Laura groaned as the sunlight seeped under her eyelids. Birds chirped happily around her. She rolled over and growled under her breath. The sun was too bright, the birds were noisy, and the grass was tickling her side. Wait. . . grass? Laura's eyes shot open as she sat up.
"What the. . . ?"
She was laying in a large open field, a forest just to her left. She'd never been here before, but everything looked very familiar. Laura ran her hand through her hair in confusion. Only. . . she had no hand. Lowering her arm, she gazed at where her hands should have been. A hoof. A brown hoof. Laura jumped to her feet, stumbling slightly once on all fours. She looked herself over, barely containing her excitement. She was a pony, and not just a pony, but a pegasus. White main body with brown thrown in. A blonde mane and tail. She was a paint!
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!"
Laura flexed her wings, catching sight of something on her flank.
"What. . . my cutie mark!"
Laura tried to get a good look at her cutie mark, unintentionally chasing her tail. She grew dizzy and sat down before finally getting a good look at her destiny. It was a. . . feather? No, a drop of ink was at the tip. So a quill? Made sense, she did love to write.
A groan interrupted her thoughts. Not to far from here she woke up, were two other ponies. One was a dark brown earth pony with short red hair. The mare was older then Laura, if the slight wrinkles and crow feet had anything to say. The earth pony sat up and rubbed her face. She blinked and looked over at Laura. The earth pony's eyes widened.
"Is. . . is that a pegasus?!"
That voice. . .
"Mom?"
The mare squinted and tilted her head.
"Laura?"
Anna tried to stand up on two feet, only to come crashing down to the ground. Laura walked forward, trying to not trip on her own hooves.
"Careful, Mom. Stand on all fours."
Anna shakily stood up before looking herself over.
"L-Laura. . . am. . . am I a horse?"
Laura pinned back her ears in uncertainty.
"Err, no. Um. . . we're ponies."
"PONIES?!"
The stallion next to Anna grumbled.
"Give me five more minute, and then I'll get up, Anna."
Laura smiled behind her hoof. There was no question that that was her dad.
"Peter! Peter, wake up!"
Peter slowly uncurled and looked up at Anna. He was a light brown unicorn with a blonde mane. Peter blinked, shook his head, and blinked again.
"Anna? Laura?"
Peter looked between his wife and his daughter before closing his eyes and laying back down.
"Nope, not today. Not happening. I'll wake up soon after a night of a little too much beer. I bet Laura has that pony show she likes playing on the TV. Yep."
Anna snorted and stomped her hooves,
"This is not a dream, Peter! Wake up!"
Peter looked up at Anna.
"It has to be a dream, there is no way this is real."
He laid back down and rolled over. . . and promptly bolted up right and jumped forward.
"There is no way in he-"
"Hay."
"-that this is happening! I refuse to believe it!"
Peter paced back and forth, stumbling slightly. Anna shifted her weight before she spoke up.
"Alright, we all need to calm down. First things first. What is the last thing any of us remember?"
Peter frowned.
"Last thing I remember I was reading a book in bed."
Anna nodded.
"Yeah, I was putting away some clean sheets. Laura, what were you doing?"
Laura shuffled her hooves awkwardly before looking down.
"I was day dreaming about Ponyville, and then I wish I could go there. . . "
Anna and Peter exchanged glances.
"That may explain why we're here, but not how."
Laura perked up.
"Oh! Twilight could totally help us! We just need to go to Ponyville!"
Laura turned around and started to trot towards Ponyville. They could just see it beyond the meadow they were in. Anna raced after her daughter, grabbing her tail in her hooves.
"Woah, woah, woah! We can't go into Ponytown-"
"Ponyville"
"-Ponyville, Ponytown. It doesn't mater. It's just a stupid show."
Laura frowned and shuffled her wings in anger.
"It is not some stupid show. It is a wonderful world that teaches about friendship and tolerance. Don't diss it."
"Laura, none of it's real! It's just a baby's cartoon!"
"If I remember correctly, you would always ask me 'Laura, you do know those ponies aren't real, right?'. Yet, here we are. They're real, as real as us!"
Anna stomped her hoof.
"Don't talk to me like that! I am the adult here, and what I say goes!"
"I'm 18, that makes me an adult too. You keep telling me I'm an adult, act like it. Well, I am!"
"18 or not, I'm older and smarter than you! It's my way or the highway!"
Laura dropped to her haunches, and looked at her mother.
"Alright, what's your idea?"
Anna grimaced before looking to her husband. Peter raised a hoof defensively.
'Don't look at me, I am not getting into the middle of this.'
Laura shook her head and stood up.
"I thought so. I watch the show, I learned about this world. So I think that since I know so much about this place, I should take the lead."
Peter nodded.
"I have to agree with her, Anna. We know nothing about this place. Laura does. Our best bet is to follow her lead."
Anna simply snorted and shrugged her shoulders. Laura nodded and started to trot towards the town.
A dark figure grinned from his hiding place in the Everfree Forest. He watched as the three humans turned ponies walked towards Ponyville. His pawns were in place, and the chess board was set up. With the game in motion, all he needed to do was sit back and watch as everything fell into place.
"Oh, this is going to be fun."
