//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 - The Return // Story: Miracles // by awesomesauce4 //------------------------------// They spent some time quietly relaxing in Luna’s room. Ben continued reading his book while Josh and Luna finished up their earlier experiment, Luna being delighted to find small, silvery spheres of potassium in the flask. Josh grinned as he transferred them into a vial, placing it on a shelf full of other compounds as Luna beamed at him. “Our first experiment together,” she murmured, looking at the vial of silver-blue potassium metal reverently. “I shall remember it always.” Josh blushed, and looked away, saying nothing. The embarrassed grin on his face spoke volumes, however. That done, Luna took a seat next to Ben, watching him read with a contented look on her face. Josh, noticing the lull in activity, laid down next to Luna, curling his head into her lap. The last thing he heard before he drifted off was “Wow, he must really trust you…” What felt like quite a while later, Josh woke up again to gentle shaking. “Hey, get up, it’s time for dinner,” Ben murmured. “One sec,” Josh groaned, getting to his feet. He shook the numbness out of his body, Luna watching as he adjusted his skewed glasses. “Ready?” she asked, and Josh mutely nodded. Luna began trotting towards the Dining Hall, Ben following smartly while Josh sleepily stumbled along. “Gah, I feel like it should be breakfast,” Josh grumbled as he took his seat next to Luna. Ben laughed. “That’s what you get for taking such a long nap. Good luck sleeping tonight,” he quipped, and Josh groaned in dismay at the thought of being unable to sleep. Celestia trotted in a few minutes later, taking her seat next to Luna at the head of the table. “Hello, Ben and Josh. How has your day been?” she inquired. “Good,” Ben answered amicably. “Restful,” Josh joked. Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” she commented. “He fell asleep for hours. It was adorable,” Ben ribbed, and Josh smiled slightly. The other guests began to file in, and Josh gazed curiously at the nobles and assorted high-society. Some looked nervous, presumably because they were sharing a table with the most important ponies in Equestria. Some simply looked bored – Josh singled them out as the ‘experienced’ ones. One stared back at him. “Auntie… who are these, and why is this one sitting in my spot?” Prince Blueblood asked, trotting up to examine Ben. Celestia appeared surprised, then returned to her usual serene demeanor. “They are two ambassadors from a faraway land. Tonight, we are showing them the proper respect.” Satisfied, Blueblood nodded and looked at Ben. “I am going to sit over here,” he enunciated loudly, as though talking to a child. “You may keep your seat.” Ben glanced at him distastefully. “I’m an alien… not an idiot,” he rebuked. Blueblood blushed scarlet, and there were muffled giggles from around the table. Without another word, Blueblood chose a seat as far away from Ben as he could, and Celestia sighed, watching him go. “Sorry about that,” she apologized to Ben. “He’s…” Josh sighed. “We know,” he cut in, and Celestia stared at him in surprise before nodding to herself. “Right, right…” Once the initial drama had died down, the rest of the meal went without incident. The meal itself was generous helpings of pasta and garlic bread, which Josh and Ben happily downed, Josh paying special attention to the garlic bread. “Okay, you need to stop,” Ben remarked as Josh finished off yet another basket. “I can’t help it, it’s delicious,” Josh whined. Luna chuckled. “True, but it comes with a price. Namely, your breath,” she quipped. Josh rolled his eyes. “Worth it,” he replied, grabbing yet another slice. After the meal, Celestia and Luna led the pair of them to their bedrooms, where Josh was surprised to see a bed of his size set up next to Luna’s. “You want us to sleep… in your rooms?” he queried, raising an eyebrow. “Of course,” Luna answered. “Is this not what families do on your world?” Josh and Ben looked at each other. “…No,” Ben answered carefully. Luna awkwardly scuffed a hoof on the floor. “Oh… well… we can move it, if you are more comfortable sleeping… alone?” Josh looked at the bed appraisingly. It looked large, and difficult to move, which made him wonder how it had gotten here in the first place. Teleportation, maybe? “…You know what, it’s fine,” he answered after a moment. “I’ll be fine.” He slipped his shoes off and slid under the covers, only to poke his head back out as he realized the others were staring at him. “Isn’t it only around six in the evening?” Ben wondered. “At least brush your teeth first,” Luna reminded him. “Oh. Right. Um… do you have a toothbrush I could borrow?” Josh asked. Luna giggled. “I had toiletries sent up this morning, do not fear. Come, they are in mine bathing room,” she enticed, Josh reluctantly slipping out of bed. “I… I think I’ll sleep somewhere else tonight,” Ben said to Celestia as Josh and Luna headed for the bathroom. “Oh… okay,” Celestia answered, lighting her horn. “I’ve teleported the bed to... Suite 508. Would you like to be escorted there?” Celestia asked nervously. “…No, I think I can find it. Thank you, though,” Ben replied, excusing himself. Celestia watched him go, a forlorn expression on her face. A few minutes later, Josh had brushed his teeth and slipped back into bed, staring up at the ceiling. “Are you okay, Josh? You seem… preoccupied,” Luna worried. Josh chuckled tiredly. “Considering I’m a prince on a fictional alien planet… I’m not sure what you expected.” Luna huffed a sigh. “That is still… very hard to believe for us. Perhaps you could show us this work of fiction, on… what was your planet called, again?” Josh closed his eyes. “Earth,” he answered. “What’s this place called?” Luna smirked, looking at him incredulously. “Anima,” she answered proudly. “An ancient word meaning ‘Soul.’” Josh opened his eyes again, looking at her in interest. “Soul, huh? Interesting.” Luna chuckled. “It’s better than ‘dirt,’” she ribbed, and Josh chuckled again. “Goodnight, my sweet prince,” the Princess of the Night softly murmured, dousing the lamp as she got into her own bed. “Goodnight,” Josh sleepily mumbled. But, try as he might, Josh simply could not sleep. Princess Luna had slipped off a while ago, her soft breathing and the rise and fall of her chest almost hypnotic in their regularity. Josh stared at the dark, moonlit ceiling, regretting taking a nap earlier. Hours passed, though to Josh it felt like an eternity. Finally, as he was staring at the moon, something happened: A shadow flashed across the window. Curious, Josh looked over. He could just barely make out… He got out of bed, crossing to the window and stepping on a few crinkled, strewn papers along the way – thankfully, Luna did not appear to wake. Had Josh been more awake, he might have commented that her strategic maneuver wasn't working. Josh looked out the window, confirming his suspicions: Somepony was watching them from the roof. He couldn’t make out their coat color, or anything else – it was simply too dark. But he thought he caught a flash of blue as they looked at his window. As soon as they caught sight of him, they fell off, flailing before flying away as fast as they could. Josh watched them go, too tired to even question what he had just seen. Without another word, he returned to his bed. And, almost like magic, he slipped away from reality... Sunlight filtered in from the opened window, irritating Josh as he rolled over in his bed to escape the glare. “Awake, Josh, it is time to begin your day,” Luna whispered into his ear. “I’ll begin my day when I feel like it,” Josh grumbled, burying himself deeper into the bed. Luna giggled. “Then perhaps I shall eat this delicious breakfast by myself,” she teased. Josh gave no response. “Oh, come on, please? ‘Tia is holding court, and I want to eat breakfast with you,” the Princess of the Night pouted. “Fine…” Josh grumbled, swinging his legs over and standing up. Rubbing his eyes to clear them, he looked down and realized he’d been sleeping in his day clothes. “Remind me to pick up some pajamas when we stop by Earth…” he muttered as Luna led him to the dining hall. He found Ben eating there already, looking as though he’d had a restless night. “Not much sleep either, huh?” Josh tiredly greeted. “Yeah… I… I’m just a little nervous,” Ben admitted shakily. “Going back to my parents, and telling them… uh…” he trailed off. Luna placed a comforting wing on his back. “Do not worry, I am sure you will do wonderfully,” she soothed. For some reason, Ben didn’t seem consoled. “Right, so, um… how was your night?” he asked Josh, who shrugged. “Couldn’t really sleep, but it was alright.” Finally waking up somewhat, he noticed his best friend’s demeanor. “Hey. Don’t worry. It’ll be weird and dramatic, but in the end, it’ll be fine. We’re all mature adults here,” he softly reminded Ben. Ben nodded, relaxing slightly. “Right… mature adults…” he muttered, glancing at Luna. “So, where is the magic mirror? Last I heard, it was in the Crystal Kingdom,” Josh wondered. “It has actually been moved to Princess Twilight’s castle,” Luna informed him. “We are going to head over there today, as the mirror begins its three-day period of activity in just a few hours. The spell takes approximately thirty moons to recharge, and setting it to go to a different universe will take quite a bit of expertise.” Josh raised an eyebrow. “If I recall, the train from Ponyville to here took quite a while. How are we going to get there in time?” Luna smiled. “You forget that we are capable of teleportation,” she reminded him. “And for such a matter as this, we do not mind teleporting such a distance,” she hastily added as Ben made to open his mouth. “Will you be coming through with us?” Ben asked after a moment. “Of course!” Luna exclaimed. “We wish to meet the humans who have raised you to be such a fine, upstanding gentlecolt!” Ben smiled awkwardly. “Right, right…” he trailed off, leaving Josh to ruminate silently. “I just hope we aren’t stranding Sunset Shimmer,” he noted in dismay. Luna shook her head. “We are confident that we can recalibrate the spell, now that Princess Twilight has posited her model on its workings.” Satisfied, Ben sat back and resumed his meal. “What’s keeping Celestia?” Ben wondered a short while later, as the waiters whisked away their plates and they made to exit the dining hall. “She is cancelling all appointments for today, on account of you,” Luna answered. Ben blushed and looked away. “…Oh,” he muttered. Luna looked over in worry. “Do not be sad. She is more than happy to do this for you,” Luna added, smiling up at him. “She will be done in just a moment. Would you two like to bring anything with you?” she offered. Ben shook his head, but Josh took a moment to think. “Josh?” Luna prompted. “A duffle bag, for my stuff,” was his only answer. Princess Celestia arrived a few minutes later, looking disgruntled. “Blueblood attempted to flatter me into signing it again,” she muttered to Luna, who scowled. “Were this a thousand years ago, he wouldst be consigned to the dungeons for such treason,” she grumbled in reply. The two Princesses realized that Josh and Ben were still there, and hastily brightened their expressions. “We shall leave shortly,” Celestia informed the two of them. “Is there anything you would like to take with you?” Luna held up a hoof. “Josh has requested a ‘duffle bag,’ for his belongings,” she answered. “Sister, what is a ‘duffle bag?’” Celestia looked at Josh strangely. “It is a very large sack, for carrying large amounts of objects in a single container. I shall provide one when we arrive,” she replied, and Josh nodded in satisfaction. With that, Celestia lit her horn a bright yellow. “Are you ready?” she asked. “Teleportation doesn’t hurt, does it?” Ben asked nervously. Celestia shook her head, smiling gently. “Close your eyes…” she instructed, and the two humans obediently did so. There was the sound of a magical pop, and a cool breeze blew over them as Celestia giggled. “And open them again,” she finished. Josh opened his eyes, and looked around with shock to find that their surroundings had completely changed. The warm, stagnant air of Canterlot had been replaced by the blustery Ponyville day, ponies gaping at the sudden appearance of Princess Luna, Princess Celestia and two humans in the town square. “Do not fear, we are merely visiting,” Celestia called out to the masses, who hastily nodded and went about their business. “Huh. Didn’t feel a thing,” Josh noted, examining his hands to try and find any differences. “Princess Celestia!” a voice called from far away, and they found Twilight excitedly galloping towards them. “Hello, Princess Twilight!” Celestia warmly greeted, and Twilight leaped into her for a nuzzle. “I just got your letter – it’s good to see you two again!” Twilight greeted Josh and Ben, looking over as she bowed. Josh and Ben bowed back. “Good to see you too. How’s the festival going?” Josh asked. “It’s going wonderfully, and with the Princesses themselves here I bet it’s going to be even better!” Twilight excitedly squealed. Princess Celestia looked away. “Actually, Twilight, we are here to escort these two humans home, so we will be unable to attend the festivities for at least three days.” Twilight looked at her curiously. “But why three… oh…” Twilight realized. Celestia nodded. “I believe I can reconfigure Star Swirl’s mirror to find their planet of origin. Would you mind taking us to it?” Twilight furiously nodded. “Of course! Follow me, everypony,” she commanded, leading them towards her castle. “Who’s going to raise the sun and moon?” Josh wondered. Celestia smiled. “We are still connected to our sun and moon through the portal. The ‘distance’ between the link will not significantly change.” Shrugging, Josh and Ben accepted this, and continued forward. The mirror was situated deep within the castle, through many winding corridors. Starlight accompanied them curiously, nodding at Josh as the six of them traversed the Castle of Friendship. “Hard to believe we’re going back to Earth so soon,” Ben muttered to Josh. “Yeah… this typically isn’t this easy,” Josh muttered back. Finally, Twilight opened one last door, and they came to Star Swirl’s Crystal Mirror. It was shaped like a horseshoe, or perhaps an omega symbol, the bluish reflective glass inside gently shimmering with some soft, unseen light. “Here it is,” Twilight announced. “I’m sorry I can’t stay longer, but I have to get back and plan the Festival. Safe travels, you two!” she called to Josh and Ben as she left the room. Starlight quickly followed, a nervous expression on her face as she hurried after Twilight. Once they were gone, Josh turned to Celestia and Luna. “Hey, before we go, I just wanted to bring up one thing,” he began, Celestia and Luna looking at him expectantly. “Yes?” Luna asked curiously. “You might be tempted to use your magic to alter the sun and moon once we get to Earth. On account of the moon appearing during the day, the sun being too bright, or some such. Don’t. You’ll kill everyone,” Josh urgently demanded. “Of course. Thank you for warning us,” Celestia accepted. Josh nodded, looking relieved. “So, how long does recalibrating the Mirror take?” Ben wondered. “Not very long at all,” Celestia answered, a smile on her face. She lit her horn once, a bright yellow light enveloping Josh before quickly dissipating. Lighting her horn again, the Mirror began to glow yellow, until a superimposed image was present on the surface. Josh recognized his house, his parents’ cars not visible in the driveway. “Well, they’re not home… Great, let’s get this over with,” he sighed, stepping through. “Wait! I haven’t finished!” Celestia began, but it was too late; Josh had already touched the mirror with his shoe. The Mirror glowed brighter and brighter, and the last thing Josh heard was Ben screaming “What’s happening to him?! Josh?! JOSH!” And everything went black. As soon as Josh returned to consciousness, there was a sense of overwhelming, blinding panic. A sense of burning, fiery heat washed over him, and he felt oddly… shorter. He opened his eyes, finding that he was on the driveway of his house, in the exact spot where they had been looking. He slowly looked back at his body. To his shock, he’d turned bright, coppery orange. A tufted, feathery appendage jutted from his ribcage, and he could feel it, like a second arm. There was another one on the other side, but it had gotten stuck under the rest of his body, and was quickly cramping. His clothes were strewn off to the side, and his tail – he had a tail, now?! – was a slightly darker shade of orange, somewhat comparable to what his hair had been as a human. Finally, he noticed the swirling green vortex on his flank. Looking up once to confirm his suspicions, Josh instantly noticed the horn jutting out of his forehead. A second later, Celestia, Luna and Ben tumbled out of a glowing hole in reality just behind him, scrambling over to him. “Josh! Are you alright?!” Luna queried, but stopped short as she caught sight of him. “Um… Yes…?” Josh answered, picking himself up. He wobbled for a moment, then fell over onto his other side, emitting a muffled yelp. Her trance broken, Luna immediately rushed to his side, propping him up and levitating him onto her back. “I’m so sorry – I can change you back, it’ll be okay!” Luna hurriedly apologized. “Hey, hey, it’s alright!” Josh soothed, raising his two front hooves up in an attempted gesture of comfort before realizing he was about to slip off her back. “It was my own fault, for going through before the mirror was ready. I’m okay,” he answered. He spent a few minutes trying to stand up, Luna assisting as necessary. “So… this is what you look like as a pony, huh?” Ben wondered. Josh looked up at him, noting just how much taller Ben was compared to him now. He barely even came up to Ben’s chest, and he thought if he reared up, he might be able to reach Ben’s shoulders. “Looks like it. Is this… what Miracle Matter looked like?” he wondered, looking at Luna. She brushed a tear away from her eye, smiling down at him. “You were younger… but yes… it’s really you,” she murmured, before hugging him tightly, crying and smiling as she held him for dear life. Josh awkwardly sat there as she embraced him, looking half elated and half terrified at the sudden and violent display of affection. As Luna slowly calmed down, still hugging Josh and nuzzling him for all she was worth, Celestia cleared her throat. “Sister… we appear to be in the middle of a road,” she reminded Luna. Luna immediately came back to her senses, looking around and blushing profusely. “Right! Yes, what were we doing again?” she asked, grinning sheepishly. “Collecting my stuff,” Josh answered. “Ah. And… your parents...?” Luna wondered, trailing off. “They’re not home at the moment,” Josh replied, looking again at the driveway. “If they arrive… then I’ll explain. If not… then I’ll leave a note.” He stumbled his way over to his front door, Luna helping him along the way. “Do you live with your parents still, Josh?” Luna asked, clearly trying to make small talk as she helped him walk. “No,” Josh answered, thankful for the distraction. “I go to college across the continent. Most of my stuff is here, though, so it's good we stopped here first.” Luna nodded. “…How big is this planet, anyway?” she wondered. “Planet Earth has an approximate radius of six thousand, three hundred and seventy-one kilometers,” Josh immediately answered. Luna’s eyes widened. “That is… substantially bigger than Anima,” she noted. “Okay… there used to be a spare key around here, but I don’t know if we still do that. Whenever I lost my house key, I’d just go over to the neighbors and ask… but I don’t think that would work,” Josh noted, looking down at his new form. “Allow me,” Celestia offered. She lit her horn, and there was a clack as the door unlocked from the inside. Josh raised an eyebrow at her. “Do that often?” he joked, and Celestia giggled. “It would certainly make Canterlot life more interesting if I did,” she returned, opening the door with her magic. They made their way inside, Ben gazing around at Josh’s house. All was silent, and Josh noted with some interest how things had changed since he had gone back to college. “Okay, most of my lab’s packed up in the garage,” he motioned to Luna. “Look for large plastic bins. Celestia, you and I will go upstairs to my room and get my personal stuff, okay?” Celestia nodded, and levitated him onto her back. “Wait, what do I do?” Ben wondered as they set off. “Look pretty,” Josh ordered, and Celestia tittered as Ben rolled his eyes, following them upstairs. “Wow, you really do have a room just like Luna’s,” Celestia commented as they entered his bedroom. The desk was cluttered with scientific papers, half-finished inventions, and electronic parts, and the drawer fared little better. The floor was strewn with more papers, books and clothes, and a bin full of old toys and more electronic parts was right in the middle of the floor. Josh sighed, looking around. “This would be a lot easier if I had hands,” he muttered. “Sadly, I cannot change you back until you go through the portal again. Do not worry, I can teleport anything you desire back through the portal,” Celestia advised. “Okay… that bin, in the middle. Everything on and inside the drawer… and everything in the closet,” Josh began. There was a flash of light, and everything he had just listed had disappeared from his room, Josh blinking in surprise. “Wow. ‘Celestia’s Moving Service,’ huh?” Ben quipped, watching. “Both of you will be able to do this, with a few years of training,” Celestia answered. Luna came upstairs a moment later, puffing slightly as she walked into Josh’s already crowded room. “Oh, is this your element collection?” she questioned excitedly, looking over at a long row of ampoules on his desk. “You keep that in your bedroom?” Ben wondered incredulously. “I’m pretty sure at least half of those would kill you if they broke.” Josh shook his head. “Halogens maybe, thallium, arsenic, and possibly some of the alkali metals. The others are either too unreactive or they’re just metals.” Luna looked over each ampoule in fascination, and Josh smiled slightly as he watched her. His old mother had never even bothered to glance at them… Luna lifted up each set of ampoules gently in her magic, teleporting them a moment later. “All of your laboratory equipment has been moved as well,” she informed Josh, who nodded. “That’s everything I can think of, so I think we’re done here,” he answered, satisfied. Ben raised an eyebrow. “So fast?” he questioned. Josh nodded. “They were going to sell the house in a few years, so they requested I pack up all my stuff before I left for college this fall. Convenient, huh?” That done, he stumbled his way over to a nearby computer, where he booted it up and waited for it to oh so slowly log in. “Piece of junk,” Josh growled as he waited. “Wow. How old is this thing?” Ben questioned. “2005. My dad kept ‘upgrading’ it… at least, until it wasn’t feasible to do anymore. This is the computer I used to play games with you on,” Josh explained. Ben looked disgusted. "It looks like it would barely run Pong," he muttered, and Josh laughed. Once he reached the login screen, he managed to select the correct login with his hooves, and went to type the password. However, his hooves were simply too large to press the correct keys. “Here, let me. What’s your password?” Ben asked, fingers positioned over the keyboard. Josh grumbled. “All lowercase, spell out ‘iodine53’.” Ben snorted as he entered the password, and waited for Josh to dictate what to do next. “What are you going to do?” Celestia asked, watching the device in fascination. “Type up a farewell letter,” Josh answered. “You’re not even going to write it?” Ben wondered. “Do I look like I can write?” Josh retorted, holding up his hooves for emphasis. “Though… I guess having one of you type it would be a little callous,” he noted a moment later. “Must you really cut them off, though?” Luna wondered. “Perhaps it would be better to try and make friends with them again.” Josh whipped his head around to stare at her. “If they were strangers, I might,” he hissed. “But I will not remain in such a toxic relationship for the vague promise of ‘friendship.’ It’s not worth it.” Luna immediately reared back, holding her hooves up in surrender. “Fair enough, I understand,” she answered quickly. Josh sighed, turning back to the computer screen. He stared at it for a moment, eyes narrowed before turning away with a huff. “I’ll do it later, I guess,” he grumbled. “Good idea,” Celestia agreed. Josh shut down the computer, and the four of them headed out into the late Seattle afternoon. “Alright, so how do we wanna get to your house?” Josh wondered, looking at Ben. Ben shrugged. “Maybe we could teleport again?” he wondered. Celestia and Luna looked at each other in worry. “Perhaps we should save some magic for the return trip,” Celestia gently countered. “While we are alicorns, our magical reserves are not limitless.” Ben took on an apologetic expression. “Sorry, I kind of assumed…” he began. Celestia shook her head. “Think nothing of it. Now, what would you say to flying there?” Both Josh and Ben’s ears perked up at that question, though in Josh’s case this was actually literal. “That sounds great,” Ben enthusiastically answered. “Huh. Never been flying before…” Josh wondered. A few minutes later, they were soaring over the treetops, Ben whooping as Celestia took him for a few dives and loops. Josh was actually smiling, and Luna was beaming as she swooped down to skim a pine tree with a hoof. “There!” Ben pointed out a house just to their right, and Celestia dived down, Luna following as wind buffeted Josh’s head. Strangely, although he should have been screaming in fear at such an acceleration, Josh was instead grinning. It felt so… natural. He wondered if his alicorn body perhaps had some muscle memory of flying. They landed in Ben’s driveway, and Josh immediately tripped over himself while trying to get off Luna’s back, landing instead on his face. “Are you alright?” Luna fussed, levitating him right-side-up and checking him over. “I fell two feet, Luna, I’ll be fine,” Josh laughed. Luna seemed unconvinced. Ben noted with dismay the two cars in front of his house – evidently, his parents were home. “Okay…” he breathed. “Mature adults.” He walked up to the door, and knocked before he could change his mind, pulling his hand back from the door as though he’d been burned. “Coming!” a female voice sounded from the other side, and the door opened to reveal Ben’s mother. At first, neither side spoke. Ben’s mom stared at the three small horses with wings and horns accompanying him, and they stared right back, Celestia looking around awkwardly. She was a full foot shorter than Ben, and about as thin, and though her dark brown hair and blue eyes looked similar to his chocolate afro and hazelnut irises, Josh could clearly see that they weren't related now that he knew the truth. “Hey… Mom… can we come in?” Ben asked in a small voice. Ben’s mother jerked backward, her stare broken as she shifted her attention to him. “O-of course!” she answered breathlessly. Ben slowly walked across the threshold, Celestia, Luna and Josh following a moment later. Ben’s dogs came barking around the corner as soon as they caught sight of the newcomers. “Oh! Sorry, they’re very excitable,” Ben apologized as they attempted to jump onto Celestia. “Oh, my! Hello, you two!” Celestia answered, nuzzling them happily. They noticed Josh, and their expressions changed to confusion as they sniffed him. “Yeah, it’s me again,” Josh answered, lazily holding out a hoof to pet them with as he grinned at their familiar antics. Upon hearing his voice, they went into another excited frenzy, tackling him to the floor and licking him all over. While Josh busied himself with the dogs, Luna, Celestia and Ben went into the kitchen. “I know why you’re here,” his mother announced as soon as they were alone. “You …do?” Ben replied, shocked. His mother nodded, the ghost of a smile coming to her face as she took a seat. “A few years back, while you were out at school, one of these… ponies stopped by to visit. He was blue, electric blue, not like you, Mrs…?” Ben’s mom trailed off. “Luna,” the Princess of the Night introduced herself. “And you?” she returned politely after a moment. “Claire,” Ben’s mom answered, just as politely. “I am Celestia, and the orange alicorn in the other room is Josh,” Celestia finished. Ben’s mom’s eyes went wide. “That’s Josh? Wow, that’s a new one,” she wondered. Ben laughed. “Yeah, he stepped through the portal a little before he was supposed to. Now he’s a pony.” Claire chuckled awkwardly. “Speaking of, back to the story.” “So, this pony stops by one day. He tells me that pretty soon, my son’s going to find out he was a lost prince from another world, and he’d have to make a choice whether to stay in that world or here. Normally, I’d have assumed this was some kind of hallucination, but he told me things… only my son would know,” Claire trailed off. Celestia and Luna looked at each other in shock. “This visiting pony… how tall was he?” Celestia inquired. “About Luna’s size,” Claire mused. “So… I came back from the future…?” Ben wondered. “You are the Alicorn of Time,” Celestia agreed. “It would certainly be within your capabilities.” Claire nodded. “So… I wanted to let you know… whatever you choose, I’ll be okay with it,” she softly addressed Ben. “After all, who could pass up the chance to learn magic?” Ben chuckled halfheartedly. “Yeah… I…” he sighed. “I want to go with them, but… I don’t want to lose you either,” he admitted. “I can’t decide.” Josh poked his head in from the other room. “Then don’t,” he replied, and everyone looked over in surprise. “When I was adopted, my birth-mom… or what I thought was my birth-mom followed this policy where she’d visit me over the course of ten years, more and more infrequently each time. I hated that idea, because it implied that she was inferior compared to my old parents and should be ‘phased out.’ So, why not do both? Go to Equestria… but visit Earth sometimes too,” Josh finished. “I would certainly agree to this,” Celestia added. “The portal opens once every thirty moons, but once you learn time travel, Ben, that won’t be much of an issue.” Ben looked between them. “So… it’d be okay with you if I…” he trailed off, staring at his mother. “Of course,” Claire answered. “I’ve been proud to raise you, but you should spend some time with your real parents. That reminds me… did you know I found you on my doorstep?” she asked. “What?!” Ben answered, incredulous, and Josh snorted with laughter from the other room. “Uh-huh. I thought some errant couple had just left you here, so I decided to raise you. I haven’t told you all these years because… well, we looked similar enough, and I thought that it might hurt you to never know who your real parents were. Guess I was wrong, then!” Claire laughed weakly. Ben stared at her for a moment, then collapsed into her arms, sobbing. Celestia and Luna quickly joined in, leaving Josh alone in the doorway. He looked back at one of the dogs, who snuffled expectantly at him. Josh rolled his eyes, leaving the rest of his family alone. It was their moment, after all, not his. …Right? “Hey… have I been gone long? From this world, I mean,” Ben wondered, once the sniffling had finally died down. Claire shrugged. “I don’t think so. You left for school this morning, but when I walked outside, your car was still there.” Ben sighed in relief. “I thought it was going to be some sort of reverse-Narnia thing, where I find out that years passed while we were in Equestria for a day.” Claire laughed. “Don’t worry, you’re fine,” she admonished. “Is there anything you’d like to take with you?” Ben thought for a moment. “My laptop, obviously. Uh… what happened to my phone? It was in my pocket, but it was gone as soon as I got to Equestria.” Claire nodded. “Your phone and keys were in the car, so I brought them inside. If I hadn’t seen that blue alicorn again, I’d have assumed you’d been kidnapped,” she muttered. “Anyway, they’re in your room.” Ben nodded. “Thanks… mom,” he trailed off. “Man, it’s weird to have multiple moms,” he muttered under his breath. “You get used to it,” Josh added from the other room. “Josh, quit eavesdropping and get in here! You’re my brother now, you have to contribute,” Ben ordered. Josh appeared in the doorway again, Ben’s two dogs nipping at him expectantly. “I am contributing. I’m keeping these two quiet with belly rubs,” he retorted, sounding somewhat miffed. “Thank you for that, I was wondering why they weren't barking. Come on, let’s go upstairs!” Ben demanded, sounding much less nervous. Josh raced him upstairs, having somewhat gotten the hang of his new legs, and the three parents followed a moment after, knowing smiles on their faces. “Just as clean and polished as I remember it,” Josh quipped as they entered Ben’s bedroom. Where Josh's room had been dirty, Ben's was in pristine condition - not a single paper out of place. “I’m going to miss all these video games,” Ben sighed. “Take some with you! I’m pretty sure I can figure out a power supply and a television,” Josh urged. Ben put a hand to his chin in thought. “Mmm… alright. But it better be huge,” he urged. Josh laughed. “Oh, trust me, I never do small-scale. Go big, or go home.” Ben picked out a few video games and consoles. “Your bro not gonna miss those?” Josh wondered. “He never plays them anymore,” Ben answered. “Heh… I’m kinda glad that everything worked out, between you and your parents,” Josh remarked. “Yeah… I was expecting a fight for custody, or something…” Ben wondered. Josh shrugged. “Custody doesn’t apply when you’re 18 or up. I’m just surprised we managed to avoid my parents.” Ben chuckled awkwardly. “So… is this it? Are we going back?” he asked. Josh considered this. “I was actually hoping to make a stop at my college dorm, so we could pick up my other stuff. Not sure if our moms would be cool with such an… extensive side trip, though.” Ben rolled his eyes. “You know, because going to an entirely different universe is paltry compared to a trip across America.” Josh snorted with laughter. “Touché.” Meanwhile, Celestia, Luna and Claire sat in an adjacent room, looking anywhere but each other. “So… you, uh… you can fly?” Claire tried, after a moment. “Yes, we can,” Celestia answered carefully. “We flew here, actually,” Luna added, smiling nervously. Claire mulled this over for a moment. “…I didn’t want to say this in front of the kids, but I feel like you should know it,” Claire finally began. “Can you… somehow prevent them from hearing anything we say?” she asked urgently. “Of course, but… why?” Luna asked suspiciously. “Please. This must not be overheard,” Claire answered quietly. Luna lit her horn, and the sound of Josh and Ben talking in the other room faded away quickly. Claire took a deep breath. “When that blue alicorn… older Ben… showed up, he told me something else. Something that I was supposed to tell you two, and not them.” Celestia and Luna leaned forward, listening intently. “He said that one day, Josh would make a choice that you couldn’t accept… but you must accept it. He said it was critical that you did.” Luna reared back, surprised. “Did he say anything else?” she inquired, trying to sound casual. Claire shook her head. “He refused to elaborate. When I asked him why, he said that I would be pressured into telling you, and then you would prevent the choice from ever happening… which would be very bad. His words,” Claire explained. The two alicorns mulled over this. “…This is why I prefer not to deal in time travel anymore,” Luna muttered. “Indeed,” Celestia agreed. Claire looked at her as though she'd sprouted a second head. "...Right, anyway," Claire muttered. "What... what is Ben going to do, in your world?" she asked. "Anything he wishes. I will do my best to raise him in the manner with which you have, to be a strong, courageous prince," Celestia cheerfully answered, glad for the change of topic. Claire sighed, clenching her fists at her sides as she stared at the floor. “Claire… is something wrong? Have we angered you?” Celestia asked, noticing her sudden change in demeanor. Claire scowled at the floor. “It’s… nothing,” she forced out between clenched teeth as she relaxed her grip on the chair ever so slightly. “Nothing at all.” Celestia and Luna shared a look of concern. “Please tell us,” Celestia pleaded. “If there is any malcontent at all between us, I wish to rectify it.” Claire put her hands over her face, growling. “It’s that!” she snarled. “That perfect attitude of yours!” Celestia reeled back, shocked. “…I beg your pardon?” she replied, clueless. Claire stared at her for a second between her fingers, then slumped over, huffing a sigh. “It’s just… how can I ever hope to measure up to you? You two can fly, you can do magic, you’re even royalty! You talk about time travel as though it were nothing, just a bad hobby you gave up! You’re so polite, and charming, and… perfect. You’re the perfect mother, and I’m… not,” Claire admitted. Celestia tilted her head. “With all due respect, Claire… none of those have anything to do with being a mother. I did not choose to be able to fly, or do magic, or be royalty. These were gifts bestowed upon me from the moment of my birth. And… having seen what hands can do, I am quite envious of yours,” Celestia tried, cracking a smile. “As for my charm… it is what I have learned from a thousand years of politics. I am merely attempting to keep everyone around me happy, nothing more.” Celestia got up, and began pacing in a circle around Claire while Luna watched. “But what about you?” the solar diarch mused. “You’ve raised Ben in a clearly superior manner than I. Had he been brought up in the courts, he would have been spoiled. He would have had everything he wanted, and cared for none of it. He’d be bored, disillusioned, and perhaps even prone to arrogance,” Celestia stated bluntly, recalling a certain blond-haired nephew of hers. “But you have taught him something I never could have, in my environment,” she firmly declared. “Oh yeah? Like what?” Claire grumbled. “You have taught him humility,” Celestia answered sternly, using a wing to lift Claire’s chin. “You have made sure that he knows to do what is right for others, not himself. To lead by example, and to stay determined even in times of duress. And for that… I can never repay you.” Celestia sank to her knees in a bow, spreading her wings before a shocked Claire. “I know I must seem powerful to you, perhaps even too powerful. But remember that it was not I that raised Ben to become the upstanding gentleman he is today. That was you,” Celestia finished. Claire looked at her for a moment longer, searching Celestia’s eyes for something. Then, she slowly removed her hands from her face, sighing. “You stop that,” she muttered, but on her face was that unmistakably familiar ghost of a smile. “I shan’t. Now… can you tell me about Ben?” Celestia urgently asked, smiling eagerly now that the tension had been defused. “What he likes, what he dislikes? I need to know everything.” Claire snorted in amusement as she raised her eyes to the ceiling in thought. “Well… for starters…”