//------------------------------// // 3: Professors // Story: My Little World // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// Lauren and Alice were offered to sleep in Ocellus’s room so that they could rest. Although the bed was too small for the mother to where she had to sleep on the floor, her daughter found the bed the perfect size and both of them were quickly able to sleep. In the meantime, the students went off to find Professor Fluttershy. They managed to find her in her classroom, showing another group of ponies how to properly feed their class pet by being gentle with it. When they came into her naturalistic classroom, they found her surrounded by students, watching intently how to feed a fish. “The important thing to remember.” She said., “Is that a fish doesn’t need very much food in a day. If anything, feeding them with one or two tiny pebbles should be more than enough.” Yona cleared her throat, thus getting the professor’s attention. “Yona, you… all of you are here early.” “Professor, can we borrow you for a moment?” Sandbar said. “We need to talk to you.” Fluttershy excused herself from her class, following them out into the hallway. “Is something wrong? The research project I gave you wasn’t too hard to do, was it?” “Oh no Professor, it’s not that,” Ocellus assured her. “If anything, we have a question about it.” “What is it?” “We know that we’re supposed to write up our project on unique creatures,” Silverstream said. “And we know that we can work together as a group. But suppose we did our research on a creature that’s super rare. Would that still count?” Fluttershy nodded. “As long as you go int detail about what it looks like, its habits, and its life cycle, then you all should still get a good grade.” “Okay,” Smolder interjected, “and suppose that super rare creature happens to be sentient that lives underground that… let’s just say one day came up the surface with its kid? Would that still count?” The yellow mare blinked. “That sounds oddly specific.” “About that,” Gallus tapped his talons together, “I… we think we’ve found something,” Fluttershy asks what he means. “Professor, to make a long story short, we went underground to map it out when I… well… think I’ve found something. A creature that we’ve never seen before and have no clue what it is. So to make a long story short, I woke it and her kid up, they’ve followed me from the tunnels and now they’re sleeping in Ocellus’s room.” Fluttershy blinked again. “Well… that’s… new. What does it look like?” “Strange.” Yona put it bluntly. “Mother tall. Walk on two legs. Flat face and red mane. Gallus said it called itself… person. Talks too.” “Oh. I see.” The professor nodded. “Did it say what its name was?” “Actually yes,” Ocellus replied, “When we were putting them in my room to sleep, they said their names. Very strange ones too.” She put a hoof to her chin. “One was called Alice… I think that’s the filly. And the mother’s name was… Lauren?” Fluttershy froze. “Lauren Faust.” The pink-maned professor didn’t move for a moment or two. Before any of them could ask what had gotten into her. She told them. “Could you please… go back to them and stay with them until they wake up?” The students looked at one another. “Why?” Sandbar asked. “What’s wrong?” “Oh… nothing’s wrong.” She lied. “Just… be with them to make sure they’re safe. Could you do that for me?” After suddenly dismissing the class she was teaching rather unexpectedly, she immediately went towards Twilight’s office. Fortunately, she found the headmare there working on paperwork. She instantly requested that she and their friends should be gathered for an emergency meeting for something urgent. One by one, the other professors, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity gathered into the spacious teacher’s lounge with a concerned Twilight and a pacing Fluttershy. While it isn’t uncommon to find the yellow mare to be stressed, there is something to her worry that suggests something major has happened. “Is something wrong darling?” Rarity was the first to ask as soon as she walked into the room. “You look like you’re on the verge of having a heart attack.” “I might as well have,” Fluttershy replied, still not ceasing her fast pacing in a circle. Twilight put a comforting wing over her. “What has gotten you so worried? Has something terrible happened?” Fluttershy sat on her rump. “I… I don’t… think so? But it is rather major alright.” “Well spit it out,” Rainbow told her, lying back on a couch and propping her head up with a hoof. “I’m pretty sure that with all the stuff we had to deal with over the years, I think we can handle it.” “It’s just… I don’t want anypony to panic.” She took in a deep breath. “Does anypony remember a few years ago that Celestia called us up to Canterlot?” “Which one?” Applejack deadpanned. “Ah’m afraid ya gonna have ta be more specific, sugar cube.” Another deep breath. “Before Twilight got her wings, do any of you remember the time when Celestia called us up because uh… their mother came by and she was a child so we spent the day with her so that none of us would be… forgotten?” The teacher’s lounge became as quiet as a graveyard. “Are you telling us that Lauren is back?” Pinkie asked. When Fluttershy confirmed this with a nod, confetti rained out of nowhere, balloons rose from the floor, and a banner with the words: “WELCOME BACK PONY CREATOR GODDESS” was unfurled. “It’s about time she came back! I was under the impression that she got too busy to come back to us to at least say hello!” “Uh…” Twilight’s eyes shifted, “Yeah… about that…” She rubbed the back of her head. “Has any of you wondered why she didn’t?” “How come?” Her friends said in unison. “Well… Celestia had given me an order to uh… alter her memory. To make her think what happened to her was all a dream so it wouldn’t create any paradoxes.” “What the actual hay, Twilight!” Rainbow was the first to speak about what was on everypony’s mind. “It had to be done! How can you expect a creator goddess to make our world before she does it? I know all of you wanted to see her again, but it had to be done.” She turned to Fluttershy. “Is Lauren still a child?” She shook her head. “The students told me that it was a mother and a foal had come here. So I assume that she’s already grown up.” “The students found the creator goddess?” Rarity questioned. “How in the world did they do that?” “From what I know,” Fluttershy said, “Gallus told me that they were mapping out the tunnels under the school when he found them. I don’t know how, but they followed him and the students up to the surface. Right now, they’re resting in Ocellus’s room at the moment and I told them to make sure to stay with them so that they’re safe.” “Good thinkin’.” Applejack nodded. “Ah remember the last time Lauren went off by herself. Celestia and Luna look like they’re ready to drop dead from the stress, if Ah recall.” “Now that you brought that up,” Twilight acknowledged, “Perhaps we should let the Princesses know right away that their mother just came back. Speak of which, where’s Spike?” “Last time I’ve heard,” Pinkie said, “he was going towards Starlight’s office.” Without warning, Twilight teleported herself into Starlight Glimmer’s office, scrying the councilor and the assistant half-to-death. “Ach!” Starlight fell out of her seat at the sudden appearance of her boss. “Seriously Twilight, stop suddenly springing into my office without giving me a warning first.” “I’m sorry Starlight, but I need Spike at the moment, it’s a bit of an emergency.” “What’s wrong?” Spike asked. Taking in a deep breath, she told him, “Spike, take a letter.” The small dragon grabbed out a quill and parchment to which he immediately jotted down Twilight’s dictation to Princess Celestia. Spike wrote down what Twilight had heard, that apparently their mother has returned to Equestria and is currently resting at the school. Once she was finished and Spike sent the letter through a green flame, Starlight was staring at her. “The Royal Sisters still have a mother and nopony in Equestria knows about it?” Twilight laughed uneasily. “It’s uh… a long complicated stor-” She was interrupted as Princess Celestia and Luna suddenly appeared in the room. Both of them asked the same question. “Where’s Mother!?” Lauren woke up with a straining ache in her back. Even before she opened her eyes, she briefly hoped that whatever happened a few hours ago was all in her head, and the mattress had decided to go on strike by turning into concrete with a carpet on top. That all that stuff that would easily put her in a tucked-away corner of a mental ward was only just a fever dream. That was until she opened her eyes, she realized that none of that was a dream. She was lying on a carpet, in the middle of a small room that looked exactly like the style of a typical My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episode. While the blinds blocked most of the light of an orange glow – possibly a sunset – the room was very simple in design. Apart from the round, pink carpet she was on, there was a simple desk with some books and a few open notes with drawings on them; a tiny wooden bookcase that had little hearts carved into them; a few art-deco-like posters of a tranquil garden; and a simple bed with a purple cover that had the only non-animated thing in it. Alice hadn’t woken up yet, and the mother was already realizing that absolutely everything that happened last night was, in fact, real. ‘You know, Lauren, I think the very last thing you should do is panic.’ She thought to herself. ‘Apparently your childhood dream has unexpectedly come true and you’re now in a cartoon of your own making. As much as it sounds like a fanfic or an episode of the Twilight Zone, this is happening. ‘So… now what? Obviously, I can’t let Alice wander off in a place like this. You of all people should know that not everything here is all sunshine and rainbows, despite having just that. I mean, from what all the stuff I’ve seen, and what those producers and directors have told me, some pretty messed up things have been added since I’ve been away. From a disease that could turn living beings into trees to gigantic monstrosities that could easily swallow Alice up for a snack, there’s no possible way that I’m letting her out of my sight.’ She then took notice of the sketches on Ocellus’s desk. Not just of the ones that look like diagrams and pictures of other creatures, but there was one that caught her eye, a simplified picture of Ocellus’s family complete with parents and two hatchlings that surrounded the blue Changeling. ‘On the other hand, as much as I want to get Alice home as quickly as possible, how often do authors of stories have the chance to visit the places and meet the characters that they could only imagine? I think there are more details in this room alone than most artists could have the time and patience to put in. Then again, that makes me wonder, is everything here just as it is in the show or is there more to it all? What happens between not just shots of scenes, but entire episodes? Is this a functioning world or one that some writer out there has to dictate what goes on and who says what?’ It was at this moment her stomach growled. ‘And more importantly, is anything here actually edible?’ As if on cue, there was a soft knock on the door. Although her back ached as she rolled over and got up, she went over to the small door to open it. Ocellus was there to greet her. “Hello, Ms. Faust, did you sleep alright?” “Sleep yes.” She rubbed her back. “Sept well… not exactly when I had to sleep on the floor.” “Oh dear, you’re not hurt, are you?” “I’ll be fine. Still, thanks for letting us crash here. By the way, what time is it?” “Almost eight. You and your daughter have been sleeping for most of the day.” “Oh… sorry for hogging up your room. If you need it-” “It’s fine, really.” She nodded. “Although, there are some ponies that want to meet you.” “Huh? Oh yeah, that project thing you talked about.” “Well… that too. But others wanted to see you.” Ocellus looked over down the hallway, and Lauren saw it too. A shadow of three ponies, all having a horn and wings, but one of them was shorter than the others. It didn’t take long to piece together for Lauren to figure out who they were. Then they finally saw one another. One wide-eyed human stared back at the three alicorns: a pure white one with an aethereal mane of light green, blue, and pink; a blue one that had a mane that resembled the night sky; and between them a purple mare with shiny, knowledgeable eyes – who all stared back at her. For what was perhaps minutes, none of them moved or said anything. ‘I don’t think they ever teach you this in writing class,’ Lauren thought, ‘What do you do when you encounter characters that you previously thought were fictional?’ However, she knew that at least one of them had to break the awkward standoff. To say something, anything, to ease the tension between the four of them. “Uh… hi?” Lauren waved a hand. Before she registered what was happening, a magical force practically pushed her into the forelegs of the two sisters. Between the sudden group hug and nuzzles from the two horse-sized royals, Lauren was showered with questions from them such as: “Are you alright?” “Where have you been?” “Did you eat?” “Are you sick?” “Do you need anything?” and so on, so fast that the poor human couldn’t possibly answer them all. All the while, she did manage to get a glance at another of her creations, Twilight Sparkle, waving awkwardly. “Welcome to Equestria, Lauren.”