//------------------------------// // The Leader // Story: Return to Wonderland // by Hazel_Hester777 //------------------------------// “So, this is it, then? I’m the last one standing” Brutalight mused to herself when she found that Fluttershout had just been calmed down. She and the others were already asleep in their beds. Yet she refused to shut her eyes and get some sleep. Too many things just ran on and on in her mind. And that wasn’t the sound of her two Hosts fighting over which gets more control than the other. Right then, she looked to her side to see that Lauren had appeared, sitting beside her. “What are you doing here? Came to mock me about how you managed to get to my friends?” Brutalight groaned. Lauren looked at her with confusion. Brutalight herself then got confused. She was expecting something like a motherly tone or trying to tuck her in, or asking if she had a nightmare. What she didn’t expect next was for Lauren to hug her outright. “What the?” The next thing she knew, Lauren carried her bridal style and started to run out of the room. All the while, Brutalight was so confused. What was with the sudden change of running and carrying her like a baby? This was surprising, and yet also a bit demeaning. Brutalight kept on yelling about trying to get Lauren to put her down and stop whatever she was doing, but it was no use. She better not be taking her somewhere to kill her. Finally, she was dragged up in the attic as Lauren took her up to the roof. “Fine! Do whatever you want! Whatever you’re planning is just gonna be lame! It’s not gonna change my mind!” She then shielded her eyes as she neared the opening of the attic with Lauren. Why were things so bright? When she opened her eyes, she gaped at what she saw. It was near sunrise, and the sun had begun to make its ascent to the sky. It peeked over the trees where the house was. The bright lights began to greet her. It had been so long since she ever saw daylight again. She was a Pony Freak, a creature of the night. She couldn’t even remember what it looked it anymore. The first few rays began to shine on her skin, warming it. She realized that she was very cold from the long nights of Hunting with her friends or going alone. She remembered about the time she last spoke anything about the sun.   “Come on in, hurry! We’ll be safe here!” Brutalight cried to her friends as they all fled from the Monster Hunters. They all jumped down into the portal Brutalight created, escaping from their enemies. “Is everyone okay?” she called to them. Everypony nodded, each double-checking for each other to make sure no one was left behind. Luckily, they all were present. Their bruises could be taken care of later now that they were in the safe base. “Are you okay, Brutalight?” Fluttershout asked, concerned for her Leader. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a scratch, you?” Fluttershout looked down at the wound on her hind leg. “A small cut, but I’ll be alright” “Get that treated nonetheless” “I can’t believe they would try to Hunt us all down!” Rarifruit whined. “Ad just because of how I wanted to go under the sun for a little tanning!” “None of us are going be in the sunlight ever again” Pinkis growled. “We’re slaves to the night. We were born under the moon; we will now stay linked to the moon. There’s nothing we can do but accept it” “Or atleast wait until that generation of Hunters dies. We’re immortal, but they aren’t. One day, they’ll die and we can be free to roam day again. Until then, we settle for scraps” Brutalight sighed as she looked up at the sky in their Base. It was windy and cold and it looked like they lived in the eye of a hurricane. Still, a Normal could not tolerate it, making it an ideal place for them to flee to. “Brutalight?” “Yes, Fluttershout?” The mare looked down a bit for a while. “Do you think one day, we’ll retake our place under the sun again?” Brutalight chucked at her friends’ question. She placed a hoof on her shoulder. “One day, we will. I promise”   Brutalight cried from that memory. Tears streamed at her face the first time in so many years. She remembered her old promise. She wanted to keep that. Lauren had just beaten her to it, and given her friends something else they lost: a Mother. Lauren seemed to notice how Brutalight suddenly began to tear up as she pat her gently on the back to soothe her. The mare just suddenly snapped out of her tears and snapped at her. “You freak! Why did you bring me here?!” she then looked down. “I don’t understand….Why are you being so nice to me? I just…I don’t understand…” Lauren pat her on the back. “Brutalight, I know of you and the others’ resentments toward me, but you must know that I didn’t mean for this to happen. Had I known it would, that someone would tear you out of the place you deserve in the sun, I would’ve done anything I can and stopped them. And, I know I can’t really undo what has been done, but I want to make up for lost time. Just please, give me a chance?” The Alicorn thought it over. She couldn’t be mad at her forever. She was even the one who made her in the first place. She sighed. “Okay fine, but on certain conditions” “Anything, you name it” “Visit us when you get the chance?” “Of course” “Can we keep the house?” “Yes, it’s officially yours now” “And lastly, give us an hour of going out in the sun each day?” Lauren chuckled before hugging her. “Who am I to stop you?” Brutalight smiled as she accepted Lauren as her original parent again. The others would be pleased to hear that they were free to love Lauren again as a parent.   Lauren and the mares were now watching Foal’s Play, the horror story of a doll named Charlie possessed by a serial killer. All were huddled against to Lauren to feel comfortable, not that they were at all afraid. It just popped on the screen and they all wanted to go see it. Lauren thought it would be violent for them, but seeing how they had seen much scarier things, she allowed it. They managed to find a way in which they would all be snuggling up next to Lauren. Rainbine was on the top of the couch, sitting beside Lauren’s head, also becoming a pillow. Pinkis was on the floor, her stomach on her Maker’s feet. Rarifruit was clinging onto Lauren’s right arm, while Applepills was on her left. Brutalight and Fluttershout had pillowed their heads on her lap. A little while later, everyone had fallen asleep in the middle of the movie, even Lauren. That was when she felt a bit of shaking on her shoulder, prompting her to wake up. She looked to the side without a sleeping Rainbine and saw Arctic Ace. “We’d like a word with you” he whispered, soft enough so as not to wake the Freaks. Lauren nodded and started to pry them off her gently. She had some work down, but atleast she got them all off her. She left a small note for them so that they would not be alarmed if they wake up and she was not there yet. She then quietly tiptoed out of the room with Arctic and talked out in the far hallway, where she also met with Shadow Thunder. “You wanted to see me?” she spoke. “Right, I wanted to tell you that Hazel is well enough for travel and she’ll be guiding us to find our friends tomorrow” “Oh, that’s good” she sighed in relief. “How’s your progress with the Freaks?” “They seem to be alright” Arctic answered for her. “When I went in, they were sleeping together on the couch while the credits of a movie were rolling. It was so cute!” “Good to hear” “Um, Shadow Thunder, Arctic Ace?” Lauren spoke out. “Yes?” they both answered at once. “Not that I’m offending or anything, just out of curiosity, but what got you guys to come and help me?” Thunder sighed. “Well, you’re Lauren Faust, The Lauren Faust. To help you would be an honor. Plus, we have another reason, and it involves the kidnappings” Arctic nodded, while looking down. “They have our girlfriends, Sonata Dusk and Starlight Glimmer. I’m scared as to what they are doing to my girl” Lauren nodded, understanding what they meant. Her Canon Characters had attracted the hearts of many fans, and some even ship themselves with them. Hester once told her that because of this, there are so many clones of her Canon ones that would be there for them. But, all of them are tied to the original. So, it would make sense that if one got kidnapped, the clones would disappear too. “I’m really sorry” she sympathized with them. “It’s alright. The sooner we get them back, the better. I miss her to death” Thunder crossed his arms as he hugged them as though he were cold. Lauren nodded. “Hey, if you don’t mind, can you tell me how did you guys meet and fall inlove?” Arctic sighed, remembering the day. “I was walking around the School for New Writers, making sure everyone around was happy and no one was sad. And then, on one particular Taco Tuesday, I bumped into her, literally. I’ll admit, it made the taco land on my face. She laughed because it was funny, but soon got upset that she lost her lunch. I made it up to her by buying her another taco. We started to chat ever since. It took some strain form her sisters to let me see her, but they reluctantly did so. Then, I started to fall inlove with her. She’s cute, adorable, loving, and playful. One day, I confessed my love to her, and she flat out kissed me. We’ve dated ever since” he blushed intensely from the memory. Thunder then told his story. “I was out in the Browse Library, just another day of work and what-not. And then, I was putting a few books back on their shelves, and took a look at a new one. That was when I saw her. She was on the other side of the bookshelf. She was so beautiful, so strong, and so intelligent. She seemed to be having trouble with her books because she had so many of them. I went over and helped her carry them to her table. We were reading the same topic so we decided to go together. It then went on and on, and I started to notice she was getting a little shy around me. Then one day, she kissed me” he blushed intensely from that. “The feeling was mutual. So, we began to date. Though, it took some restraining for her to not let Trixie go jealous of us” he then sighed. “I miss her” Arctic sighed deeply. “Sonny…” “Don’t worry” she assured them. “I promise you, we’ll find them. When tomorrow’s sun rises, we’ll let Hazel lead us to find them. If they are hurt by the time we do, then…” she then changed to her Alicorn form and aimed a burst of red magic at a nearby tree, reducing it to ashes. The two brothers cringed from that. Her magic then returned its normal aura before she regained herself and turned into her Equestria Girl form again. “…you get the point” Both nodded, eyes agape and gulped. “But you guys have my blessing should you wish to get married to them” Lauren chirped up as she walked down the hallway to prepare dinner. Her statement left both men in a blushing mess.