The Light At The End of the Tunnel
Chapter One: The Light at the End of the Tunnel
As Princess Luna slept, her essence soared across the dreamscape of many worlds and realities. Dreams were her domain, but they were not confined to the space of a single world. As Princess of the Night, she was in tune with the thoughts of infinite others. She could see the hopes and fears of every being, the good and the evil. So it was to her great surprise when she suddenly felt it. An overwhelming sense of despair and agony that tugged at the heartstrings of the midnight-blue alicorn. Never had she felt such emotional pain emanating from a single source, and it drew her like a moth to the flame. Whoever this was, they were forced to endure such misery that Luna could feel it light-years away.
The alicorn princess zeroed in on the source of the emotional agony, weaving through the now-trivial thoughts of countless others as they dreamed. The closer she got, the more the princess just wanted to stop and break down in tears. But she kept on. This dreamer needed her help. Luna soon found her target floating lazily across the dreamscape, a wisp of energy that radiated such despair Luna could not stop a tear shedding down her face as she approached. She slowly grazed her hoof over the dream-wisp, and immediately it opened up to reveal its secrets.
Luna curiously looked on as memories flowed out of the wisp and into her mind, seeing the dreamer at last. A human girl, eighteen years of age. She wore a pink shirt and blue jeans. A pink beanie sat atop her brown hair. A pair of wide-rimmed glasses was situated on her face. Luna sifted through the images of this girl’s mind, becoming more and more horrified by what she saw.
This girl’s life was positively miserable. Brought up in a dysfunctional, non-caring family that thought little of her besides a catalyst for their petty cruelty. Forced to live in a world that constantly tormented her, from perceived ugliness taken to an illogical extreme to the very forces of fate seemingly collaborating against her.
It was too much to bear. The lunar princess drew back, unable to prevent a sobbing fit from escaping her throat. This was inexcusable. Nopony should have ever had to feel such a sense of hopelessness and lack of worth as she had sensed in that girl. Luna’s heart swelled with pity. Celestia had to know about this. There was no way Luna was going to just let this girl continue to live in this personal hell the world had created for her.
But there was one last thing she had to do. Approaching the wispy dream bubble once more, Luna lowered her head towards it, her long horn starting to glow. The least she could do for now was ensure that this child could at least have a peaceful night of sleep.
As the girl’s mind reacted to the pleasant images shown to her and began to settle down, Luna caught the girl’s name.
Meg Griffin.
The waves of despair softened just a little, but it was enough. Vowing to return, Luna began to awaken, disengaging herself from the world of dreams.
“Sleep well, Meg Griffin,” she said softly before awaking next to her sleeping sister.
XXXXXX
Another day in Hell, as Meg had sourly put it. Another day of being ridiculed at school, scorned by virtually every boy she knew, and tortured at home. Her idiot father Peter had decided it would be a funny idea to pee all over her diary while she was at school, and had then proceeded to trip her down the stairs after she ran out the door sobbing in anger. And had her so-called ‘loving’ mother Lois done anything about it?
Of course not.
Lois despised her just as much as Peter, though she didn’t outwardly show it often. But Meg knew. She knew because her mother couldn’t bring herself to say “I Love You” to her, or tell her she was beautiful when she needed it most. She hated them. Hated them all. But it wasn’t like there was anything she could do about it. Sure, there was that one time she went to prison and toughened up, but what had that accomplished in the end? Everything went back to the way it was.
She hated it.
But she was just a helpless girl. With nothing else to do, she did the one thing that gave her solace: she locked herself in her room and crawled under the covers of her bed to stew over the day’s events and hopefully get some sleep.
Like that’s going to make a difference, Meg thought glumly to herself. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in years.
Meg shut her eyes and slowly allowed sleep to overcome her, filling her with miserable dreams centering around her wretched life. Suddenly those images inexplicably melted away, as if an outside force had blown them all out of her mind like a huge fan. She found herself floating through the night sky over a distant field. The rolling hills below her were covered with beautiful flowers spanning all colors of the rainbow. Her skin brushed against a few stray clouds floating lazily by her, and instead of feeling moisture, Meg felt her arms caress a surface softer than any other. Not even the finest silk could compare to its comfortable texture.
Meg floated above the cloud and lay down on it, feeling more relaxed and comfortable than she had ever felt before. She couldn’t explain how, but she felt…
Peaceful.
She stared up at the moon and sighed.
“Sleep well, Meg Griffin.”
Normally one would jump at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, but this was a dream. And something in her immediately felt that this voice was one she could trust. Whoever, or whatever, was responsible, Meg was grateful.
“Thank you.”
XXXXXX
“Tia…Tia!”
“Unnh…Luna?” Celestia groaned tiredly as Luna shook her awake. “What is it?”
“Sister…I felt something,” Luna explained urgently. “As I was traveling across the world of dreams. I came across a lost soul…I sensed so much pain in her, Tia. Her family…oh Tia, her horrid family…”
Luna’s body shook as she was reminded of the emotional agony she had felt in the girl called Meg Griffin. Celestia blinked in surprise as she saw tears begin sliding down Luna’s face. “Luna…tell me everything,” Celestia softly ordered, lifting her sister’s face with her hoof.
Looking into her sister’s eyes, Luna broke down sobbing and hugged her sister. “Oh, Tia, her family is so dreadful to her! They do such crude things to her…they trip her down stairs, invade her privacy, make her think she is the ugliest thing alive. And the whole world just seems so…against her. Tia, what I saw…nopony deserves that…please, we have to help her.”
Celestia gazed down upon her sister with a look of pity. She was loathe to interfere in the affairs of other worlds, but the treatment of this girl was absolutely inexcusable in her eyes. “Sister, come with me into the dream world,” Luna begged. “You will not truly understand her pain unless you feel it for yourself.”
Celestia smiled softly. “I will.”
Both alicorns’ horn started to glow softly as they synced with each other. They then lay down again, and together, they reentered the vast dreamscape. Because Luna was more in tuned with dreams, Celestia allowed her sister to guide her through the endless expanse of dream wisps. It wasn’t long before she felt a force of great sadness nearing them. Sensing it as well, Luna led her sister towards the dream bubble that belonged to Meg Griffin.
Though Meg’s emotional pain was still intense, it had softened somewhat due to the pleasant dreams Luna had bestowed upon her. As the two regal sisters approached Meg’s dream self, even Celestia had a hard time keeping a straight face. Never had she felt such misery emanating from a single entity, even during the time of Discord.
“Now do you see?” Luna asked
.
Celestia nodded, never taking her eyes of Meg’s dream wisp. “A lost soul, without friends, bereft of a family’s love…you’re right. This cannot be allowed to continue.”
“What shall we do, Tia?”
“The only thing we can do. Help me, Luna. This requires a lot of power. We will bring this child to Equestria. There, she can have the life she has been denied for so long.”
Luna’s eyes brightened in joy and she managed an eager smile before lighting up her horn to amplify Celestia’s spell. The alicorns’ magic stretched around the dream wisp, simultaneously causing ripples to form in the dream world. A bright white light began to glow brighter and brighter, until it impaired both their vision.
And then finally, blackness.
XXXXXX
The two alicorns jolted awake and took in their surroundings. They were still in their bedroom, but their eyes were quickly diverted to the little bundle curled up on the floor not far away, still fast asleep. It was a female Earth Pony with a light-blue pelt. Her mane and tail were mahogany. A pink beanie sat atop her head. Her wide-rimmed glasses were slightly askew. Three small m-shaped designs that resembled distant birds were embroidered on her flank, signifying her Cutie Mark.
Luna blinked in surprise. “She’s…a pony?”
Celestia nodded. “If she is going to live here, Lulu, then she has to be able to fit in, wouldn’t you agree?”
Luna thought about it for a moment before nodding her head in understanding. “But what shall we do with her in the meantime?”
“Let her sleep here with us,” Celestia answered. “I’m sure she’s enjoying your dreams. No sense interrupting them.”
Celestia’s horn glowed again, her magic enveloping one of her spare blankets and laying it atop the sleeping mare. Pleased with her work, a motherly smile flitted across her face. “Now, let’s get some rest. It will be rather difficult to explain to her how she’s in another world if we’re still exhausted.”
Luna shook her head in agreement before glancing down at the newly-ponified Meg. Though the next few days would probably be very trying times, she was certain they had done the right thing.
XXXXXX
Meg slowly opened her eyes and sighed. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so…
Wait a minute.
Meg suddenly shot up and looked around in surprise, realizing she was not in her bedroom. “Huh?” she gasped. “W-where the heck am I?!”
“Oh good, you’re awake,” came a sudden, motherly voice.
Meg whirled around to see the most beautiful animal she had ever laid eyes on. A tall, slender white winged unicorn with flowing multi-colored hair that seemed to move all on its own and a large sun design on her flank was kneeling on all four hooves by her, watching over her with a maternal smile. Meg couldn’t think of anything to say.
“I suppose you’re wondering where you are,” the tall pony spoke. “Among several other things. I am Princess Celestia, one of the rulers of the land of Equestria. My sister and I brought you here after we sensed your despair in the dreamscape.”
Meg blinked in confusion. “Wuh? Dreamscape? What are you talking about?”
“My sister, Luna, has the power to see the dreams of every being in every universe when she sleeps. Last night she came upon you while you were dreaming about your…unpleasant family situation. She couldn’t stand seeing somepony in so much pain, and when she brought me, neither could I. So we brought you to our world, where you can start a new life and be free from all your previous troubles. Now, don’t panic, but take a look at yourself.”
Curious, Meg looked down at herself and widened her eyes in surprise. Her hands and feet were gone, replaced by hooves. Her body was no longer that of a human, but a pony. Hyperventilating, Meg shouted, “What the hell?! What did you do to me?!”
Celestia, in her unfathomable patience, didn’t lose her cool at Meg’s uncouth choice of language. “Understand, Meg Griffin, that the land of Equestria is populated by ponies much like myself. There are no humans in this world. Your greatest wish is to fit in; how could you have done that being the only human in a land of ponies?”
Meg was about to argue, but once she started thinking about it, it actually made sense. But Meg had more questions. “I couldn’t fit in as a human in my world. How do I know I’ll do any better as a pony?”
“From what little Luna and I saw of your world, it is a terrible, unforgiving place. The perception of beauty is grossly warped, the people live only for materialistic ambitions, and worst of all, friendship, true friendship, is heartbreakingly rare. You deserve better than that. Equestria is a peaceful land whose very foundations rest on the strength of the friendships one makes with others. I can assure you that things will get better for you soon.”
Celestia then got to her hooves, and Meg was taken aback by how the alicorn princess towered over her. But the warm smile never left Celestia’s face, putting Meg somewhat at ease. “Now come,” the princess beckoned. “I bet you’re hungry. I do believe the cooks are just about finished making breakfast.”
At the mention of food, Meg’s stomach grumbled audibly, eliciting a soft chuckle from Celestia. Meg stood up on her hind legs to follow, but promptly fell over with a cry of surprise. Celestia shook her head. “No dear. I’m afraid we ponies get around on all fours. You’ll get used to it quickly though. Come.”
Meg rose to her hooves and heeded Celestia’s advice, standing on all four legs. She hesitantly took a step forward, stumbling a little but quickly regaining her footing. Celestia beamed as Meg quickly got the hang of walking like a quadruped and came up to her. Without another word, Celestia began leading her guest through the castle towards the banquet hall, keeping her pace slow so that Meg could keep up and have a chance to take in the sights.
The castle was quite grand, Meg had to admit. It was like it was right out of a fairy tale. Instead of plain stone walls and torches, the halls were colorful and ornate. The two of them passed by several doors flanked by golden-armored pony guards, whose only movement was a slight inclination of their heads as Celestia passed.
Meg happened to notice a series of stained-glass windows as they were walking by. The first had a strange dragon-like creature dangling a unicorn, a Pegasus, and a regular pony over a pit of fire. The second showed Celestia and another winged unicorn Meg immediately assumed to be Celestia’s sister Luna circling around the dragon, appearing to have encased it in stone. The next one was a group of six ponies all surrounding an angry-looking alicorn that appeared startlingly similar to Luna. The last one depicted the same dragon-like creature from before surrounded by the same six ponies from the previous display, turning it back to stone. Obviously they told a story that Meg was interested to hear.
“Um…Princess?” she asked timidly, pointing towards the windows. “What does all that mean?”
Celestia looked up and sighed. “A series of events in Equestrian history. That dragon-like creature you saw is Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony. He was a prankster of the worst sort, and his tricks made the lives of ponykind utterly miserable. My sister and I managed to defeat him and seal him in stone more than a thousand years ago. Not long after that, my sister grew jealous of my popularity with our subjects. They showered me with attention but ignored, or sometimes even outright feared her. She then went insane and tried to take over Equestria and enshroud it in eternal night. I was forced to fight her and seal her away in the moon.
“After a thousand year exile, she returned with a vengeance. But my pupil and her new friends, the six ponies you see there, used the power of their new friendship to defeat her, utilizing what we call the Elements of Harmony. The Elements returned her to her normal self, and she returned to co-rulership with me. Not too long ago, Discord broke free from his prison due to the Elements switching hooves from Luna and I to their new bearers. He quickly started to spread chaos across Equestria, but my student and her friends managed to defeat him and seal him in stone yet again.”
Meg widened her eyes in awe. “Whoa. That’s pretty cool.”
“I do wish things had been different a number of times,” Celestia sighed. “But in the end, everything turned out for the best.”
Meg’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
The princess looked down at Meg with an expression of deep sadness. “I am immortal, Meg. All the subjects I know and become familiar with will eventually die. Despite my love and compassion for them, I will only know them for a short time. Luna, my sister, is the only other immortal besides me. Having her alongside me eased the pain of watching my friends grow old and die. We were closer than sisterhood. Our bond was unlike any other. To send her to the moon…it almost destroyed me. Not a day goes by where I don’t thank my beloved parents for her return. As for Discord, well…that’s a story for another day. Ah! We’re here!”
Meg’s attention was diverted by the large doors creaking open in front of them, revealing a long table, a third of it piled with plates and bowls stacked to the brim with fruits, vegetables, cakes, and other pastries. Meg’s mouth started to water. “Tia!” someone suddenly called.
Meg and Celestia looked to see a midnight-blue alicorn with a starscape-like mane and tail bounding up to Celestia. With a warm smile, Celestia embraced her sister before gesturing towards Meg. “Meg, this is my younger sister, Princess Luna,” Celestia greeted.
Luna looked slightly sheepish as she approached Meg. “Are…you well, Meg Griffin?” Luna timidly asked.
Meg’s expression was unreadable. “You’re the one who brought me here?” she asked.
“Yes…a-and I altered your dreams so you could sleep peacefully too.”
A smile slowly crept across Meg’s face. “…Thanks, Princess.”
“Oh please…call me Luna.”
“Celestia will do just fine for me too, dear,” Celestia said. “Now, let’s all eat, shall we?”
Celestia sat at the head of the table, while Luna took the seat directly to her left and Meg directly across from Luna. “Bon appetit!” Celestia cheerfully declared, lighting up her horn as she summoned several pastries and fruits over to her plate.
Meg’s mouth dropped open in awe. She had seen some really weird things in her world, but she couldn’t recall seeing real magic. Noticing Meg’s astonished stare, Celestia chuckled. “I take it you’re not familiar with magic?”
Meg blinked in surprise as she realized Celestia was talking to her again. “Oh, um…not really. I mean, I’ve seen some stuff you might call magical. I mean, I met Death once. I don’t know if that counts.”
Luna’s brows furrowed in curiosity. “You mean to say that the concept of death has a physical form in your world?”
“He’s a pretty okay guy, actually. I still wish I could figure out how he eats, though.”
The two princesses exchanged curious glances before Luna broke her gaze to get her own food. Meg looked over at the enormous display of food in front of her and reached towards one of the small cakes, only to realize she no longer had fingers to grasp with. Noticing Meg’s dilemma, Celestia giggled. “Oh, let me help you with that.”
Using her magic, Celestia used a knife to cut off a slice of cake, pick up an assortment of fruits and vegetables, and put them all neatly on her plate. Meg looked up at Celestia. “Thanks, Pri…I mean, Celestia.”
Meg then looked down and noticed that there was no silverware of any kind. Looking up, she began to say, “Um, Cele…oh.”
She realized the two princesses were eating their food with just their mouths and had both looked up at her with their cheeks comically puffing out. Meg shook her head. “Nevermind.”
She stared at her food for a moment and finally decided there was no use retaining the rules of etiquette her mother had taught her and dug in. Due to her inexperience, she got fruit juice and frosting all over her face and glasses and quickly shot up. “Ah! My glasses!” she cried.
Seeing all the food on her face, Celestia and Luna couldn’t prevent girlish chuckles to escape their throats. Meg’s cheeks burned with embarrassment as she realized they were laughing at her. However, Celestia quickly noticed Meg’s discomfort and stopped. “It’s alright, Meg. It’s your first time eating like an Earth Pony. While Luna and I, and most unicorns for that matter, often use our magic to hold our food, Earth Ponies and Pegasi have to just make do with their mouths and hooves. You’ll get used to it.”
Celestia’s horn glowed as she sent a clean cloth Meg’s way. “Here you go, Meg.”
Meg gratefully accepted the napkin and managed to awkwardly wipe her glasses clean with her hooves. She then returned to her food, being more careful about getting it all over herself. A few more minutes were spent in silence as the three ponies ate, until Celestia finally took a break from her eating and looked at Meg. “Listen, Meg. While I have enjoyed your company, it would not be appropriate for you to live at the castle. So I’m sending you to the local town of Ponyville. I’ll make arrangements with my student Twilight Sparkle to find a place for you to live.”
“Twilight…Sparkle?” Meg repeated, raising an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, but that sounds like a weird name.”
“Maybe in your world,” Celestia replied. “But in ours, a name like yours is unusual.”
Meg hung her head in embarrassment. “Oh.”
Celestia smiled. “Don’t feel bad, Meg. This world is different from yours. There’s bound to be things you would find strange that are normal here.”
Celestia’s horn glowed again, causing a quill and some paper to float in front of her and start writing a letter.
My Dearest Student Twilight,
An urgent matter has come up. Under a unique set of circumstances, an inhabitant of another world has been brought here. Upon her arrival, I transformed her into a pony so she can fit in. Her name is Meg Griffin, and she needs a place to stay in Ponyville. I will be sending her there via the Friendship Express, so you can expect her this afternoon. I understand this is short notice, but I hope you can secure some living arrangements for her by the time she arrives.
Best of luck,
Princess Celestia
The princess then engulfed the letter in her magic, causing it to disappear. “When we are finished, Meg,” she said. “I’ll have one of my guards take you to the train to Ponyville. When you get there, look for the purple unicorn with the stars on her flank.”
Meg nodded slowly, and the three of them returned to eating. Meg wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to be ready for it.