~Narrator's POV~
What a great way to start the day. A few weeks ago, my younger sister and I won two VIP tickets to the BronyCon in Calgary. Which was an opportunity of a lifetime. I'm already giddy with excitement!
My younger sister, Samantha, and I have been Pegasisters since we were very young. We had video tapes of My Little Pony Tales, and watched the reruns of the first My Little Pony series. With Fizzy, Surprise, Firefly, Posey, Applejack, Twinkle and all the other characters. It was a rush of nostalgia when My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic came in 2010, two years ago. I'll admit, I was a little bit skeptical, but once I gave the show a chance, it reignited a spark in my heart that made me love My Little Pony all over again.
What made this BronyCon different from the other BronyCons? Well, according to the website, the CEO and Chairman of Hasbro, Brian Goldner, would be there to present a special surprise during the convention. It has everyone excited for it. Forums on the Brony Community have been buzzing about what they think it's gonna be. Whatever the surprise it, I just hope it's nothing bad.
So far, the BronyCon was jam packed with Bronies, Pegasisters and cosplayers alike. It was tricky to get around, but there was so much to see and so much to do, it was crazy.
Suddenly, a voice spoke from the intercoms, "Attention. It is time for the grand revealing. If anyone is interested, please line up outside of the Saddledome and have your passes ready for entry. Thank you."
With that, most of the crowd made their way out of the buildings and toward the Saddledome without time to waste. Sam and I made it to the line-up and some of the participants were rejected. Probably because their passes weren't golden or VIP. After a few moments of waiting and moving up the line, it was mine and Sam's turn.
The security scanned the passes around our necks and lightly nodded, "Okay. Go on in and enjoy the show."
Sam and I walked in and picked our seats at the front of the stage. Resting in the center of the stage, hidden behind a large cloth, was a large, round object. Something didn't set right in my stomach. It made me feel uneasy. As I stared at the clothed object, I began to hear voices. Voices of familiar characters. I recognized the voices I could hear. Twilight Sparkle. Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash. Rarity. Applejack and... Fluttershy? But that made no sense. The voice actors for the Mane 6 were elsewhere. How is this possible?
"Ellie? Is everything alright?" My sister asked me, snapping me back to reality.
I looked at Sam, then nodded with an assuring smile, "Yeah. Everything is fine. Just thought I heard something."
Sam smiled and rolled her eyes, "Silly Ellie. Always claims to hear or see the supernatural."
I let out a lighthearted giggle, then returned my attention to the object on the stage. I can still hear the voices conversing with each other.
After about fifteen minutes of waiting, the seats in the Saddledome were filled and it was time for the reveal. The lights dimmed and stage lights shined upon the stage. Emerging from the stage was a middle-aged man in a black business suit. It was Brian Goldner.
He grabbed a microphone and spoke to the crowd, "Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you all for coming. How are you enjoying the convention so far?" The crowd shouted and cheered all around the stadium. Goldner smiled, "I thought so. Well, today, it's going to get a whole lot better."
He gestured to the clothed object to his right, "As you know, we've been thinking about ways to make every BronyCon better than the last one. Voice actors answering questions. Meeting stars in person and getting photos with them. But then, an idea came to me. What if you met the characters of Friendship is Magic in person?"
The crowd shouted once again. Goldner nodded, "I know. I know. It sounds impossible, but that's why we've been working for two years to perfect. Best scientists and astrophysicists have worked together to create a a link between dimensions in time and space. And now, we have reached a breakthrough."
Goldner reached for the cloth, grabbed it and pulled it off the object. The object revealed to be some kind of portal that you see from sci-fi tv series. The crowd gasp in awe of the machine. It was elegantly built. A thing of beauty indeed. Goldner switched the portal on and a beautiful, multi-colored vortex appeared in the center of the machine. It was like magic.
"With this machine, we can cross the barrier between fantasy and reality and meet dimensions that we never knew existed." Goldner announced, "Meet the people we want to meet. Live in worlds we never thought possible." He started pressing buttons on the control panel, "Now, to not overwhelm the characters, everyone is allowed one question each. Choose wisely."
Suddenly, the machine started sparking. Not in a good way. Goldner turned the machine and frowned, "Oh, it's not supposed to do that..." Then the machine started glitching and the vortex turned a magenta-purple. Goldner turned to the crowd and assured, "Please remain calm. I have this under control."
However, the truth was that he didn't have it under control. The machine started malfunctioning and shot rays of magenta-purple energy at random directions. Everyone screamed and took cover, running out of the stadium. The machine aimed a blast of energy at my sister, but I pushed her out of the way and the blast hit me square in the heart.
Then the machine fired a powerful energy blast through the ceiling and into the sky, creating stormy dark clouds and making it rain with thunder and rainbow-colored lightning. Everyone was running outside, away from the machine in fear and panic.
A powerful surge of pain pulsed through my body every time my heart beat. It felt like I was having a heart attack or something was collapsing on me. I tried to stay conscious, but even my mind was failing me. There was a flash of white light, and then everything around me went black...
~Samantha's POV~
Ellie doubled over in pain, with her hand over her heart. She tried to keep her eyes open, but was struggling with that too. After a few seconds of struggling and fighting back, Ellie's body fell limp and her eyes fell closed.
Worried about my sister, I shook her shoulders, "Ellie? Ellie, wake up!" But Ellie wasn't responding. She must have blacked out from what was going on.
I looked over at the stage and the machine was still malfunctioning and Mr. Goldner was doing nothing to fix it. Think, Sammy. Think. What do you normally do when something is malfunctioning? Of course! Pull the plug! I looked at the machine and tried to locate a power cord that gives it electricity to work. There's only one small problem; There is no power cord! Guess I have to use the off switch!
I leaped out from my seat and climbed onto the stage. Mr. Goldner looked at me, "What are you doing? Get away from there!"
I ignored the Chairman of Hasbro and made my way toward the machine, avoiding the magical blasts that threaten to hit me. I walked over to the control panel and found a large button, glowing green. I slammed my hand into the button and the green glow switched off. The machine stopped firing the blasts of energy, and powered down, finally calming and everything was okay... Well, except for the rainbow storm outside, but I think that will calm too.
Mr. Goldner relaxed and walked over to me. He shook my hand and smiled, "Thank you for turning the machine off." Then he grabbed his phone from his pocket, "Now, excuse me. I have to make a call."
He started dialing and walked away from the stage. I looked over the machine out of curiosity. To make sure it was completely off, I gave the machine a gentle kick. Suddenly, the machine powered up and started glowing in a bright magenta-pink again.
I took a step back and looked at the control panel. The large green button wasn't glowing, so what what was going on with this machine? Without a glimpse of warning, the machine exploded into a million pieces, with a burst of white light and a gust of wind, causing me to shield my eyes and take a step back.
Eventually, the bright light faded and I could get up and stop shielding my eyes from the brightness and the wind stopped. The energy from the light faded and revealed six colorful, little ponies on the stage, where the machine used to be. One was orange with a blonde mane and tail. One was all shades of pink. One was twilight themed. One was white with a purple mane and tail. Another was a cyan pegasus with rainbow mane and tail. The last was a buttercream yellow with a pink mane and tail.
I quickly recognized these characters in a second. These were that main characters of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Twilight Sparkle. Rarity. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. I can't believe they're here before me. They're actually here!
I heard a groan from behind me. I turned and saw that my older sister was regaining consciousness. She opened her eyes and there was something different about them. They weren't they're normal hazel color. They were a sharp green. Similar to Applejack's eyes.
~Eleanor's POV~
I was able to regain consciousness and woke up with a soft groan. I sat up from my seat and rubbed my head in pain. I noticed that the pain from before was gone and I can now function without feeling bruised or a sudden surge of pain. I opened my eyes to find my younger sister on the stage and the machine was gone. Accompanying Sam were 6 familiar ponies, which I recognized were the main characters of Friendship is Magic. The same characters that Mr. Goldner promised, until the machine went haywire and shot me with a powerful beam of energy.
I stood up from my seat and joined my sister on the stage, "Sam. Thank goodness. Are you hurt? Any injuries or broken bones?"
Sam smiled and assured me, "I'm fine, Ellie." Then she looked at me, "Are you okay?"
I nodded my head and smiled, "Yeah, I'm alright."
Then we turned to the sleeping ponies of the stage. I noticed Mr. Goldner was nowhere to be found within the stadium and the entire audience was completely empty. Which only left me, Sam and the ponies. Sam and I looked at each other.
"What do you think we should do?" Sam asked me.
I looked at the sleeping ponies, then back at my sister, "We can't just leave them alone. They don't know this world." Then an idea hit me, "We can take them to our home."
Sam took a step back with wide eyes, "What?! Have you lost you marbles?! We're not allowed pets!"
"They're not pets." I pointed out, "What do you think we should do, if you have any ideas?"
Sam rubbed her chin in thought. She looked at the sleeping ponies and then back at me. She closed her eyes for a second, then turned to me and sighed, "I hate it when you're right, Ellie. But when you're right, you're right."
I nodded, "Alright then." I pointed to the ponies, "I'll take Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. You take Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack."
"But, you're taking the heavier ones." Sam pointed out.
I shrugged, "I'll be fine. I wasn't put on this planet to complain. I just thought it would be easier."
Sam nodded in agreement. With that, Sam and I took three of the ponies each and carried them out of the Saddledome, into the outside car park and into the back seats of Sam's light blue SUV. Sam and I sat in the driver and passenger seats, and Sam started the car. I looked over the sleeping ponies and let out a quiet sigh.
With that, we left the Saddledome and drove down the main highway, to home.
~Eleanor's POV~
It was a long, two hour drive from Calgary to our home in Coaldale. The sun set and nightfall was coming. Makes you wonder how long we were gone for. I woke up from my nap to find that we were in the city of Lethbridge. Only fifteen minutes left down the highway. I looked over the back seat and found that the Mane 6 were still out for the count. Give them time, they'll wake up.
Sam drove her light blue SUV down the highway, until she spoke up, "Ellie. I've been wondering... When we get home and they wake up, how are we gonna explain to them what happened?"
I sighed and leaned back on my seat, "We can't lie to them. And we can't sugar-coat what has happened." I looked over at the Mane 6 once more, "We have to tell them the truth and be openly honest with them. Answer any question that we can for them."
"And where are they gonna sleep, until this whole ordeal is fixed?" Sam asked.
"They'll sleep with us. Three in each room." I answered with a shrug.
Sam looked at me for a second, returned her attention to the road and answered, "Alright. But I'm not having Pinkie Pie, Rarity or Twilight Sparkle in my room. I'm good with Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash."
I shrugged again with a small humored smile, "Alright. But I should warn you, Rainbow Dash snores like a horse."
Sam let out a small giggle and assured, "Please... So did Steve and I slept just fine."
I nodded in agreement. It's true. Sam and I lived with our parents, in Coaldale, until they left the house the live in the mountains of British Columbia. They left the house under our care and we've been able to take good care of it so far.
Anyhow, we arrived at our home and Sam parked the SUV into the double-garage of our home. She turned off the ignition and we exit the car. Sam took Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity, while I took Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and we made or way into the house.
Once inside, Sam and I placed the ponies onto the couch in the living room and waited in silence, for them to wake up. We waited for 15 minutes, until we saw signs of movement and heard waking up groans from the ponies. The first to wake up was Rarity. Then Applejack. Followed by Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie. And lastly, Fluttershy.
The ponies yawned and looked around the living room. The light beige walls with a light grey couch. A greyscale carpet and a comfortable fireplace. An entertainment center in front of the windows the give us a full view of the lake and the highway. A 32 inch flat-screen television mounted in the corner of the living room, just inches above the fireplace. And two lounger seats.
Twilight's eyes widened, as she looked around, "Uh... Girls? I don't think we're in Ponyville anymore."
"Where are we?" Applejack wondered.
I decided to speak up, "You want the long version or the short version?"
The Mane 6 looked at Sam and I. Sam waved shyly and I smiled, "Hello. Did you sleep well?"
Fluttershy squeaked in fright and hid behind Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash glared protectively at me and my sister. Twilight raised a brow, quizzingly. Applejack and Rarity were uncertain how to react and Pinkie Pie... Well... Pinkie Pie gasped and charged into me, knocking me onto the hardwood floor.
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!! I can't believe what I'm seeing! This is so exciting!!" Pinkie Pie grinned like a Cheshire Cat. Then she started asking, moving an inch closer to my face with every question, "What's your name? What are you? How old are you? Can you talk? Where did you learn to talk? What's your favorite color? When's your birthday? Where are we? How did we get here? Are there more of you?"
Pinkie and I were literally nose-to-nose right now. And it's making me very uncomfortable. I blinked my eyes and Pinkie blinked. I knew Pinkie was full of energy, but to see it first-hand was very overwhelming.
"Well..." I started, pushing the Pink Party Pony off my chest, so I could sit up, "Let me start with our names." I put my hand over my chest, "My name is Eleanor May Carter, but please call me 'Ellie'." Then I gestured to my sister, "And this is my younger sister, Samantha."
"Call me Sam or Sammy." Sam smiled sweetly.
"Pleased to meet you, Eleanor and Samantha." Twilight greeted in a calm and polite tone, "My name is Twilight Sparkle. And these are my friends." She gestured to each of the ponies and introduced them, "Applejack." Applejack tilted her hat with a smile, "Fluttershy." Fluttershy gave us a very timid wave, "Rarity." Rarity flipped her mane and smiled at us, "Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash continued glaring at me and Sam, "And, of course, Pinkie Pie."
"Hi!" Pinkie Pie smiled.
"Hello to you too, Pinkie." I smiled back, "And... What was your next question?"
"If I recall correctly, it was 'What are you'." Rarity answered, "And I happen to agree with that question." She looked at me and my sister, "For what I can tell, you look like fur-less ape-like creatures."
"Well, you're not far off." Sam decided to answer, "We're a species known as 'humans'. We're the top species of our world."
Twilight tilted her head, trying to process what has been said, "This isn't Equestria, is it?"
Sam and I looked at each other, looked back at Twilight and shook our heads with a frown. Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity lowered there heads. Pinkie's mane and tail deflated straight and she sulked. I placed my hand over Pinkie's head and gently stoked her mane.
Rainbow Dash flew into the air, "I knew it! You took us away from Equestria to hold us as hostages for your evil overlord!"
Fluttershy shook in fear, "Hostages?"
I quickly shook my head and waved my hands in defense, "Whoa, whoa! Easy there, Rainbow Dash. We're just as innocent as you are. We didn't expect what happened to happen. Honest."
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at me with a scowl, "I don't believe you."
"I do." Applejack spoke up, then asked the next question, "If this isn't Equestria, where are we?"
"You're on Earth, our home planet." Sam answered.
This caught Twilight's attention, "Earth? As in another dimension?" Sam and I nodded. Twilight smiled, "This is amazing!"
I frowned, "Not amazing, Twilight." Twilight looked at me, "It turns out your only way home has been broken into pieces and shards. There's now way to get you back to Equestria."
Twilight's eyes widen in shock, then she looked away and frowned. Sam tried to smile confidently, "But, while you're here, you can stay with us until we do find a way to get you back."
"But, where are we gonna sleep?" Rarity asked.
"You, Twilight and Pinkie Pie can sleep with me, while the rest of you can sleep with Sam." I offered.
Then a thought came to Sam, "Wait. What do we do about food? Since the Mane 6 are staying with us, we have to improvise our grocery list."
I scratched the back of my head, "Oh, yeah. That's right..."
Applejack smiled and waved her hoof, "Not a problem, Sugar Cube. We eat more that just hay and grass. We Ponies can eat any type of food."
I smiled, "That's right." I looked at the depressed pink pony laying her head against my chest, "Pinkie here can eat a lot of sweet foods without getting a tummy ache." Pinkie gave me a small smile.
Sam giggled at me, "And I thought you had an insatiable sweet tooth, Ellie."
I let out a lighthearted giggle. Twilight Sparkle nodded with a smile and announced, "It's settled then. Eleanor. Samantha. We will be honored to stay here, with you, until our way back to Equestria is fixed."
Pinkie's mane and tail brightened up and regained their poofiness, as she threw her arms around me, tackling me to the ground once more, "Yay! New friends and adventures!"
Sam and I laughed along with the Ponies. Then I calmed and looked out the window. The sun was setting, giving the sky a crimson gold glow before fading to a dark blue. My eyes widen and I checked my cell phone for the time. I gasp, "Oh my gosh, it's almost bedtime!"
Rarity yawned, "My goodness, you're right. With all the excitement and worry, we lost track of the time."
Fluttershy nodded in agreement and asked, "Um... Excuse me... If it's not too much trouble... Where do you two sleep?"
Sam and I looked at each other for a second, then turned back to the ponies before us. I smiled, "Tell you what. Since it's your first day on Earth, we'll all sleep here in the living room. Then we'll give you a tour of the house. How does that feel?"
Applejack and Pinkie Pie were the first to nod in agreement. Twilight and Rarity looked at each other with uncertainty, then they smiled and nodded. Fluttershy hesitated, but nodded with a smile as well. Which only left Rainbow Dash, who stubbornly glared at me and Sam.
"Come on, Rainbow. We promise not to hurt you during the night." Sam assured calmly.
I nodded and performed a Pinkie Promise, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
Pinkie's eyes widen at me, but calmed and turned to Rainbow Dash, "I trust them, Dashie. They did a Pinkie Promise."
Rainbow Dash looked at Pinkie and let out a sigh, "Fine. But if they try anything funny, don't say I didn't warn you."
I smiled and I extended my hand to the cyan Pegasus, "It's a deal."
Rainbow extended her hoof to me and I shook it. With that, I went over to switch off the lights and grabbed a large blanket from the closet. Sam, the Ponies and I cuddled up on the couch and fell asleep. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy nudged themselves closer to me and I smiled before closing my eyes.
Tomorrow is gonna be a new day...
