//------------------------------// // 5: Ponyville and the Creator // Story: My Little World // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// “So mother,” Luna asked, “what exactly do you wish to see first?” “Not sure…” Lauren mused. “How much time do you have?” “For you,” Celestia said, “We can take it as long as you like. If necessary, I can let Twilight and her friends take over while we’re away.” Lauren grimaced, her glances for a moment turned to her daughter who was playing with Pinkie Pie. “I don’t know… I saw the most recent episode where you two went on vacation and you let them take over.” The royal sisters looked at one another in a mixture of shock and embarrassment. “You actually… saw that?” “Well… on a screen at least.” Lauren rubbed the back of her neck but added, “However, I am proud that you two resolved that argument rather maturely. Plus, I still find it amusing that you’re such the adrenaline junky, who knew?” Celestia chuckled, still having an embarrassed blush on her face. “Well, what can I say? When you have been doing a non-threatening routine for centuries, you crave something exciting.” Lauren nodded. “Yeah, I can understand that. But back to the whole grand tour thing. I know for a fact that you’re both still busy, with Twilight still learning how to rule a country and all-” “Mother,” Luna interrupted. “This is the first time that, well, any trace of you in any form has been with us in many moons. It doesn’t do us much harm in how long you want to be here. If it be for a few hours or perhaps a couple of decades, we will accommodate. Along with our…” She turned to her older sister. “Would Alice make her our half-sister?” Lauren, like Celestia, was deep in thought. Although they are both human, the Princesses, despite how not equine she was, still consider her as her mother. It is a strange idea (Lauren admits to herself) that a cartoon might think of her daughter as a sibling. Peculiar, no doubt, but then again, why not? “I think it wouldn’t be bad to see her as such.” Celestia nodded, trying to turn the conversation back. “What do you want to see first?” Lauren already knew the answer. “Ponyville. I had been trying to figure out what it would look like in my head, but I don’t think it would compare to actually seeing it in person.” “And after that?” Luna inquired. “If you wish, we could always summon an airship so that we may see Equestria much more quickly.” “You would do that? I’ve never ridden in a blimp before and I think that sounds exciting!” Celestia nodded. “In the meantime, perhaps I could talk Twilight into showing you and Alice around town. She and her friends know these streets more than we do.” ‘Dear Lord, can this get any better?’ Lauren thought. ‘Having the chance of seeing Ponyville and given the tour by your own characters that countless Bronies would kill for? Yes, please!’ She told them that she would like that. After telling the students who found her that she would answer their questions after being shown around town, Twilight, her dragon assistant, and her friends escorted Lauren and Alice out of the school. While the Princesses returned to Canterlot to fetch an airship, the creator took her daughter by the hand and was shown the quaint, beautiful place known as Ponyville. If anything, if Lauren hadn’t known better, she would say that the sights she was seeing all around her looked like a fan-made (but still very well-done) background. As the sun was starting to set, everything was cast in both orange light and long purple shadows. In a way, most of Ponyville was exactly how she pictured it in her mind. British Tudor cottage-style houses completed with thatched roofs. Small flower gardens with the occasional statue or fountain, all being illuminated by lit, raw iron lampposts. Even the grassy ground was precisely how she envisioned it. Well… Except for the first building they stopped by. “This is where Spike, Starlight, and I live.” Twilight waved a hoof to the crystal tree castle that was next to the school. “It’s the latest second latest addition to Ponyville other than the school itself. Made mostly entirely of crystal and formed by the Tree of Harmony, this place has its throne room, library, a maze of hallways, and a pool.” Lauren and Alice looked up and down at the castle of purple and blue crystal. Although she was used to seeing it on a screen to see the tree-house-like building; up-close it seemed… clunky. Especially at the oddly shaped star that was at the very top. To her eye, it seemed rather lazily put together. “It’s… uh…” Lauren began but didn’t know the right words to use to express her disgust elegantly. However, her daughter finished it for her rather bluntly. “Weird.” There was snickering coming from the ponies. “Oh come on!” Spike said, flying up a little. “It’s not weird. I mean look at it, it’s delici- delightful!” The dragon quickly caught on his slip and tried to correct himself. “What’s wrong with it?” “Nothing’s wrong…” Lauren told him, “It’s just… well… looking at it now, it just seems kinda… cold. And that if you tap it in the wrong place it might fall over.” More snickering from the ponies. “I don’t know. I guess I missed the Golden Oaks more.” Twilight’s face drooped; her ears folded back. “Yeah… Me too…” Realizing what she said, Lauren knelt and put an arm around her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think and-” “To be fair,” Twilight added, “It took me a long time to be adjusted to the castle. It didn’t feel like home at first until my friends helped me gain a better understanding of what home really was.” ‘As I recall,’ Lauren thought, ‘That episode didn’t go down too well. Still, don’t know how to feel about what they did to the old library’s roots though…’ Clearing her throat, Lauren asked where to next. From there, Lauren took Alice by the hand and the two of them were led into Ponyville. Among the sights and familiar locations such as Rarity’s Boutique, the schoolhouse, the local spa, the party store, and the town hall, the creator couldn’t help but notice the curious ponies that were following them. This was not lost on either of them, especially when they kept themselves at a distance. “Mom,” Alice said by the time they reached the marketplace. “Why ponies looking…?” she pointed at them. “They’re just curious sweetie.” “Why?” “Because they never have seen well… people before.” She looked up, just barely catching a glimpse of Twilight moving her head as if she was listening. Something told her that she was. “You see Alice, when someone sees another for the first time, they’re uncertain how to act. They don’t know if they’re friendly or dangerous. As we… wow… probably the first humans in this world that haven’t been turned into a pony, now that I think of it, they want to see if we’re good.” “But… I’m good. Mommy is good.” Lauren smiled at that. “Yes. But they don’t know-” out from the sky, a muffin bounced off her head, “…yet.” “Sorry!” A voice called out from above. The mother looked up to find a rather familiar face. It was gray with a blond mane and a signature misaligned golden eyes. “It slipped out of my hooves; can you give it back?” Crouching down, she was very much aware that so many eyes were on her now, including her creations as she picked up what looked like a cartoon blueberry muffin. She held it up to the Pegasus that hovered above her. “Thanks, stranger,” the mare was about to leave but stopped for a moment as she noticed Alice. “Hey, have we met before?” “Huh?” “Your face, it looks familiar. But your mane has changed.” This raised an eyebrow from Lauren. “Don’t you remember me? You were in Canterlot and you were sad, and I gave you that ice cre-” A purple, sparkling muzzle formed around her, from Twilight’s aura. “Twilight? What are you doing?” “Uh…” Twilight looked between her and the mare that was struggling against her magic. “Would you excuse me for just a moment? Girls, would you show them Sugar Cube Corner next? I’ll be right back.” As Twilight pulled the Pegasus out of the way towards a pair of buildings, Lauren’s eyebrow remained arched. Something wasn’t right. How did someone like Derpy, a well-known fan character, recognize the face of a human when as far as she knows, none ever came to Equestria before? Before she could ponder long, Rarity adverted her attention towards a favorite booth of hers. Meanwhile in an alleyway, Twilight scanned to make sure that they were out of earshot before releasing the mare’s muzzle. “What was that-” Derpy began to say but was cut off. “Listen,” Twilight interrupted, “I know that you mean well, but you can’t tell them you’ve seen them before.” “Them?” The Pegasus tilted her head in confusion. “What are you talking about? I was talking about the little filly back there-” “Before you go any further, how exactly do you know about them?” “Well…” she blinked. One of Derpy’s eyes began to drift. “It was a couple of years ago in Canterlot. My daughter and I were on vacation. Then after getting ice cream one night, we found… well… that oddly looking filly in an alleyway crying saying that her mom was upset because of her. Dinky and I tried to calm her down, taking her over to the hotel so we could help her out before she was foalnapped by a crazy unicorn. I called for the police, of course, but-” “Oh, ponyfeathers!” “What?” “Lyra! I forgot about Lyra! Uh… Look, just do me this favor and pretend that you don’t know either of them.” “But Princess, I don’t know what…” she paused. “Is it her? That young creature from Can-” “Yes, yes, but for now, I just need you to be quiet for now. Okay? It’s a complicated situation and all so for now, just keep it hushed. Alright?” Derpy told her that she would. Soon after, Twilight took to the sky to find a certain light green unicorn that probably needed restraining. Although she was there when the concept art for Sugarcube Corner was presented, and she had seen it at least a thousand times from the show itself, the fan art, or even the endless parade of toys; seeing the building itself was mindboggling to Lauren. There wasn’t a single detail about it that was out of place. From the three lit candles on top of a cupcake which is the dome roof to Pinkie’s room, to the birds' nest on one corner of the roof, and the pink windows and candy cane columns for the front door, she was in awe of how large and surprised of how good it smelled up close. It was as if the place radiated every pleasant smell that one could think of. Of cakes, cinnamon, lemons, perfectly cooked cookies, and freshly baked bread, it smelled exactly how she pictured it in her mind. “And this is Sugarcube Corner!” Pinkie waved a hoof at it proudly. “It’s also home to Mr. and Mrs. Cake, the twins, me and Gummy.” “Is that,” Alice asked, pointing to the roof, “frosting?” Pinkie giggled. “I wish! Do you know how often I would be on the roof licking off the frosting? They would have to get a restraining order, that’s how often! But sadly no, it isn’t.” “It looks incredible in person,” Lauren remarked. “The detail is breathtaking.” “But it’s just a bakery,” Spike said, waving a claw. “To you, yes. But where I come from, there’s hardly - if any place - in the world that builds a place like this and not be it some gimmicky theme park or a seasonal holiday thing. But as a thriving business? One that you can smell all the stuff that’s cooking in there; it’s almost hard to believe that this is real.” “I can top that,” Pinkie said, and Alice asked, “Do you want some free samples?” “Oh Pinkie,” Lauren replied, “you don’t have to-” “Please!” Alice insisted. “I want cookie!” “Hold on one sec.” Pinkie disappeared in a blur of pink rushing into the front doors of the bakery. There was a cacophony of confusing sounds from a whinnying horse, crashes of pots and pans, a kazoo, a Willhelm scream, the tooting of Elephants, splashing of water, the zip of a zip line, the ringing of bells, creaking of wood, and an orchestra landing in the middle of a pinewood forest. But a moment later, the pink mare returned with a chocolate chip cookie in her hoof. “Here ya go! One sample.” “What were you doing in there?” Lauren asked as his daughter greedily took hold and consumed the cookie. “Word of advice,” Rainbow said, “Whenever something weird happens around Pinkie, it's best not to question her. It’ll save you the headache.” “Want one?” Pinkie asked. “I’m fine.” She looked over at the bakery. “So are the Cakes in today?” “You want to meet them?” Lauren thought it over for a moment, “Well… if it’s not too inconvenient for you guys at this hour.” “Of course you can!” Pinkie took her by the hand, “It’s almost closing time, but you can still say hello to them.” Hopping towards the pink front door, the mare guided the human and her daughter inside. Of course, being much taller than most, Lauren had to resort to ducking her way in, and even then, the ceiling was a bit too short for her. However, there was plenty of room for her three-year-old daughter to comfortably walk in. Inside the sugary theme store, complete with the rows of candy and glazed pastries, were two ponies that were looking right up at her. One was a yellow stallion whose legs were thin enough to be mistaken for matchsticks, the other was a rounded, blue mare with a swirly pink mane and a yellow apron. The other ponies plus a dragon followed suit. “Here’s the giants I was talking about, Mr. and Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie told them with a smile. Mr. Cake blinked. “Wow… you weren’t exaggerating.” “Sorry for intruding,” Lauren said, kneeling down. “We were just in the neighborhood, and I wanna say that this place is beautiful, and my daughter likes your cookies.” “Uh…” Mrs. Cake blinked. “Thank you? I guess. Sorry dearie, don’t take this the wrong way but… what, are you?” “Person,” Alice answered, between munches of her cookie. “Oh,” Mr. Cake nodded. “Never heard one before, (must be rare) but forgive us, we’ve come in contact with new creatures every so often, but we’re just not familiar with you is all.” “That’s perfectly understandable,” Lauren said. “To be fair, I don’t come across colorful ponies that talk either, but here we are. So how are Pound and Pumpkin doing?” This question took the bakers aback. “How do you know our foals?” Mrs. Cake inquired. “Pinkie, did you tell her about them?” “Yeah I… wait…” she tapped her chin for a moment, “I did tell you they have twins, but I don’t think I told you about their names.” “Didn’t you?” The ponies and dragon at the door thought it over for a moment. “No, I don’t she did,” Fluttershy said. “Does this mean you’re all-knowing or something?” “Of course not,” Lauren answered, “If I did know everything, I wouldn’t be asking how the twins are doing, would I?” The ponies thought over that logic for a moment, “Can’t fault her there.” Rarity commented. “Still, it is rather off-putting to know somepony's name before being introduced.” “Oh…” Lauren tried to figure out what exactly to say next as the Cakes were waiting for a response from her slip-up. What words could she possibly use and not make this any less uncomfortable or weird for them? Fortunately or unfortunately, she didn’t have to. A sudden burst from the front door and there was a frantic, half-crazed, ready-to-pounce mint green unicorn that the creator immediately identified as Lyra Heartstrings. Her golden eyes beheld her and Alice, with a madding grin she held up a Polaroid camera and took the picture. One sudden flash later, she held the camera in triumph. “Ah-ha! I finally got it! Actual proof! I must get the picture to the press! The world must know!” “Uh, now Lyra,” Fluttershy said timidly, “Let’s not do anything hasty-” “No! I got my proof at long last! This will finally prove that I’m not crazy!” With a happy whinny, they galloped out the door. “Huh…” Applejack, who up until now hadn’t said a word looked over to her friends. “Should we stop her or what?” They shrugged. “Get back here!” A burst of Twilight’s voice was enough for them plus the humans to rush outside. They found Twilight flying at full speed chasing the unicorn. “You do NOT have permission to take their picture yet!” “Well, that answers that question,” Rainbow too took off after the mare that dashed and zig-zag about, going in and out of alleyways but Lyra was barely out of reach. In a way, the creator of the show almost expected this sudden burst of hijinks like this, and she has to admit to herself that it was pretty crazy to see a live cartoon chase in person. From where they could see it, Lyra dove into a rain barrel and came out from a chimney across the street. She went down an alleyway and came out of a window. All the while Rainbow and Twilight were just barely behind her. “Uh… Don’t you think you ought to do something?” Spike asked Lauren. “Like what?” She questioned. “She’s way too fast, and it isn’t that I could just say: ‘And suddenly Lyra ran into a brick wall out of nowhere’ and expect it to-” WAP! “…. happen.” Right in the middle of the street, Lyra the crazed unicorn had run face-first into a brick wall that appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the street. Twilight and Rainbow barely had enough time to slow down to prevent a similar faceplant. Although they did confiscate the camera, they were completely confused by the wall that popped out all of a sudden. “The hay did this come from?” Rainbow questioned, circling around the wall. At the steps of Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie looked between Lauren and the newest addition to Ponyville. “Did you do that?” She asked. Hopping up and down, she got an idea. “Oh! Oh! Make a twelve-story chocolate cake with lots of yellow frostings and confetti sprinkles appear!” Applejack scratched her head. “Huh… Ah don’t remember that bein’ there a minute ago. Where? How?” “Do it again, mommy!” Alice demanded excitedly. Lauren too was taken aback at what just happened. She was absolutely certain that something like that never happened in the show except for… “Is Discord around by chance?” “No?” Fluttershy answered. “The last time I saw him was for tea, and even then, he had gone back to his dimension. So, he shouldn’t be here.” ‘But if that were true,’ Lauren thought, ‘how did that… I didn’t just will it into existence… didn’t I?’ Curious, she decided to experiment. “Uh…” She lifted up her hand and thought of saying something nonsensical. “Let’s see uh… ‘Then all of a sudden, a teacup appeared in my hand in which a tiny Thorax was taking a bath in.’” Pop! In the palm of her hand, a purple teacup that held a soapy, pink bubbled water with a very small King of the Changelings in it; complete with a poke-a-dot shower cap and a wooden brush. Thorax was confused for a moment before looking up at the human. He screamed in a high-pitched tone. “‘A-And then he was suddenly teleported back to his hive to finish his bath!’” Pop! The Changeling, bathwater, teacup, and all disappeared. Ponies, plus a dragon and her daughter stared at her. “Huh… Okay, that’s new.”