//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: The return to Ponyville // Story: I am my own OC // by KittyrinnAiko //------------------------------// I just couldn't understand? A pony would think they’d be happy about another alicorn. A pony would think they’d be happy that I saved Princess Celestia from her own foolishness. But the idea that she’d produced a foal had enraged quite a few. Granted that Sunset didn’t exactly have the best reputation among those who were in any way connected to the palace, but still... I tried to field as many questions as I could, no I don’t know how I opened the mirror, I just did. Sometimes things do work like that. I did not know that Starswirl the Bearded had created the mirror but that was my assumption. Ya, no, trying to explain how I knew just wasn’t going to work other than falling back on I was born over a thousand years ago. I could even go so far as to say I’d seen some of his original notes and knew what he intended for a certain mirror. As far as who my mother was I just pointed out Princess Luna and tried to explain that she used to be physically older and that she had regressed in age. Luna had also confirmed that I was indeed her daughter. The unfortunate assumption of the ignorant was that Princess Luna had been an out of control filly who’d gotten herself knocked up while underage. Some even wanted charges pressed against the stallion. Never mind that all that happened over a thousand years ago. Celestia had tried her best, but by the time Lofty decided to scoop me up under her wing I was so glad I was still little enough for her to do that. I kind of got the feeling Luna wished that some pony could have swooped her up too. At that moment Luna was more of an older sister than a mom. I had a new mom, two in fact, and a new life to live. Still, though, Luna would always be my first mom. 🏘 “Sure is good to be back in Ponyville,” I said as I stepped off the train with the same old saddlebags on my back that I’d started with. And I still have the cloak Rarity gave me. I also brought souvenirs from the Castle gift shop, per request by a number of my friends here in Ponyville, and some of my favorite toys I’d spirited away which I intended to leave at Lofty’s. Make that home. Luna followed right behind me, a moderate-sized trunk in her magic. Canterlot just didn’t feel like home to me, nor to Luna and she was eager to getaway. “So why did I have to come with you?” Sunset asked as she followed. “To get us out of the castle and away from Canterlot.” Cadance offered as she too stepped off the train. Philomena had stayed behind as she’d been far too interested in all the activity to go with us. And you’re probably wondering about my room. It did get cleaned up. We even decided to have a sleepover between the three of us. Luna had turned us down, but let us know her door would be open. Which just happened to be right down the hall from Cadance’s room. Our sleepover didn’t stay in my room very long though. Sure I had fresh linen, the dust all cleaned up, but the bed cover had a musty smell to it that simply hadn’t come out during cleaning, and horror of all horrors – there were mice living in the old mattress. There was no way of knowing how long they’d been there, but the smell that sifted up made me think they’d been there for many generations. How I knew there were mice is my good ears and some sort of six sense I seemed to have. I could hear the little squeakers down inside the mattress and my mind was sketching out their approximate locations. Picture me doing fox springs on the bed while the others tried to sleep. That is I'd jump up and strike down with my front hooves while the rest of me was in the air, and then Cadance and Sunset would bounce from the impact. My toys were alright though thanks to preservation spells, but much of the clothing I’d left behind was unwearable even with preservation spells. Everything had a musty odor that proved difficult to get out. It didn’t take long for us to give up, and evacuate to Luna’s new room where we were warmly welcomed with an ‘I told you so’. Our report on the condition of the room had Mr Heritage fit to be tied. First, he didn’t want any pony touching the rooms at all, but then it was looking like all that degradation had happened on his watch. What’s more, is my room wasn’t the only room in desperate need. As for his ‘We’ll just see about that’ if he had words with Princess Celestia she never said. Granted that his changed attitude towards me for the better was a good indication that some pony had words with him. So here we are in Ponyville to get us out from under hoof for a few days while a major renovation and restoration happens. I’d made it clear that everything had to look exactly the same and that certain ‘special’ features had to be retained as well. I had to point out a number of special features that they’d been completely unaware of as well to include a private vault that I wasn’t about to give them access to. Not even Princess Celestia had known about it though Luna had mixed feelings about me telling any pony. Everything that needed replacement was to be duplicated with the originals going into museum collections. I was happy, and the preservation people were happy. Granted that there were outfits that would need resizing, and a few that just struck me as, you know, I never liked that outfit in the first place… so in the end not everything got a duplicate made. Oh, and there was one more issue, Sunset had left her copy of the diary that she and Celestia shared in the other dimension. Johnathan had kept everything Sunset had left behind, fudged his report, got in trouble for failing to get the address for Sunset, Celestia, and myself, found the memory stone, erased the whole incident from the memory of his supervisor, and wrote it all down in Sunset’s diary. I chose not to tell him about the ‘Time do-ma-dinky’ or any of the other magical items known or suspected to have been dumped in that dimension by Starswirl simply because I had no idea where to look. He also promised to never use the stone again. I did warn him about the Dazzlings and when he checked he’d been able to trace them by their MO. Celestia was keeping her diary and was going to forward messages to me as I’d no desire to have it. I also had to ask if he saw people in pastel colors. The fact that he was bewildered by what I’d asked had given me a strong indication that the pastel colors was just a pony thing. No idea if I’d ever really figure it out though. And now the fun part. I hadn’t actually died, per se… Assuming I had actually been in his world and had been his mother. I’d developed a bone growth high up on my forehead, and nothing would get rid of it. That is from what Johnathan had written in the book. Yes, I was growing a unicorn horn. It seems I’d opted for an experimental treatment where some sort of energy beam was supposed to remove the growth. A feedback loop overloaded the system, bright lights, lots of sparks, and lots of smoke. When the smoke cleared all that was left of me was a scorch mark where I’d been. OK, so maybe I didn’t actually die per se… As soon as I woke up in Equestria I was back to being a foal and all my old suppressed memories started coming back a chunk at a time. I'd gone full circle. Johnathan had also revealed that I'd been a foundling. In short, when I was caught between the magic of the elements of harmony and Princess Luna's magic in an attempt to push me free I'd been pushed right through the veil between worlds where I was found as a baby girl. It was presumed that I'd been abandoned and was soon adopted out to a loving family. As for everything that had been in the show, I can only wonder how much of what was in the show was going to hold up in the future. And for that matter were there others like me or were people somehow peering into another world without even realizing it? I wanted to ask Alice Mouse what her experience was like, but at the same time, I didn't want to open any old wounds. As for Johnathan, I’d asked him not to contact us unless it was really important and did let him know to be alert for anything that just doesn’t fit. The whole it just doesn’t fit is kind of hard to explain, but for a veteran in law enforcement, it basically meant anything out of the ordinary or out of place. I had a new life to live and I had – we had to let go of the past. I couldn't just pop over any time I wanted to say hi. I couldn't call on the phone, send a text, or e-mail him or anyone else on the other side. Kind of wish I could, but I can’t. Knowing they were getting on with their lives is what was important for me now. Trying to hang on to those old connections when we were so far apart just didn’t seem healthy to me. I can only wonder how the Elizabethans, Victorians, and the multitude of early explorers managed it when they were away from friends and family with no contact for years at a time. I was dead in that world, and it was probably best I stay dead. And not just because my family would have to give all the money back for my untimely disintegration, but for the safety of both worlds. 🌠 “Are you done monologuing?” Sunset asked. “Please tell me I didn’t just say all that out loud?” I asked with my ears flat. “No, but we can see it in your face.” Lofty informed me. “That and you’re standing in the way. Move.” “Sorry!” I say and trot away from the train. “It’s alright.” Luna offered. “Not like I haven’t done my fair share. I barely know my own sister who is now more like a mother and my own daughter might as well be my little sister.” I lean over and give her a hug with my wing. I am also reminded that her accent is no worse than my own, and the whole talking to people with the ‘Canterlot’ voice just wasn’t a thing. Granted that part of the reason I wanted her to come with us was that I feared that she was broken inside and it was going to take a bit of loving care to bring that sparkle back to her eyes. A few moments later the seven of us are, yes seven, Lofty, Luna, Sunset, Cadance, myself, and two pegasi guards Brightwing and Silvereagle are on our way to our next stop. Brightwing is teal with a rainbow mane and tail while Silvereagle is silver with a two-tone blue mane and tail. They had on minimal armor so their true colors were showing through. They are also both contenders for the Wonderbolts as well and volunteered to, well let's face it, foal sit. It’s Ponyville. What can possibly happen in Ponyville? I see you rolling your eyes at me. Princess Celestia did send more so I convinced her that we’d be better served if the Guard were to do patrols on the edge of the Everfree and or be pr-positioned at strategic locations in Ponyville where their presence wouldn't be too obtrusive. There wasn’t the budget, but then again there was a need for training, and that had already been budgeted. Where they did their training was generally at the discretion of the local command structure. Redirecting units to the Everfree or Ponyville for ‘training’ turned out to be a win-win for every pony, and Celestia still wanted the occasional patrol out to the old palace as well. Just in case some other lost pony showed up. “You're doing it again.” Sunset teased. “Well it’s not like I’m standing in the middle of the way?!” And I nearly walked into a light post. “Lofty, so good of you to meet us at the station, I knew you wouldn't let us down.” A peach-colored pegasus mare with blond colored mane and tail was suddenly shoving a suitcase at Lofty who had no choice but to take hold of it. Meanwhile, a dark tan, or perhaps earth brown earth pony with purplish hair was loading luggage onto the train. His outfit reminded me a little too much of the Crocodile Hunter. “ We’ve got a wonderful opportunity, knew you’d understand.” He offered, and before we knew what had happened they were on the train, and the train was rolling out of the station. “What just happened?” Sunset asked. “Snap!” Lofty called after him. “I can’t take care of Scootaloo! I thought Holiday said no!?” It was already too late. “I can’t take care of four princesses and a Scootaloo too!” Poor Scootaloo was standing there looking dejected. “Lady Lofty, if you like we can wire ahead and have them brought back under guard?” Silvereagle offered while I went to reassure Scootaloo. “Do it,” I say in a stern tone. “Nova?” Lofty asked possibly wondering why my tone had changed so suddenly. “Horn lump,” I said taking the moment to check, much to Scootaloo’s horror. “They are abandoning her so far as I can see.” “How did you know about the horn?” Scootaloo asked in a hushed tone. “Just a hunch,” I reply. Though at the moment I’ve no way of knowing if she’s a false alicorn doomed to be land-bound forever or a baby alicorn like myself. Either way, it’s going to be a long time before we know one way or the other. “But they wouldn't, would they?” Lofty asked. From her tone, she’d been aware of the horn lump and now all the times they’d simply left Scootaloo behind started to make sense. “They are good ponies. They’re … extremely irresponsible.” “Who would rather go off on an adventure than live up to their responsibilities to take care of a foal that will be special needs it would seem,” Cadance stated firmly. “Send that wire.” “But?” Lofty protested softly. After all, they were family. Scootaloo just looked on with wide eyes. “I had to live as an orphan, and no foal should be without their parent at such a young age,” Cadence stated firmly. “And I concur,” Sunset added. “As do I. Such behavior is reprehensible.” Luna offered. She went over to Scootaloo and me, and whispered to Scootaloo, “Nova started out as a buttonhead. You’re maybe a year younger?” “Who?” Scootaloo asked looking at Luna. “My mom,” I whispered. “Age reversal spell. No idea how long it’ll last. And yes, the combo package runs in the family.” Our escort would be sending the wire a moment later. With the four of us in accord, it was the equivalent of a lawful order from three alicorn princesses and one the daughter of Princess Celestia herself. The circumstances also made it rather suspicious which gave our escort more than enough encouragement to do as we asked. They were of course authorized to ignore our orders depending on what it was we wanted. After all, we were fillies, and sometimes fillies can want what we shouldn't have. “I’m sorry Lofty, but considering they just dumped Scootaloo on you at the train station kind of suggests they’d been waiting for us to come back so they could pull that dump and dash on you.” “I’ll have to admit that did look bad.” Lofty replied as her shoulders slumped and her head drooped. I’d a fairly good idea they’ve pulled similar stunts before. “The wire was sent,” Silvereagle announced. “It’ll be a bit before they get brought back though.” “Nova, can you get a cart for all the luggage?” Lofty asked. Both Sunset and Cadance had brought along enough luggage to make Rarity proud. “Scootaloo, any chance your mother left you anything at the house?” Lofty asked. “Doubt it.” Scootaloo offered. “I suppose we might check first then just in case, otherwise some pony will need to run by the exchange.” Lofty offered. “Always best to have your own mother’s milk.” “Mother’s milk?” I asked perplexed. “Well of course, what kind of milk did you think I was giving you?” “Cow milk?” I ask hopefully. “Oh don’t be silly. Cow milk is for calves and making cheese. Not growing fillies.” Sunset chastised. “Are you alright?” And then she started laughing as the realization hit her. “Oh my gosh!” OK, mare’s milk is used for making things like yogourt and something akin to cottage cheese back on earth if memory serves me right. It’s not like it’s weird or something it’s just the social norm here. Apparently I haven't been fully weaned yet… It’s just the whole I could be drinking the neighbor's breast milk and didn’t even know it. OK, I’m just not going to think about it, and I was probably better off not knowing. I see Big Mac, he’s got a cart and is just finishing dropping off a delivery of apples. “Hey! Big Mac, can you help us out!” I call and rush off to where he is. “Must be some weird thing from that other world,” Cadance whispered to Sunset. “Ya, that place was kind of strange. I mean, every creature there was wearing clothes that completely covered them.” Sunset whispered back. “And no fur save for some halfway decent manes on some of the mares. And no tails to speak of. No tails, no wings, no horns. Total lack of species diversity too. Nothing but humans. Humans. Humans as far as the eye can see.” Sunset had leaned up against Cadance with one front leg over her withers while she gestured dramatically with the other front. “Wow.” “What’s gotten into her?” Lofty asked Sunset and Cadance, not having heard their conversation. “Oh, it’s probably just a princess thing.” Cadance offered with a big smile as Sunset dropped back to all fours. “I’m thinking she had no idea where the milk on the table came from and thought she was all grown up.” Lofty didn’t know about the time Nova spent in the other world, and the two really didn’t think it was their place to tell her. Nova talked Big Mac into helping with the luggage and they were soon on their way. “She’s just not the same filly anymore.” Luna lamented. “She’s just so much more grown-up, and I guess she’s having trouble remembering too.” Nova had done her best to tell Luna about her time in the human world. In a way, Luna was glad Nova hadn’t been stuck in limbo while her captor rampaged on the moon as she had been. Luna had been aware of it and at times her despair had nearly been her undoing. She was also unsure when the Nightmare had first latched onto her, and suspected Sombra may have had something to do with it. She’d also had a lengthy conversation with her sister where Celestia had apologized to her, the two ending up weeping in each other's embrace. Going to Ponyville with Nova had been Celestia’s idea as well as both thought it would be a good idea for Luna to get away from Canterlot for a while. “Hey, Big Mac says he can help us out.” I offered as I trotted back over to our little ensemble. A short time later we’ve loaded everything up and are on our way once more. “So, Big Mac, are all the summer apples in now?” Lofty asked. “Um, yup.” Big Mac offered bashfully. When he’d agreed to help he’d no idea he’d end up surrounded by cute princesses. “Fall harvest coming on?” Lofty asked. “Eee-yup.” Big Mac replied sounding a little more confidant. A stallion of few words, just my type.” Sunset teased. 📯Welcome to Ponyville! 🎉 I clutched at my chest as the pink menace pronked away.