“So, what kind of food do people eat?” Silverstream asked.
As for keeping to her promise, after Lauren and her daughter were given the rest of the tour around the town, she returned to the school to face the students’ questions for their project. So far, she took notice that the questions were aimed more towards what humans, in general, are like.
By now, they were in the school’s library and the sun had already set. Lauren was waiting for the Royal Sisters to return with an airship. In the meantime, she is surrounded by six creatures, being interviewed not on the latest cartoon she’s working on but rather trying to describe as best she could what humans are like. Meanwhile, her daughter was being looked over by Twilight in her castle.
“Truthfully? We tend to eat a lot of things. Being omnivores, we can eat veggies as well as meats. I could probably talk all night about what kind of foods there are out there. Such as ice cream sandwiches, noodles, fried chicken, ceaser salads, asiago bread, roast turkey, scallop potatoes, orange shakes, kimchi, baklava, dragon fruit, sushi, I can go on, but I think you’d get the point.”
“Dragon fruit, huh?” Smolder raised an eyebrow. “What’s that like?”
“Hmm… Something between a kiwi and a pear? It’s kinda hard to describe because they’re expensive where I come from.”
Sandbar raised a hoof. “Are there civilizations where you come from?”
“Short answer, yes. Yes, there is, and we tend to populate all of them.”
Ocellus raised a hoof. “Do you use magic where you come from?”
“Well… not exactly.”
“What do you mean?”
“The thing is… magic as you know it doesn’t exist in my world. If anything, you see magic in stories, cartoons, movies, or people faking it. Magic is something I thought existed in my daydreams… until I came here.”
“Fascinating…” the blue changeling jot down into her notes. “If you don’t have any magic, how do you people live?”
“Easy. We tend to get creative and innovative. That’s the thing about us humans, no matter what you throw at us, not only will we learn to adapt, but we use our creativity to make life easier for us. Because we don’t have magic, we invented machines to do countless things.”
“Like what?” Yona asked.
Lauren thought about this for a moment. “Like… Say if you wanted to get somewhere that’s too far to walk in the shortest amount of time, we invented cars – horseless carriages as we used to call them. We invented a machine that could store documents, notes, music, books, photos, and movies even, and we call it a computer. Then we figured out a way to connect other computers from all over the world and ended up creating the biggest library in the history of mankind known as the internet. We figured out how to make machines to grow more food than ever and sell them for cheap in supermarkets that are as big as a village. Oh! And not only that,” she pulled out her cell phone, “but we’ve also invented this thing. Some people call it a smartphone, not only will it allow you to talk to someone that’s very far away as well as pass along some uh… notes, but this thing is a small computer too that can do all sorts of things. Like using it as a flashlight, telling you where in the world you are, calling for help, giving you directions to the nearest place to eat, listening to music, and shopping for things without leaving home. Really, when we put our minds to it, we could do almost anything.”
Gallus gave a low whistle. “With a world like that, it must be paradise.”
Lauren froze. She didn’t say anything.
“You are such a fascinating, complicated species!” Silverstream remarked, after writing something in her notes. “And so advance too. Oh! What was the last big thing that you people have accomplished?”
“Boy… a lot of hard questions here, aren’t we?” Lauren rubbed her head. “I don’t know exactly where to start on that one. Apart from the stuff with technology that I’ve said, there are things like the moon landing and-”
“Wait- what!?” the students said at once.
“Um…” Sandbar coughed into his hoof. “What exactly do you mean by… ‘moon landing?’”
“Oh… Well, before I was born, a group of people had figured out a way to not only go into space, not only how to orbit around the planet, but the biggest achievement of all was that we were able to successfully have people walk on the moon and back.”
The student’s mouths – including their notebooks – dropped to the floor.
“H-How…?” Smolder was the first to put their collective thoughts into words. “How’s that even possible without any magic? I mean, not just going to the moon but coming back from it? The only one that was about to do that and not… you know… and live was-”
“Princess Luna.” Lauren nodded. “Yes, that’s true. But I know what you’re thinking. To this world, going to the moon is like going to a maximum-security prison, right?” they nodded. “But the thing is, to us, when the first man in history was able to set foot on the surface of the moon, it was a pretty big moment for everyone. Not because of sending someone cruel to that place, but rather, for the first time, a person was able to touch something that has been long thought to be out of reach. That we made the impossible, possible. This was so big, that the man who took his first steps on the moon said something that burned into the minds of everyone that saw it on their screens. ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’”
“Wow…” Sandbar said, scratching the back of his head. “When you put it like that… That does sound something remarkable. And considering that you don’t have any magic… that’s saying something.”
“Yeah.” Lauren nodded. “So, is there anything else you guys wanna ask?”
The six students looked at one another. “Now that you’ve mentioned it.” Ocellus closed her notebook. “Just off the record here, there is something that has gotten all of us curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Well… when you mentioned that… where you come from… our world is just a cartoon to you. Right?” Lauren told her that this was true. “So… I think that on behalf of everycreature here is…” The Changeling hesitated as if trying to find the right words for her question. Finally, she asked, “That cartoon, is it well-known with other people?”
‘Boy we’re gonna be here all night.’ Lauren thought, trying to figure out how to answer that. “Short answer, yes. It’s still popular enough that people see it.”
“Personally, I can’t figure out why though,” Smolder commented. “I mean, if your people are flocking to theaters to see a cartoon of ponies, I don’t know if it’ll get that much attention. But if it was about dragons… I can see it being a hit.”
‘The cynical part of me would have agreed with you ten years ago, Smolder,’ the creator thought. “Perhaps, but it has been going for nine years with a fanbase to boot. In my world, they not only like the ponies but the other creatures and the places they get to see.”
“And you’re going to see it all!” Everyone, including Lauren, jumped at the sudden appearance of Princess Luna. “We have arrived!”
“Don’t you ever knock!?” Gallus said, a talon over his chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“Forgive us,” Luna smiled, hopping in place, “we are so excited that we finally get to spend time with our mother that knocking seems unnecessary!”
Lauren couldn’t help but laugh at that statement. A thought came across her mind, acknowledging that she still had her phone in her hand. “Before I go, would it be too much trouble if I ask to take a picture of all of you?”
Sandbar tilted his head. “With what?” She held up the cell phone. “That’s a camera too?”
“Again, this thing is really useful. So, can I?”
The students, plus the Princess of the night grouped tightly together. Lauren activated her phone and held it up to them before taking their picture.
‘How come they didn’t use this when they were going around Equestria again?’
Outside of the school with the full moon overhead, was a craft that was a good deal bigger than she could ever predict. The airship was just that; a ship tied to a blimp. However, this royal airship was something that she could never anticipate the sheer elaborateness, detail, and awe-inspiring vessel that at home, would no doubt be considered a wonder of the world. In a way, the ship itself was something that would be worthy of Capitan Nemo’s Nautilus. It was part submarine and part sailing ship at the same time. Yet, it was not an iron monstrosity but rather an elegant thing that had the glittering sun, moon, and stars along its white porcelain-like hull. On the sides of the vessel were wings that resembled wings. But above the ship was a titanic blimp that suspended it all in the air. Alice remarked that it resembled a whale, and her mother agreed. It was made of white and dark blue fabric where there were extra fins and an enormous tale in the back. Some ropes draped down from the vessel that kept it tied to the ground and some of which had baskets that were raised and lowered. These held ponies or supplies that were being loaded on board.
“To be honest, I haven’t used this thing in ages,” Celestia tells Lauren. “It’s only used for very, very important occasions. It’s pretty much a floating palace if you like to think as such.”
“How come you never used it before?”
“Simple, I never had the proper excuse to use it until now.”
“Really? What was the excuse?”
Celestia smiled. “You came.”
Lauren felt a tug on the sleeve of her pajamas. “Mom! I wanna ride!” Alice said, pointing upward.
The Princess playfully chuckled, lowering her head down. “Don’t worry little one, you will be up there soon. We just need to have one more pony, and a certain dragon to be ready to come with us.”
“I’m coming! I’m coming!” A frantic gallop of hooves and a flapping of wings drew close to them. Twilight came as quickly as she could with bags of paper – no doubt the kind she’s supposed to grade – and Spike just behind to pick up the papers that were being dropped behind her. As expected, there was a frantic look on her face, heaving, no doubt was in a rush and carried extra pounds of paper just to study her and her daughter. “Sorry… This is… last minute…”
Celestia approached her. “You know you don’t have to come with us. Being how busy with your school and-”
“I had Starlight take over for me,” Twilight informed her; her breath recovered. “So how long is this going to be again?”
“I don’t want it to be long,” Lauren said. “And you don’t have to show me everything. Just a few days would be alright as long as we get back here. After all, I still want to spend some more time with everyone here in Ponyville.” She looked down at her nightly clothes. “Although, we probably should figure out how to get a few pairs of clothes for us… Unless…”
Twilight’s ears folded back against her head. “I don’t know if Rarity would be able to make clothes for you two when you’re just about to leave.”
“No, hold on.” She held up a hand. “I want to try something here. Give me a second…” Clearing her throat, she thought carefully of the words she was about to say. Closing her eyes, she spoke: “Before they could leave, a Pegasus, white as snow and a curly mane yellow as the sun came swooping in with a thick suitcase.”
“Mother, what are you-”
“The mare apologized for not coming sooner as she was held up by a flock of geese. After handing… me the suitcase, she handed over a business card with the name Surprise on it before flying off. Inside the suitcase were a pair of tennis shoes, socks, a pair of blue jeans with golden buttons, and T-shirts that were yellow and had a smiley face. The clothes were a perfect fit for the mother and daughter. Inside the suitcase were toiletries, a purse that had a bag of bits, and a copy of the Friendship Journal signed by Twilight and her friends.”
Opening her eyes, Celestia was looking at her with a puzzled look. “Mother, what were you doing?”
“Wait! Wait!” As if appearing out of nowhere, a white Pegasus mare with a curly yellow mane flew down to them with a suitcase in her hooves. “Ma’am! You forgot something!” From the corner of her eye, Lauren saw Celestia, Twilight, and Spike taking a double-take at what was happening. “I’m so, so sorry, I tried to get this back to you sooner but there was a flock of geese in the way.”
Lauren knelt down, “Oh it’s no big deal, thank you for the effort anyway.”
“Here,” the mare offered the suitcase. After the creator took hold of it, the mare reached something underneath her wing and pulled out a card. “Just for future reference, my name is Surprise.”
“Again, thank you so much.”
A relieved smile came across Surprise’s face before she flew back into the night.
“Okay, what just happened?” Celestia inquired.
Lauren opened up the suitcase, and sure enough, everything that she described from the clothes to the purse full of bits was inside. “To be honest, I don’t know. But it’s something I just found out not too long ago that if I’m telling something like I would a story, it just happens.”
“I saw it in action, Princess,” Twilight said. “She made a brick wall appear out of nowhere. Do you think that she has powers on par with Discord?”
Celestia seriously considered this question for a moment while Lauren and Alice were going through the suitcase. “Now that I think of it… In theory, she might very well be. After all, she created our world. She made Equestria itself. If you like, the Author of the universe, I know to her it’s just a story, but in this case, she is in many respects, a goddess if she could make the improbable happen.”
“Do you think her powers have a limit?”
“I suppose, but I have never seen anything like this before.”
From above, Luna descended to the ground, carrying a large wicker basket in her blue aura. “The crew is ready. Now it is time for us to make our departure.”
After the humans put the things in the suitcase back, they climbed into the basket. While the others spread their wings and began their ascent, carrying them up with them, Spike decided to fly next to the two. “So… Are you two liking Equestria so far?”
“It’s everything that I imagine it to be – literally.” Lauren joked. “I can’t believe that I’m actually here.”
“Ponies are fun,” Alice said. “She has fun games.” She pointed up to Twilight.
Spike nodded. “That’s good to hear. I’m looking forward to this.”
“How come?” Lauren asked.
“Well… More often whenever something out of the ordinary happens, I’m usually kept out of the loop. But hey, at least this time I’m going around Equestria with a creator Goddess. Not many creatures anywhere could boast about that!”
“It will only be a few days.”
The young dragon chuckled. “Trust me, even in a few days with them around, anything can happen. Besides, this will be my first time on an airship – so that should be cool.”
Lauren agreed. Soon they were on board of the airship and were greeted by a staff of Royal Guards and servants. Almost immediately, the two humans were shown around the ship by the Royal sisters with the eagerness of young children wanting to impress their parents. Fortunately, the inside of the airship had high enough ceilings for Lauren to walk around comfortably. Indeed, the airship was like a floating palace as it had rows of elaborate bedrooms, meeting rooms, staff quarters, a swimming pool, a library, a mini-theater, a dining room, a ballroom, a throne room, a tennis court, a rock garden, a small hospital, and at the very top of the blimp, there was even an observatory with a glass dome with telescopes pointing at the sky.
The last thing to be shown on this impressive ship was the control deck. It was on the lowest level of the ship at the head, where the first thing that stood out was the windows. Big, massive windows that give a good view of the ground below, including a large round one in the middle of the room. There were charts and compasses; buttons and switches; and even a big stirring wheel with a pony waiting there for orders.
“Mom,” Alice asked, pulling on her mother’s sleeve, “I wanna live here.”
There was a part of Lauren that agreed, given all the luxury that was on this vessel. However, one question sticks out of her mind. “So, is there a captain that runs this?”
“That would be me.” She turned around to the voice that spoke up and was surprised to find who it was. It wasn’t for the fact that the captain was a mare, nor because she was a unicorn. Rather, it was a character that she didn’t think would be guiding this ship. Lauren saw a very dark purple unicorn with a deadpanned expression and a jagged, broken horn. She was a mare that had a pink Mohawk of a mane, and Lauren knew immediately who she was. After all, she saw the movie. “Captain Tempest at your service and... well that’s new.”
“Tempest!” Twilight wrapped a hoof around her in a hug. “Good to see you again.”
“I call it a coincidence.” She replied, “After all, I needed a new job and I ended up with this. Still, I will ask,” she pointed at the humans, “what are they?”
“Our most esteemed guests of honor,” Luna told her, “at least if it helps to think that way. This is Lauren Faust and her daughter, Alice.”
Tempest raised an eyebrow. “Interesting names, but I suppose if they’re guest,” she bowed her head, “I welcome you two on board.” Rising, she turned to Celestia. “So where to now, Your Majesty?”
Celestia thought about this for a moment, “I think we should let Lauren decide.”
All eyes turned to Lauren. With this tremendous decision suddenly thrown at her, she had to look at a map of Equestria to help jog her memory of this land of ponies. ‘This is… such a big choice. I get to decide on where to go in a fictional world of mine! Only… where to go first? Canterlot? The Crystal Empire? Or maybe the other towns like Appleloosa or maybe Rainbow Falls. Then again, what about the other places like Yakyakistan, Griffonstone, or perhaps the Dragon Lands? Just where do I start? Where…’ An idea came to her. There was a place on the map that, although it was a subtle nod to where she was from, was still a place that the show itself never once visited.
She had an answer. “Would it be too much to ask to go to Baltimare first, then circle Equestria, saving Canterlot and Ponyville last?”
“That’s… oddly specific,” Spike commented. “Why Baltimare? In fact, what’s even there?”
Lauren thought about her answer carefully, “Let’s just say… I want to test something out and I want to go there first.”
“Fine by me.” Tempest shrugged before turning to her crew. “Set a course for Baltimare.”