they will only ignite the pages. Setting the pages aflame after you write down each day’s events will send them to me. This, as far as I know, is the only way we shall be able to communicate. I have also sent you the Elements of Harmony, though at the moment they are just a precautionary measure. I look forward to hearing about your adventures.
Yours,
Princess Celestia
“Wow…” Twilight leafed through the rest of the book. “There are more than enough pages for just a year! Then again, some days might be so full of events that we need more than one page…”
“Speakin’ of events, don’t you think we oughta get to the house now?” Applejack gestured to the rather large house that stood not too far off.
“I do. Is every…one ready?” Twilight caught herself; this would take a bit of getting used to.
After a simultaneous agreement from everyone, the group made their way to the ornate front door of the manor. Twilight wondered what this Ivy would be like; surely she must be important, to live in such a big house! She knew that she had a sister and an adopted daughter, so she must enjoy the company of others. With a deep breath, Twilight Sparkle knocked on the door of their new home.

~MLP~MLP~MLP~
	
“Mercury, everything looks fine. You’ve adjusted that pillow seven times already,” Annabell huffed, watching as the bluenette-haired girl moved a pillow back and forth on the living room couch. Mercury frowned, tilted her head, and then pushed the pillow around again.
“It’s gotta be perfect!” she said. “The ponies will be here any minute now!”
“You DO know that they’ll be coming as humans, right?”
“Still, what kinds of hosts would we be if we greeted our guests with an uneven living room?”
“Mercury, Damien and mom cleaned this place from head to toe. Sean has trimmed every plant in the garden. Damien is ALSO cooking enough food to last weeks, even with fifteen people. I think we’re ready.”
“…” the younger girl just stared at the pillow. “Do you think it should be closer to the left side or the right? The right side is closer to the kitchen, but the left is closer to the TV.”
Annabell facepalmed.
“Is everything okay in here?” Ivy came down the stairs. She hadn’t dressed too over the top, but she was wearing a pink off-shoulder top with sequins and dark blue jeans. Her dark brown hair was tied back in its usual ponytail. A hint of golden eye shadow was dusted over her eyelids, complimenting her cinnamon brown skin.
“Yep, just making a few last minute adjustments.”
“Great. I hope you remembered to-oh!” Ivy was cut off when the doorbell rang. “It’s them!”
“Eep!” Mercury looked around frantically, suddenly nervous. Annabell merely sat on the sofa and looked at the door expectantly as Ivy went to open it.
The first thing Ivy noticed was the hair of her guests. From watching the show, she could easily tell who was who. Twilight Sparkle stood before her, a small smile on her face. Ivy couldn’t help but think that the young woman was hiding even more excitement behind it.
“Hello,” Ivy started calmly, trying not to fangirl out. “You’re Twilight Sparkle, yes?”
“I am. And you are Ivy Walkerton?”
“I most certainly am. Come in, come in!” the young woman ushered them all into her home. She noticed Fluttershy hesitate a little bit before stepping into the house. The CMC and Spike, however, nearly bounded in. Ivy could barely keep in the fangirlish squeal; of all the people that she could host in her home, these had to be the best!
“Wow!” Pinkie Pie gasped. “Your house is manor-iffic!” The pink-haired girl marveled at all the décor around the entryway. It was indeed a splendid house. The entryway was spacious and ornate, with a crystal chandelier hanging high above it. It branched off five ways: far left to the small dining room; left to the kitchen; straight to the back door leading to the garden and the staircase going up; right to the basement stairs, two bedrooms, and a bathroom; and far right to the living room. The halls were of a plush tan carpet that changed to clean white tile in the kitchen. Speaking of the kitchen, everyone could smell a warm, inviting scent wafting out of it.
“Thank you,” Ivy smiled. “And may I just say that it really is an honor to meet you, let alone house you for an entire year.”
“The pleasure is ours, Miss Walkerton,” Twilight said. Ivy laughed a little.
“Please, call me Ivy.”
“Alright, Ivy.”
“Now, I have a few people I’d like you to meet,” Ivy continued. She ducked her head into the living room. “Girls, come out and meet our guests.”
Two younger human girls emerged from the living room. The first had light tan skin and chestnut brown hair to her shoulders. She was wearing a sunny yellow, puff-sleeved shirt and sky blue skinny jeans. The second girl had pale skin and black hair that could almost be dark blue in certain light. She wore a white shirt with rainbow paint splashes beneath a burgundy jacket and dark blue jeans. The younger girl, no older than the Cutie Mark Crusaders, was smiling shyly, gazing at the CMC in wonder. The three other girls didn’t seem to notice her stare.
“This is my sister Annabell,” Ivy gestured to the teenaged girl, “And this is my daughter Mercury.” The bluenette girl seemed to shrink a bit under the sudden gaze of the visitors.
“It’s so great to meet you,” Annabell smiled. She subtly nudged her adopted niece. “Mercury, say something,” she whispered to her. Mercury just smiled and waved. Within moments, her smile grew, and it got larger and larger until it looked like it would split her face.
“I can’t believe you’re here!” she said in delight. “I’ve always wanted to meet you! You guys are SO awesome, the way you save Equestria from all the bad guys, and have so many adventures, and can do magic and fly and meet dragons and manticores and hydras and…” she stopped for a breath. “You’re…so…cool…”
“Hehehe…it’s awesome we have so many fans in this world,” Rainbow Dash smirked. “You like hearing about our adventures, huh?”
“Yes!” Mercury’s eyes were shining. “I can’t get enough of them!”
“That’s very sweet of you, darling,” Rarity smiled at the girl, who was now bouncing from foot to foot. Rarity turned back to Ivy. “Our adventures…in your world, they are what you call a “television show”?”
“Yes. Even though its general audience is targeted toward children, people of all ages enjoy it.”
“Ooh!” Mercury interjected. “Can I give a tour? I wanna give them a tour of the house! Can I mom, pleeaase?”
“Ha, of course you can.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Mercury jumped over to the living room.
“Yay! Okay, this is the main living room. We all come here when we do big family stuff, like watch movies and have parties. That,” Mercury pointed to the flat-screen TV. “Is a television, more commonly called a TV. You can watch a bunch of things on it, from current news to cartoons to movies and even drama shows. We watch your show in here every Saturday!” she beamed, and the ten guests smiled a bit embarrassedly.
“Next is the kitchen,” the bluenette girl led the group through the archway to the kitchen. “And Mr. Damien – he’s our butler – is making dinner right now!” she gestured to the tall man working away at the stove. He turned around and smiled charmingly at the group.
“A warm welcome to you all,” he said in his calm voice. “I do hope you enjoy your stay. Dinner will be ready within the hour.”
“Thank you, Damien,” Ivy said. The man turned back to his cooking.
“Alright, here is the dining room,” Mercury continued the tour through a door that led to a living room with a table suited for about five. “This is the small one where, mom, Anna, and I eat. The big one,” she walked through another door to the larger dining room. The table here looked like it could seat about twenty people. “Is where Great Auntie Evelyn had dinner parties.”
“Did she throw a lot of parties?” Pinkie Pie asked. Mercury nodded.
“She sure did. They weren’t very fun, though,” Mercury frowned. “Great Aunt Evelyn was the president of a big company, and all the parties she threw were just a bunch of people sitting down and eating and…moving on,” she stopped after catching Ivy’s look. “Let’s go upstairs so you can pick out rooms!”
“Hey, what’s back there?” Scootaloo asked as they went past the back hallway.
“Oh, that leads to Mr. Sean and Mr. Damien’s rooms,” Mercury said. “And that stairway goes downstairs. We can go there last, ‘cause it’s the best part!” she winked.
“…Wow,” Twilight said as they all stared down the hallway. Several doors lined the hall, each of them either leading to a bedroom, a bathroom, or a storage closet. There were seven bedrooms and four bathrooms altogether on this floor. The rooms weren’t huge, but they were a decent size. Ivy and Mercury’s rooms were here, and the CMC, Spike, and Applejack chose rooms here as well. They soon came to another staircase leading upward, and Mercury happily led them to the third floor. This floor had six rooms and three bathrooms. Annabell’s room was up here, and Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all picked out rooms here.
“Your house really is huge,” Rainbow commented as they descended to the second floor.
“Thanks,” Ivy said. “Though I’ve seen glimpses of the outside of your house in the show, and I can’t help but marvel.”
“Thanks,” Rainbow smiled.
I haven't messed up even once, Ivy thought. I think...I think this is going to be alright.