> My Little Girl
>  by CrackedInkWell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1: The Armored Pony from Under the Bed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------








1986






It was the sounds of Bump! and “Ow!” that had awakened the twelve-year-old girl from her sleep. Groaning, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and reached for the lamp on the nightstand. After she turned on the light, she found herself blinded for a moment. She blinked as she read the clock on the nightstand; it was two-seventeen in the morning.

The sound of metal against metal had made her look around the room. At first glance, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Her toys and a few books still laid in disorganized piles. The castle on her dresser was still there. The closet door was still closed, holding back her clothes, dolls and who knows how many plastic ponies. The blinds hadn't been touched; the rug was just as it was when she went to bed.

So, what was that noise?

Although her tired body was against it, she got out of bed to see if there was anything wrong. She went over to her room's door, opened it, there she found only darkness that followed tightly behind the hallway.

She heard the metallic sound again. Her head turned in time to see that something quickly duck back underneath her bed.

Thinking it might be one of her brothers, she tip-toed over to her toys to get one of the ponies and a flashlight. She quietly went over to the bed, knelt down, and threw the pony under the bed as hard as she could.

“Ow!”

She turned her flashlight on and peered under her bed. She thought that she might see one of her brothers, who was trying to scare her, but there was a part of her that feared she might actually see a real monster under the bed.

What she didn't expect at all was to come face to face with a pony in gray. The pony seemed as surprised as she was, for it seemed to crawl quickly out to the other side of her bed. She couldn't believe what she was seeing! There before her was a pony, slightly shorter than she was, wearing golden armor, had big gold eyes and its wings were spread open.

A pegasus! There was a real pegasus in her room! She tried to pinch herself hard to make sure that she still wasn’t asleep. But no, she felt it. Looking back at the pony, it backed itself away from her.

“Hey. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” she calmly said as she crawled over the bed.

“W-What are you?” It asked in a male voice. The little girl stopped.

“You can talk?!” She exclaimed. For it completely taken her by surprise for the fact that an animal was really talking to her.

“Um, sure?” he said nervously. He was immediately tackled by this two-legged thing he’s never seen before.

“I can’t believe it!” she shouted loud enough to wake a cemetery up. “A pony! Not just a pony, but a talking pegasus in my room! This is better than Christmas!”

“I can’t breathe,” he struggled to say, this snapped the girl to realize that she was hugging around his neck a little too tightly.

“Sorry,” She said letting go. 

But before the armored pegasus could say anything, they heard a few bangs on the wall followed by, “Hey! Go to bed! Some of us are trying to sleep here!”

“Sorry!” She yelled back. She knelt down in front of the pony. “So who are you? And where you come from?” she asked quietly.

The pony in question cleared his throat, “Well, call me Arrowhead. I am part of the Solar Guard for the Kingdom of Equestria. Now, what are you?”

“A girl.”

“Uh-huh. And where am I?”

“My room.”

“I can see that, but where is your room?”

“Annapolis, Maryland.”

“That’s quite a funny name for a kingdom.”

“Kingdom?”

“Well,” the pony looked over at the clock on the table than over to the window. “Must be in the middle of the night then. Hm, odd.”

“Why is it odd?”

“Well… Nothing, but, thank you for your time though. I must be getting back.”

“But you just got here.”

“I’m not intending to stick around for long, so goodnight, and goodbye.” The pegasus crawled back underneath her bed.

“Now wait-a-minute! You can’t just leave,” she said following him back under the bed. She saw that the pony was going towards her headboard. Usually, there would be a wall there, but now, she saw a tunnel. Of course, she had heard before that curiosity killed the cat, but it was here that curiosity made her go towards the tunnel. She had read books and seen movies and shows about kids going into another world that was filled with wonder. She knew that such an opportunity is only a once in a lifetime chance, and tonight, she was not going to let this pass her without knowing what’s on the other side of that tunnel.

She crawled, and crawled and crawled, passing by the painted stucco, the wooden beams, the old toys, objects, and tools from a forgotten time that gave way to a tunnel of stone. All the while, she didn't lose sight of the tail of the Pegasus through the twists and turns this winding path leads her. To where she didn't exactly know.

After several minutes of crawling through the ages of dust, getting her usual pajamas dirty, she found an opening. Judging by the light, she could have sworn that it must be daytime.

“So Private Arrowhead, did you find anything?” a motherly voice asked as she got nearer.

“I have, your majesty, but I don’t exactly know if you’ll believe me though.”

“And why is that?”

Before Private Arrowhead could answer, the little girl had crawled her way out.  When the little girl looked up, she saw the gray pegasus, along with a tall, whiter than snow horse with a majestic mane, a longhorn and a pair of wings. She saw that she had a crown on her head, along with a necklace shaped like the sun and shoes on each hoof, all of which was a bright golden color.

Part of her was in awe at what she was seeing, but another part of her was curious. “Wow, who are you?”

The tall, white horse tilted its head a little. “I am Princess Celestia. And just who and what are you, if I may ask?”

“I’m a girl.”

The white royal giggled. “Yes, but what are you exactly?”

“Um… A human being?” She stated.

“Human. Hm…” The one called Celestia craned her head to the hole in the wall. “And you came from there?”

“Yes.”

“Curious.” She turned back to her, “I don’t believe that I have gotten your name, what was it?”

“Lauren.”

For a moment, Celestia froze. “Excuse me?”

“It’s Lauren.”

Celestia put a hoof to her ear, “Can you repeat that one more time?”

“It’s Lauren,” she said. “My name is Lauren Faust.”

Lauren saw one of Celestia’s eyes twitching. For a long while, she didn't say anything, shaking her head now and then.

“Um, am I in trouble?” young Lauren asked.

“What?” Celestia asked, “Oh, no. Nonononono! You’re not in trouble at all. He-he. W-Why would you think you’re in trouble?”

“You look funny.”

“Am I?” She turned to the pegasus. “Private Arrowhead, may I speak with you in private?”

The Diarch turned back to the little girl, “You would please wait here dear?”

She nodded; she went up to a nearby couch and laid down on it as she watched the Princess and the pegasus going into a nearby room, closing the doors behind them.

Once inside, Private Arrowhead stood at attention in the middle of the room and watched the elder princess pace back and forth for a minute or two.

“Majesty?” he asked, snapping the princess in a near trance-like state.

“Hm? Oh, that’s right. Private Arrowhead, for the first time in, I don’t quite know how many centuries, I have no idea what to do with you. I don’t know if I should thank you or put you under court-martial.”

“Ah, majesty?” he asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“Tell me this, what happened exactly?”

The Private told the Princess what he knew, from him getting summoned to explore a forgotten hole in the wall, to finding himself in the little girl’s room in the middle of the night and coming back here with the girl following him.

“I see,” the Solar Princess nodded. “Tell me this also, do you have as much as an inkling as to who that girl is?”

“I don’t understand.”

“That, out there lying on the couch, believe it or not… Is my mother.”

He blinked, “Excuse me, Princess?”

“That out there, right now, is my sister’s and my mother. Only though it seems that she’s much younger the last time I saw her.”

“Your Highness, I have to beg to differ. She’s a child, how can she be your mother?”

“I know. She wasn't lying when she spoke her name. Besides, neither my sister nor I have heard her name or anypony saying her name in centuries. I do not know why she’s so young now, but I can see that she looked at me in the eye when she told me her name.”

“Alright, even if this is somehow true, what should we do now?”

Celestia sighed deeply, looking towards her mother "I have no idea Private Arrowhead. I have absolutely no idea..."
> 2: Wake Up Luna
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







Lauren laid there on the couch with one of the pillows underneath her head. Since for her it was still the middle of the night, she was feeling rather sleepy. After all, she had been woken up at around two in the morning. She knew that Celestia most likely wanted to talk to her, but sleep seemed more and more inviting with every passing minute.

Eventually, she dozed off back into her sleep. About fifteen minutes later, a few of the maids came by to inspect the cleanliness of the hallways. The sleeping Lauren didn't go unnoticed by them, they both took a double take what was laying on the couch.

“Uh, hey Feather Duster, you’re seeing this right?”

“I think so. What do ya think it is Silverware?”

“Beats me, it looks like a monkey that has forgotten most of its fur.”

The doors behind them opened up. Quickly realizing who it was, they both gave a respectful bow to Celestia. The Solar Diarch eyed over to the couch to find Lauren there, fast asleep. She craned down her neck to their eye level. “Feather Duster, Silverware, would you two mind doing me a favor?” They nodded. “I need you to take her,” she pointed to the couch “and put her in my room for her to get some sleep.”

“As you wish,” they both said, Silverware lit up her horn to gently lift Lauren off from the couch.

“Put her in my bed,” Celestia added.

“Why?” Feather asked.

“Because, this here is somepony who means quite a lot to me, and she has come such a long way. So, I think she should have my bed for the time being until she awakes.”

“But, who and what is she?”

“I’ll tell you later. But for now, please do as you’re told. Oh, and one more thing: I need you two to make sure that this should be kept a secret for now.”

They nodded.

“Now get her off to bed.”

As the maids carry the sleeping Lauren off, Private Arrowhead asked, “You do know that Equestria will have to find out about her eventually, your Majesty?”

“I do think that one way or another, my ponies will find out about her. We can't keep her hidden for long, as ponies working in the castle will notice her. I just need to think how to tell everypony about this.”

“What about Luna?”

“I’m going there right now to tell her. Besides, she needs to know this anyway. And Private Arrowhead, I need you to do the same and keep this a secret until further notice.”

“Yes, your highness.”

Celestia made her way to the part of the castle where her sister’s room was. It wasn't too difficult to find the dark double doors with a few of the Lunar guards at attention. The guards gave their salutes as she approached the door to knock.

“Luna, are you up? I need to speak with you.” There was no reply. “Luna?” she opened the door to let herself in. As expected, Luna was under the blankets with several pillows burying most of her head.

“Luna. Wake up.”

“No.”

“Lu, this is important, wake up.”

Luna slowly sat up, causing an avalanche of pillows to fall. “We hope that thou hast a good reason for waking us up at this time of day.”

“Three things: first, again, it's 'I' and not 'we.' Second, yes I do. And third, it’s about mother, she’s… She came back.”

Luna’s eyes shot wide open, “MOTHER IS HERE!?!?!”	

It took a few moments for Celestia’s ears to stop ringing. “Yes, she’s here.”

“Wait, where exactly is she?”

“She’s sleeping in my room for the time being.”

“Sleeping?”

“Tired out it seems.”

“She must have had a long journey here then. Very well, we- I shall wait.”

“But there’s something else that you need to know. Mother… Isn’t exactly the way we remember her.”

“What dost thou- pardon, what do you mean, is she ill?”

“No, she’s just… well-”

“Spit it out, what’s wrong with mother?”

“She’s a child,” Celestia blurted out. This gave her younger sister a very confused look.

“I am lost here.”

“I know it’s rather hard to grasp, but it’s true, our mother is here, yes. But somehow, in some way, she is much, much younger here.”

“How did she get here?” Luna asked, now getting out of bed.

“Do you know the tapestry of Clover the Clever, the one that is getting a restoration?”

“What about it?”

“Behind it, we found that there was a hole in the wall.”

“And what is so unusual about that?”

“Luna, there is nothing on the other side of that wall. But the hole made it seemed as if there’s a room on the other side.”

“Hmm. That does sound rather peculiar, but what does this have to do with Mother?”

“I’m getting to that, the hole itself was only big enough for one of our ponies to go through. So I summoned one of my guards who were nearby. He told me, what he found on the other side was a bedroom, her bedroom in the middle of the night. Apparently, she followed him back here.”

“And then what?”

“I saw them both crawling out of the hole, but Sister, I noticed something with her. She didn’t recognize me. At all. This makes me wonder-”

“Let us guess, that she may be not has yet dreamed of Equestria yet.”

“That’s what I’m worried.”

“How so?”

“Think about it Luna, she somehow came into Equestria before she’d even fully dreamed of it. What would happen while she’s here that would make her not want to create us? What if she vows to never create our world? What would happen then?”

“That’s rather a very dark thought.”

“Oh come on, you were thinking of it too.”

The two Sisters stood there in silence.

“Well, what do you propose to do then?”

“That’s why I’m here with you. I mean, Discord has just been reformed and Twilight is almost ready, there are a billion things that can go wrong.”

“Twilight…” Luna trailed off before she formed an idea, “Sister! That’s it!”

“What?”

“Hear u- me out here. What if we can influence her without her realizing it?”

“Care to explain?”

“What if we get the elements to meet her? That way, later on, she might be inspired by them, and she goes home to grow up to create this world. Sister, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy!”

“I don’t know. But there’s something else that I can’t get off of my mind.”

“And that is?”

“I know she’s a child, but should we tell her she’s our mother?”
> 3: Ice Cream First...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







When one wakes up, asking oneself where they are isn't what comes to mind. Lauren was waking up in a bed that seemed a little too soft, in sheets and blankets that are a little too warm, on pillows a little too firm. She was starting to wake up, almost thinking that she’s still in her room in a bed that’s more comfy than usual.

But then, the memories started to kick in. She realizes that the bed she’d slept on for years wasn't this comfortable. She opened her eyes to find that she was not only in a different bed but in a different room entirely. After all, she remembered going to sleep on a couch somewhere, so it was natural that she was startled that she’d woken up somewhere else.

She got out of the huge, low bed. All around her were bookshelves that held books and scrolls. There was a table stacked high with paper, a quill and inkwell nearby ready for use. There were chests, a few plants, and even a small table for a waiting tea set. On the wall was a clock that tells it’s almost six o’clock.

Yet, what really got her attention were the glass doors to the balcony outside. The sun was still in the sky, and Lauren got a good view of the landscape before her. Somehow, in some way, it seemed a little familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on why. By the look of it, the castle she was in was on a mountainside. Below she was valleys, rivers, lakes, forests and a desert in the distance. Also, dotted throughout the land here and there were towns or a few buildings. It was as if-

A few knocks on the double doors behind her snapped her out of her thoughts, “Hello? Are you awake yet?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“May we come in?”

She stepped aside, gesturing for them to come in. The door opened up to one of those ponies in golden armor. “Princess Celestia is asking if you would like to join her and her sister for dinner this evening.”

Lauren looked down at the pajamas she was still wearing, “Don’t I have to get dressed first?”

“She said that you can come as you are.”

“You sure?”

He nodded. The guard told her to follow him, and she did. Lauren walked behind the guard, taking in the high arched hallways, the windows, the paintings as they passed by countless doors. She noticed that the only other ponies they kept walking past our guards, who stood at attention staring at her.

The guard led her to a room where, in the back, behind all the food and staff, was a table with three chairs. One of them sat Celestia; the other was a dark blue horse whom she’d never seen before. She was like Celestia in the fact that she too has a horn, a crown and a pair of wings, but unlike Celestia, her mane looked like it was a floating night sky.

Looking at both of them, she couldn't help but noticed the marks on their rumps. Celestia had a sun while the other had a crescent moon.

“Lauren, nice of you to join us,” Celestia said, taking notice of her. “Come in, take a seat.”

She went up to the third empty chair near the table; Lauren asked what they were having.

“Anything you want,” was the reply. Lauren raised an eyebrow. When her parents cooked, she’s given whatever they made and has to eat it whether she wants it or not.

“How about a chocolate sundae with whipped cream and sprinkles?” she joked. But apparently, the cooks nearby didn't get the joke and served her a bowl of it anyway.

“Anything else?” Celestia asked, holding back her giggles as she saw Lauren’s look of wide-eyed surprise.

“Um... Some cherry soda?” and in no time, they gave her a glass of cherry soda to her. “And a stack of waffles.” It was presented to her immediately.

Luna couldn't help but smile. “That’s a little unhealthy for a child, is it not?”

“Hey, I didn't expect they would actually give this stuff to me. And who are you by-the-way?”

“Call me Luna, I’m Celestia’s sister. Now are you going to eat or shall I?”

Lauren took the spoon and took a bite out of the ice cream. And another. And another.

“Excuse me, Lauren.” Celestia piped up, “How long do you expect to stay here? You have a family I trust?”

She stopped eating her ice cream, “How long?  Well... I just wanna stay here a little longer; to see what this place is like.”

“But what about family? You do have a family, right?”

“Yeah, but can’t I just take a look around for another few hours? I want to meet more talking ponies and horses like you. I don’t want to miss this for the world.”

“But your family?”

“I don’t think I’ll be gone for too long. I just want to have a look around first.”

The two sisters looked at each other for a moment, Luna was smiling with confidence while her elder sister with uncertainty.

“Lauren,” Luna began to ask. “Do you wish to meet somepony in particular while you’re here?”

“Like who?”

“Oh, like Twilight Sparkle or-”

“Wait! What did you say?”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

“You mean, she’s real!?”

“Why yes. There’s also honest Applejack, Rainbow Dash-”

“Who?”

“Rainbow Dash.”

“Never heard of her.”

Luna blinked, “What about Pinkie Pie?”

Lauren shook her head.

“Fluttershy?”

Another shake.

“Rarity?”

“I’m not really sure. But I know Twilight and Applejack from the show.”

“What show?” both sisters asked.

“My Little Pony. I have almost like, fifty dolls which come to think of it, they don’t look like any of you. I wonder why.”

“Dolls? A show?” Celestia asked, “Forgive me, but I don’t quite understand.”

“You mean you don’t know?” Lauren asked. “Well, then again, I don’t think this castle is in the show…”

“Your Majesties,” they turned around to the guard. “The Elements of Harmony have arrived.”
> 4: .... Ponies Afterwards
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







The Royal Sisters led Lauren into the grandest room of the castle; in the throne room with its marble columns, silk banners, and the soft velvet red carpet that lead to the throne itself. Lauren saw both sides of the room had a collection of several stain glass windows that depicted the sisters, some colorful ponies, a dragon and-

She stopped to look at that particular window. Below a huge, almost glowing, blue heart was a short dragon, with its arms that seemed to be expressing joy, looking up at the heart above.

“Is that Spike?” Lauren asked. The sisters stopped to see what she was looking at.

“Indeed he is,” Celestia confirmed.

Lauren took a few steps forward to get a closer look. “You sure? The Spike from the show is colored differently. The one I know was pink; this one's purple.”

“I assure you, my dear, that is truly Spike the dragon. One who had been given a huge honor some time ago.”

“For what?”	

“He saved an Empire,” Luna answered. “The Crystal Empire to be exact. Over there, as well as here, he’s considered a hero for saving it.”

“Crystal Empire? I don’t think I've heard of it.”

“Well, imagine a huge city that everything is made entirely out of crystals, even some of the ponies there are made out of crystal.”

“That sounds like a weird place to live,” Lauren commented, scratching her head. “I mean, I guess it might look pretty. But why would you want to live in a place where everything is made out of crystal? It just sounds weird to me.”

Before either of the princesses could respond, a guard’s cry of “INCOMING!!” rang out. And the next thing that Lauren knew, she was tackled to the ground and being rolled over several times by a pink blur.

When it stopped, she looked up to be face to face with a very, very pink pony. A pony that said, “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie, what’s your name?” ending it with the widest smile Lauren’s ever seen.

“Uh, Lauren?”

“Funny name, I don’t think I've ever met a Lauren before, so what does it mean? And why do you walk on your hind legs? Where you’re from? Why are you wearing pajamas this time of day? And do you like chocolate?”

“What?”

Pinkie quickly answered her at the speed of light: “I asked do you like chocolate, I was just thinking that maybe since you’re new and all, and I ought to make you a dozen chocolate cupcakes just to welcome you. Which reminds me, do you want to come down to Ponyville where Sugar Cube Corner is so we can throw you a ‘Welcome-to-Equestria-Lauren-party’? I’ll get the whole town so we can have some cake, some games, a few pranks and some of that you-haven’t-lived-until-you-have-Berry-Punch’s-punch. Wanna come?”

Lauren turned to the princesses, “What did she say?”

“I believe Ms. Pie is inviting you to a party,” Luna assumed. "At least, I think she is."

“Pinkie, wait up!” Lauren turned to the huge doors to find a few more ponies plus a dragon come trotting in. Except for Applejack and Spike, she didn't recognize any four other ponies.

As soon as they came into the room, they bowed respectively, and the purple unicorn went up to the royal sisters. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, we came as soon as we could.”

Celestia smiled, “I’m glad you came, my faithful student, along with your friends.”

“Um, who are they?” Lauren asked.

“Allow me to introduce you to them. This here is my personal student, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Wait, she’s Twilight? It can’t be her.”

“And why not?” both Celestia and Twilight asked.

“The Twilight I know isn't all purple, she’s mostly pink and has striped purple and white hair, and she has three purple stars on-”

“You mean my mother?” Twilight questioned. "It kind of sounds like her, except she's gray." Suddenly a thought came to Lauren’s head, ‘What if this is actually Twilight’s daughter?’ However, that still didn't explain Applejack and Spike still looking as young as they were in the show.

“Anyway,” Celestia continued the introductions. “This here is Applejack.”

“Howdy there stranger,” the familiar orange pony greeted her with a tip of her hat.

“This here is Fluttershy,” the yellow Pegasus only made a small nod.

“This is Rarity,” the pony with an elaborate black and yellow feathery hat gave a respectful nod.

“And this is Spike the dragon.”

“Hey,” he said giving a wave.

“And this is-” Celestia was cut off when the blue pegasus with a mane and tail of a rainbow flew up to Lauren. 

“Hey, name’s Rainbow.” She reached out a hoof to Lauren, in which she shook it, “Rainbow Awesome Danger Dash, the fastest flyer in all of Equestria; and you?”

“Lauren.”

“No need to introduce me, Princess,” Pinkie said now bouncing her way back to her friends.

“Um, excuse me, your majesties,” Fluttershy quietly said raising a hoof. “If neither of you minds me asking, but what kind of animal is that?” She asked, pointing towards Lauren, “I don’t think I remember ever seeing anything like it before.”

“Neither do I,” Twilight stated “and this is coming from a pony who read twenty-seven different books on zoology and cryptozoology several times. Princesses, what is it? Is this the reason why we’re here?”

“Why yes, Twilight,” Luna answered. “The arrival of this human is why.”

Fluttershy took a few steps closer towards Lauren. “She doesn't seem too dangerous. Um, a-are you dangerous?”

“No?” Lauren answered but still puzzled on why she’d ask that.

“Oh, okay.”

“You know, you kinda remind me somebody from the show. You’re kinda like Posey in a way.”

“Who?”

“Posey, she’s really shy but likes to take care of flowers. Oh, and has a little bird to help her out.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I've heard of her.”

“And you know what?” Lauren said, taking a step closer to Rainbow and Pinkie Pie. “You’re like Surprise only older, don’t have wings and you have different colors.”

“Surprise?" Pinkie questioned, "There’s somepony who’s just like me out there? If that were the case I would really like to meet a pony named Surprise!”

“And you," Lauren pointed towards the colorful pegasus, "if I didn't know it; I would say you remind me of Firefly.”

“Firefly? Never heard of Firefly, what’s the pony like?”

“She’s a pegasus like you only she’s pink and has blue hair. Oh, and she has some blue lightning marks where your mark is.”

“Hmm… Yeah, never heard of her.”

“Excuse me, darling,” Lauren turned to the white unicorn. “Don’t think of me as rude or uncivil when I ask this, but what are you wearing?”

“My pajamas.”

“Your pajamas? And this early in the evening? Dear, it looks filthy, and not to say that the design of it is not particularly flattering. Especially when you’re in front of the-”

“Rarity,” Celestia stopped her from saying anything further. Lauren turned around and for a moment, she could have sworn that she saw a fire in her eyes. “I do not mind how she looks; I understand the circumstances of how she got to be that way. Now, Lauren, if you don’t-”

“Knock-knock,” Celestia was interrupted when somebody said those words. It sounded to Lauren that it came from right behind her when she looked, she screamed.

“MONSTER!” she screeched, running over to hide behind Celestia.

“Well that’s one way of saying ‘Hello’,” it said. Lauren looked at the thing that looked like as if it was made from Dr. Frankenstein lab. The creature was made out of many parts of other animals. It had horns, a pair of wings and a tail, all of which were mitch-matched together to form what she was seeing.

“Oh, hello Discord,” Luna said dryly, “May I ask why you are here?”

“To drop by and to give Celestia this little report,” Discord pulled from behind his back a little scroll. “Just as promised by-the-way, but I couldn't help but notice this little thing.” He pointed to the only human in the room, “Oh, and that little piece of name calling was rather rude you know.”

“Forgive her, she’s very new here,” Celestia said, turning to Lauren behind her. “It’s alright, I promise you that he will not harm you, we’ll make sure of it.”

Lauren stepped out from her hiding place.

“Come now, I don’t bite very often, there's no need to be afraid of me.” Discord slithered his way over to Lauren, “In fact, why are you afraid of me? Is it because of how I look?”

“Well… Yeah,” Lauren confessed.

Discord sighed, “Why am I not surprised? Look, how about we start over? The name’s Discord, ex-Lord and reformed spirit of Chaos. And you?”

“Lauren. Lauren Faust.” As soon as those words reached Discord’s ears, he gave her a funny look. He turned to the princesses.

“Is she really…?” Discord asked.

“She is,” Celestia nodded.

“She… S-She’s here!” Discord was shaking at this point. With a snap from his lion’s paw, he was wearing an orange lifejacket. “IT’S EVERY STALLION, MARE, AND FILLY FOR THEMSELVES!!!” And jumped out of a window, swimming away in the air as quickly as it could.

“What’s gotten into him?” Lauren asked.

“He’s… unique,” Luna answered.

“Now what jus' happen?” Applejack asked, “That’s gotta be tha first time I've ever seen Discord that scared.”

“Perhaps I should explain,” Celestia said before turning to Lauren.  “Excuse me Lauren, but would you and Spike please wait outside while my sister and I talk with Twilight and her friends?”

“I get to hang out with a dragon?” Lauren went over to Spike, “Do you like to draw?” She asked him.

“Eh, not that good at it,” Spike confessed.

“No, just for fun. You don’t have to be good at it.”

“Guards,” Luna got the guard's attention at the doorway. “Would you fetch some paper and something to draw with for them while they wait?”

The guards did as they were told. “Now don’t worry, Lauren; we’ll make sure we won’t take too long,” Luna ensured her.

Soon enough, Lauren and Spike stepped outside of the throne room, and the doors behind them were closed. 

“So your majesties, would you explain what this is about?” Rarity asked.

Celestia told them, “All of you are going to need to sit down for this one...”
> 5: Spike the Dragon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







The sky was bright orange as Lauren and Spike were in the garden; there were a few guards around to keep an eye on them. They scanned the garden and back to the two who were drawing away, all the while talking to each other.

“Have you ever had an imaginary friend?” Lauren asked.

Spike stopped drawing the third picture of Rarity to put a claw to his chin. “I think I have once, during the time when I learned how to organize Twilight’s huge book collection. For the life of me, I can’t remember what I called him but I do remember how I saw him.”

Lauren looked up, “What did he look like?”

“Well…” Spike thought for a moment after he put down his pencil. “He was really tall and red. I think I imagine him something like a pony and a gryphon. A Hippogriff, was it? It’s been a very long time so I don’t remember too much. Why'd you ask?”

“I was just thinking, where do imaginary friends go when they’re no longer wanted by the kids who made them?” she asked, returning her attention to her drawing for a moment.

“Beats me, where do you think?”

“Hmm…” Lauren stops drawing herself to think about this question. She looked up back to Spike, “Do you think that I don’t know, there’s like a… Heaven? No, that's not it... What’s another word for orphanage?”

“Foals home, an institute for unwanted kids, a foster home-”

“Yeah, that’s it! Is there a foster home for imaginary friends to go to?”

Spike gave her a confused look, “That’s a rather odd question. I don’t know really if one even exists.”

Lauren looked back up to a particular row of windows where the throne room is. Every now and then, she would catch a glimpse of a shadow or a face that would be looking down at them.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Lauren asked.

“Probably something important,” Spike shrugged. “It’s kinda taking them longer than usual though, you’d think they might be out by now.”

“You’re telling me. Say, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“What’s this place called again?”

“What you do ya mean?”

“This land, kingdom, place, what is it called?”

“Equestria,” Spike deadpanned.

“Huh,” Lauren tilted her head to the side. “That’s odd.”

“What?”

“You know, ever since I came here, I was wondering something... guess I might be wrong here.”

“What about?”

“This place, it somewhat reminds me of the show ‘My Little Pony’, except the longer I’m here, the less related to the show it is. Like in the show, the place where all the ponies live is called Ponyland.”

“Ponyland? Really?” Spike asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah I know, it’s a stupid name I agree, but that’s what it was called in the show. It had Bright Valley with all the ponies, and Flutter Valley that’s home to those little ponies with butterfly wings.”

“It kinda sounds like the Breezies to me.”

“The what?”

“Uh, never mind. You know, your drawings aren't that bad,” he commented, pointing at her drawing.

“Eh, they’re okay I guess.”

There was a silence for a moment until Spike asks, “So… What do you want to do when you grow up?”

“Well… I want to make movies. The cartoon kind. I want to make movies that are kinda like what Disney used to do; I want to make movies for everyone to enjoy.”

Spike tilted his head, “What’s a cartoon?”

Lauren was taken aback at this, “You don’t know what a cartoon is?!”

“Never heard of it, what is it?” Spike said, shaking his head.

“Are you serious? A cartoon is like a drawing but it moves and talks and it tells a story. And they show it to you in movies or on T.V.”

Spike was giving her a weird look, “Okay then.” Just then, Spike’s stomach rumbled. “I’m a little hungry. Hey, I got an idea! You like donuts?”

“Yeah?”

“I know a good twenty-four seven donuts shop that’s not too far from here. I've got some bits on me, so how about we swing by over there real quick?”

“I don’t know. What if they come out asking for us?”

“I promise, we’ll be there and back in no time. It won’t take long at all.”

“Well…” Lauren thought for a moment; she was in the mood for a little snack. “Just real quick?”

“Yeah,” Spike said while getting up, “Let me grab some bits first then we'll go.”

_*_

Inside the throne room, the sounds of surprise, shock, panic, anger, agitation, confusion, and more panic rang inside the great room like the voice box of a badly played instrument. The noise continued until Luna silence them with a powerful, “BE STILL!!!”

The six ponies stopped, at least, for a moment. “She’s your mother and neither of you told me?!” Twilight shouted.

“Twilight, neither of us could have predicted, nor given a notice that she was to come back,” Celestia told her student.

“But ain't she a bit too young to be 'yer Ma?” Applejack asked.

“I confess,” Luna answered, “I didn't expect her to come here as young as she is. In fact, the last time we saw her, she was at a reasonable age. But somehow, she came here as a child. Even before she was at the age where she created this world.”

“But isn't there some sort of law of paradox or something to prevent such a thing from happening?” Rarity asked Twilight.

“I don’t know. To my knowledge, this has never happened before. At least, I don’t think it has.” Twilight’s mane sprang up a few cowlicks.

“Uh, question.” Rainbow raised a hoof in the air, “Does Lauren know that she made all of this or that you two are really her daughters?”

Celestia shook her head, “We ended up deciding against it. She’s too young and we fear it might send her into a panic.”

“I think I understood why Discord ran off,” Fluttershy said. “If this is her past self, and Discord might have given her the wrong impression, maybe…” She squeaked. “Oh no! W-What if we've given her the wrong impression? What if she doesn't like us at all so she might change us, or… or…” Fluttershy looked out the window that overlooked to the garden. “Um… Where’s Lauren and Spike?”

“WHAT?!” Both of the alicorn sisters screamed out in shock. Everypony within the castle no matter what they were doing had dropped to the floor to cover their ears. In the throne room, the six mares did the same while the stained glass windows vibrated. Quickly the sisters looked out the window to find that their mother and the baby dragon have vanished.

“WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE DID THEY GO!?” they both shouted in unison, adding several cracks to the windows.
> 6: Incident at the Donut Shop
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







“Did you hear that?” Lauren asked.

“Hear what?”

“For a moment there Spike, I thought somebody was shouting.”

Spike stopped to listen, “Maybe it’s somepony nearby. Now come on, the store is over here.” The little dragon was leading Lauren though the streets of the beautiful city. Along the way, they passed by some ponies who have given them some odd looks. Some were staring even. Lauren thought that perhaps these ponies must be filthy rich by the clothes they have on.

The sky was darkening and the street lamps were being lit up. There were some crowds that they had to get past though before they came to the donut shop. The sign over the shop simply read: “Donut Joe’s. Open Twenty-four hours.” Of course, Lauren wasn't exactly pleased with the line outside of the shop. It looked like they had to wait.

She thought up of something to try to pass the time when an idea came to her, “You like superheroes?” she asked.

“You bet I do! Which ones do you wanna know?”

“You have a favorite?”

“Oh… That’s a tough one. Well, I just picked up on the Power Ponies comics just recently. They’re a team of superheroes who stop the mad Mane-iac from taking over everything.”

“A team of superheroes? It kinda sounds like the Justice League or something.”

“Justice League huh? That sounds cool actually.”

“And, out of curiosity, with the superheroes, you know, are there any good heroes that are like us kids?”

“Well now that you've mentioned it… The only ones that come to mind are sidekicks.”

“Why is that? Don’t they think that maybe us young kids won’t make good superheroes? It’s a little not fair isn't it?”

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right! Why can’t there be like a colt with really cool powers.”

“Or girls? Why not give them some superpowers too?”

“Excuse me,” their conversation was cut short by a stallion behind them. “Aren't you going to move?” They looked to find that the line has moved ahead of them by several feet.

“Oh, sorry,” Lauren apologized as she and Spike moved forward.

_*_

“She couldn't have gone too far,” Celestia said as she, a few of her guards and three of the elements went along with her to find the Princess’s mother. Ever since Lauren’s disappearance, the sisters sent out an emergency search party to find where she had gone.

Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were following the Sun Princess through the streets. While they too were looking for Celestia’s mother, they tried to calm her down.

“Princess, I understand completely you would be distressed by this,” Twilight said to her mentor as calmly as possible.  “But I really think you ought to calm-”

“There’s no time for that! What if something happened to her? What if she’s hurt? Or-”

“No offense your highness,” Applejack interrupted. “But don’t ya think those seem a little unlikely?”

“Applejack, this isn't just anypony that I and my sister are worrying over. This is our mother we’re talking about.”

“We've heard you say that for the millionth time already, we get it.” Rainbow Dash flew up to Celestia. “And besides, it’s only been what? Fifteen, twenty minutes? How far could she possibly have gone to?”

“Rainbow, you of all ponies should know that anything can happen in that amount of time. What if she gets foalnapped? Or killed?”

“But if she’s dead, wouldn't we stop, you know, existing?” Rainbow questioned.

“Point taken, I suppose there is good news in that.”

“You know, what if Fluttershy was right?” Applejack asked. “If she’s really tha creator, an' if we've given her tha wrong message of what we’re like and all, what will become of us?”

“Do you think we might… vanish?” Twilight asked the question that none of them wanted to ask. It’s a question that summed up all of their fears of not only what happens if they find Lauren, but what happens when she goes home. Even Twilight had to summon up some courage to even ask it.

It wasn't surprising that the conversation went silent for a moment with the air suffocating them with anxiety. Then, from the corner of Celestia’s eye, in the window of a shop, she saw Lauren, eating away at a chocolate donut.

_*_

“Yeah, but how old do you think our superheroes might be?” Lauren asked.

“Hm… Why not around your age, or maybe a bit younger.” Spike replied after he took another bit of the donut he was eating.

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t know, I guess it might be better for those at our age to relate to.”

“You know, you have a lot of good ideas.”

“Eh, I wouldn't say that. Sometimes I would do something stupid.”

“Like what?”

“LAUREN!!”

The two of them (along with the rest of the entire shop) jumped at the earthquake of Celestia’s voice. Then, in a calmer voice ordered everyone out of the shop, except for the girl. “I’ll have a talk with you later Spike,” she told the dragon as he made his way out the door.

All that was left in the donut shop was a crossed princess and a nervous little girl.

“Just where do I begin?” Celestia asked as she came closer to her very young mother. “Do you have any idea whatsoever how much you scared us both?”

“But-”

“I simply can’t believe you! That you just ran off without telling us?”

“But you-”

“You scared us, Lauren. We thought somepony took you, or, or worse.”

“But I-”

“I mean, what were you thinking? Coming out here without as so much as a guard at your side?”

“But Spike was-”

“No! This has nothing to do with him. You listen to me, you are never to go anywhere without telling us so. Do you under…” But Celestia stopped her rant as she saw, to her horror, the tears that made lines on her mother’s cheeks.

“Lauren, I didn't… I-I never meant-” Lauren got up from her seat and ran for the door. “Lauren! Stop!” But she didn't listen; she flung the door open and rushed out. Celestia went to the door, hoping that she might catch her to apologize for letting her emotions get the better of her. But her mother was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did she go?” She asked the elements.

“I saw her. She went this way,” Rainbow Dash took to the air, going into the direction that she saw her. But at this time, the sun has gone down, Rainbow tried to follow the trail only to lose it in the shadows.

“I can’t find her,” Rainbow came back to Celestia with the bad news.

In Celestia’s memory, she had fought nightmares, demons, mad gods and even her vengeful sister. But now, she was feeling three feelings at once: fear, dread, and extreme regret. “Oh, mother… What have I done?”
> 7: Of Clumsy Mothers and Crazy Unicorns
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







Derpy Hooves and her daughter were finally taking a vacation for the week in Canterlot for the summer. The mailmare from Ponyville has at last earned enough to take her daughter and herself to the capital to unwind.

“Whoa, careful mommy,” Dinky lit up her horn to catch the cold treat from her mother’s waffle cone. She had to not because it almost fell off, but knowing her mother, she knew it was a little difficult to walk on three hooves while holding something in one hoof. Derpy couldn't help it when her eyes were not exactly like other ponies; being clumsy was in her nature.

“Thanks, muffin,” Derpy said. They were headed back to their hotel, or at least, the only hotel that they could afford in an expensive city such as Canterlot. It wasn't one of those badly managed, run down kind where the rooms for rent sacrificed cleanliness for affordability. It was the ones that were comfortable but not necessarily luxurious.

Dinky nuzzled her mother’s shoulder, “Thanks for taking me here Mommy. Canterlot is really pretty.”

Despite knowing how much it’s costing them, Derpy agreed. “It really is. How’s your chocolate, peanut butter cone?”

“I love it- hey!” Dinky was nearly shoved as a couple of the royal guards galloped right past her. “What’s up with them? That’s gotta be the third time we've seen them since we left.”

“I’m sure they’re just doing… guard, stuff.” Derpy walked on a little bit until she realized that she didn't hear her daughter’s hoofsteps. “Dinky?” she turned around to find her daughter had stopped a little while back, looking down a dark alleyway. “Dinky, come on, get away from there, it’s not safe.”

“You hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“Come over here,” she said. Derpy obeyed and went over to where her daughter was to hear the sound of someone crying. But the sound of it, this wasn't the cry of a full grown pony but someone much younger. There was a sense of concern and caution as Derpy walked into the alleyway with her daughter following close behind.

The sound, as it turned out, came behind a couple of garbage cans. Derpy and Dinky found a slender creature in pajamas that was crying its eyes out. “Are you an animal, vegetable, or mineral?” Derpy asked which caused the creature to jump in surprise. It was so unexpected that the pegasus’s wings opened up in shock, causing her to tumble backward into some cardboard boxes. Dinky went to her mother to find that her mother’s ice creamed upended on her head.

“Sorry!” the creature apologized as Dinky looked back to find it was standing on its hind legs. If Dinky didn't know better, she would say that by the long hair and voice the thing was a filly. She saw the expression on its face turn from regret to confusion when she heard the unicorn’s mother laughing.

“It’s okay,” Derpy said as she got back up. “I’m pretty much used to things like that happening to me.” She took hold of a nearby newspaper to wipe the ice cream off her head. “Besides, I was almost done with my ice cream anyway.”

“Are you alright, um… what was your name?” Dinky asked, taking a step closer to the creature.

“Lauren.”

Dinky looked to her ice cream and offered it to Lauren, “You want some?” Lauren took hold of the cone that was enveloped in yellow light, only for it to disappear in her hand.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Derpy asked.

“Just…” Lauren used her free arm to wipe away her tears. “I just got yelled at.”

“Why? What happened?”

She sniffed before she could say, “I made someone really mad at me all because I was with a friend, and we were going to get donuts real quick, but she came in and yelled at me and… now she hates me.”

“Oh sweetie,” Derpy opened up one of her wings to Lauren. “Come on, let’s get out of here and back to our hotel.” She and her daughter lead her out of the dark alleyway and back onto the street. “Our hotel isn't too far from here.”

Now in the light, Lauren got a better look at the gray-blond pegasus. “Why are your eyes like that?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“That one eye is up here and the other-”

“Oh! That. I was born like this.”

“Really? I’m sorry.”

“Eh, I’m fine. I can still see, only, not as good as everypony else. But just because I have a disability, doesn't mean that I can't be as good as everypony else.”

“Yeah,” Dinky piped up. “Mommy is good at a lot of things! Like delivering the mail, baking muffins, helping me with my homework, and… and everything.”

“Yeah, I may be different from other ponies, but that doesn't mean it’s a bad thing. There are a lot of good things to come out of something as weird as I am.”

“Really?” Lauren asked. “So, it isn't weird that I may be a girl, but I like some of the stuff my brothers are into. Like my older brother’s comics or the shows, they watch like Transformers or G.I. Joe?”

“Uh… sure! Whatever that means. Here we are,” Derpy said as they neared the entrance of their hotel. As they entered the lobby, Derpy added, “And don’t worry, I’ll make sure we get you back to your mother.”

“What?” The three of them stopped when Lauren asked that question.

“Your mother, that’s who you ran away from right?” Derpy asked. But as fortune had it, as they were entering the lobby, a certain green unicorn with a golden lyre as her cutie mark came down the stairs to the lobby.

This unicorn had to do a double, triple, quadruple take at what she was seeing. Her golden eyes widen as she took in at what was standing in the middle of the lobby. She could hardly believe herself that what she was seeing was real.

So, she went up to Lauren.

“Ar-Are you real?” she asked in anticipation. Lauren looked at the unicorn who spoke.

“Uh, yeah?” and before she could say anything else, she was encased in a green aura being lifted off the ground. “Hey!” but the unicorn ignored her cries of protest as she bounced her way up the stairs, down a hallway to a particular door.

“Bonnie! Open up! This proves it! I’m not crazy!”

“Put me down!” Lauren demanded.
> 8: The Unicorn, the Draconequus…
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







“I’m coming, I’m coming,” said a voice behind the door before it opened up to a cream-colored pony with a pink and blue mane. “What is…” she trailed off when she saw what was in unicorn’s aura. “Uh, Lyra, what is that?” she asked as Lyra trotted in, carrying Lauren into the room.

“I told you, proof,” she said as she dropped Lauren onto the bed. “You won’t believe it, I ran into her in the lobby downstairs!”

Lauren got off from the bed, “What do you want?” she asked annoyed.

“Bonnie, where’s the camera? I really need to take a picture,” Lyra asked as she went through their suitcases. Lauren turned to the other pony in the room; she looked like she was trying to comprehend what she was seeing exactly.

“You okay?” Lauren asked this snapped the pony called “Bonnie” back into reality.

“Sorry, it’s just… wow. Guess she was right after all.”

“You bet I am!” Lyra piped up, “So is it in your other suitcase then?”

“Why are you so excited?” Lauren asked. “Have you ever seen a girl before?”

“Girls, yes; human, no. Ha! Found it!” she picked up the camera triumphantly. “Hey Bonnie, mind taking my picture?”

“Lyra, I know you’re excited, well, really excited and all,” Bonnie began. “But don’t you think that maybe you wanna give her a break?”

“But Bonnie,” Lyra whined. “It’s a human. A real human right here in this room. Can I at least take a picture, and… and ask her a few questions like where are the other humans are?”

“Actually, I have a question,” Bonnie turned to Lauren. “Do you have a name?”

She nodded, “Yeah, it’s Lauren. And, you’re called Bonnie? That’s probably the most normal name I've heard all day.”

“Well, Bonnie is what Lyra calls me from my other nickname Bon-Bon. My name is really Sweetie Drops.”

Click. Bon-Bon turned to Lyra who just snapped a photo, “What are you doing?” she asked.

“What does it look like?” Lyra asked. “I’m taking some photographic evidence here.”

“Evidence for what?” Lauren asked.

“That human exist, that they’re not some made up mythology. Smile!” She took another photo.

“Made up? What are you talking about? I’m right here am I?”

“Yeah, but a lot of ponies think so. This will prove to them that you’re not some fairy tale.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, up until now,” Bon-Bon answered. “Nopony has ever seen a human before in real life. Like leprechauns, or trolls, or seaponies-”

“Hey! Seaponies are real too!” Lyra retorted.

“So, much like how unicorns are not real where I come from?” Lauren asked. At this, the two ponies paused to give her a weird look.

“What you’d mean that ‘unicorns are not real’ where you come from?” they both asked in unison.

“Yeah, I was told years ago that unicorns didn't exist, that their horns don’t grant wishes and all that.”

Lyra and Bon-Bon turned to each other before turning back to Lauren. “That has got to be the weirdest thing I've ever heard. And considering I've been around her for a while, that says a lot.” Bon-Bon said pointing to Lyra.

“I can do magic but I don’t remember about granting wishes. Although, that would be awesome.”

There was some loud knocking on the door, “This is the Royal Guard, please open up.”

“Oh no!” Lyra panicked. “They’re gonna take you away! Uh, quick! The window!” She lit up her horn to open up the window; down below there was an open dumpster with dozens of garbage bags.  “Come on, this way.”

“What’s going on?” Lauren questioned.

“They’re gonna take you away. Now quickly before they get you.” Whether Lauren wanted to or not, she was picked up in Lyra’s magic once again and tossed her out of the second-floor window. There was a high pitch scream that was quickly followed by a kind of crash inside a dumpster.

The guard repeated the demand to open up, in which, Lyra did open the door. There were four Night Guards waiting, one of them asked, “Excuse us, but may we ask you two some questions?”

_*_

“That unicorn is crazy,” Lauren said to herself as she crawled out of the dumpster. Despite feeling somewhat sore, she was rather alright after being tossed out of a window and into some trash. She was about to walk out of the alleyway she was in until she heard some rustling coming from some cardboard boxes at the dead end of the alleyway. What caught her eye was that there was an antler sticking out.

“Hello?” Lauren asked. She wondered if that antler belonged to that strange creature she met hours ago. There was no sound nor movement as she approached the boxes. She moved some of them around to find Discord there who greeted her with “DON’T ERASE ME!!”

“What?”

“L-Look, I-I know I w-wasn't always a good guy all the time, b-but is that a reason to erase me?”

“What?”

“I just got reformed after all. I've changed quite a bit since the last time.” Discord was backing himself into a corner, shaking uncontrollably.

“Why are you afraid of me?”

The shaking stopped. “Eh?”

“Seriously, why are you scared of a twelve-year-old? I just said my name a while ago and you just took off. So what did I do to you huh?”

“B-But your Lauren. Lauren Faust.”

“So? It’s not like I’m Megan from the show or anything. I’m just a normal girl who likes My Little Pony, what did I do to get all of this?”

“All of what?”

“The ice cream for dinner, having that white princess yell at me, getting thrown out a window by a crazy unicorn, all of that! So what’s going on? Why is almost everybody acting all weird and being too nice and… and you being scared of me?”

Discord slack-jawed at what he was hearing, “Are you seriously that dense?”

“What does that supposed to mean? What’s going on?”

“You… You of all, what-ever-you-are, don’t get it?”

“Don’t get what?”

“Hello! You’re Lauren Faust, you, and you personally, created our world.”

There was a pause, but then, Lauren folded her arms and made Discord’s mind explode when she said, “I don’t buy it.”

“W-What?!?!”

“I created all this? Come on, I may be twelve, but I’m not that stupid.”

Discord’s jaw dropped to the asphalt, “I… I don’t know what to say. What I just said can’t be interpreted any other way!”

“You know what, you’re just as crazy as that unicorn,” Lauren turned around and started to walk back out of the ally.

“Where're you going?” Discord asked.

“Getting as far away from you as possible. Getting as far away from these ponies as possible.”

“But where?”

“I’m not talking to you Mr. Crazy,” and with that, she walked away, leaving Discord behind. She walked away from the hotel until she came across a train station. At this point, she was feeling tired after all the events of this night and wanted to sleep a little. She spotted a door that was marked, “Janitor's’ Closet” that was ajar. She peeked inside, it wasn't comfortable but at least it gets her away from those ponies that have been staring at her.

She took whatever was around her to make herself a little bed made out of rags and a dried mop as a pillow. Lauren at this point just wanted to go home, but thinking that Celestia now hates her, she couldn't figure out how to approach her. Perhaps she and Spike should have told someone that they were getting donuts, perhaps she should tell her she’s sorry. But she wasn't exactly sure if Celestia would listen.

Eventually, her eyes were heavy, her mind slowed down to drift her off to sleep.
> 9: …. And the Dream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







“Lauren?” a familiar voice called out in the distance.

“Lauren? Where art thou?” Lauren opened her eyes. She seemed to be lying on a cloud that was high up in the night sky.

“Lauren, speak to us! Where didst thou go?”

“Uh, hello?” she called out. Lauren wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not, but she didn't feel scared.

“Lauren? Is it thou?” the voice was coming closer. Lauren got up from the light, fluffy but still solid material. As far as she could see there were either clouds or the starry night that had the moon at its fullest. “Lauren?” This time the voice was coming from right below her feet. She looked down to find a horn sticking right in front of her a few feet away. Stepping back, the horn gave way to a head. A blue one at that, it was the other princess.

“Lauren! Thank our moon that We found thee!” She jumped out of the cloud to embrace her. The Princess of the Night gave her a crushing hug. Even though the air from Lauren’s lungs wasn't getting oxygen, she waved her hands around trying to signal her to stop.

“Oh! Sorry.” Luna let her go with a blush, remembering how strong she really is and let her mother breathe. “Oh Lauren, We have been so scared that We might have lost thee.”

“Why are you talking like that?” Lauren asked now having air in her lungs again.

At first, the dark alicorn was confused until she realized, “Oh. Forgive us- I mean, forgive me for my speech. I am still struggling to grasp ‘modern speech’ as they say. But back to more important matters, are you alright?”

“I… I guess so.”

“We- I have heard about what had happened between you and my sister.”

“She hates me, doesn't she?”

This surprised Luna, “This seems a bit, contradictory child. What makes you say that?”

“Well, she yelled at me didn't she?”

“Lauren, I believe you misunderstood. As I was told, she reacted that way because she was worried about you.”

“But she didn't give me a chance to tell her why Spike and I were there.”

“Why were you there anyway?” Luna asked, changing the subject.

“You guys were taking so long with your meeting that Spike said we can grab some donuts real quick and be back before you got done. I was going to tell your sister about it, but she wouldn't listen. Why is it that grown-ups don’t want to listen?”

Luna put a hoof to her chin in thought, “I don’t know if I would answer this right, but perhaps it may be because that those ‘grown-ups’ such as Celestia didn't listen is because that she might care for you so much that they assume they know everything that you need without asking. To your credit, you're right, she should have listened to what you had to say beforehoof - but she is regretful that she had let her emotions get the best of her to hurt you. She is seeking forgiveness from you.”

Lauren looked up, unsure whether or not she could believe what she was hearing. “Is she really?”

“Of course, don’t you think she’s sorry for what she’s done?”

“Well… Not really.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“I don’t know whenever people say they’re sorry that they really mean it.”

Luna tilted her head quizzically. “I don’t follow.”

“Has anyone ever told you that they’re sorry for something but they not because they end up doing the same thing over and over again? When one of my brothers ripped the nose off of my favorite toy, a Snoopy doll, he said that he was sorry, but he kept breaking my other toys so I try to hide them away from him.”

“You really think that no one is ever truly sorry?”

“I don’t think I've ever met one who ever is.”

Luna then got down on the cloud to lay on her stomach. “Lauren, may I tell you a story?” Confused, Lauren let her continue by giving a few nods. “Once upon a time, there were two sisters who ruled in a kingdom called Equestria. One ruled the day had the duty to raise the sun. While the other ruled over the night, and she was in charge to raise the moon as well as to place the stars in the sky. At first, the two sisters ruled their kingdom in harmony. But the eldest sister, who ruled the day, was seen by their subjects as a great and wise ruler. The other, however, was hardly ever given a compliment. Not by her leadership skills, not for her wisdom, not for her night, or even to keep nightmares away. She had for so long had gone without a word of appreciation that she wondered why. She found out that many, if not all of her subjects were always asleep, never to give wonder to her, or her night.

“Night by night, bitterness grew in her. She asked herself, ‘Why is it, that my older sister is getting all the attention and not me? Why is it that I have gone for so long without anyone so much as giving me a single word about the great art I put out night after night?’ She tried turned to her sister, but she was so engulfed in her subjects, her endless parades of praise, enwrapped in her glory that she too ignored her. This broke her little sister's’ heart as you can imagine. She cried, thinking to herself that she was completely useless and felt betrayed from every single pony around her.

“It was then, in her moment of feeling invisible that spirits came to her. These spirits gave her false promises that if she gave into them, not only will they’ll make things right for her, but they’ll make Equestria appreciate her night by making it last for all eternity. In her bitterness, she agreed. One night she called out her sister so she can have the spirits do the rest. What the little sister didn't expect, is that these spirits took over her body, shaping her form into something dark. And even against her will, they use her body as a puppet to try to kill her sister. But her elder sister had with her the Elements of Harmony, which is the very source of all of the magic in Equestria, and, regretfully, used them to banish her own sister to the moon. It is on the moon where she stayed for a thousand years.

“During that time, the younger sister blamed the spirits for having her end up there. But the spirits used their silver tongues to justify that neither of them is at fault, but it was her elder sister and her kingdom that has betrayed them. So for a thousand years, the only company she had was the spirits that added the fire to her rage.

“When a thousand years came and went, she escaped from her prison back into her kingdom to retake Equestria. However, amongst her bitterness, amongst her threats and determination, six very brave mares stood up and together, they banished these dark spirits from the younger sister forever. But now, with the spirits gone and have been given back control over her own body, she was weak. And then, came her elder sister, whom she thought that after all this time, she too might have developed a grudge against her. That in that weakened state, she may deliver the final strike. But her surprise, that was not what happened.”

“Then what happened?”

“The elder sister wished that they would put the bitterness behind them so that they could be family once more, and asked her younger sister to forgive her for what pain that she had caused her. You could only imagine the tears that formed in her eyes when she heard those words as she accepted it. As well as asking her to forgive her transgressions she caused. Now, do you know who these sisters in the story are?”

Lauren thought for a moment, “I’m not sure.”

“The little sister was me. Lauren, I for one do believe that anyone can not only be forgiven, but they do mean when they say, ‘I’m sorry’. Lauren, I am asking you- no, I am begging you, please, forgive my sister. I know her, she did not mean to make you cry. She didn't mean to make you run away from us. Please, come back.”

“Well…” Lauren paused. With a sigh, she relented, “Alright, can you promise that she will listen to me?”

Luna smiled, “Of course. Now, Lauren, wake up.”

“What?”

“I said, wake-”

_*_

“-up. Lauren, please wake up.” Lauren opened her eyes. She found that she was once again in Celestia’s room, in Celestia’s bed, with Celestia herself sitting beside it.
> 10: About Last Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







In the morning light, Lauren sat up from the low bed. Even though her mind was waking up, she did remember about last night, how she and Spike went off, getting the sun princess angry. For the longest moment, neither she nor Celestia said a word at first. Now that her young mother was awake, she wasn't quite sure what exactly to say. For she may be her mother, but at the same time, this was her mother who’s a child and it was she who hurt her feelings.

“I’m sorry,” Lauren said breaking the silence. 

Celestia blinked, “What?”

“I’m sorry for not telling you where Spike and I were going and for running away.”

“Well, thank you. But between the two of us, I should be the one apologizing. Lauren, I am so, so sorry for losing my temper with you. I should have thought about what I say may hurt you.”

“You should have listened to what I had to say.”

Celestia nodded, “Yes. I should have given you time to explain yourself. And, again, I’m sorry about that. So, what were you about to say before I… you know.”

“Well, we went to that donut place because Spike said that we should grab a snack real quick since you guys were in a meeting. We thought it shouldn't take long, that we would be back here in no time. But there was this line and we got caught up in talking about superheroes that I think we forgot what time it was.”

“Seems to match up with Spike’s story, but what happened to you after that? Where did you go?”

“I don’t really know since I've never been here before, I remember running into several alleyways until I got tired so I hid behind some trash cans until someone found me. I can’t remember what their names were, but I think it was a mom and her kid that found me there.”

“Derpy and Dinky Hooves.”

“Yeah, that’s… wait how do you know that?”

“They flagged down some guards after you'd been snatched away by-”

“Oh yeah! That’s right, they took me to their hotel where a unicorn carried me off to her and… and what’s her name?”

“Bon-Bon.”

“Yeah, and the unicorn was really excited to meet me because they told me that our people don’t really exist here. When somebody knocked on their door, the unicorn threw me out of the window.”

“She what?!”

“Yeah, said something that they were coming to take me away or something before she threw me into a dumpster with garbage bags in it. I don’t think she’s quite right in the head or something. I didn't get hurt or anything just feeling sore after falling from the second floor.”

“Oh. And then what happened?”

“Remember that guy who’s made up of animal parts?”

“Discord?”

“Yeah, I found him hiding behind a bunch of cardboard boxes. And I think he’s crazy too.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well… He was real scared of me when I showed up. Saying something about not… erasing or something. And then he said I created everything, like I was God or something like I said, I think he’s really crazy so I just left.”

Celestia didn't say anything. Lauren continued, “So, I found my way to a train station where there was a janitor's closet that was open so I went in and fell asleep and… Say, how did I end up here?”

“You can thank Luna for that. She helped us locate where you were, and she should be here anytime now.”

“Celestia, can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Why do you and Luna worry about me so much when you've never met me.”

“Because…” Celestia had to tread carefully. On the one hoof, part of her wanted to tell Lauren the truth that she is, indeed, her mother. However, given that Discord had told her the truth and she didn't believe it, perhaps it was best if she fibbed a little. “Because you reminded me and Luna of someone that was very dear to us.”

“Who?”

“Our mother.”

Lauren tilted her head to the side, “Your, mother?”

“It’s a little silly, I know. But in a way, you remind us of her.”

“Remind you? Why, did something bad happen?”

“Oh, no, not really. Mother… That we know, she has a rather… interesting relationship with us. Oh, she does care about us and loves us very much. But the problem is that can get very busy, she’s a kind of storyteller in a way, trying to come up with ideas for this and that and trying to put them down on paper. Sometimes, she has to go away for a while but she at times pop up here and there.”

“That sounds… a little weird. But how is she like me?”

“She’s at times rather too creative. Asking those close to her very odd questions that she could use. And a bit curious too. And yes, I admit, she can be a little weird too.”

“When’s the last time you saw her?”

“I believe it was at our coronation, she wasn't up in front but she watched us from the very back, smiling. Afterward, she came up to us, saying how proud she was about us. And then, before we knew it, gone. That was well over a thousand years ago.” Celestia gave out a sigh, “Although, I do tend to miss her.”

“I’m sorry,” Lauren said as to Celestia’s surprise, she hugged her neck. Celestia didn't quite know how to react at that point. She wanted to tell her it’s not her fault and maybe cry a little. But she chose to keep the mask on a little longer.

“Lauren,” Celestia said as her mother let go. “Twilight and her friends are still here, do you want to get to know them a little better? That is if you don’t want to go back home just yet.”

“Can I?” Lauren asked. “Especially that rainbow one who’s kinda like Firefly?”

“If that’s what you wish, so shall it be.”
> 11: Of Generosity and Kindness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







After breakfast, it was agreed that Lauren should get some proper clothes to wear so her pajamas can get cleaned. Of course, Rarity volunteered to make her something new to wear. “Just give me some materials and about an hour and I’ll give her something civilized to wear.”

Celestia lead Rarity the workroom for the royal tailor to have her work. When Lauren and Rarity went into the workroom, they were amazed to find that the place was a library of materials. With yards upon yards of every material, patterns, buttons, lace, buckles, feathers, and everything else either of them could think of. As amazed as Lauren was, she couldn't help but notice that Rarity looked like a kid in a candy and toy shop in one.

“Just look at all of this!” Rarity said, darting from fabric to fabric. “Silks, wools, even cotton. Oh, the possibilities of all the dresses and suits I can make with all of this. Dear,” she turned to Lauren. “Even though you may wear one of my works for today, I am obligated to make sure to make you look glorious. And that is not a guarantee, but a promise. But first thing’s first, I need to measure you.”

Rarity took out some yellow measuring tape, taking notes on the numbers of her height, waist, arms, legs, and even her feet.  Rarity took some brown paper and placed them all over her, drawing and cutting out pieces, “What are you doing?” Lauren asked.

“Making out the pieces for your clothing dear, since I've never made clothing for a human before, I need a different pattern so you can be comfortable wearing it.”

That made sense to Lauren. Rarity studied the pieces that lay before her. “Let me see what I can do with this.” She took out a notebook and started drawing; Lauren couldn't help but take a peek at the other drawings. 

“Those are so pretty!”

Rarity couldn't help but smile, “Why, thank you, darling, those are just merely sketches. You should have seen the real thing.”

“You know, you kinda remind me of a pony from the show.”

“What show?”

“My Little Pony,” Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“That’s a rather odd sounding name for a show, what’s it about?”

“Ponies mostly.”

“Um, alright then, so which pony do I remind you of?”

“Sparkler, she likes fashion stuff too, only she likes everything and anything sparkly. She even makes dresses that sparkle.”

“Sparkles? Really? Why dear, Sparkles are so last year. Nowadays it’s sapphires. Oh, that’s good come to think of it! Oh, by-the-way, you do wear dresses right?”

It wasn't too long after that that Rarity took out three different kinds of blue fabric, measuring, cutting and sewing them together with one of the sewing machines in the room. Putting sapphires here, a pocket there, she came up with a light blue shirt with white buttons; dark blue pants made out of cotton; and a silk royal blue overcoat where her stitch patterns and sapphires really stood out.

By the time that Lauren got a chance to take off her pajamas to replace them with the blue clothes and got a look herself in the mirror, she fell in love with the clothing. “I love it! I wish I had something this nice back at home. I never had clothes tailored for me before.”

Rarity gasped, “That is foal abuse! You never had any clothing tailored for you!”

“No. Mom or Dad always buy our clothes because they’re already made. Never had one made around me except for some Halloween costumes.”

“But, but this is not a costume at all dear, it’s meant to be worn! Oh, and before I forget,” Rarity levitated a pair of slippers that were as white as a cloud to her. “Much better. And you know what, you can keep them.”

“The slippers?”

“And the clothes, you can have them all for nothing.”

“Really! You mean it?!” Lauren squealed in delight.

“Why of course I am. No one should ever go on living without clothing that’s tailored for them. Consider it as a form of generosity. Now, let’s get these pajamas washed.”

_*_

In the royal gardens, there is an Aviary which provides homes to birds from faraway lands. From Owls from the Frozen North to Birds of Paradise from distant tropical islands, it was time that these birds had to be fed. Amongst the few ponies feeding them, Lauren and Fluttershy were there.

“I know, I know. I agree that it is going to be a very good day for flying,” Fluttershy said to a crowd of Chickadees. “But I was told you must be patient, please eat first though before you go flying.”

“Do you know what they’re saying?” Lauren asked.

“Oh, um… yes,” Fluttershy said, giving the Chickadees some seeds, hiding her face behind her mane all the while.

“Not much of a talker, huh?” Fluttershy shook her head. There was a moment of awkward silence until there was a crash. At the sound, she saw Fluttershy jumped high in the air with a loud “Eek!” before hiding behind Lauren. As it turns out, the crash came from a Pegasus who knocked over a bucket of seeds and now the birds were flocking towards the mess.

The pegasus tried to shoo them away, trying to make sure they don’t get overfed. Lauren turned to Fluttershy, “Can’t you do something.”

“Um… okay,” she said quietly. She went over to the birds and quietly said, “Um, excuse me.” Most of the birds stop eating and turned to Fluttershy. “I know that you’re all hungry, I understand that. But, don’t you think all of you should wait your turn? I mean, all of these ponies are trying very hard to get all of you fed, and if I remember correctly, some of you already have already eaten. So, w-would you please let us clean this up while the other ponies can feed all of you properly?”

And to Lauren’s amazement, not only did these birds understand, but they did as they were told. They left the mess of seeds alone.

“How did you do that?” Lauren asked.

“I, umm, asked them?” She answered tentatively.

“But how come? How come they listen to you?”

“It’s rather simple. Sometimes, when I ask any animal nicely, they do it because I am kind to them. It usually works better if you’re kind to them, to give them respect and to help them understand. That is if that makes sense.”

“I think I get it. So you’re saying that if you be nice, you can get everyone to do anything?”

“I don’t make someone do something, I just ask. That’s all. So, can you please help me clean up?”
> 12: Of Laughter and Loyalty
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







At around eleven, Lauren was following a trail of pink sticky notes with arrows that every one of them said “Lauren, this way!” She hazarded a guess that maybe this was from the pink pony with the curly hair. Right after they had fed the birds, Fluttershy somehow disappeared and she noticed the pink trail. First on the grass, then a bush, a tree, a statue, a wall, a door, a mirror, a window, an expensive vase, on a portrait of a white unicorn with a blond mane, on a guard, and so on, etcetera, etcetera, turn right, etcetera.

She wasn't sure what was going on, it was like some kind of game of treasure hunt only somebody forgotten to tell her what she was looking for. Lauren followed the trail until it led to a door with might have been hundreds of sticky notes pointing to one particular door. Behind that door, she couldn't see anything in there but darkness. So she tried to feel for a switch to turn on the lights, she found them, and the first thing she saw was a wall of confetti.

“Surprise!” It was Pinkie who wore a smile a mile long, “Come on in! You’re in time for your welcome/lunch party! Come on, don’t be shy!” The room Lauren found herself in was the dining room that she was in when she met Luna for the first time. If she didn't know better, she would say that she was at somebody’s birthday party with no present pile. There were streamers, a floor covered in confetti, some balloons, and the other Elements in attendance. And there was a banner overhead that read: “Welcome to Equestria Lauren!”

Pinkie suggested grabbing some food first before they have some fun. Lauren went around the room with a plate in hand; she got a closer look at some of the food. She noticed almost right away that with all of the food served for lunch, she found that there was no meat. Of course, she reminded herself that these are ponies after all so they wouldn't eat meat. What fascinated her was some of the other foods around like hay fries, daisy sandwiches, candied oats, and tons of salads. So the first thing she ended up grabbing was a slice of apple pie.

“Pie first? I’m starting to like you already!” Pinkie commented as she put a daisy sandwich on her mountain of food. Then to Lauren’s astonishment, she saw Pinkie lean her head back, open up her mouth as wide as she could and dumped the mountain into her mouth. And if that wasn't surprising enough, not only did she manage to swallow all of it, but her figure remained exactly the same. “Now since I’m done with the appetizers, now to move on with everything else!”

Lauren walked over to the table where the other elements were seated, although, she couldn't help but look back to see Pinkie zip from one tray to another. “How does she do that?” Lauren asked.

“Ya got us sugarcube,” Applejack shrugged. “We've been friends fer a while now, and that crazy filly is still a mystery to us.”

“To me, she’s like a lost Looney Tunes character. She’s like…” Lauren turned back to Pinkie who now is coming to the table with a larger pile on her plate. “She’s kinda like Bugs Bunny only somebody gave her one too many Pixie-Sticks.”

“Oh, I love those!” Pinkie said putting her food down on the table, which makes Lauren wonder why the table didn't just tilt to the side. “I really like the orange ones, the grape ones, the cherry, the fruit punch, and the one that tastes like Snozzberries.”

“What?”

“Don’t try to question Pinkie,” Twilight advised her. “If you did, you’ll be here all day. Believe me, I tried.”

“Oh yeah, like the time you try to figure out how my Pinkie Sense works.”

Lauren turned to Pinkie, “What’s a Pinkie Sense?”

“You know how sometimes some ponies say that they would get headaches or sneeze a lot before a storm hits?”

“Kinda.”

“It’s the same with me except sometimes I can sometimes predict things in the near future before they happen.”

Before Pinkie could answer her, she sneezed. She froze to look around for a moment before she went on talking. “Huh, must be nothing.”

“Darling, what is it?” Rarity asked.

“Well most of the time I sneezed, it usually means that an explosion is about to happen or Rainbow Dash is going to do the Sonic Rainboom, oh well.”

“A what?”

“My signature trick,” Rainbow said. “The Sonic Rainboom was something that landed my reputation as a flyer on the map. And I pulled it off when I was just a filly.”

“But what is it?” Lauren asked. “I've seen Firefly do her Double Inside Out Loop, and even if I haven’t at least I would know what it is. So what’s a Sonic Rainboom?”

“A Double Inside Out Loop?” Dash asked with a raised eyebrow. “I could do that trick if I was brain dead.” She looked out a window with a mischievous smile. “Here kid, watch this.” She flew up to the window, opened it and flew right out.

“Hey, where she going?” Lauren got up out of her seat going over to the open window. She spots Rainbow flying further and further, higher and higher up in the air until she’s only a pinprick in the sky. Pinkie sneezed twice. “Everypony! Cover your ears!” Pinkie warned as she along with everyone else put their hooves over their ears.

“Why? What is she doing?”

“You’ll know, now cover them up now!”

Lauren turned back to the window; she did as she was told. “But why-” before Lauren could say anything further, she heard the loudest noise she’s ever heard in her life. It was so loud that even the windows shook at the sound of it. At first, it did make Lauren jump almost clean out of her skin, but she did see something amazing out of the window.

There was a ring in the sky that was growing wider, and inside this ring was every color of the rainbow and even more. She was seeing a firestorm of color that catch the sky before it faded back to its usual blue. And she couldn't help but notice a line of a rainbow that twisted and streaked around the city and the castle.

Before she knew it, Rainbow Dash flew back into the room, “Now that’s how you do a trick.”
> 13: Of Honesty, Family...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







By the time the afternoon rolled around, Lauren was following Applejack and Twilight along with a guard escort through the streets of Canterlot. The reason for this was because Twilight had asked Celestia for special permission to visit her parents since she’s in Canterlot, and perhaps she could say hello to them. After all, it’d been months since she'd last seen them. Lauren tagged along out of curiosity given that the description of this Twilight’s mother, which sounds like an older version of the Twilight in the show she knew. As for Applejack, the others have already gotten the chance to know Lauren a little; she thought that this might be the perfect opportunity to get to know the Princess' mother as well.

“So… Lauren,” Applejack said trying to start a conversation. “How’s Equestria been so far?”

“I kinda like it. It’s a little weird, but I like it.”

“Weird? How?”

“Well, that I’m the only one except for Spike that walks around on two legs.”

“Point taken.” She said with a smirk.

“But I do think I’ll come back though, and in a place where ponies talk, who wouldn't?”

“And what’s so unusual about that? Ya say it like ponies don’t ever talk or somethin’.”

“They don’t where I come from.” It is here that the two elements and even the guards stopped in their tracks and gave her a puzzling look. “What? It’s true.”

“So, ponies don’t talk, at all?” Twilight questioned.

“Yeah, and come to think of it, I haven’t even seen a real pegasus or even a unicorn until I came here.”

“But, there are ponies where you came from right?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah, but I usually see them at state fairs where we kids ride them. And even then they don’t talk.”

There was a moment of awkward silence before Twilight requested, “Remind me to talk to you about that later. But for now, let’s keep moving.” A moment later after they started walking again, Lauren asked Applejack, “Are you from around here?”

“Huh? Oh no, Ah ain't from around here. Ah mean, look at me, do Ah really look like Ah'm from around here? Actually born and raised in Ponyville on mah family’s farm.”

“You work on a farm?”

“As well as run it too, we have one of the biggest if not the biggest apple orchard in the whole country. Me and mah brother and mah sister help out with most of the chores and whatnot.”

“Where did you say your farm was?”

“Sweet Apple Acres? It’s just right next to Ponyville.”

“What’s Ponyville like?”

“Ponyville? Well, it’s a town that ain't too big or too small to live in. The place may look like somethin’ like out of a postcard with all its rolling hills and homes. But the town has always had somethin’ goin’ on, that being that of a fair or a monster on the loose, it never gets dull there. But Ponyville, as safe as it could be, does tend to have its dangers like somethin’ crawlin’ out of the Everfree Forest or some super villain tryin’ to take over the world. But except for those, it’s a pretty nice place to live.”

As Lauren tried to process what she just heard, she watches Applejack walk on, only to stop when she nearly came with a face-on collision with a lamppost before she went around it. “That was close,” Applejack said to herself.

“You’re definitely not the Applejack I know,” Lauren commented.

“What does that supposed ta mean?”

“The one in the show is much clumsier, but you’re not.”

“Clumsy? Me? To tell ya the truth, Ah don’t get clumsy very often, ‘cept for a few times though, that Ah admit. But that’s only because Ah didn't get much sleep, along with me not askin' for help,” she replied sheepishly.

"Why did you do that?"

"Out of pride Ah guess. Mah brother got hurt once right before the harvest, and he told me that it ought to be next to impossible for me alone to buck all of them trees."

“You mean from that one Applebuck season?” Twilight asked, in which Applejack sighed.

“Yup, that’s the one. Took on myself more than Ah could have handled and it cost a few days of sleep along with mah sanity. Should have asked but mah pride got in the way. Kept tellin' everypony that Ah didn't need any help, which in a way Ah knew it wasn't true. Guess things might have changed if Ah did say 'Yes, Ah need help. And lots of it.'”

“At least you learned your lesson from it,” Twilight pointed out. By now, they were on the street where the Sparkle family lived, “Applejack, you have met my parents before haven’t you?”

“Just once, it was from ya brother’s weddin’ if Ah remember right.”

Soon enough, they were at the doorstep where Twilight rang the bell. A moment later, the door opened up to a blue unicorn. “Yes, how may- Twilight!”

“Hey, dad.”

The first thing either of them did was giving each other a hug and a nuzzle, Twilight’s dad called out for his wife to come to the door. Lauren had to shake her head a few times at what she was seeing. There in the doorway was a pony kind of like the Twilight she knew, only the pink coat she used to see was now gray. Except for that, she looked just like the pony from the show.

Twilight's mother repeated the greeting as well as her father, but adding "Applejack, nice for you to stop by and…” She looked up at Lauren. “Who, and shall I say what, do we have here?”

For once, Lauren understood what the word ‘surreal’ actually meant. There before her was one of the stars of the show she knew and loved, yet, she seemed to be a whole lot older. She wasn't quite sure what to say exactly. So Twilight stepped in for her.

“Mom, this is Lauren, a new friend of ours. Lauren, this is my mom, Twilight Velvet.”

‘So that’s what her last name was,’ Lauren thought. The one called Twilight Velvet turned to her daughter, “What is she exactly?”

“If you can believe it, human.”

“Human?” Velvet raised an eyebrow. She muttered to herself, “Human, human, where have I heard that before?”

“Does Megan ring any bells?” Lauren asked, “Or Danny or maybe Molly?”

“No, I don’t think I've heard of those. But you do seem friendly enough I suppose.” Velvet turned to her daughter, “I was taking a break from writing and fixing some tea, would you and your friends please come in? It has been a little too long since we've last seen you.”
> 14: …. And the Magic of Friendship
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







The first thing Lauren saw as she entered the Sparkle’s home was the wall of photographs. Just by looking at them, she wondered if Twilight Velvet really isn't the same Twilight she knew from the show. For one, a huge give away is that in all of the photos, not a single one contained Ember, Twilight’s filly who wanted to fly despite not being a pegasus. In the photos, however, besides the younger purple Twilight was a white unicorn with a blue mane. A closer look and she found that some of the photographs showed that the white unicorn had become a guard in a series of armors. She also saw that in some of the pictures that it seemed to be close to his sister.

“Our wall of memories,” Velvet said, smiling at what Lauren was looking at. “We’re very proud of both of our children you see. That there is our Shining Armor,” she pointed to the white unicorn in one particular photograph where it showed him in a red uniform alongside with a pink mare.

“Who’s the other one?” Lauren asked pointing to the other mare in the picture.

“That’s his wife, Princess Cadence. You know, we should have seen it coming a mile away.”

“Why’s that?” Before Velvet could answer, they heard a whistle coming from another room. Velvet excused herself to get the tea.

“Cadence was my babysitter,” Twilight explained where her mother left off.

“You had a princess for a babysitter?!” Lauren exclaimed in astonishment.

“Well, yeah,” Twilight said sheepishly. “After all, when it came to bedtime, she was a master at reading out bedtime stories to me when I was a filly. In a way, she was my first real friend before I came across Princess Celestia.”

“Hey Twi, you wanna tell her the time how you got your cutie mark?” Applejack asked, “After all, with someone like Lauren around, do ya think she might be interested in ya tellin’?”

“It’s an oddball of a story, I’ll give you that.” Twilight’s dad said, also adding, “The name’s Night Light by-the-way.” He offered a hoof over to Lauren, she bent down a little to shake it. Lauren asked what he did, “I’m an astronomer by profession. And my wife, as you might have guessed by some of these awards, is an author.”

“And you may say I’m their editor,” Twilight chimed in. “I guess I owe it to her for my love of books.”

“Are you sure you’re not confusin’ love with obsession?” Applejack teased. Twilight gave her friend a glare while her father couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

Velvet came in with the tray that held the teapot and a few cups. “Do you drink tea?” she asked Lauren as she put it down on a table.

“Well, not really. I prefer hot chocolate though.”

“Sorry, I don't think we have any, do we?” the question was towards her husband.

“I don’t think so,” Lauren told them that it was fine that they don’t have to give her anything. Twilight soon retold them the tale of how when she was very young, she longed to be accepted at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Of the nights she studied away at whatever books about magic she could get her hooves on. To the day when she explained the requirement of getting in was to hatch a dragon egg. For a while, no matter what she tried, nothing happened to make it hatch. Twilight told them that she was very near giving up until a miracle happened; she remembered there was an explosion outside that suddenly had made her magic come to life. Not only did the dragon egg hatched, but she makes a lot of interesting things happen as well like turning her parents into potted cacti. But it was during this power surge that the greatest miracle of all happened; Princess Celestia herself showed up and not only have restored things to order, but she was made right there on the spot her personal student. Not only that, but it was at that moment was when she noticed her cutie mark for the first time.

Twilight was apparently caught up in the moment of remembering that joyous moment that she began hopping around the room chanting the word “Yes!” over and over.

“Twilight,” Velvet said, but her daughter still kept hopping.

“Twilight,” Night said, trying miserably to get her attention.

“TWILIGHT!” they both shouted as one, this snapped their daughter back into reality.

“Oh, hehe ha, sorry,” Twilight embarrassingly apologized. Lauren couldn't help but laugh a little.

“Gotta say Twi, Y'all looked as happy as Applebloom on Hearth's Warming mornin',” Applejack commented.

“Well, it was one of the happiest days of my life Applejack; it was when I started lessons with Celestia.”

“You know Twilight,” Night said after taking a sip from his cup. “We were actually glad that you'd got some real friends for once. We were starting to get worried about you.”

Velvet nodded, “You moving to Ponyville was, and still is, a mixed blessing. On the one hoof, you were away in a different town on your own. But on the other, as far as your letters went, you seemed happy there.”

“I am, mom. I’m actually glad I stayed with being around with my wonderful friends.”

“And I’m glad to have friends like you,” Lauren added. “You guys may be weird in your own way, but you're fun to be around. I’m rather glad I came here.”

Twilight smiled. Velvet spoke up, “That’s very nice of you to say that dear. But just out of curiosity, do you have a family where you come from?”

“Yeah, I…” Lauren stopped with a realization. How long has she been away now? “Uh-oh, Twilight, Applejack, I really need to go home.”

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Night asked.

“How long have I been here again?” Lauren asked. Twilight thought for a moment and guessed she probably has been here for a whole day. “A whole day! My parents are going to kill me! I've got to get home now!”

“Alright then, just calm down,” Applejack re-ensured her. “If it’s home Y'all want, then we’ll do it.”

Twilight Sparkle bid her parents farewell, but before they left, her mother said, “Come back anytime, Lauren!”
> 15: Once Upon a Time...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------







Lauren returned to the castle along with Twilight, Applejack and the rest of the guards. She asked to speak to Celestia, who at the time was still in Day Court. When word got to Celestia that Lauren wanted to see her, she called out for the court to a take a break that despite the murmurs of the Lord's, representatives and ambassadors, they obeyed.

“You wished to see me, Lauren?” Celestia asked stepping out of the throne room.

“Celestia, I wanna go back home,” Lauren told her, for a moment, Celestia paused to register what she just heard.

“Are… Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Lauren nodded. “I've been gone for a whole day and my parents are probably freaking out where I am. So can I go home?”

Celestia thought for a moment, “Twilight, may I have a word with you?” Her student nodded and walked away out of an earshot from Lauren. Not too long, the other elements, including Spike showed up.

“Ah just told them yer leavin’,” Applejack explained.

“Are you really gonna go?” Pinkie whined. “Couldn't you just stay a little bit longer? We still haven’t played any good games or pulled a prank on anypony.” Lauren told her that she’s sorry, but she had to leave.

“Well that’s a little disappointing,” Rainbow commented. “But then again, I can clearly see why.”

“You do?” Lauren asked.

“Yeah, you’re still loyal to your family even after being here for a day. I totally get it; they’re probably worried sick about ya as you are with them.”

“Nopony is stopping you,” Fluttershy quietly said. “Although, we would like to get to know you more.”

“And as much as I would like to have you around to experiment styles of dresses on,” Rarity said, levitating a brush to sweep the dust off of Lauren’s clothes. “I do understand where your priorities lie. But dear, do try to come back when you can. It’s been a pleasure having you around.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Spike nodded. “You’re actually fun to talk to. Sorry about getting you into trouble. Oh and here are your pajamas by-the-way.”

“It’s alright, and thanks,” she told Spike after she took her clothes back. Lauren heard the approaching hoofsteps of the Princess and the student.

“Alright, please follow me, Lauren,” Celestia said. “We’ll show you the way home.” The Solar Princess led the way through hallways and staircases until they got to the hole in the wall where Lauren emerged from.

“So…” Celestia started, “I hope this isn't exactly goodbye.”

“I don’t think so,” Lauren said. “I really want to come back here. You know what? With all of you here, why wouldn't I come back? So, see ya.”

“Lauren, wait!”

“What is-” Celestia was hugging her, not to say that Lauren was taken by surprise at this sudden action. But the hug didn't last long after Celestia let go, she told her, “Just… Try come back to visit as often as you can if you please.”

“Um, sure.”

“Lauren, if you don’t mind,” Twilight stated. “I would like to escort you back home.”

“Can I go too?” Spike asked, in which Twilight granted the request. Lauren and the ponies said their farewells before she, Twilight and Spike started to crawl back into the tunnel. Twilight led the way with her horn that glowed in the darkness of the twisting and winding path. The stone tunnel gave way to the ancient Knick-Knacks, tools, and toys until they saw the wooden beams and the painted stucco in which they found themselves under a bed. They crawled out to find themselves in Lauren’s bedroom with the lamp on the nightstand still on, and the clock on the nightstand read three forty-six. A quick look out the window showed that it was still dark outside.

“So, this is your room?” Twilight asked, picking up one of the plastic ponies that lay around. “I’m sorry to say this, but that is got to be the ugliest looking pony that I’ve ever seen.”

Lauren laughed, “I know, they don’t even look like you.”

“So… What are ya gonna tell your parents?” Spike asked.

“I… I don’t really know. They probably would be mad at me for disappearing like that.” Lauren sighed, “Do you know what I should tell them since I’ve been to your world and all that?”

Twilight paused, took a deep breath, looked at Lauren in the eye and said, “Actually, I do.”

“And what’s that?”

“Lauren, I am so, so sorry for this.”

“Sorry for what?” the answer came as Twilight’s horn lit up, a beam of light lit Lauren’s head and like that, she was out cold.

“Twilight! What was that for!?” Spike asked running over to the unconscious human.

“Don’t worry Spike, she’ll be alright. Princess Celestia had given me an order to put a spell on her.”

“What did you do?”

“Don’t worry; I didn't erase her memory of what happened in the past twenty-four hours. I actually changed it a little.” Twilight explained while she set to work in changing Lauren’s clothes from what Rarity had made back into her pajamas.

“Changed? How?”

“She will still remember her time in Equestria, with all of those ponies she’s met, but to her now she’ll remember it only as a dream.”

“But why?”

“It’s… It’s hard to explain Spike. But Celestia had told me to do this to prevent a paradox.”

“Paradox? What are you talking about?”

“If I told you that this is the very creator of Equestria, only that she’d haven't created yet, would you believe me?”

Spike blinked, “What?”

“Exactly,” Twilight had finished changing Lauren and put her into the bed. “But remember what we've learned when me from the future came to me and tried to warn of certain destruction? I've learned something else that day.”

“And what’s that?”

“Time would always find a way to mend itself. Now come on Spike, let’s go home,” and with that, after switching off the light, Twilight and Spike crawled under the bed; headed back for Equestria.

_*_

“Lauren, get up, it’s time for breakfast!” her older brother shouted from another part of the house. She didn't feel like waking up even though her mind was starting to. Bit by bit, the dream from last night came back to her. It was about ponies, a place called Canterlot in Equestria, and meeting two Princesses called-

“Lauren, come on, breakfast is getting cold,” her mom called out. She opened her eyes to the now brightly lit room from the morning sun. After a minute, she slumped out of bed.

“What a dream,” she muttered. “It kinda seemed real though.” Before she got even halfway across the room, she remembered that in the dream, there was a tunnel underneath her bed. She went over to the bed near the headboard, knelt down to take a look from under the blankets.

She only saw a solid wall there, even touching it confirmed this.

“Lauren!” her mother called out.	

“Coming!” She replied as she headed towards the kitchen.

_*_


California, 2008


Lauren got into her car and, before driving away; she decided to call up Craig to tell him the news.

“Hello?”

“Hey Craig, it’s me.”

“Lauren! Hey, what’s going on?”

“Well, I got some news over here, Hasbro has just hired me.”

“Hasbro? For what?”

“They want me to develop a T.V. show for them to update a franchise.”

“Which one?”

“Remember how I always wanted to push for a show for girls but the pitch is always shot down?”

“Yeah?”

“They want me to make a pitch bible for… get this, My Little Pony.”

“Oh, you poor miserable soul! Are you serious?”

“Oh yeah, they want me to do it. They said that I’ll get some help with this, but… I don’t know. I’m very skeptical about this.”

“I can see why, I mean, aren't the other shows-”

“Dull?”

“Yeah, Lauren I’m starting to get worried, this sounds like a bomb waiting to happen.”

“Well… Who knows, maybe something good could come out it for all I know. After all, we helped make something like Power Puff Girls work and your Fosters-”

“Yeah, but as I recall, you really helped me out with that show. But those shows were original; this is My Little Pony we’re talking about here. Lauren, do you even have any ideas on how to make it work?”

“Well, I guess I might do some bit of research, look back at the show over the years to see what worked and what didn't.”

“Maybe you could throw that dream in there.”

“What dream?”

“Remember that dream you told me about, the one when you were like, twelve, thirteen years old about being in a land of talking ponies?”

“Oh, that dream, Craig I barely remember it other than a few bits and pieces.”

“In your position, trust me, you’re gonna need all the help you can get. You know, maybe we can spend some time together to pitch a few ideas. I’ll try to help you and see where this’ll go.”

“Thanks, Craig. Just give me some time to think, I may come up with something.”

“I’ll see you later tonight. Bye.”

“’Kay, bye,” Lauren hung up. She drove a little until she came to a stoplight. My Little Pony, a show that was nothing but tea parties, useless giggles and villains so badly written that they’re easily defeated by sharing.  Perhaps, the whole thing needs to be scrapped and needs to be done over again. Maybe the show could have an actual storyline that isn't just for little girls. After all, if there was anything that Power Puff Girls or even Fosters have taught her, is that kids expect quality from their shows too. But what to do with My Little Pony?

The light turned green and she drove another block or so until she reached another stop light. She wondered if the story needs to be redone, or maybe she could pitch for a new kind of story, one that would use only the good things from the show’s past but makes it timeless. Perhaps, give the show a world of its very own.

And it was there, that unbeknownst to Lauren when she muttered those four famous words of any fairy tale, which she began to dream up a world. That she shaped a kingdom; characters that would be interesting, funny and kind; she began to imagine a town full of ponies of every color, that they would have rules, food, culture and a history of their own. A place where magic exists and mythical creatures explore dark forests and deadly mountains.

As the light turned green, those words that Lauren muttered were, “Once upon a time…”

_*_

This was the happiest day of Twilight Sparkle’s life; today she had become the envy of Equestria. Today, she has been crowned a Princess of Friendship and ascended into Alicornhood alongside with the other three Princesses. 

The celebration of the big coronation, parade and feast were over now Princess Twilight, Celestia and Luna were walking away from the ballroom from Twilight’s ball. Celestia nuzzled her student, “I am so proud of you,” she said.

“I know I just can’t believe that this is really happening to me.” Twilight yawned, “But it has been a long day.”

“I hope you’re not too tired are you?” the three princesses stopped when they heard that question. They turned around to find, to Twilight’s surprise, a cream coated mare with a red mane alicorn that was as tall as Celestia standing behind them.

Celestia and Luna froze when they saw her, “Of course, you did have a long day, that I understand,” the alicorn said. “So I hope me saying ‘Congratulations Twilight’ isn't too much as well as saying hello.”

“Mother!” Both Celestia and Luna cried out as they went over to embrace their mother. “It’s so good to see you again,” Luna said.

“M-Mother?” Twilight asked. Her mind reeled back to the day of the young human who came to Equestria. The one who her mentor said was her mother, a mother who goes by the name of-

“Oh, that’s right,” the Princesses’ mother realized. “I don’t think we've quite met yet. You may not know about me, but I do know quite a bit about you.” She went over to Twilight and offered a hoof to her. “My name’s Lauren Faust, but you can just call me Lauren.”

Twilight fainted. Lauren blinked a few times, she turned to her daughters, “Was it something I said?” she asked.
> (Now With Sound!)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Bronies and Pegasisters,

For those who don't know, I'm proud to say that this story, "My Little Girl," has finally been given a reading from beginning to end. I want to give out a huge thank you to the lovely, first timer YouTube reader, Lotus Moon. Please check out and probably subscribe to her channel here.

So now, I give to you the links of the videos of "My Little Girl." And once again, thank you kindly to Lotus Moon for volunteering to read one of my most well known story and I hope to see more out of her.





Chapter 1: The Armored Pony From Under the Bed

Chapter 2: Wake Up Luna

Chapter 3: Ice Cream First...

Chapter 4: .... Ponies Afterwards

Chapter 5: Spike the Dragon

Chapter 6: Incident at the Doughnut Shop

Chapter 7: Of Clumsy Mothers and Crazy Unicorns

Chapter 8: The Unicorn, the Draconequus…

Chapter 9: .... And the Dream

Chapter 10: About Last Night

Chapter 11: Of Generosity and Kindness

Chapter 12: Of Laughter and Loyalty

Chapter 13: Of Honesty, Family...

Chapter 14: .... And the Magic of Friendship

Chapter 15: Once Upon a Time...