//------------------------------// // The Prodigal // Story: Full Circle // by BronyMetalhead //------------------------------// The band left the post office and cantered to the inn, with Cacophony leading the way. The band drew many stares from the locals, including a few angry looks towards to the two unicorns. “It would seem we're not exactly welcome here,” Thunderwing commented. “Are all the locals this friendly?” “I think it's mostly towards me,” Trixie replied. “It seems that some haven't exactly forgiven Trixie for what happened last time she made an appearance in Ponyville.” “Trix,” Cacophony said, “you're doing it again.” The mare hung her head low and sighed. “Sorry about that,” she said, “I've been talking like that for years. Pretty hard to break the habit.” “Don't sweat it, Trix,” her pegasus friend said, “we'll keep you in line.” The mare smiled and stifled a yawn as she and her band-mates drew closer to the inn. “Wait here,” Cacophony addressed his friends, “I'll see about checking us in.” “Can I get my own room?” Trixie said. “What? Don't trust me?” Strings said with a wink. “Oh please,” Trixie retorted, “I'd just rather not be in the same room with 'sleeping beauty' for a week.” “Yeah,” Thunderwing said with a smirk. “He snores like a buffalo.” “And how many buffalo have you taken to bed to reach that conclusion?” Cacophony said. The pegasus stallion blushed furiously, much to the amusement of his band-mates. “Dear Sweet Celestia,” Strings laughed, wiping his eyes, “Thunders is blushing! Looks like his dirty secret's out!” “Ha ha, real funny, guys,” Thunderwing muttered. “I'll have you all know that I've never even met any buffalo, let alone dated any.” “It's okay, buddy,” Cacophony said, “it's nothing to be ashamed of. At any rate, I better hurry.” With that, the stallion unhitched himself with his magic and galloped into the inn. A short time later, he came back out levitating three keys. “Good news, everypony! I got the last three rooms. As per Trixie's request, she gets Room 102 to herself. Sticks and Strings get Room 103. Me and the Bucklyn Buffalo Lover get 101. “Now come on, let's eat.” * * * * * The five ponies were met at the arch by Applejack and her little sister, Applebloom. “And just what are you doin' here, Trixie?” Applejack growled. “I'm in the band,” Trixie said evenly, her eyes locked in with the earth pony's, “they hired me a few months after I left Ponyville. “I thought you and your friends forgave me,” she added. “Forgiven, but not forgotten, missy,” Applejack said. She then scanned the mare's companions. To the simple farm pony, they looked like ruffians, but she had been impressed by how polite Sticks was, and amused by his shyness. The other earth pony in the band looked very similar to Sticks and also had a similar accent, so similar that she could tell they were family. The main differences was the brother had an ivory-white coat and a dark green mane styled in a spiked cut, and had a guitar with lightning bolts for a cutie mark. The teal pegasus reminded her a little of her friend Rainbow Dash, except for his long green and yellow mane, as well as the myriad rings he had going through his ears, nose, and eyebrows. A thunder-cloud adorned his flank. The other unicorn was a handsome purple stallion with a black mane with streaks of gray that made him look a little older than he really was. A tuft of black hair grew from his chin, and a jagged clef marked his flank. There was something vaguely familiar about this stallion, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. Sticks introduced the rest of the band, then thanked her sincerely for the invitation. “Well, shoot,” Applejack said, “I reckon I ain't never met a real rock band before. What's yer band called?” “Alicorn Malign,” Cacophony said. “That's so cool!” Applebloom said, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. “Maybe I can get my cutie mark in heavy metal!” “We'll see there, little sis,” the farm mare said with a smirk, rubbing her hoof in the filly's mane. As the seven ponies walked towards the house, Applejack slowed down until she was next to Cacophony. “Um, beggin' yer pardon,” she said, “but have we met?” “I don't think so,” he replied. “I left here just as I left school.” He then looked over the attractive, light orange mare. “Wait a sec, are you Mac's kid sister?” “Sure am!” the farm pony said, puffing her chest out. “You two musta went to school together just as I left for Manehattan tryin' to find myself.” “Wow, that's where I went after I left school,” he replied. “Didn't come back, though, until today.” “Well then, welcome home, pardner!” Applejack said, hugging the unicorn. “Yeah. Thanks,” Cacophony said. He wasn't sure the welcome would be so great when he saw his family again. Just then, the group was met at the door by a massively built red pony with a shaggy yellow mane, and a yoke draped over his shoulders. “Big Macintosh! It's been ages!” Cacophony said, his eyes wide. “You've gotten huge! Still as talkative as ever?” “Eeyup,” the stallion said, glaring at him. He then looked at Trixie. “Don't seem too fussy about the company you keep.” Cacophony looked at Trixie. “Just what did you do, Trix?” “I'll explain later,” she replied, “I promise.” “Come on, everypony,” Applejack said, attempting to alleviate the tension, “let's eat.” “I'll be right with you guys,” Cacophony said. When he and the massive stallion were alone, the unicorn broke the silence. “Out with it, Mac. Last I knew, you and I were friends.” Big Macintosh got in Cacophony's face, his expression hard. “Just tell me one thing, Cacophony, 'n you better not lie to me.” “What?” “Are the rumors about you true?” “No, Macintosh,” Cacophony said, meeting the burly stallion's eyes, “they're not. You know me better than that.” The earth pony stallion nodded slowly, then suddenly embraced the unicorn in a crushing hug. “It's good seeing you again, buddy,” he said with a smile. “It's good seeing you, too” Cacophony rasped. “It's also good to breathe.” * * * * * After dinner, the band trotted slowly to the inn. The five ponies were so full, they felt like they were going to burst. The Apple family offered them a place to stay, but none of them wanted to impose on their hospitality. They found Granny Smith's stories amusing, when she remembered them. She was even funnier when she'd forget what she was talking about and ramble off-topic. The full moon was in clear view by the time the five friends reached the Dewdrop Inn. “Well guys,” Thunderwing said while stretching his wings, “I don't know about you all, but I'm beat. I'm gonna go crash.” “Yeah, me too,” Sticks said as his brother yawned loudly. “I've got some things I have to attend to since I'm here,” Cacophony said. “I'll see you all in a bit.” “Okay, bro,” Thunderwing said. “I'll leave the door unlocked in case I'm crashed out when you get here.” The unicorn nodded and trotted off. * * * * * Rarity was in the show room of Carousel Boutique fussing over her latest creation, a lavish blue ball-gown adorned with sapphires and emeralds. “Hmm,” she said, “maybe some rubies would make this absolutely perfect, don't you think, Opal?” Her white cat, Opalescence, looked up at the snow colored unicorn with disinterest, growled, and resumed grooming herself. “Oh, I just knew you'd agree,” Rarity gushed, then brought over a chest full of rubies with her magic. One by one, she meticulously placed several rubies along the edge of the dress. Rarity stepped back and admired her handiwork. “Oh, Rarity,” she said to herself, “you really have outdone yourself with this one!” With that, she began cleaning up her shop, making sure to place the gown in a place of prominence. She began gaily humming a tune to herself when a knock on her door interrupted her reverie. “Oh, I wonder who that can be... Sweetie Belle! Come get the door!” The unicorn then remembered that her sister was at their parents' house. She knew that her guest couldn't have been one of her friends, for they would've simply walked in. She had no appointments, especially not at this hour. Her musings were interrupted by another knock, which got a hiss from Opalescence in response. Rarity huffed, and then cantered to the door, turning the knob with her horn's magic. When she saw the pony at her door, she stopped suddenly, her eyes wide. At the door was a purple unicorn stallion with a jagged clef adorning his flank. His black and gray mane was almost as long as hers, and his eyes were the color of the sky on a clear day. He looked at the ground when her gaze met his. “Hiya Rares, it's been a while,” he said. “Indeed it has, Cacophony,” Rarity said, “and what brings you here?” “Well, my band and I are on the way to Fillydelphia, and we're gonna be here in Ponyville for a bit, so I thought I'd come and see the family while I was here. Can I come in?” “For a little bit,” Rarity said evenly, “I really am awfully busy.” With that, Cacophony stepped inside. He then looked over at the jewel-encrusted ball gown and whistled. “Wow, I can see why your shop is doing so well,” he said sincerely. “Not my taste, personally, but making something like that can't have been easy.” “Thank you,” Rarity replied. Her voice took on an accusatory tone when she asked, “Just what would be to your tastes, dear Cacophony?” Cacophony shrugged. “Eh, something a little more simple, more practical, and more durable. Something that can withstand a few nights on stage.” “You really haven't changed,” Rarity said, an edge creeping into her voice. “Nor have you,” Cacophony responded coldly, “still fussy and prissy, and still judgmental.” “So just why did you come here, Cacophony? Surely you didn't come all this way from Manehattan after four years just to waltz into my shop-” “Look, Rarity,” the stallion interrupted, his voice getting louder. “First of all, we came here from Birminghoof. Secondly, I'm not in Ponyville by choice, nor did I exactly leave by choice, either. Luna knows you weren't exactly sorry to see me go. But I thought after all this time, we could maybe catch up and put the past behind us. “Appears I was wrong,” Cacophony concluded, his eyes downcast. “Get out of my boutique,” Rarity growled. “Fine,” Cacophony said, his voice shaking a little. He turned and trotted to the door, then looked over his shoulder. “It was good seeing you again, Rarity.” “Out!” The door nearly hit his flank as it slammed shut. Cacophony looked back and sighed. He really hadn't expected a warm welcome from Rarity after all these years. Still, if this was any indication, he could only imagine the reception he'd get when he came back at his parents' house. It wasn't as if he was very close to his family in the first place. His birth was the result of very happy newlyweds, and certainly wasn't planned. He can only guess that he cried a lot as a foal, hence his name. Surely, his colthood wasn't really that bad. His parents never laid a hoof on him, and they made sure he was well provided for. Still, when his sisters were born, it was clear who the favorites were, and when he left home, it almost seemed like his parents were relieved that he was gone. “I should've never come back,” he muttered to himself. “Come back where?” a chipper voice snapped Cacophony out of his funk. The unicorn turned to face a chubby pink Earth pony with the curliest pink mane he'd ever seen. Her eyes were the same color as his, and her flank bore three balloons. “Why are you being such a Gloomy McGloomerson?” she asked, her voice full of concern. “Did you ask Rarity out and she reject you? I mean, I can see why she might've rejected you. She's got such high standards. Don't get me wrong, I think you're cute and everything. In fact, reeeeally cute. Personally, I think she can be a bit shallow but-” “What?!” Cacophony said, putting a hoof to the pink pony's mouth. “No!! Even if.... I mean... NO!!” “Ooooh... I see what you're saying,” the mare said, a knowing glint sparkling in her eye. “Well, don't you worry Mr. McGloomerson. I won't say anything at all until the time is right. I Pinkie Pie Promise!” The purple unicorn was thoroughly confused. “'Pinkie Pie Promise'? What in Equestria are you talking about?” “Well, Pinkie Pie's my name, silly! I thought everypony knew that! Oh wait, you've never met me! Anyway, a 'Pinkie Pie Promise' is where I 'cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye'. A Pinkie Pie Promise is binding.... foreeeeverrrrr!!” Cacophony stood there, his mouth agape. In the few seconds he had known her, Pinkie Pie was perhaps the weirdest pony he had ever met in his entire life. Still, he felt his sour mood slipping a bit; this Earth pony's silliness was certainly infectious, and he couldn't help but admire how genuine she seemed. “Well, I appreciate your willingness to not share my secrets, Pinkie. Even though I really didn't say anything. By the way, my name's Cacophony,” he said. “Nice to meetcha,” Pinkie said, bumping his extended hoof with hers. “I'm gonna go talk to Rarity now. Technically, it won't be breaking my promise, since she already knows! See ya, hot stuff!” With that, Pinkie hopped over to the boutique. When the pink pony was gone, Cacophony shook his head, trying to make heads or horseshoes over what had just happened. “What a strange pony,” he said with a smile. The unicorn then turned and began trotting towards no place in particular. Even with all of its changes, he still knew Ponyville like the back of his hoof. He made a brief visit to Sugar Cube Corner just before it closed for the night, having a bit of small talk with Carrot Cake. Cacophony was pleasantly surprised that Carrot Cake was happy to see him, and was happy to see that Carrot had married his sweetheart and even had two foals of their own. After leaving the pastry shop, the unicorn decided he would check out the library before it closed. He knew that he was just postponing the inevitable confrontation with his parents, but he needed to clear his head before doing it. The library was exactly where it always was, except the windows were lit and there was clearly activity inside. Using his magic, he opened the door and was greeted with the sight of a pretty lavender unicorn mare poring over several charts and figures, with a baby dragon (!!) attending to her whims. “Um, excuse me?” Cacophony said. “Is the library still open?” The mare jumped, her scrolls and quill fell suddenly to the floor. “I'm sorry,” the stallion said, “I'll just come back tomorrow.” “No, no,” the mare said, “it's okay. I was just going over some magical formulae and theories. The library does close in a half hour, but take your time.” “Thanks. I just need to clear my head for a bit,” Cacophony said. He looked over at the book she was reading and lifted an eyebrow. “Hmm, Star Swirl's theories on dimensional fluxes,” he said, “heavy stuff.” “You know of Star Swirl the Bearded?!” the mare exclaimed, her eyes wide. “Well yeah, he was only the most important conjurer of the pre-Classical Era, the father of the Amniomorphic Spell... Iron Mare did an entire fifteen minute epic based off him!” “Wow!” the mare beamed. “I didn't think I'd meet a stallion who'd know anything about obscure unicorn history! My name's Twilight Sparkle, and yours?” “Cacophony,” the stallion said, extending a hoof. “I find it interesting, although I'm more into the darker and weirder stuff. You know, The Mare in the Moon, chaos theory, The Diary of King Sombra, that sort of thing. I tried getting my band-mates to believe me about what was going to happen at the Summer Sun Celebration when Nightmare Moon was prophesied to return. You should've heard the ribbing I got when nothing major happened. Although, you could say that the return of Princess Luna was a pretty major thing.” “Oh, something major did happen. It happened here. I was there.” “You mean, you saw Nightmare Moon?!” Cacophony said, his blue eyes wide. “Yes,” Twilight replied, “in fact, it was my friends and I who stopped her and brought Princess Luna back.” “No... way,” the stallion said, his eyes even wider, “that is so awesome! So wait, you were able to find the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight nodded. “Dude, that's so metal it defies explanation.” Twilight felt a little awkward hearing the praise from this stranger, and it bothered her more than a little that so few ponies outside of Ponyville knew what had happened that fateful night. Still, it comforted her that, on that night, at least Cacophony would've believed her when nopony else did. In fact, she was impressed by his interest in pre-Classical history, not to mention his knowledge of it. She was also taken in by how handsome this stallion was. His long mane and goatee suggested a bad-colt demeanor, but his blue eyes seemed kind. “So is this your first time in Ponyville?” Twilight asked. “Nah,” the musician replied, “I'm actually from here. I just haven't been around for a number of years. I've been busy with my band, Alicorn Malign. I'm only gonna be here for a week, though. The tracks passing Everfree heading towards Fillydelphia were wrecked by manticores.” “Oh, okay,” Twilight said, a tinge of disappointment creeping in her voice. “So you're just here to visit family?” “Yeah,” Cacophony said, looking at the floor, “you can say that.” Twilight could tell that Cacophony wasn't really looking forward to seeing his family, or that he already had and the reception wasn't a pleasant one. The idea was absolutely alien to her, since her relationship with her parents and her brother was nothing short of idyllic, and she could see that Applejack's family was very close as well, as large as it was. As far as her other friends' families were concerned, the only ones she knew anything about were Rarity's and Pinkie Pie's. She remembered Pinkie telling her a little about the rock farm she grew up on, and how her parents were very strict, but that's all she could get out of the normally jovial pony. In Rarity's case, she actually seemed embarrassed by her parents, as well as her sister to a lesser extent. Still, she knew that both Rarity and Pinkie loved their families. She couldn't imagine things being so awful at home that Cacophony wouldn't want to come back, even if it were just for a visit. “Is something wrong?” Twilight asked. The guitarist shook his head. “I'd rather not talk about it,” he said. “I was gonna go see the folks, but I'm too tired. I think I'm going to head back to the hotel.” He looked back up at Twilight. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms Sparkle.” With that, he turned and left the library. “Wow,” the baby dragon said after a long, awkward pause, “what was his deal?” “Isn't it obvious, Spike?” Twilight responded. “Obviously, he didn't leave home under pleasant circumstances.” With a stomp of her hoof, she exclaimed, “I'm going to get to the bottom of this!” With a yawn, Spike said, “I can already see where this is going. Let me know how this turns out so I can send it in a letter to the Princess.” “You're right, Spike!” Twilight exclaimed. “I'm sure to learn a lesson about friendship through this! I just have to find out who he's related to in Ponyville!” “I don't know, Twilight,” the dragon said. “I mean, first of all, remember the 'Smartypants Incident'? Secondly, I think that this is something that should stay between him and his folks. Besides, you don't even know the guy.” The librarian sighed. “You're right, Spike,” she said, frowning. “Maybe this is something I should just stay out of.” A knock on the door interrupted the pair's conversation. Twilight cantered to the door and opened it with her magic to see the performer formerly known as the Great & Powerful Trixie at her doorstep. Trixie was without her cape and pointed hat, and her white mane was a little more disheveled than Twilight remembered it. The librarian noticed that Trixie's eyes were bloodshot, and darting back and forth. “Twilight,” she cried, “I need your help.”