My Little World

by CrackedInkWell


1: Present and Past


California. July 2019.


Lauren’s mind was drawn a blank as the screen that was in front of her. Fingers lightly tapped on the keyboard but nothing was being added onto the white void of what would become a script for her latest show. Leaning back to stretch, her little office space was filled with frames of sketches, posters, some books and an Emmy sitting on a shelf. Mementos of her career over the years. From the sketch of Sawyer she did for the film “Cats Don’t Dance”; to the poster of “The Iron Giant”; the plushies of the Powerpuff Girls; a sketch of the mane six from “My Little Pony”; a picture of her husband Craig when they were working on “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends;” a bookshelf that had the original ideas for “Super Best Friends Forever” that was next to the “Wander Over Yonder” binders. On her desk where her laptop is, notes for the “DC Super Hero Girls” were laid out.

Although she has some ideas in her mind she knew about the characters of her latest project, she stared at the blank space of her digital document as if waiting for inspiration to come and whack her over the head of something original to explore. There has to be something she could do with the notes of the previous meeting she had with the writing staff. Granted, there were some good ideas, but how exactly to begin this particular episode?

Her concentration was shattered when the door opened and the call of “Mom!” was heard. Snapping her attention away, a small girl with dark curly hair and blue eyes came stumbling in with lion plushie.

“What time is it?” She looked over at what her laptop said, “Woah, past nine already? Come here, Alice.” Lauren picked her up. “I’m so sorry, I completely lost track of time. Here, let’s get you over to bed.”

“Dad?” Alice asked. Being at the age of three, she wasn’t old enough to use complicated sentences, so she would use what words she learned to speak what was on her mind. “Where… where dad?”

“I told you,” she said as she walked out of her office and down the hall towards the nursery. “Daddy is gone tonight, but she should be back home to play with you.”

“Play? Mom play?”

“I can’t, you’re supposed to be in bed.” Lauren carried her through the door. Inside the nursery was a mess of toys, empty bottles, spare diapers, a small TV screen that had a cartoon show returned to its menu, a small bed with a tiny bookshelf filled to the brim of children’s books.

Her daughter looked at her disappointed. “Not sleepy.” She protested as she was placed on the bed.

“You need the sleep, sweetie.” The mother said, kneeling down in the corner of the bed and the bookshelf. “If you don’t, you’ll be all cranky and mean. Let me at least read you something to help you go to sleep.”

“I want play!”

“Of course you do,” she wrapped an arm around her, kissing her forehead, “but it’s already nighttime. Nighttime is meant for sleeping. Daytime is what playing is for.”

“Make it daytime,” Alice told her mother, pointing at the window.

Her mother laughed. “Sorry, I can’t do that. But I’ll tell you what I can do. How about we read your favorite story?” Lauren reached her free hand over to the bookshelf and pulled out a thin, blue book with a tall cat in a striped red and white hat.

Alice thought about this for a moment. “New story. Mom new story.”

Lauren blinked. “Hon, I can’t get you a new story now.”

“Mom make story.” Her daughter insisted. “Like in Moms’s room.”

“Ohh… sweetie, I don’t know. Mommy is… well… doesn’t know what to tell. She’s been trying to think of a new story for hours now.” Alice looked at her miserable. “But… let’s pretend that I did. What would you like to hear?”

“Oh! Oh!” she hopped off the bed, rushing over to one of the toys off the floor and picking up a door. A purple alicorn with large eyes and a friendly smile. “Pony!”

“Really?” Her daughter handed over the doll as she climbed up on the bed. “You want me to make up a story about Twilight Sparkle? Had daddy been showing you that show already?”

“Pony!”

Sitting down, her back against the bookshelf, she looked into the eyes of a toy thinking. “It’s… been a while since I made a story with this one. But… give mommy a moment, let’s see what I can come up with…” Alice hopped underneath he covers, anticipating for her mother to tell her a brand-new story. “Let’s see… Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was once a pony called Twilight Sparkle…”

She went on, making up a story until her daughter was lulled to sleep. She told her of a story of her creation going on a quest with her friend across the sea; of encountering pirates and Sea Ponies; of forgotten islands and buried treasure. It took a long time, but before she could finish her story did Lauren notice that Alice had fallen asleep. Kissing her forehead, she said softly as she turned off the light. “…. And they lived happily ever after.”

She returned to her office, sitting back down on her chair and waking up her computer to figure out how to begin that episode with a deadline. As much as she studied the notes and trying to piece together in her head what Wonder Woman is going to be doing, she can’t get the story she told her daughter out of her mind. Once she figured out what her Twilight was going to be doing, telling the rest of her bedtime story felt liberating. It came out so fluently as if she knew that story all her life. If only she could do the same with this computer.

A ring interrupted her concentration, picking up her cell phone from the desk, she turned it over to find the words “Denny Lu” lighting up the screen. She knew perfectly who it was – one of the current directors of Friendship is Magic. With a swipe of a button, she put it on speaker.

“Hey Denny.”

Hi Lauren,” the voice from the other end greeted her in a cheery tone, “How are ya this evening?

“Besides coming down with the case of writer’s block, nothing much.”

Oh, sorry to hear that.”

“I’ve been trying to piece together something for Wonder Woman for the show but… nothing is really jumping out at me. I mean there’s still a couple of good ideas on my desk, but I can’t really figure out what exactly to use. But enough about me, what’s up?”

Well I’m calling in to let you know that we’re wrapping up the editing of some of the final episodes. The animators have been working around the clock and the voice actors are relieved that they got everything done. Of course, it’s gonna take a while to be sure that everything’s polished before these hit the air, but overall, we’re just excited to see the show go out with a bang.”

A sigh escaped Lauren’s lips.

Is something wrong?

“No… Not really.” She leaned back. “It’s just… I’m having some mixed feelings is all.”

Yeah, I think I know what you mean.” Denny agreed. “As much as we’re looking forward to having this be done and moving on to other projects… I won’t be lying that some of us aren’t ready to let this go yet.

“Considering that the show has been gone for nine seasons – going longer than I had thought it would – it’s amazing that it lasted this long and get the following that it did.”

Oh sure. I guess everyone has mixed feelings with this being the final season and all. But at the end of the day, the Bronies are starting to get a little tired of it. I mean, I don’t blame them – most of them would rather end as something that’s still liked than to go on forever to become something that’s hated. Terra could easily testify to that.”

“Well, it’s not just that,” Lauren said, stretching out her arms. “I mean… don’t get me wrong, you guys have done an amazing job since I left production. You guys don’t get enough credit for evolving what I originally had and giving lessons to stories that I wished I came up with.”

I sense a ‘but’ in that statement.”

She sighed again, “However, I still feel like that I wish I could have added something to all of this. I mean, grant it, there’s nothing I can do on my end since you guys have got everything done. But still, as a creator of the show, I would have loved to do some things that years ago I wouldn’t have been able to do. Just putting my personal touch here and there, you know? Maybe an episode or two per season. It’s just frustrating that all I am is a consultant on the show in which I have very little control over what happens.”

But we’ve been trying to fill out what you wanted for your characters, Lauren. It’s not that we haven’t been respectful to your wishes. Rarity has opened her shops in Canterlot and Manehattan, Rainbow joins the Wonderbolts, Twilight is about to take up the role of what Celestia and Luna had. I could go on, but we have been trying to do what you have in mind.”

“And I still thank you guys for doing so. What I’m talking about here is that… I don’t know… I wish I could have at least added an episode to every season, where I could have made it go in the way I had in mind. Still… What’s done is done. I’m not allowed to add anything, not even draw up a simple comic book.”

Well… look on the bright side. Once the show is over, maybe anything goes at the point. There’s still a fandom that’s buying the merchandise, the toys and the episodes-

“That’s another thing that’s worrying me.”

What’s that?

“Denny, I’m not completely unaware, but I’ve heard that the Brony fandom is weighing at the moment. You can be optimistic all you like, but the thing is that once the final episode airs, would there be a fandom left? I’m not just talking about the short term of a couple of months or a few years, but further than that. Would there still be Bronies that would still watch the show long after it finished? Would they still be talking about it like they do with Disney or Warner Brother cartoons? It’s not that I didn’t try to make it so that people would remember it years later, but now that it’s officially ending, would it withstand the test of time as other shows have?”

There was a pause from the other end of the call. Finally, Denny replied, “I can’t say that I know. But we have been trying to give what we got. The show has lasted this long, so who’s to say that it won’t last with people out there? There’s still a good amount of content the fans have been putting on the internet so… at least one can still hope.

“Yeah… I guess you have a point.” She said, nodding. “I just hope that all that hard work wouldn’t be forgotten so easily.”

I guess we’ll have to see. But for now, at least on our end, we still have a show to complete and deadlines to reach. I’ll try to keep in touch.

“Thanks, Denny.” After the two of them shared their goodbyes, she hung up.


At first, Lauren wasn’t sure what she was hearing when she was being stirred awake. There were voices. One was familiar – her daughter laughing. And one not so familiar. That latter of which alerted her to immediately get up from her bed. Panic quickly rushed in as she ran to the closet to pull out a baseball bat.

Someone is with her daughter.

Running to her daughter’s door, she paused for a moment when she heard above Alice’s laughter, the sound of someone young; like a young teenager; in pain.

Ow-Ow-Ow-Ow! Get off! Let go of me! Don’t pull on- OUCH! Stop it!

She didn’t have time to think about why that other person was in pain, all she cares about is that someone had broken into her house and is with her daughter right now.

Holding the bat like a samurai sword, she turned the knob, flip on the light and yell. “GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER YOU…” Whatever threat she was about to say suddenly died on her tongue.

It wasn’t so much as who is with her daughter.

Rather, what was with her daughter.

It was someone… she knew.

The very sight of which made her drop the baseball bat.

In her daughter’s room, where Alice was piggyback riding, was a stunned; obviously cartoony griffon. Mostly blue, yellow talons on its front legs and its flank, hind legs and paws of a lion. The creature looked up at her wide-eyed in fear and surprise. Its wings were spread wide.

Alice pulled on one of its wings.

“Ow!” the griffon cried out loudly. “Don’t touch that!”

“Alice come here!” Lauren immediately snatched her off the griffon and it immediately backed away in a corner.

“I didn’t know anyone was here!” The griffon cried out, “I swear, I didn’t know anycreature lived down here! If you let me leave right now I promise you won’t see me-”

“Gallus?”

The griffon named Gallus blinked. Several times in fact, as like the mother, was trying to process. “H-How did you know my name?” Lauren didn’t respond while her daughter wiggled in her arms.

Hold on… Am I dreaming again?’ the mother thought. ‘Am I having that dream where a pony came out from underneath the-

“How did you know my name?” Gallus demanded.

“U-Um…” She looked between him and his daughter. “Well, you’re… blue… and a griffon. There are not many blue griffons around here so… you must be Gallus.”

The griffon raised an eyebrow. “And what are you supposed to be anyway? You’re not an ape, not a monkey, not a kirin no doubt, but… what are you?”

“A person.”

“Uh-huh…” He walked forward towards the center of the room, spinning around as he did so. “Again, sorry, I didn’t know there was anyone down here.”

“Come again?”

“The school,” he explained, “there’s a system of tunnels with crystal roots underneath it. We didn’t know if they lead anywhere but… I didn’t expect that they would lead to a… nursery? Bedroom? This place. And it’s nighttime apparently… that’s also really weird. Um…” He turned back to Lauren. “Well, this was nice, but I think I should really get back to the others before they think I’m missing or something. Bye.” Like that, he dove right under the bed.

Alice wiggled so much in her mother’s arms that she was able to get out of them, along with chasing the griffon underneath the bed.

“Alice!” Lauren quickly dropped to the floor, reaching out for her daughter, but when she tried to reach underneath the bed, she felt nothing. “Sweetie! Where are you!?” Frantically she tried to feel her out, her hand touching the walls, but as she got to the head of the bed; she felt nothing. Running back into her room to fetch her phone to turn on its flashlight, she illuminated what was underneath it.

There was a hole.

“I don’t care if this is a dream or not.” She said as she moved the bed out of the way to where she could see the hole. It was small; barely wide and tall enough for her to fit in. “I’m not going to lose my baby.”

So, grabbing the bat and holding it in the same hand as her flashlight, she also went into her office to get out a large spool of twine in which she used it to tie her ankle to the foot of a bedpost.

“Don’t worry Alice,” she called out as she crawled into the hole, “Mommy’s coming!”