//------------------------------// // Lauren and the Elements (my editor trademarked the name) // Story: I am God...apparently? // by CrossRedstone //------------------------------// Lauren rolled her eyes. "Okay, I admit the face he made was funny, but could we please drop the subject already? I'm still not comfortable with all of this..." Celestia and Luna didn't even try to suppress their snickers. True, the whole nobility would soon learn that their queen has returned far sooner than the two princesses anticipated, and there might be some nasty rumors, but it would be nothing that the princesses wouldn't be able to handle. Lauren watched the two alicorn giggle, feeling a small wave of guilt. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you where I’m from. It’s for yours and everypony else’s good. If I told you, it might change the future. And the future I wrote was a bright one; so everything must go to plan. I can’t risk changes, even to soothe my guilt. With those doubts  jumping around inside her mind, Lauren decided to think this through more carefully later, when she was alone again. Surely Luna and Celestia would understand my reasoning. It still hurt thinking about how heartbroken the two princesses would be, once Lauren deemed it safe to let them know her origins. And the origins of everypony else in Equestria, for that matter. But Lauren was forced to push these thoughts to the side, as they stepped out into the sunshine. The castle gardens were truly an eye catching sight. Flowers that didn't even exist on Earth grew here, there was a nice little pond with colorful fish swimming inside of it and finally ALL the animals! Who had gone into hiding the moment they noticed Lauren's presence. Although a little disappointed, the newest alicorn still enjoyed the sight she was given, not to mention the fresh air. The lack of pollution was in the air made breathing an almost overwhelming process. Lying in the grass turned out to be quite comfortable. There were no small bumps or rocks, which normally made such an experience a little painful. Plus the grass was actually so thick that it easily could be used as a blanket. Or was that Lauren's own fur? Whatever the case, Lauren enjoyed the small quiet moment they had until Celestia spoke up. "I hope you like the royal gardens." "They're beautiful. Better than my backyard by a stretch." "Thine backyard?" Luna asked curiously. "From where I live...come...urrgh, this whole journey across dimensions is giving me a headache." she rubbed her forehead with both of her hooves. "Worse than the time I had to dance with Minotaur King Donga…” Lauren trailed off, before her head snapped up “Wait, what? Where did that...come from..." Lauren looked to the side. "Huzzah!" "Argh! Luna!" The princess of the moon tackle hugged her mother. "Thy memories art returning faster than any of us anticipated. Soon all of thy memories shall return and our glorious mother will lead Equestria into a brighter future!" "Still...need....air....!" "Oh." Luna let go of Lauren, who greedily sucked in the air. Damn, earth pony strength is right. I should be careful around a certain pink party pony. Celestia was watching the entire spectacle and shook her head, chuckling to herself. She too was happy that her mother’s memories seemed to be returning, though only in little tidbits. When she looked over to Lauren, she found the oldest alicorn looking to the side, lost in thought of what just transpired. Celestia's heart almost broke at the sight. The only thing that kept it from breaking was that this was only a temporary thing and once her mother fully recovered her memories, they could go back to the old days and rule Equestria as a family. It would be also nice to know what her mother has been up to all those years and where exactly she had been. "Excuse me, your majesties." Everypony turned their heads towards the stallion who approached them. "The Elements of Harmony have just arrived." he announced. Lauren's ears perked up. The Elements? I thought I wouldn't see them for at least a few days. Huh, I wonder if I'm going to get a 'Welcome to Equestria' party. Wait a second. Pinkie Pie does have the ability to break the fourth wall. Maybe she can help me to get back? ... Wow, I'm actually seriously considering asking her. "Good. Please escort them to us." Celestia told the stallion. With a bow, he dismissed himself and quickly trotted back to where he came from. Celestia and Luna turned their attention back to Lauren. "Is something wrong?" "Nay, mother. ‘Tis just, since thou hast been missing, there..." Luna trailed off. "There are a few things we need to tell you." Celestia helped Luna out. "One of the things being that each of the Elements of Harmony has chosen their own bearer." Why are they...? Oh. So, according to this, I was there when Discord was defeated, but disappeared before Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. Oh dear, are they really going to talk about this now? I don't think this is the right time, especially with Twilight and her friends coming. "It's alright." Lauren assured. "You can tell me anything you think is necessary for me to know later. I get that I need to study up on Equestria's history." Which still doesn't mean that I believe any of this ‘mother’ thing or being a Queen. How can I be a Queen anyway? My cutie mark clearly indicates that my special talent is writing. Writing stories that is. "Let's first get the visit over, all right?" Lauren suggested. As if on cue, the sound of hoofsteps came to her ears. Looking towards the direction of the sound, the alicorns found the Element Bearers approaching. Rainbow Dash wasn't airborne, which confused Lauren a little until the ponies arrived and bowed respectfully to their leaders. Pinkie Pie's face hit the ground in the process. "Rise, my little ponies. Mother, these are the Element Bearers. Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, Rarity, the Element of Generosity, Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter, Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness, Applejack, the Element of Honesty and Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty. They are also the ones who found you, and saw to it that you were given quick medical attention." Again, everypony's attention was on Lauren, who felt quite nervous about the situation. "Yes, well...I should thank you for taking care of me. Really, I appreciate it." "Eh, it was nothing princess...eh queen...eh...your highness." Rainbow finally settled on a way to address Lauren. "Please, could we leave the formalities? I know everybody is saying I'm suffering from temporary memory loss, but I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I am supposed to lead an entire country." "You have our sympathy, your highness." Twilight said. "Princess Celestia has already informed us beforehoof, in case you're wondering." "Makes sense, and please. Just Lauren is fine." The little ponies grimaced a little, even Applejack. It was probably so deep integrated into their minds that it would take a long time for them to overcome such formalities, if it was possible at all. There was an awkward silence in the group, but luckily Luna had an idea how to break it. “Fair Elements, why not tell mother a little about thyselves? We ourselves art a little intrigued about thee. We found it a shame that we could not engage for longer in pleasant conversations when we last visited Ponyville." A second later Lauren wished Luna had stayed silent. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie. Whoops, but you already know this, silly me. I like parties a lot. Do you like parties? Do ya? Do ya? Do ya? Do ya? I throw everypony a party who comes to Ponyville. Oh, but I couldn't throw you a party, because you didn't feel so good. But now that you're better I can throw you a Welcome to Ponyville party. Oh and we totally need to throw you a 'Welcome back to Equestria' party. Do you love cupcakes? I love cupcakes, but I also love muffins. Derpy prefers muffins though, and that one time we argued what was better, for you see, I prefer cupcakes, since there is more sugar in it and-" Pinkie was finally silenced and levitated away from Lauren's face by Rarity. "Wow." Lauren shook her head. "Discord and you would get along just fine, if he wouldn't be so mean." Lauren said, shaking her head in order to clear her thoughts. Looking up again, she found Twilight putting on a fake smile. It was the kind of fake smile she puts on when she thinks one of her friends might have accidentally insulted her teacher. Rainbow Dash facehoofed, Rarity tried the same thing as Twilight and Applejack covered her face with her stetson. "Well" Lauren cleared her throat "to answer your questions (at least the ones I understood) I do like parties and muffins as well." "Wee!" Pinkie bounced into the air, making the "bouncy" noise. "Did anyone ever check if she was secretly an alicorn?" Lauren whisper/asked her "daughters" in a joking matter. "’Twould explain a lot." Luna commented. "I wonder sometimes if she is somehow related to Discord." Celestia threw in her two cents. Lauren silently giggled. Despite being a little confused by Pinkie's actions (and she freaking designed the character), she couldn't help but think that the earth pony was simply adorable with her antics. The only one who beat her at the moment was Fluttershy, who was partially hiding behind her mane. Let's see if I can bring you out of your shell, my dear. Oh, I know now what they mean by dying from cuteness.