In a flash, Applejack and Big Mac had made their dynamic entrances as well, fire in their eyes at my screaming.
“What’s wrong!?” the oldest sister asked, her eyes scanning the room wide and alert. Big Mac’s nostrils were flaring as he searched for the danger, snorting as if to intimidate the unseen threat. He spotted Apple Bloom, very confused and startled by my screams as well, but he froze when he saw the tiny stuffed Bluey in her hooves.
“D’aww.” He cooed, looking particularly mushy. But as soon as the little Bluey stared back at him, reaching out to the stallion, he visibly recoiled with a startled yelp.
“What in tarnation am I lookin’ at?” Applejack got closer to inspect it. It mirrored her movements and she seemed as unsettled as I was by it.
“Lottie made her!” Apple Bloom announced, puzzled by all our behavior. Applejack looked from the doll to me but I didn’t know where to begin in offering an explanation.
“Lottie?” she asked, stepping closer to the bed. “Are you okay at least? You just got spooked?”
“Spooked!?” I tried to control my volume but it was a losing battle. “That…that thing is alive! Why aren’t you guys more freaked out by this!?”
“Well, it’s weird, I’ll give ya that…” Applejack looked to the doll again, her ears tiled away from it. “But this ain’t nothin’ compared to the vines or well…you.” She gestured to me sheepishly. “This is just somethin’ magic, I suppose.”
I looked at the little Bluey doll again, my heart finally calming down but the rest of me was still jumpy.
“Doctor Horse and Twilight said I don’t have any way to get my magic out of my body though.” I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. “How can I do something magic without meaning to?”
“Well, I wouldn’t know where to start with somethin’ like this, if I’m bein’ honest…” Applejack raised an eyebrow at the little plush again, still weirded out. “This seems more like somethin’ Twilight might be able to figure out. Maybe Rarity, but she’s more about movin’ stuff around, not stuff movin’ around on its own.”
“So…magic mumbo jumbo, got it.” I sighed bitterly. Of all the things this weird pony magic trapped in me to rear its ugly head for, why…animating a stuffed animal? Not that I was hoping to do anything at all, the thought of me having magic was still kind of insane, this was just…odd to say the least. “I hate every part of this. I really do.”
“Ah, c’mon Lottie. It ain’t so bad!” Apple Bloom smiled, hopping up on the bed with my creation in tow. “At least you made somethin’ cute! S’not like you made a dang monster that’ll go on a rampage, she’s just a little stuffy! Just look at her little ears.”
I grimaced a tiny bit at the cooing but yielded after a moment or two. For the first time since I’d finished making it, I reached out and touched the little stuffed pony me. I scratched a finger between its ears in its mane, much like I might give Pinkie a good head scratch. To my surprise, it leaned into it much like she would.
“Can you…feel?” I asked it, feeling uneasy again. “How can you do that? Oh lord…did I make a living thing??”
I hopped off the bed, making a break to hide behind Big Mac. He looked at me, very confused and concerned, same as his sisters.
“No no no no no, it’s too early for this…I’m super not prepared for the consequences of bringing a living thing into the world.” I babbled on, the terrifying implications of this hitting me like a fresh wave crashing down directly onto my stupid fucking face. “If it can feel, can it feel pain? What if someone steps on it?? It’s so tiny and defenseless-why would I bring something into this world just so it can suffer?? Oh noooooo…”
I could barely hold onto the stallion when my legs got wobbly, slowly sinking to the floor as the trio of Apple siblings stared at me, very lost. Big Mac looked especially startled, trying to help me back to my feet.
“It’s gonna be okay, Lottie.” Applejack soothed like I was a spooked animal. “You didn’t do anythin’ wrong. Let’s get you dressed and some breakfast in ya and then you can go see Twilight. I’m sure this isn’t anything all that complicated.”
As much as I hated to admit it, she was probably right. In Twilight’s eyes this was most likely just like any other part of her magic-filled day.
“Can I come?” Apple Bloom asked, still holding the little stuffy close. “Poor thing needs somepony to show it’s not so scary while Lottie’s freakin’ out.”
“She’s got a point.” I sighed before Applejack could object. “’sides, I don’t really want to…carry it. Or touch it anymore. And it feels cruel to stuff it in my pocket or something…”
“Fine.” The oldest sister sighed. “Now if you’re gonna be okay, I’m heading back to breakfast.”
“I’m…okay.” I told her, mostly meaning it. I was as okay as I was going to be until Twilight could sort all of this out. The older siblings left us to it as I got ready to start this totally normal day.
Thanks to Discord, Twilight was hard at work with her new theory. As impossible as it might have seemed, this could be the final piece that would allow her to figure out just how ponies and part-pony, part-humans had moved between the two worlds. And with enough study and dedication, she’d find just the spell or potion or incantation she’d need to do just that.
It was so close now, she just needed to find the right path…
“I can do this!” she gave herself a little pep talk. “No more go-nowhere theories, and no more-”
“Twilight!!” two voices called from beyond her study door, she could hear the front door slam open, shaking the walls a little.
“…distractions.” She sighed. She heard hoofsteps pounding her way and before she could call out to ask who was there, two figures burst into her study.
“Twilight!” they shouted again. Apple Bloom with a high, gleeful voice, and Lottie with a near-crazed tone full of dread. The dissonance was almost comical, if it didn’t set off her internal alarms.
“What!? What’s wrong??” she leapt off her stool, circling Lottie with a critical eye. “Is your fever back? Did somepony bother you in town? Did you eat something toxic?? What-”
“Twilight, look!” Apple Bloom smiled, holding something up to her. She pulled her eyes off her human friend to spot a…little stuffed pony in the filly’s hooves. It looked like Lottie’s other form Cornflower Blue had.
“Huh? Oh that’s nice Apple Bloom.” She noted, her head tilted. “But seriously, what’s got you so spooked, Lottie!?”
“I am so not a fan of that word today!” she huffed, dramatically gesturing to the stuffed pony. Twilight was so confused.
“Go on, Little Bluey.” Apple Bloom cooed to the toy. And for the first time, Twilight noticed a slight twitch in its little ears.
The stuffy was moving. It looked up at Twilight, who could only blink at what she was seeing.
“Huh…” she blinked some more. “That’s a…it’s an impressive “Come to Life” spell, I suppose. This is what you wanted to show me? I mean, it’s cute and all but-”
“Twilight!” Lottie shouted, grabbing the pony by her cheeks and practically shoving her muzzle to boop the tiny Bluey’s. “I did that! I made…magic happen!”
“…Buh?” the noise escaped Twilight.
“Turn it off!” Lottie shouted desperately, her hands shaking. “Make the magic not…be! Shut the whole thing down!”
“Hey!” Apple Bloom shouted back, shielding the tiny pony from the human’s burning gaze. “Little Bluey didn’t do nothin’ but exist! You can’t just turn her off!”
“The hell I can’t!” she shouted back. “Magic is crazy enough when it’s not coming out of my body! Twilight’s gonna turn it off and that little what’sit is gonna go back to being a normal present for Pinkie! Then no more magic is allowed to be anywhere in or around me as long as I’m here!”
“Wait, what is-”
“Pinkie would love Little Bluey either way, and you just made her!” Apple Bloom cut Twilight off. “She doesn’t know nothin’ about nothin’ and you want her first day in the world to be her mom sayin’ she shouldn’t exist?”
“I am not a mom, and that is not a kid!” Lottie glared at them both. “It is literally leftover scraps from Rarity’s clothes. You saw me make it!”
“Yeah, you made her!” the filly replied, somewhat smug. “And now she’s alive whether you like it or not!”
“Okay, hold on!” Twilight finally got a word in. “Lottie, you did magic!? How!? You don’t have a way to direct it!”
“That’s what I told them you told me!” she groaned. “But I did. Apple Bloom saw me make the thing pretty much start to finish, if something weird happened, neither of us noticed!”
Twilight looked at the stuffed pony again, and it poked its little hoof from Apple Bloom’s protective hold. Twilight looked at the filly hopefully, and she relaxed, bringing the stuffy closer.
Twilight got on the little toy’s level, observing its movements. A “Come to Life” spell had its limits. A puppet could be made to dance, a broom could be made to sweep, but this…was off, somehow. And it came from a magical source so unfamiliar in the form of Lottie, who had no formal magical training, let alone an explanation for how this happened.
This toy responded to stimuli, from how its ears twitched towards sound. It didn’t look to be breathing, it’s barrel still as it sat in Apple Bloom’s hooves. But she’d never seen a “Come to Life” spell with the directive of “act alive” before.
“Um…Little Bluey?” She asked, feeling a little embarrassed to be talking to a stuffed toy, even if it could understand her. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. I don’t know if you can understand me but…I promise nopony is going to take your magic from you. Until proven otherwise, you’re just a little stuffy and you deserve a chance to exist.”
Lottie almost seemed sour at that, but seemed to deflate at her tone, realizing that this whole thing was more complicated than she’d originally made it out to be.
“So, now it seems I’ve got two new lifeforms to figure out…” Twilight sighed, looking at her desk covered in research materials almost longingly.
“I figured I was mostly already “figured out” by now, but hey, go nuts I guess.” I snorted, figuring I was much less of a mystery by now, even if everything was still super confusing.
“What?” It took Twilight a moment before laughing softly. “Oh no, I didn’t mean you Lottie. With all the commotion I almost forgot.”
She searched the room for a moment before spotting it. I followed her line of sight to the top of a nearby bookshelf. Perched atop it was something familiar.
“Hey.” I got up from my chair slowly. “Is that…”
As if hearing her, the light gently floated through the air towards Lottie. The familiar sight seemed to make her forget about her new “no magic near me” policy she’d stated only moments ago. She held out a hand to it and it landed, and if it could say so, to Twilight it almost seemed happy to see her.
“Holy moly, what’s that?” Apple Bloom asked in a low whisper.
Explaining to Apple Bloom some of the things I’d been through was a…selective process. I decided to leave out some of the details of my too-close encounters with the forest, but the rest was a toss-up. Twilight shed some new information in the form of explaining how Discord had come to her and the light had come along for the ride.
“The lights, like this one,” I told the filly, watching the weightless orb drift above everyone’s heads. “they’ve been around when I’ve been in the forest. I’m pretty sure they’ve been trying to help me. So they’re probably safe. To think this one made it all the way here with Discord…”
Despite first impressions, that guy really had come through in a pinch. And if the orb being here was anything positive in the end, he deserved a thank you to say the least. Twilight’s description of his state when he reappeared from the weird magic place was enough to make me appreciate what he’d done. More than I already did.
“Until I can figure out what it is and how it might relate to all of this, I’m just letting it float around here in my study.” She explained to us. “But so far that’s all it does. Occasionally, it comes down to watch me work. Or maybe it just feels like it’s doing that. I don’t know…”
She looked around her study, at her shelves stacked with more books than I could count, at the mountain of materials stacked on her desk, all with tired, longing eyes. Then she turned back to the little Bluey, who looked back at her.
“I’m trying my best.” She sounded exhausted. “I’m so close, I can feel it! But between the foals, the portal, keeping you safe and healthy, trying to figure out your magic and keeping anypony else from getting hurt…”
I was wearing this pony out. Suddenly the alien-ness of the little stuffed me I’d somehow brought into this world was the least of my worries. I moved closer to Twilight and with the slightest hesitation, I patted the top of her head, running my hand over her soft mane. She looked up at me, blinking her wide, violet eyes.
“I’m sorry.” I told her, to the pony’s surprise. “I know that all of this, me included, has got to be causing you a lot of trouble. I know that…this-” I gestured vaguely to the stuffed pony in Apple Bloom’s forelegs. “-is just another thing to worry about. If I could do anything about this myself, believe me, I would.”
I felt a pang of something familiar deep in my gut. Some anxiety I’d tried to push away.
“And…I know magic is just another normal thing here, and I’m pretty much used to the whole “being part pony” thing by now, more or less…but it’s terrifying. The idea of things happening to me that I can’t control, my body doing things I didn’t tell it to, I’ve had enough of that for one lifetime, thank you.” I half-laughed, thinking of my initial transformation, the pain of being changed by those vines against my will. Still hard to think about, if I was being honest.
“If you can help me figure out this magic thing, even if it’s just how to make it less…active, I’d sleep a lot easier.” I tried my best at a genuine smile. “I know you’ve got a lot going on thanks to me, but I’d really appreciate it, Twilight.”
“Of course, Lottie.” She smiled back, her tired eyes gleaming with a little more energetic enthusiasm. “I was never going to say no. I just wish I could make a little headway. Every time I think I know what to look for and where to look for it, a whole new trail to follow pops up and I’m basically starting from scratch. Thanks to Discord, I think I know what I have to do now to figure out how to get you home.”
“You do?” I wasn’t sure how much to hope. It was too hard not to, but still.
“Positive.” She smiled, looking to her desk. “If it pans out, you’ll be the first to know, but I’m so close, Lottie!”
She looked back to the other two creatures in the room, a stuffed pony and a little filly. An innocent citizen of her town and the result of unknown magic. Two creatures that related to her struggles lately, when I thought about it.
“But this has to come first.” She nodded. “The sooner we figure this out, the sooner I can help you.”
Twilight’s magical observations were slow-going. She’d scanned Lottie from head to hoo-feet, twice. Her odd magical signature was still there, but it did seem a little bit…drained compared to the last time she’d looked. Lottie had indeed used some of her magic, but telling just exactly how was proving to be difficult.
“I think-and believe me I hate to say this but…” she started, eyeing her friend. “The best way to figure out how you did this is to…recreate the results.”
Lottie appeared to think for a moment, before looking at her with wide eyes.
“No. No no no.” she groaned, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently. “I can’t do it again, I won’t.”
She pointed an accusing finger at Apple Bloom, running a hand through her short, dark hair.
“She’s already giving me grief for the little pony me; I’m not going to make more of these…things. I don’t know how ponies feel about creating life out of nothing, but it’s too much for me!”
“Lottie, I know this is upsetting.” She reassured her. “But the more we understand about how this happened, the better we can keep your magic under control. This time you brought a toy to life, who knows what you might do next?”
Lottie looked away, stubborn. But a minute passed, then another. And eventually, she turned back to Apple Bloom and the little stuffed version of herself, her eyes softening a bit. After a moment she groaned softly, the sound growing louder and more frustrated until she threw her hands into the air.
“Alright, fine!” she shouted, pointing at Little Bluey. “But if it comes to life like that one did, someone else is taking care of it! I’m not about to bring a litter of these things into the world and have a little army following me around. I’ve got enough to deal with as it is.”
“Ooh!” Apple Bloom’s hoof shot into the air. “I’ll take it in!”
“Great!” Lottie threw up her hands again before Twilight could say anything. “Take me to Rarity’s for supplies and it’s all yours, kid!”
The two of them were gone just as suddenly as they’d shown up, leaving the tiny stuffed Bluey sitting on the bookshelf of her study. The doll looked nervously down to the floor and pressed up against the books for safety. Twilight sighed, lending it a hoof to take it to her desk for safe-keeping.
“There you go, Little Bluey.” She smiled at the tiny thing. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
She wondered how Spike would react to the new visitor, he still played with his dolls-action figures when he thought nopony was looking, still able to give them lots of caring love and affection. He was just the kind of friend Little Bluey needed at the moment.
Lottie sat on the stool in the middle of Twilight’s basement laboratory, sewing away at what she insisted would be “something small” and “uncomplicated”. She didn’t want to spend the entire afternoon making it like she had Little Bluey. But she didn’t want to make a form so simple that the resulting creature couldn’t move properly on its own. What she was working on was slowly starting to resemble a little stuffed dog. It was round and cute, with soft, light brown fabric for its body and a darker, shaggier brown fabric for its ears.
“When I was a kid, I used a running stitch here ‘cause it was the easiest, but it comes apart if it’s not tight enough.” She had been using this as an opportunity to teach Apple Bloom her process, who sat on a chair nearby but far enough away as not to accidentally interfere. “For something really small like this, you wanna use a back stitch.”
Twilight had decided to ask Spike to watch after Little Bluey like she’d considered earlier. As conflicted as she’d felt about what seemed like pawning the doll off on him, she knew that Spike would be kind and caring before she had even finished asking. She couldn’t have anything interfering with the process, for observation’s sake, even accidentally. The orb of light (which really needed a name) had also tagged along, and Spike had seemed eager for the opportunity to be nice to it. It was getting hard to tell if it was a thinking creature or if it just coincidentally followed living beings from room to room, but Spike insisted on treating it like the former until proven otherwise, which she thought was more than fair.
She stood just far enough away that he didn’t feel the pull on her magic, which she now knew to be Lottie’s magic trying to replenish itself. Twilight had watched Lottie sewing for a while now, her horn lit with a detection spell to make any unseen magic visible to the naked eye. She could see it sitting in Lottie’s body, giving her torso a hazy blue glow. But it never moved, not trailing to her hands and fingers as one might think for magic to move, like it might for a pony’s hooves. It never went anywhere.
“This isn’t working.” Twilight muttered to herself. “I should be able to detect your magic doing something right now. There’s still plenty of it to work with in your reserves…maybe there’s something about being observed that’s throwing off the experiment.”
“…Please don’t call this an experiment, Twilight.” Lottie sighed. Twilight blinked, chuckling nervously. She hadn’t realized that she’d been talking out loud. She’d been doing that a lot lately.
With her spell, Twilight could see also Apple Bloom’s own pale yellow magic humming away inside of her, glowing throughout her body and pooling in her small hooves. It was so different from Lottie’s magic but oddly similar too.
“And for the face details, we’re gonna use a stem stitch.” She turned the toy puppy around to show the filly her work, and even Twilight could admit that it was turning out to be very cute. It had tiny black button eyes to match Little Bluey’s style.
“Lottie!” the filly smiled at her friend, wiggling impatiently. “I know I said before that grown up-mares don’t need stuffed toys, but I can’t help it! I love it already, even if it’s not magic, it’s just too dang cute!”
Lottie smiled warmly, not taking her eyes off of her work. She turned the tiny stuffed dog over in her hands, starting to pull it inside out.
“Almost done.” Lottie announced to the room. She grabbed some wool from their borrowed supplies and began to stuff the stuffed animal.
“When you do this part, the more packed in the stuffing is, the less give the toy will have.” She told the filly, like they were having a private craft lesson. “I’ll pack this one just a bit looser so that it’s more…huggable, I guess.”
From the corner of Twilight’s mind, she could’ve sworn something had changed with Lottie’s magic. But it wasn’t immediately obvious. Twilight concentrated her spell, narrowing her field of vision to only focus on Lottie. The rest of the room faded away, and the hum of Lottie’s magic filled her senses. Something was happening. But what?
“Huggable’s good.” Apple Bloom’s voiced sounded so far away. “If he comes to life…do you think he’ll…you know. Like me?”
“Why wouldn’t he?” Lottie could’ve been inches mere inches away, her voice so clear and close. It permeated through the air like the echoed sounds of a wind chime.
“I’m excited if he is gonna be alive, but…” the filly started. “…I dunno, I just want to be a good friend to the little guy, I guess…I’m not sure if I’m makin’ any sense.”
“I think I get it.” Lottie sighed.
Then, Twilight saw it.
Lottie’s magic swirled inside her with an inhale and ever so gently, it crept slowly up like wisp of smoke. Bright blue magic danced on her tongue, and with a word, it swirled out like a haze of warm breath on a cold winter morning.
“This little puppy here?” she spoke, and Twilight watched in awe as the curl of magic glowed brightly. “He’s gonna be a good boy, a little friend when you need one the most.”
The magic swirled with a force behind it, sweeping over the form of the stuffed dog. Twilight didn’t say a word, unsure if any sound would come out if she tried.
“I mean, he’s a dog, isn’t he?” she laughed, and another swirl burst forth, sweeping down into the toy in progress. “He’s loyal, brave, and if you give him lots of love, he’s gonna love you right back.”
The magic tucked itself away inside the toy, and the steady stream of bright magic stopped pouring out from the human’s body. It still hummed away inside her, but it had lost some of its volume.
Magic had definitely been used.
And Twilight saw everything.
“Oh my goodness.” She said too quietly, nopony hearing her. Lottie went on with her sewing, closing up the stitching on the dog’s back. She held it to the light to see how it had turned out, unaware of what had just transpired.
“Oh my goodness!” Twilight said a little louder, and her friends noticed this time. Lottie tilted her head but Apple Bloom had caught on by the look on Twilight’s face. “I can’t believe what I’ve just seen…Dr. Horse and I, we discussed how you magic could take form, but neither of us considered…oh my goodness!”
“What?” Lottie looked worried, looking to Apple Bloom but no clarification came. “Nothing happened.”
“You mean it, Twilight?” Apple Bloom was trying not to squeal, by the looks of it. “I’m gettin’ a little magic friend?”
“What? No.” Lottie looked at the still unmoving form in her hands.
“Yes!” Twilight couldn’t contain her excitement anymore. “Your magic, it reacted! It went into the toy!”
She bounded over to her, not caring about the experiment any longer.
“Lottie!” she laughed, pointing a hoof at her friend’s work. “Your magic moved! It was your voice!”
“My-” she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, looking nervous again. She looked from the dog to Twilight, her eyes pleading for more information. Twilight told them about what she had seen, and just how Lottie’s magic had gotten out of her body.
“Huh, that’s funny.” Apple Bloom smiled. “You talked to Little Bluey too, when you were makin’ her. So Lottie lets out her magic when she talks? All the time? What about when she breathes?”
Lottie looked very distressed again, a hand still slapped tightly over her mouth. She tucked into herself a little, and Twilight could hear a muffled whimper escape her.
“No, no.” she assured the both of them. “I watched you the whole time. Your magic only came out when you talked later, I can’t really say why. But it wasn’t coming out before or after that, talking or breathing.”
Lottie looked a little bit relieved, but not much. She still didn’t say anything.
“Lottie, I think what happened might’ve been a very selective thing. If your magic was just creeping out whenever, we would’ve noticed the effects by now.” Twilight reassured her. “Your magic takes the form of some kind of…spoken object enchantment; I doubt it can do much else.”
She slowly took her hand off of her mouth, taking a deep breath. Twilight focused her spell once more, and again saw no movement. She shook her head, and Lottie was audible again.
“This is too weird. I didn’t see anything!” she groaned, sounding mentally exhausted. “I though magic was all glowy and zip, zap, wooo~, you know?”
“Um…” it was odd, hearing it described that way. “You’re describing active magic, like…what comes out of a horn. Passive magic can take many forms, mostly invisible to the naked eye, though this is the first time I’ve seen such particular enchantment being used passively. What you did is very advanced, in terms of active magic a unicorn could do. From what I saw of Little Bluey, it’s likely that your magic is unique to you.”
“I’m not gonna…bring buildings to life, am I?” she whispered, if she didn’t look so spooked, it would almost make Twilight laugh. “I don’t want to sneeze in the wrong direction and make Sugarcube Corner take off down the road.”
“No, Lottie.” She smiled. “Your magic reserves are much too small to bring anything much bigger than a toy to life. Maybe if you had a few years of training…but I doubt you could learn with conventional unicorn methods.”
“How in Equestria would you make a building do that?” Apple Bloom had no such reservations about laughing at her imagined scenario.
“I don’t know!” she threw her hands up, still holding the little dog.
“It doesn’t have any legs!” she laughed harder, falling back in her chair. Lottie looked annoyed at the filly for a moment before losing her composure and laughing too. It was a worried laugh, but Twilight took it as a sign that things would get better.
Spike came in with Little Bluey sitting atop his head, its little body sloped over his head spine. Both he and the tiny pony seemed intrigued by the as-of-yet still unmoving dog, it was about half of the stuffed pony’s size. Apple Bloom was chatting away with the orb of light, as if it could talk back clear as day.
“This does explain some things, actually.” Twilight told her friend, who was watching the younger creatures in the room thoughtfully. Her mind was racing, thinking back to Lottie’s explanation of her appearance in Equestria.
“How do you mean?” she asked, confused.
“You said that the portal used to open when you asked it to.” She reminded the human. She saw Lottie’s eyes widen with the realization. “It’s possible that somehow, your magic influenced whatever portal was already there from Sugar Maple crossing over. You asked to be somewhere else and your magic made it happen.”
“Jesus…” Lottie muttered; the word unfamiliar to the alicorn. But she could tell by her tone that she was frustrated. “I thought it was weird that I just…asked nicely and crossed over. That was just one of many unbelievable things that happened to me since I came here. Magic words…why did it stop listening to me, if my words are magic?”
“I don’t know.” Twilight hated to admit it, but even this big discovery left them with more questions than answers. “Something else is at work here, maybe something changed that we just can’t see yet. But like I said, I’m so close to figuring this out. I just need to find a way to…”
Thanks to Discord, she knew what to look for next. But it was still a tall order, even for an Alicorn. She’s felt like she’d disappointed Lottie before, when she’d had her breakdown at the hospital. As much as she wanted to keep Lottie in the loop, she didn’t want to chance hurting her friend again, especially after seeing just how much something like that could hurt her.
“I think with a little practice, I could teach you how to sense your own magic.” Twilight told her, not trying to change the subject but also kind of doing exactly that. “That way, you could tell when you were using it on your own.”
“I guess that’d be best…” she sighed, smiling a little. “Thanks, Twilight.”
“Maybe, when you’re more comfortable with the idea of magic…” she touched on the subject with some hesitation. “It could help you learn how to use it when you want to. Instead of randomly when you don’t.”
Lottie looked to Little Bluey, who was poking their hoof at the still as-of-yet to move dog. Spike was laughing with Apple Bloom about the two of them, and Lottie couldn’t stop her smile from getting a little bigger.
“As freaky as magic is sometimes…” she said, just loud enough for the adults in the room to hear. “I make these things to make kids happy. I can’t say I’ll ever come around to the idea of purposefully making them all full of magic, at least not right away, but…”
Spike had picked up Little Bluey, cradling the tiny stuffed pony. Apple Bloom looked on with a warm smile, still just as caring towards the living toy as she’d been the whole day.
“I can make something that…helps kids, in my own way.” She held herself in a more confident way, just a little. “Magic or not, that’s what I do.”
Twilight felt a shiver go down her spine. Not unpleasant, as if from fear, but something about Lottie’s words hit her. She focused her spell one last time, just to make sure her magic hadn’t gone off by accident. But her magic reserves were at the same level as just a bit ago.
But something was different. Something she couldn’t identify with Lottie’s unique magic. It was brighter, but other than that it was just…a gut feeling Twilight had.
“Something’s changed.” She told the human hybrid. Lottie looked at her with a startled blink of her eyes, but Twilight assured her it wasn’t anything bad.
“Your magic’s glowing, just a bit.” She told her. “I don’t know why, but you’re not using it. Keep an eye on it for now, and try to focus on your words when you’re making things. Eventually, you should be able to feel the difference like I can, even without a spell.”
“Okay. I will.” Lottie sounded like she’d had enough of all of this for the day. She shook it off and made her way to the others. Twilight watched her go, unsure of what the future held for Lottie and her magic.
“I won’t let anything bad happen.” She told herself. She watched the room filled with creatures who were precious to her, as well as the new magic toys. Even the orb of light seemed to be enjoying interacting with others, even if it was just because it hadn’t retired to the tops of the bookshelves yet.
New friends and old, reminding her why she was working so hard lately. Why she felt like she’d work that hard for the rest of her life, if it was needed of her. They were why she did what she did, gave her that sense of purpose she felt.
She looked to Lottie, as Spike began to regale her of what he and Little Bluey had done while they were away. She was listening with genuine interest, reaching out and patting the tiny stuffed pony’s head with an even hand. The toy leaned into it, and Lottie smiled brightly at the creature that she’d denied the right to exist not even a few hours ago.
“I can do this.” Twilight stretched a bit, letting herself relax and joining the rest of her friends for a bit of fun before getting back to her research. Which was fun in its own way, but still.
Apple Bloom and I had said our goodbyes before we left, taking the little stuffed me (who was more or less officially going by Little Bluey now) and the puppy along with us. Twilight seemed eager to get back to work, and as grateful as I was for her dedication, Luna had been right when she’d said that Twilight was studious. I could never get that excited about reading and researching all day long, even if I could read their language. If I could, and she’d asked for my help, of course I’d do it, but not with the same obvious enthusiasm as Twilight.
In my worked up state, I hadn’t paid any attention to ponies on the street when we’d hopped on over to Rarity’s shop, and now Apple Bloom was doing a good job of distracting me, but I couldn’t tell if she was doing it on purpose or if she was just having a good time with me. With everything going on, I couldn’t even bring myself to care about the few ponies I saw who quickly looked away or suddenly had somewhere else to be.
Yeah, yeah. I thought to myself. I just had magic come out of my mouth, apparently. My brain’s way too fried for any of this.
“I can’t wait for this little guy to start walkin’ around.” Apple Bloom laughed. “I wonder why your magic ain’t workin’ yet.”
“I let you take Pinkie’s gift to bed since you fell asleep with it. Er, sorry. Her.” I corrected myself at the filly’s sour look. “Maybe it just needs some time to…boot up. Or get a running start, I bet. Just hang out with the little guy, maybe sleep next to him too. If it’s gonna work like it did before, just do the same thing.”
“Aye aye, Lottie.” She saluted, and we both got a laugh out of that. The bell above Rarity’s door rang as we came back in.
“Hello again.” Rarity poked her head out from the next room. “I take it your strange venture was successful? You were very sparing with the details, dear Charlotte.”
“Yeah, thanks again.” I set the supplies to one side. “I got quite the wake-up call this morning.”
“Lottie used magic!” I could count on Apple Bloom to get right to the point when I didn’t feel like talking much. She set Little Bluey on the raised platform in the middle of the room, and sure enough the toy looked up at Rarity with a flick of her tiny ear.
“Oh my goodness!” Rarity cooed at the little pony. “Look at you! I recognize that fabric too, I made your pajamas out of that.”
She got down to her level, reaching out a hoof. Little Bluey looked at her before reaching back and the two of them shook hooves.
“She’s so precious!” the unicorn laughed, going in for a nuzzle. It was a little weird, seeing as the toy looked like a little me in my pony body, but not that weird. “I knew you wanted to make toys, but a tiny you?”
“In this specific set of circumstances, yes! It’s weird!” I huffed, getting a laugh from them. “But I was making a gift. I didn’t meant for her to come alive.”
I could see the wheels in the unicorn’s head turning, and she flashed me a warm smile.
“Well, how lovely.” She gave me a knowing look. I rolled my eyes with a smirk.
“She made it for Pinkie Pie!” Apple Bloom said just a little too loud. I gave a sharp sigh, the implied mystery thoroughly shattered.
“Yes! Thank you, Apple Bloom!” I scolded with a smile. Not being a jerk was near the top of my “Be sure not to fuck this up” list of things to do, and I really did like Apple Bloom. But that girl had crazy younger sibling energy that was hard not to react to. They both just laughed at that and I couldn’t help but join in.
“So, what was all the commotion earlier about?” Rarity asked, and Apple Bloom was more than happy to show off her new toy/friend and explain its lack of moving around.
“Twilight wanted to observe, see how my magic got out and all that.” I explained. “Turns out I’ve got a magic voice, go figure.”
“I’m happy for you that she was able to figure this all out.” Rarity put a hoof on my arm before trotting off to the next room, still talking to us. I could hear her rummaging around. “Magic can be such tricky business, but with that settled I imagine Twilight has one less thing to fret over. You as well.”
“Yeah.” I reached down to Little Bluey, scratching a finger between her ears. “She’s really working hard for all of this.”
“For you too, darling.” She called back. “And I mean that in the best possible way.”
“I know.” And I meant that. She came back to the room with a length of ribbon in her magic, with familiar blue and pink colors in polka dots.
“May I?” she asked the little pony. It paused before nodding, and Rarity went to work. She tied a fancy-looking bow around its neck, turning it around to sit like a ribbon rather than a bowtie.
“If you’re going to be a present, you’ll need to look your best, little one.” She told her. Little Bluey nuzzled Rarity’s hoof, a silent thank you.
“You think it’s still…y’know. Entirely ethical?” I asked her. “To give her away, since she’s living and everything?”
“I do believe…” Rarity thought for a moment, her face scrunching up in concentration. “Hm. Well, this might be a tiny bit outside my area of expertise. I do believe, however, that this one here can have a say in where she calls home.”
I looked to Little Bluey, who looked back at me. She really did look cute in her new ribbon. I knelt down to her level, not sure how to ask.
“Hey…” I started, holding out my hands for her to climb into. She tested the new surface with a hoof before climbing on up, her tail of curled yarn wagging slightly. “I made you to be a gift. For somepony I really…want to thank. For being kind to me. For being my friend. But…”
I looked at this impossible creature. This living thing I’d brought to life unknowingly. But now that she was alive, I had a responsibility to her.
“I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do.” I focused on my words like Twilight told me to. I didn’t feel any different, trying to make sure that I wasn’t influencing her decision magically. But I wasn’t sure if I was or not. “If you want to be your own pony, you can. It’s a big world, and it won’t be easy, but I promise that no matter what you choose…I’ll protect you.”
Little Bluey looked at the others in the room, then reached up to touch the ribbon Rarity had given her, somehow looking thoughtful despite her very limited expressions.
She looked up at me again, and put a tiny hoof to her chest. Then, something clicked. Whether it was my gut telling me or some magic connection I couldn’t even begin to understand, I knew.
“You’re a toy.” I smiled at her. “Alive or not, you’re meant to be loved. And I know the one pony in this whole world who’s gonna love you the most.”
Pinkie Pie was looking forward to her lunch break today, Mr. Cake had made a delicious-looking triple-decker sandwich for her and it was waiting in the fridge, along with a big helping of her favorite sweet and tangy pickle chips and half a dozen double chocolate cupcakes. She had caught herself drooling a little throughout the morning, and she’d found herself watching the clock.
The dining area had a few ponies in it, but the line had finally cleared. Any minute now, Mrs. Cake would get back from prepping the afternoon baking and take over for her at the counter. She knew Gummy had to be looking forward to the pickle chips too, he always scarfed down his half and then he drank the brine. If Pinkie didn’t know any better, she would think that Gummy always looked a bit greener after pickle chip lunches, but in a good way. She wondered if brine was good for scales. She’d have to remember to ask Spike-
The half door creaked open, and Pinkie saw her absolute favorite pony who isn’t really fully pony and/or human pop in, her hands behind her back.
“Lottie Dottie!” she smiled wide, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to step away for just a minute. She ducked under the counter and went to her friend, reaching up as high as she could and getting a nice, squeezy hug around Lottie’s waist.
“Hey, Pinkie.” Lottie smiled back, and the sight of it made Pinkie’s world light up just a little bit brighter. She giggled, hopping down and noticing Lottie still had her hands behind her back.
“Whatcha got there, Bluey?” she asked.
“Well.” She took a breath, clearing her throat a little. “I told you yesterday how I wanted to do something nice for you. Well, I sat down and made you a little something.”
“You did!?” Pinkie gasped, and from the corner of her eye she could see the customers turn their heads. Lottie looked a little skittish but stood firm.
“I did. And…let’s just say I…might’ve possibly, accidentally…used magic on it.”
“Lottie Dottie!” Pinkie gasped, feeling a thrill at the thought of the situation but a little jealous she’d missed it, it sounded like it could’ve been a fun time. “I thought-”
“Yeah, I know, no way to get the magic out, but it happened.” Lottie cut her off, but not in an impatient way. “Sorry, I’ve told this story a few times today and I have a feeling that I’ll be telling it a few more times. At least Apple Bloom’s telling her family so I don’t have to.”
“S’okay!” she laughed. “So you made me a magic surprise?”
“Yes, more or less.” She shrugged. “It might not exactly be something you’d want, so if it’s not really up your alley, just tell me. No hard feelings, I’d totally understand.”
“Aw, Lottie!” she smiled. “I’ll love any little thing you give me, cause it’s a special gift from you!”
A pony “aww”-ed from the corner table, and Lottie’s cheeks got a little dark. Her big, shy Lottie Dottie. But she pressed on.
“Okay. But to warn you. It’s not a something…”
She brought her hand around, and Pinkie gasped.
“It’s a someone.”
Pinkie could only stare, her hooves over her mouth.
It was a tiny little stuffed Bluey pony doll, just like the one Pinkie had given to her. But as she looked, she noticed something. The toy pony lifted her little head, tilting it a bit at the sight of what must’ve been, to her, a giant pink pony. She looked back to Lottie who nodded reassuringly.
“It’s okay.” She whispered. The stuffy reached out for Pinkie, who couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Eeeeeeeee!” she squealed, swiping up the little pony and hugging her close. “Oh my gosh I love her so much!! Hi little friend! You’re just the most adorable, itty bitty pony! I just wanna hug you and squeeze you! I love you soooooo much!”
“I had a feeling you’d like her. Didn’t even bat an eye.” Lottie laughed as she smiled at the two of them. Pinkie spun around with the little pony in her forelegs, snuggling her close.
Pinkie’s heart felt like it was going to burst. Lottie had given her a gift! Her stomach was filled with butterflies at the thought of all the work Lottie had done, just for her. The tiny pony’s tail was wagging as Pinkie held her, and it made her so happy she just wanted to cry.
“I just meant to make you a toy, but apparently I do magic when I talk to the toys I make, so…that’s a thing now. I’m…I’m glad I could do something nice for you, to make you happy.” Lottie was still smiling, and Pinkie loved the sight of it. It was real. And warm, and her eyes were full of the same feeling.
She remembered every scowl and frown, every hurt expression, every fake smile that Lottie had ever shown her. And like a warm ray of sunshine, the Lottie she saw now washed over them. She knew she was sad sometimes, and hurt in a way she couldn’t fix. But the moments when Lottie could smile with her whole heart made her shine the brightest.
Pinkie was so happy, all the words she wanted to say were warm in her chest. For once in her life, Pinkie couldn’t say anything, even though she wanted to run into the streets and burst into song. Nothing she could say could even come close to showing how happy she was, how this special not-quite-a-pony made her feel.
She’d never felt like this before.
“Apple Bloom, Twilight and Spike have been calling her Little Bluey, but I haven't asked how she feels about that.” Lottie smiled, and it was too much. Pinkie felt the overwhelming need to do…something. But what?
“Hey Pinks, you okay?” she laughed. And the sound was so wonderful that Pinkie couldn’t stop herself.
In one swift motion, Pinkie leapt into Lottie’s arms and hugged her tight around her neck, Little Bluey nestled in her poofy mane. Before the human could react, Pinkie, muffling a delighted squeal, planted a kiss on her cheek.
The room was quiet, save for the sound of Pinkie’s heart in her ears. When had it gotten so loud? She couldn’t bring herself to care. Everything was just right.
She pulled away, giggling like mad, and spotted Mrs. Cake in the kitchen doorway. She had a funny look on her face. So did some of the customers, now that she was looking.
“Oh hey! Is it time for lunch?” she asked. The older mare nodded slowly and Pinkie cheered, excited and already so happy. She looked at her Lottie Dottie once more to find her face darkened again, slowly spreading to her ears and neck.
“It’s pickle chip day!” she shouted in a sing-song voice. “See you later~!” She planted a kiss on her other cheek and hopped out of her arms, ready for an amazing lunch to top off this amazing day.
I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breathe.
Did that just…happen? My mind was going blank. I…What in the world just-
Mrs. Cake was next to me suddenly, and I suddenly remembered the other ponies in the seats all around me. My heart felt like it was going to explode. A combination of embarrassment and…whatever else I was currently feeling.
“Would you like to sit down, dear?” she asked me, that same strange smile on her face that I kept seeing on ponies whenever the subject of Pinkie and I came up. I could only look at her, my face felt like it was on fire. I think someone was giggling.
Nothing was computing, my brain was stalling. All I could think about was that pink pony and…and…
I could feel the blush spreading to my ears.
“I’m in trouble.”