Lauren McNeigh

Lauren walked through the first steps of the area, which she recognized as the Village of Doom. She walked across the steady wooden flooring, taking notice about the lamps on each side. She then found a familiar face, a young crystal pony. It was a mare that looked drained and had a huge burden on its back.

“Our land is destroyed, our spirit crushed” the mare said weakly.

“You poor thing, is there no more joy here? Who did this to you?” Lauren looked at the mare eye-to-eye.

“Slavery and happiness don’t dwell in the same house” the mare said before running off.

Hazel and Hester then appeared at the base of a plank that led to a blowing gas. “When things get problematical, consider the leap of faith” Hester said.

“Ride the wind” Hazel explained as they both disappeared again.

Lauren always thought riding on air was dangerous, but a weak mare just made her feel obligated. She ran to the plank and jumped, she expected to fall, but the wind miraculously carried her. She pushed herself forward as she landed at the other side. Upon reaching, she was greeted by a weak stallion.

“Stir up no trouble, Lauren” he said. “Queen Faust’s agents are ruthless”

“I’m not afraid of her, or any of her minions. I never was, really. I made her then I can unmake her. You should stand up to them to regain your freedom” Lauren declared.

“Defiance is futile. After she took over, only death was able to release us from this misery”

“I thought you were able to heal after”

“She did something to make it permanent and she bound it to her life. As long as she lives, whoever was killed remains in Limbo”

“Maybe her death will stop it all”

“Meter Essence, including health and sanity is the life force that all of her here are using” Hazel’s voice rang out. “That of your enemies is very potent”

Hester’s then rang out. “But you will find your weapons were once your toys of childhood. Even so, they will drain your our Meter Essence as you use them”

“Collect what you can, and use them wisely” Hazel concluded.

Watching the stallion go on his way, Lauren took the duo’s advice and went to look around for something to defend herself with. She walked for a bit from where she heard Hazel and Hester, and found something: a sharp knife that had markings that resembled that of a quill’s. She recognized it from her first trip to Wonderland: the Quillete Blade. It didn’t have the mind-controlling gem from when it did in the past, but a mahogany gem with her cutie mark on it. Wasting no time, she grabbed the knife as Hazel and Hester reappeared.

“Your knife is necessary but not sufficient” Hazel remarked.

“Collect only what’s useful, reject only ignorance, and you may survive” Hester added.

“And you’ll need to if you want this madness to end” Hazel said before disappearing with Hester again.

Turning her attention away from where the duo disappeared, Lauren looked to the side to see something. It was Twilight, and she was holding a small violet vial. She knew it was the Drink Me potion. When she drank it down, she began to shrink until she was about the size of a mouse. Without a word, she ran into a small hole in the wall. Lauren sighed now that she needed help to find the Alicorn. She ran up the stairs to meet with another crystal pony, a foal.

“Everypony seems all despaired, like the life was drained right out of them. Have things really gone that bad after how I’ve been away for only one day?”

“The truth would sometimes hurt, but yes. Are you really Lauren Faust, the Champion Twilight and her friends had been talking about? The one who made us all?”

“I guess, but I’m just Lauren, and I don’t know if I’m really that much of a Champion. But, yes, I did make you all. And right now, I need to get very small, no bigger than a mouse”

“You need serious help with that. You’ll need to go to the side, not forward. If I knew how, I’d do that myself”

“Not twisted, just small. About this big” Lauren demonstrated with a hand.

“Well, I was told that if anypony wanted to get that small, the Fortress of Doors holds the secret. But, it takes more than wishes and favors to get inside now that some of the Queen’s minions are guarding it”

Hazel and Hester reappeared. “Doors have locks; locks need keys which you don’t have. Let’s hope that those doors are open” Hester said.

“And if not, there may be more than one way to separate a Familiar from their Partner” Lauren joked, but it just caused Hazel to flinch and Hester to twitch in fear. “Sorry, please pardon the expression. It was just a joke”

Hazel shot a small glare. “Most unpleasant metaphor, try to avoid it in future use”

Holding her Familiar close, Hazel disappeared again. Lauren could clearly see they were offended by her joke. Hester was clingy to her Partner and she always hated separation. The last time it happened, she looked like she was dying, and was rather unstable if she didn’t take her meds. Lauren went on her walk to keep up with her journey. She took a few steps from the foal and went on. She across another path, but she was surprised with what she found.

There, running amok was a Changeling. But it looked like the Original form before Thorax came into the picture. It looked like it was decaying. There was heavy armor all over it, with a red bottle of ink on the centerpiece. It had a spear in one hoof, ready to fight.

“You must kill it, Lauren” Hazel’s voice rang out as she and Hester reappeared. The Pegasister was holding her Familiar close to her like a toddler with a teddy bear. “It’s one of her minions. It’s aiding in the destruction and Corruption of Wonderland”

“Must I really?” the woman asked. She didn’t have the heart to kill it. It was still her Creation.

The Changeling roared when it saw her and nearly hit her with the spear. She was saved by when the Pegasister used a Shield spell.

“Lauren, now!” Hazel yelled. “Yes, it’s your Creation, but it’s Corrupted!”

Hester nodded, using a burst of her own magic to send it flying. “There’s a new rule now: Kill or Be Killed!”

She was surprised at this new side of the duo. They were never one to go for violence, in fact they feared it. But now, this whole scene had showed that they had to change their point of view and behavior to adapt to this new environment.

As much as she didn’t want to kill something she made, she had to do it. The symbol just proved it so; it was Queen Faust’s symbol afterall. And if she didn’t, then the duo might. Taking her knife, she came up close to the Changeling, and stabbed it. It didn’t die at first, but when she sliced through it, it just collapsed.

Going on, Lauren took the Meter Essence that came out of the body to keep her from alive. It was reddish-blue glowing orb of life. She felt the pang of guilt enter her. She now had blood on her hands. Her Creation’s blood, to be worse. She tried to compose herself while she walked to a plank platform. As she was about to go across it, Hazel and Hester appeared.

Hazel and her Bipolar Disorder, atleast she’s not so offended anymore. Lauren thought.

“Only a few find the way, some don’t recognize it when they do, others don’t ever want to” Hester said as Hazel held her and vanished again.

Then again, maybe not.

Lauren then walked across the plank and found another mare on the other side. When the mare saw her, her eyes seemed to be filled with hope.

“Twilight told us a Champion would come to save us, are you that Champion?” she asked, her tone hopeful.

Lauren didn’t know for sure, but she didn’t want to disappoint the poor thing. “I suppose, but now I need help. Can you get me into the Fortress of Doors?”

The mare’s smile became fearful. “Oh no, I wouldn’t dare. As much as I want to, I can’t risk being killed and put into a painful state. But, make your way to the mines, and make sure it’s the deepest pit. There’s one called Sunburst who’s’ wiser and braver and more daring that us all. Best part of it all, he still is free”

Lauren took the mare’s advice. Atleast there are some who could still smile. She kept walking up the planks, and heard the familiar sound of Hazel’s voice.

“Every adventure requires a first step. Hard to believe, but true, even here”

Lauren looked around until she found the duo on a platform below her. She hopped down and walked on. When she reached the other side, things were a bit different. Apart from the familiar plank platforms, there were now vines hanging above pools of water. It looked rather deep and murky. It was like if you fall in, you would sink like quicksand.

“Hanging ropes are as good as step ladders for those who know how to climb them” Hazel’s voice rang out.

Lauren jumped down the platform, then another, trying her best to avoid falling in as much as possible. When she took a third jump, she grabbed onto the rope and began to climb. When she was within range, she jumped from the rope and landed on the ground. She saw somepony familiar infront of her. She knew it immediately, and she ran over to him.

“Lauren?” Sunburst was shocked upon seeing his Maker before him. He was wearing black leather now instead of his normal cape. From the looks of it, even he wanted to make sure he blended in for this apocalyptic warfare. “Why did you pursue to find me into this land?”

“To benefit from what you know, Sunburst. I know you were wise enough to save the Crystal Empire when it needed it most”

“Even Flurry Heart herself had grown up to become able to defend herself and others. If I were clever, would I be hiding away from them and everypony else, as far as they are now? This is just like Starlight all over again. I’m not really wise, Lauren, I just know some things”

Lauren knew that for fact, but she is persistent. “I wish to get very small, no bigger than a mouse. Do you know how I could do that?”

Sunburst seemed relieved. “Only that? Well, I do know about that. For you, I could do, for a price”

Lauren looked down. “I don’t think I have anything valuable”

“You have bravery and nerve, mine are almost gone. I’ve seen too much suffering, and I hide to live, you see”

“What must I do?”

Sunburst looked to the side. “In the Changeling’s Compound, a particularly rare gem hold the key, retrieve it and I’ll gladly return the favor”