11: The Storyteller
The airship was in a mad dash at full speed towards the capital. Lauren originally planned to save this as the last place to go in her imagination. However, given each town they passed over showed signs of fear and panic, what she had to do was more important. Even when they landed in Canterlot, Lauren’s mind was racing at top speed. While Celestia, Luna, and Twilight set up loudspeakers all over the city – and Lauren had to conjure up the radio so that Equestria and beyond would hear her – the creator paced around in the courtyard of Canterlot Castle trying to think what she was going to say. Although left alone, she struggled to find the right words.
“Gone for a few days and already you’ve caused a crisis.” Lauren nearly jumped at the sudden voice. She looked up to find her OC, the sparkling Fausticorn there.
“Oh…! The Tree of Harmony? Sorry, I have a lot on my mind so I don’t know if we could talk right now-”
“Why would you care?” Lauren had to pause over what she was hearing. The Tree repeated its question “You do know that this is still fictional, right? I mean, when you boil it all down, this is just a story.”
“What are you getting at?”
The Fausticorn rolled its eyes, “To you, the author, this is just a world of make-believe. A fantasy. One that’s only for little girls.”
Another paused, Lauren not only couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but she was starting to get ticked off by it. “What?”
“Do you need a reminder? This place is, first and foremost, a fantasy. All about ponies talking about friendship and caring, no more than a Care Bears TV show. A show that only cared about selling toys and stickers. Why should you care this much about a show that’s intended for girls less than five-year-olds? Don’t you have any other problems or better shows to be concerned about? I mean, this is just a little girl’s show.”
Lauren, with eyes aflame and fist clenched, marched forward. “How dare you.” She stated, “I mean really, how dare you! For being the Tree of Harmony, how can you be this insensitive for not just I worked for, but for everyone here!”
“You still haven’t answered my question,” the sparkly alicorn leaned its head forward, “Why would you care over something that isn’t real?”
“Because it’s not just a little kid’s show!” Lauren shouted. “This isn’t a mindless cartoon just to get a quick buck out of! This is a show that I placed so much on, that I had more faith in a reboot of My Little Pony than anyone did! And you know why? Because this world I made, is so that I could talk to children about important things like an adult! Because saying ‘You should make friends,’ is never going to cut it in the real world! When they find that friendships can be messy and have dilemmas, they need this show the most! Because the past cartoons before this showed toxic friendships that would be disastrous in reality, but mine put in the effort to look at how far anything is too far, and how much is really needed!
“So since you’re not going to help, how about you leave me alone or put in the effort to help me!”
While Lauren was catching her breath, the Fausticorn’s expression finally changed. From stoic to a gentle smile. “You don’t need my help. Because you’ve already found your answer.” And before the creator’s eyes, the apparition faded until nothing remained.
At that moment, after she had calmed down, the creator had an epiphany. Even before she came to Equestria, there were questions about the future of her creation, the worries and asking what it was all for – now, it hit her. The realization and inspiration of what she must say to all of them.
A moment later, a guard came to her, saying that Celestia and Luna were ready for her. She followed through the palace into Celestia’s bed chambers where set up on the balcony, a microphone was set up. It was connected to a machine with lights, wires, and switches inside the bedroom. As soon as she got there, the Solar Princess gave orders that during the announcement they should under no circumstances be disturbed.
“Where’s Alice?” Lauren asked.
“She is with Twilight and the others,” Celestia responded.
“Bring her here.”
“What? But mother, your spee-”
“She needs to hear this too. I want her in here.”
Despite Celestia’s protests, her daughter was brought in. Then it was time, Celestia, Lauren, and Alice who was holding her mother’s hand stepped out onto the balcony. Below them, Canterlot had ponies running this way and that in a screaming panic. The Princess gave the nod to have the machine be switched on.
They were live.
“Everypony! May I have your attention please!” Celestia called out into the microphone, and her voice echoed throughout the streets of the capital. Ponies below stopped to look around, their eyes fell upon the balcony. “I know everyone is scared, but if you all just listen for a few minutes, I guarantee that none of you have anything to be afraid of. I’m going to turn this over to my mother, Lauren Faust, and in her own words, is going to tell you why none of you should be panicking.” She stepped away from the microphone, “It’s all yours now.”
With a nod, Lauren stepped forward, and frightened eyes were looking at her. “Listen to me, I know everyone is scared of what I said about this world’s story coming to a close, but hear me out, I know how to stop it.”
“TELL US!” The crowd below bellowed out. “WHAT DO WE DO!?!”
She took in a deep breath. “Do… nothing!”
For a very, long, uncomfortable moment, the world was quiet. Even Celestia was stunned into silence for a while until she said, “Uh… Mother? Are you trying to cause even more panic?”
“No, you don’t understand, it took me a while to figure this out myself, but I’ve come to realize that this show, world – whatever you call it – it was never in danger to begin with. This show about the magic of friendship has been going on for nine years. I’m not going to lie; I was worried about its future once we got to the end. Would anyone still remember it years later? Would there be a fanbase left after everything is finished? It wasn’t until recently that I had forgotten something. Something important that I think all of you would need to hear. In fact…” she knelt down, “Alice, sit on my lap, I’m going to tell you a story.”
She did so, “What story?” her daughter asked.
“It’s a true story. It’s about a little girl, and My Little Pony.” After clearing her throat, she began. “Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there once was a little girl who watched a cartoon called ‘My Little Pony.’ At the time, she liked what her brothers liked such as fighting soldiers, transformers, teenage mutant ninja turtles, and such. She also loved a cartoon show about magical, talking ponies. And who could blame her? It was bright and colorful, and she thought it was fun. So much so, that she begged your grandma and grandpa into buying a lot of toys from that show.”
“Did she get pony toys?”
“Dozens upon dozens of them! Ponies with manes you could brush and a castle. Yet, the more that she fell in love with the cartoon, the more she began to wonder what else those ponies did between each uh… story. So, she started to tell her own. With princesses and dragons, treasures and adventures that felt like something out of a bedtime story. It got to the point where she would pretend that her bedroom was that magical land where she would play in. She loved it so much, that she ended up dreaming about going there.
“But as that little girl grew up, she lost interest in ponies and instead turned to making cartoons and movies. She worked very hard as an artist, drawing each and every frame to make it look like it was moving. But what she wanted more than anything, was to make a cartoon of her own.”
“Did she, mommy?”
Lauren nodded, “Eventually yes. But to get there, she was tasked to help out making other shows. As time went by, she started to notice something. Most of the shows that were about friendships… were not that good. That doesn’t mean that they were bad, but she realized if these characters did anything like that in real life, they wouldn’t have any real friends at all. She thought that maybe it could be done better. Especially cartoons meant for girls like you, she often found that they treat little girls as if they’re dumb. Of course, she didn’t like that. So, for a while, she asked if she could make a show of her own.”
“Did it happen, mommy?” Alice asked. “Did she make show?”
“It took a lot of time and convincing, but one day, she was given a chance. A group of people asked her if she was interested in making a version of My Little Pony, the show that she loved as a kid. But although she said yes, most of her friends were shocked that she agreed to do it.”
“Why?”
“Because, the show was redone many times, and it just got worse. By the time she decided to do it, My Little Pony was thought up as a show for babies. Just twenty minutes of jangling keys in front of kids. It was ugly looking, it was dumb, and it was something that everyone, even little girls like yourself avoided at all costs. So, when that grown-up girl said to her friends that she was going to be remaking the show, they thought she was crazy!
“So, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She and a special friend of hers spent many months trying to figure out what this show was going to look like. She spent days writing and rewriting different ideas of what Twilight Sparkle would be like. But more than that, she had a goal with this show.”
“Goal?”
“You see, what she wanted to make a cartoon where the characters felt real and had personalities that anyone would want to be friends with. So that they could find out what friendship could be. Tackled their problems, to look and see where they come from, and how to resolve them. But at the same time, she also wants it to be fun so that even grown-ups wouldn’t be ashamed to watch it with their kids. She ended up making a cartoon smart enough for grown-ups to understand but simple enough that any kid would follow. And most importantly of all, it never talked down to kids but treated them with the respect and trust that they deserve.
“Then, with a small army of artists, writers, and all sorts of people, that grown-up little girl began to dream up Equestria, piece by piece. From designing entire towns to giving little details like Celestia’s love of cake.”
“Mother!” Celestia exclaimed, much to her embarrassment of the laughter down below.
But Lauren continued. “So, after a long time, once they had everything put together, the show was released for all to enjoy. And to everyone's relief and surprise, out of their hard work, not only did it do well, but it gathered an audience that not even the girl was expecting. Not only little kids like you fell in love with it, but even grown-ups loved it too. They loved the world of Equestria, its creative magic, its thought-provoking morals on friendship, and above all, the characters. They found that even those in the background had sparked their imaginations. Sparking as many dreams as they are stars.
“So much so, that before she had to leave the show to work on other things, there were thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people who were inspired by it. They created artwork that was much better than the show was making, written stories of all kinds, and songs that made even the songwriter for the show jealous. There were communities dedicated to discussing each and every story the show put out to look for deeper meanings. There were comics, plushies, sculptures, books, movies, and so much more that were inspired by what she started with. All because she believed this show was more than just a cartoon for little girls.
“Of course, there were times when there had been a bad story or few. However, even at its worst, the fans always found something good in it. Be it a joke, a facial expression, an imaginative creature, or a location, the show always offered something to spark the imagination. Even years later, when things had changed so much, the fans always kept coming back with new ideas that even they wish could do or never thought of doing.”
“Mom,” Alice asked. “How does story end?”
Lauren put a hand on her head, messing up her hair a little. “Let me tell you a secret. That little girl in the story was me. I thought this world would end when the show did. But I realize now that it's not going to happen. Not by a long shot. You see, when you make a story so good, it makes people dream. They are curious about the things that were left unsaid or wonder what happens after Happily Ever After. The characters are so good that in a way, I don’t think they will die. Just as myths about Hercules have never been forgotten because of how good his story was, this world and all the creatures in it might never be forgotten either. However, that all depends on those like you.”
“Me?”
“Uh-huh, as long as you dream about them, of this world and its adventures... As long as someone like you is inspired by these ponies, or dragons, or griffons, or whatever else – this world will never go away. The story, I think, doesn’t end because you say: ‘The End,’ but when nobody remembers it. As long as people take a peek into the stories of Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Celestia, or Luna; much like how anyone would with a fairytale, they too shall live on as grown-ups pass it from one generation to the next. Maybe inspiring them to make a version of their own someday.”
“But mom,” Alice inquires, “Does this story have happily ever after?”
The whole world was listening closely to her now, and she knew it. Given what she does know, she doesn’t want to spoil things for what may come. So, she said, “Well… I don’t dare say what will happen, but no matter what, even in its darkest moments, this story will have a happily ever after. It’s not a fairytale without it, right?”
“Mom, you promise?”
She smiled. “I promise. Only if you promise to not forget them too, alright?”
Alice nodded. "Yes, mommy."
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...I think I have something in my eye now...
Ouch, right in the feels, I LOVED THIS
9950418
ah, no wonder they seemed a little too unrealistic for the show
Next Chapter - AKA The End:
At that moment, a breach in the dimensions appeared and they could see a human who was wearing a red costume that nearly covered every bit of him.
"
"Faster!... I've got to go faster!!... I can't let them all die!..."
"Wait! Is that the Flash!?" Lauren exclaimed, just as the breach sealed up again.
"YOU'RE TOO LATE!" a booming voice yelled out from behind everyone.
"Hey! I recognize you! You're the Monitor! What are you doing here!?" Lauren screamed.
"What's happening!? Is it The End!?" a pony called out. "What can we do!??"
"THIS IS THE END! YOU CAN DO NOTHING TO SAVE YOURSELVES! THIS IS YOUR FAULT! YOU HAVE DONE THIS TO YOURSELVES!" the tall black man stated, pointing off toward the horizon.
When Lauren and the others turned to look, they saw a featurless white wall approaching, eating up everything it came in contact with.
"Oh, you've got to kidding me!" Lauren cursed. "We're part of the Crisis!!??
I vow on my love of Twilight that so long as I live, I shall always remember the Magic of Friendship.
Will this be continued?
10689660
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: since I know that there are about a handful of stories that have been left unfinished, I've started to go back on these. At the moment, I've already begun working on another unfinished story. But rest assured I will be working on this when I get to it. Mind you, it will take a while, and I don't know how soon I will start on this one. But I will get to it when I can.
I hope to see a proper ending to this story one day; this is one of the better Faust fics on this site.
Last update was in 2019. It's now 2024, but the latest blog post from the author she started she will be working on updating her unfinished stories. I hope to see more of this one soon.
11841575
Firstly, I'm a guy.
Secondly, I've spent the past several months rereading these unfinished stories and making notes to figure out what should be done with them. I'll post a blog for feedback once I get through reading everything to let everyone know what's gonna happen going forward.
And thirdly, I haven't given up on any of these stories, including this one. So when the time comes, this story will continue.
11841619
1 Sorry I missed read what gender you are.
2 I did read the post about that and started you are still working on them.
3 I was just pointing how I would love to see more of this story soon.
Sorry if some how I made you upset about this. I remember finding this story after a YouTuber posted a many videos of a reading of this story. Unfortunately the YouTuber has stopped doing the stories things because of YouTube's BS.
11841629
I'm not offended if that's what you're worried about. So really, it's alright.
I was trying to make clear where I stand on this. Given that this is a herculean task on my end to not only remember what goes on in these stories for continuity sake but to figure out what could happen next... There is much to work with, really. Besides, I think after the last story I read, I'll be presenting all my readers a unique opportunity, so stay tuned.
Basically, you're all good here.
11841634
Thank you