//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 - The Homecoming // Story: Miracles // by awesomesauce4 //------------------------------// “Alright, are we ready to go?” Celestia asked, casting one last glance at their surroundings. Ben gave the thumbs-up, and Josh seconded with a nod. “Before we go…” Luna spoke up, and all eyes turned to her. She smiled at the pair of humans. “I would just like to say… I am glad you stayed, both of you. I promise you will not regret this choice.” Josh merely nodded acceptingly, but Ben stooped down and hugged Luna tightly, the Princess of the Night nuzzling into him comfortingly. Celestia engulfed them all in a hug, her massive wingspan scooching them all together as she sniffled slightly. “May we never be apart again,” she murmured. Ben leaned into her as well, while Josh elected to remain still. After a few seconds, he realized he was supposed to do something emotional, and leaned into Luna, closing his eyes. They broke apart after a moment, and Celestia stepped out onto the balcony, wings spread as Ben climbed atop her. “Don’t pull so much,” she complained. “Sorry! Sorry, you alright?” Ben asked in concern. Celestia giggled. “I’ll be fine. Just… here,” she offered, lifting him up with her magic and depositing him on her back. Josh followed suit, climbing onto Luna with relative ease due to her shorter stature. The flight home was long, and boring. They played music, watched a few shows on their smartphones, and generally did their best to relieve the boredom of flying so far across the country. Finally, they landed in a grassy clearing Josh didn’t recognize, the two Princesses stopping a moment to stretch their wings. “Where are we?” Ben asked, looking around. “I figured we could teleport directly through the portal from here,” Celestia explained. “Avoid some… awkwardness.” Josh quickly realized they were talking about his parents, and nodded. “Good thinking.” Celestia took a moment to compose herself, breathing deeply. “Ben? Would you like… would you like to turn into an alicorn through the mirror?” she asked carefully. Ben appeared surprised at the question. “Oh! Right, since… the mirror can do that. Um…” he trailed off, looking at Josh. Josh shrugged. “It’s kind of weird, but you get used to it,” he answered Ben’s unspoken question. “Right… you know what? Go for it,” Ben decided. Celestia smiled, relieved. “A brave choice. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt in any way,” she soothed. She lit her horn, and Ben disappeared in a flash of light, Josh blinking as his retinas reacted to the sudden flare. Without wasting a moment, Celestia lit her horn again, and the three of them vanished in the same flash of light. They reappeared in front of the mirror, the swirling glass surface fading from view. In front of them was a vividly blue alicorn, who appeared to be out cold, as well as several neat piles of stuff that had been teleported through the mirror. Josh looked at Ben… no, at Clockwork Chronology. His hair was a midnight blue akin to Luna’s own coat, and his coat was a much lighter shade of neon blue. In addition, he looked strangely metallic, as though his fur were actually reflective - Josh noted this quality in his own fur, now that he'd spotted it. Metallic Ponies. Probably Hasbro's idea of a marketing tool, or something stupid, he mused. His Cutie Mark was that same red gear-shape that vaguely resembled a skull. “So… that’s what he looks like, huh?” Josh wondered. “It would appear so,” Celestia agreed. She knelt down by Clockwork, who was breathing gently. “Clockwork? Are you alright? This didn’t happen to Josh…” she worried, looking back at him. Josh shrugged. “No idea. I did feel like I lost consciousness briefly, but I got back up in just a few seconds. Maybe it hit him harder?” he posited. Celestia looked back at Clockwork worriedly. “Perhaps we should get him to a doctor,” she suggested. Just then, there was a commotion at the door. Coxa burst onto the scene, breathing heavily as she stared at Josh. “Friend? Is that you?” she asked, sniffing the air confusedly. “Hey, Coxa,” Josh greeted, aware that he was now an alicorn and wondering how she had detected his presence. Maybe his scent hadn't changed, or something? Chelicerae came bouncing in a moment later, tackling Josh as she nuzzled his neck. “You pony friend now!” she realized, snuffling at his face. Josh laughed. “Yep,” he agreed, bumping a hoof with Chelicerae as he got to his hooves again. “Josh, do you know these changelings?” Celestia asked. “We met them in Ponyville, remember?” Josh reminded her. “They’re super nice.” Coxa blushed and looked away. “Anyway, it is good to see you again, Friend. We were… worried,” she admitted. “Worried about what?” Josh asked, raising an eyebrow. “We saw you go in Castle of Friendship… we did not see you come out,” Coxa explained. “Oh. Well, uh… I was visiting the planet I came from,” Josh explained. Coxa tilted her head. “Planet?” she inquired. Chelicerae raised her hoof. “I know! I know what planet is!” she announced. Coxa looked curiously at her daughter. “What is planet?” she asked, a motherly smile tugging at her face as she watched her daughter’s excitement. “Planet is big ball of rock and grass that we all live on, and it float in the sky! I learn it in school,” Chelicerae announced proudly. “Right,” Josh agreed. “But I came from a different planet, from a different place in… the sky. It was a very long trip,” he joked, and Chelicerae giggled. “Anyway… I must request the two of you swear to secrecy about all you have just heard and seen. No information of what is in this room must ever leave this room,” Celestia stressed. Upon noticing her, Coxa dropped to a bow, Chelicerae attempting an uncertain one of her own. “We swear, Qu… Princess Celestia,” Coxa answered. Celestia smiled and nodded, though the smile appeared a bit strained. “Thank you, my faithful subjects. I… trust you will keep this promise.” Formalities exchanged, Coxa excused herself, pushing a reluctant Chelicerae out of the room. “So, where can we find a doctor in this town?” Josh wondered, glancing over at Celestia again. “The Ponyville clinic should be nearby,” Celestia mused, levitating Ben onto her back. Luna lit her horn, and all of Josh’s stuff disappeared again, startling him. “He only seems to be knocked unconscious… but perhaps a checkup is in order,” the lunar diarch mused, checking over Ben. They made their way out of the Castle of Friendship, Josh feeling the distinct change from when he had walked in here as a human. Every so often, he would spare a glance at Ben, wondering if his former best friend and newfound brother was okay. As they rounded a corner, Spike and Starlight appeared to be talking about something, freezing when they spotted the four alicorns. “Princess Celestia and Luna! We didn’t expect… you… back…” Spike trailed off as he caught sight of Josh and Ben. “Is that…” Starlight murmured, shocked. Celestia nodded, and Luna pushed Josh forward so they could get a better view. “Our returned sons… Prince Miracle Matter and Prince Clockwork Chronology. Though, it seems you have met them before…” Luna hinted. “…Josh? And Ben?” Starlight queried incredulously, a visible red blush on her cheeks. “Oh hey,” Josh spoke up. “I’m Josh, he’s Ben. Just so you know.” Starlight appeared to be shocked speechless. “I… wow,” she finally got out. “You… you’re hot.” Realizing what she said, Starlight whipped her hooves up to cover her mouth, blushing even more profusely. “I mean-! Um, uh I have to go!” she announced, fleeing. Josh looked at Luna, and Spike looked at the group of them, equal looks of confusion on Spike’s and Josh’s faces. “What?” Josh wondered, and Luna snorted in amusement. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but… yes, you’re actually very attractive for a stallion. I think this will be a common problem,” Luna teased. Josh scrunched his face up. “Oh, goody,” he muttered. “I can kinda see it, I guess,” Spike mused, looking him over. Josh looked over his body as well. No obvious flaws presented themselves, but he had no idea what constituted a ‘hot’ stallion and what made for an ‘ugly’ stallion. He’d never really cared about his looks, anyway, so why start now? “Alright… I guess we’ll just continue on, then,” he sighed. Josh really hoped the Mane Six wouldn’t start hitting on him. That would just be awkward… They entered the main atrium of the Castle of Friendship, where they found Starlight whispering into Twilight’s ear, both of them blushing. “And then his…” Starlight trailed off as she caught sight of the four of them again. “Oh! Hello, again! I, um… she trailed off, looking around nervously. As soon as she caught sight of him, Twilight fell silent, blushing even harder as her eyes roamed his body. The other Elements of Harmony, who were also present and sitting around the Cutie Map, had fallen silent as well, equivalent blushes present on each of their faces. Josh looked around in dismay. “Okay, not having this. Whatever you might think, I’m not some sort of sexy god, and I demand to be treated normally,” he asserted, putting his hoof down imperiously. This snapped the other seven out of their respective trances. “Oh… uh… right!” Twilight agreed, hesitantly smiling. “Yes, of course…” The others murmured their respective agreement as well, but Josh caught on quickly to how they were still hiding their infatuation – a nervous twitch here, a surreptitious glance there. He turned to Celestia. “Come with me,” he ordered, and Celestia complied, looking confused. Once they were in the hallway, Josh spun around and faced Celestia. “Make me less hot,” he demanded. “What?” Celestia queried, tilting her head. “You heard me! I’m not going to parade around as some sort of sex god, and I know you can use glamour spells. Now make me normal,” Josh demanded. “O…kay?” Celestia answered, still perplexed. She lit her horn, and Josh watched as his body glowed a familiar yellow. “Did it work?” he asked. “Yes, you now look… regular…?” Celestia wondered, staring at him. “Okay. Thank you,” Josh huffed. “If I might ask… why was that necessary?” the solar princess asked. Josh sighed. “I just… I want people to listen to what I have to say because it’s right, not because I’m hot.” Celestia nodded approvingly, catching on. “A wise decision. Though, any mare that decides to date you now is in for quite the good surprise,” she teased. Josh merely groaned, making his way for the door. He wasn’t going to say anything to Celestia, but he also didn’t want to be part of one of those fanfictions. He re-entered the room, and the Elements of Harmony plus Starlight and Luna once again ceased all conversation to look at him. “…Oh…” Fluttershy disappointedly noted. “I’m swearing you all to secrecy on this,” Josh warned. “As far as the public is concerned, this is what I look like.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “O…kay, then…” she answered. “So… Princesses… are we still going to hold the festival?” she asked, nervously looking at Luna. Luna looked at Josh, who merely stared back. She looked back at Twilight imperiously. “Perhaps we shall have to change the title… but no matter! LET THERE BE CELEBRATIONS!” she joyfully announced in the Royal Canterlot Voice. The others immediately cheered, Pinkie being the loudest. “I knew something was up when you two just happened to show up from the Everfree!” Rainbow Dash boasted. “Sugarcube, ya didn’t even speak ta them,” Applejack ribbed. “So, wait, you two really are Miracle Matter and Clockwork Chronology?” Spike asked. “That’s so cool!” Rarity looked up at Celestia, Clockwork still on her back and sleeping. “Though, I must ask, Princess. Is Clockwork alright?” Celestia dipped her head slightly, a worried frown slowly appearing on her face as the others rapidly stopped smiling at this. “He… appears to have taken the transformation a little worse than Miracle did. As far as we can tell, he is alright, but I think we should see a doctor, just in case.” Pinkie popped up in front of her, stretcher and IV bag appearing from nowhere. “Well what are we WAITING FOR? We gotta get him to the clinic!” she announced loudly, pulling Ben off of Celestia’s back and speeding off into the distance. Josh watched her go in concern. “…Is he going to be alright?” he wondered. “Pinkie Pie would never let him come to harm,” Luna dismissed. “All the same… I shall accompany her,” Celestia announced. “Good luck with the celebrations, everypony!” With that, she teleported, Josh blinking in annoyance. “I really need to get used to that,” he muttered. Twilight led him towards the Town Square, ponies staring once again as Princess Luna accompanied them. A secretary was waiting just inside the building, sweating nervously as she saluted the group. “Hello, Pencil Pusher, how’s the first day on the job going?” Twilight politely asked. “Great! Is the town under attack now? Oh, I didn’t think it would happen this soon…” Pencil Pusher moaned, straightening a saddlepack full of quills and notes frantically. “Not to fear, squire,” Luna soothed regally. “There is no threat. We are merely here to… Princess Twilight, what are we doing again?” she asked. “Making an announcement,” Twilight replied. Luna raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more, and Pencil Pusher let them through. The Mayor’s office was small, and cramped with unfinished memos, strewn quills and an overflowing outbox. Mayor Mare, upon catching sight of them, hurriedly bowed. “Princess Luna! And Princess Twilight too, whatever is the matter?” she worried. “Nothing! Nothing’s wrong,” Twilight insisted. “…Oh. Okay… er… why are you here, then?” Mayor Mare wondered. Twilight sighed, and stepped to the side, revealing Josh standing there awkwardly. “This is Prince Miracle Matter. He found his way back home a few days ago, and I wanted to make the announcement that he’d returned.” Mayor Mare was flabbergasted for a moment, jaw dropping as she stared at him. “Did the glamour spell fade off?” Josh whispered into Luna’s ear surreptitiously, watching her stare. “No,” Luna whispered back. “Um. Wow. I was not expecting that,” Mayor Mare answered after a moment. “Anyway… of course! I’ll have the bell ringing in just a moment,” she answered. “Thank you,” Twilight answered, bowing to dismiss her. “What’d she mean by ‘having the bell ringing?” Josh wondered. “When we wish to make announcements, we ring the large bell on top of the bell tower. That way, ponies know that there is something important going on,” Twilight answered. Right on cue, a series of deep bongs began to emanate from somewhere over the hills. Ponies immediately stopped what they were doing, swerving towards the Town Hall with a practiced step as they whispered to themselves. “Best to get you out of sight now,” Luna noted to Josh. “It shall make for a more dramatic reveal.” Josh rolled his eyes, but accepted her reasoning, and followed the two Princesses back into the Town Hall to wait. It was only a few minutes before every pony in the town was gathered in the Town Hall once more, and they whispered to themselves nervously as they caught sight of Princess Luna and Princess Twilight flanking Mayor Mare, who also looked slightly uneasy. “Ponies of Ponyville,” she announced. “Princess Luna has an important announcement to make.” Immediately, there was uproar. “Is the town under attack?” one mare wondered. “Are you going to cancel this festival too?!” another stallion worried. “NO!” Twilight shouted into the microphone over the din. “For the last time, NOTHING IS WRONG!” Silence fell over the auditorium, and Twilight immediately blushed and stepped back. “Then why are we here?” another mare wondered, and Josh suppressed a laugh from ‘offstage.’ Princess Luna cleared her throat. “Worry not, our loyal subjects, for we bring you tidings of great joy today!” she announced, though Josh noted she was using her normal voice. “This festival was originally to celebrate the memory of my son, Prince Miracle Matter, and my sister’s son, Prince Clockwork Chronology. But I am here to tell you that that will no longer be necessary,” Luna began, nodding to Josh. He slowly trotted onto the stage, fully aware that every single pony in Ponyville was staring at him. “For today, they have returned.” Josh faced the audience, noting the complete silence of the room. “Oh, hey,” he began, trying to sound casual. But before he could continue further, there was a massive cheer from the auditorium, so loud and enthusiastic that he stumbled back, startled. Ponies everywhere were cheering for him, and the Elements of Harmony who were sitting in the front row seats were cheering too, as loudly as they could. Even Pinkie was there… somehow. Josh watched them all, wondering if he should feel embarrassed, excited, or confused. He felt… mildly amused by how happy they were for him. Odd. Once the excitement had died down, he took Luna’s place in front of the microphone. “So… turns out I got banished to another planet for a thousand years. Who knew, right?” he tried, grinning. The audience laughed appreciatively. “But you know what really sucks about suddenly becoming an alicorn,” he continued, warming up to his sudden and rapidly increasing talent as a comedian, “is that I have no idea how to use these wings.” The audience laughed louder, and Josh chuckled appreciatively. In for a penny, and all that. “I wasn’t even a pony before yesterday, so I also don’t know how to use my horn. Or my hooves. For those of you who have studied engineering, this of course means that there is only one option for me to get around.” Dropping to the floor, Josh promptly proceeded to roll off the stage, the audience howling with laughter as he made his exit. Rainbow in particular was pounding a hoof on the ground, nearly crying at his antics. Luna and Twilight were holding back giggles as well, polite smiles wobbling as they tried to contain their amusement. Mayor Mare had long since given up any pretense of regality, and was laughing with the rest of them. Josh trotted back onto the stage as the laughter quieted down, his audience obediently falling silent as he resumed his position. “Anyway. I’m… kind of new to the whole ‘being a pony’ thing. That part wasn’t a joke. So… for those of you who were expecting me to be good at things, I’ve got some bad news.” More laughter, somewhat unsure this time. “But… wait, where am I going with this? We should be getting back to that week-long party,” Josh mused. Luna took this moment to step in, the audience laughing and elbowing each other as Josh stepped obediently to the side. “To that end, we propose that the festival continue – but now, to celebrate the return of Equestria’s Princes!” The crowd erupted in cheers again, and Luna led Josh off the stage as Twilight and Mayor Mare began to announce changes to the schedule, some ponies filing out in disinterest now that the main event was over. Josh sighed. “I lost my nerve, at the end,” he admitted. Luna cuffed him on the neck with her wing. “Nonsense! You are a natural at public speaking. They loved you,” she proudly asserted, puffing up slightly in motherly adoration. “So… should we go check on Clockwork, while Twilight figures out the new festivities?” he asked. Luna nodded. “Good thinking,” she agreed, leading him away from the Town Hall. They entered the Ponyville Clinic to find a familiar nurse staffing the front desk. “Hello Princess Luna and Prince Miracle Matter, how may I help you?” Nurse Redheart inquired. “We’re here to see Prince Clockwork,” Josh answered. “Fourth floor, room 3A,” she answered. Josh nodded, and proceeded towards the stairs, while Luna cast a confused glance at Redheart, who had already gone back to her paperwork at the desk. “Does she not care that we are royalty?” Luna wondered as they made for the stairs, Josh struggling to position his body correctly. “Celestia must have been in here earlier, so she was probably expecting us,” Josh answered. “Also, why was she still here, and not at the announcement?” he asked. “If I recall, a certain pattern is used to denote an emergency summons for the town. Unless this pattern of bells is used, medical staff and their patients are exempt from answering its call,” Luna answered. “Makes sense, wouldn’t want patients unattended,” Josh mused. They finally made it to room 403A, where Ben sleepily regarded them from a hospital bed. “Hey… guys…” he sluggishly greeted. “Is he okay?” Josh asked Celestia, who was also present. She sighed. “He is… reacting strangely. As far as we can tell, his innate time magic has undergone some sort of change due to the spatial magic of the portal, and he is not taking it well. He is not in any serious danger, but the doctors estimate about a full day’s worth of recovery is required.” Josh raised an eyebrow. “And this didn’t affect me because I have space magic, not time magic?” he clarified. Celestia nodded. “That would appear to be the case.” They spent a moment watching Ben slowly go back to sleep, Josh drifting off himself. “So… I guess I’m going to have to start calling myself ‘Miracle Matter’ now, to avoid confusion,” he noted. Luna flicked an ear, giving him a dismayed look. “We can explain to the public, I do not think it would be much trouble,” she countered. Josh shrugged. “Why bother? I’m okay with going by either name, I said as much earlier. So, ‘Miracle Matter’ it is.” Luna paused a moment before hesitantly nodding. “If that is what you wish,” she answered. “Hey, another question. Who’s going to teach us magic?” Josh… no, Miracle Matter asked seriously. Celestia raised an eyebrow. “We shall teach you magic. After all, we are very powerful and experienced unicorns,” she reminded him. “Fair enough. When do we start?” Miracle Matter asked. “As soon as you wish. If you like, I can teach you how to access your magic right now,” Celestia offered. “…Okay,” Miracle Matter agreed. A few hours later, he’d managed to complete his basic assignment of levitating a piece of paper. His magic flowed through him like an electrical current, tingling through every cell of his body and concentrating in his horn, which felt like the equivalent of licking a 9-volt battery. “Very good!” Celestia cheered. “Finally, I’m as competent as a small child,” Miracle Matter joked, watching the paper float in his orange-yellow magic. “You have only been practicing for a few hours. Personally, I think you are a very quick learner,” Luna spoke up proudly. “Alright… how long has it been?” Miracle Matter wondered, looking out the window and cracking his neck to either side. Luna stiffened. “Goodness! I think it’s time to raise the moon. Sister, if you would?” she offered. “Of course, Luna,” Celestia agreed, lighting her horn. The sun sped down from the sky like a crashing meteor, and the moon swiftly rose to take its place. Miracle Matter watched this with a lopsided frown, his eyes stinging slightly from the sudden change of lighting. “That’s also going to take some getting used to,” he muttered. With nothing else to do, they resumed waiting by Clockwork, who was acting… oddly. Occasionally, he’d appear to be still, frozen in a position. But upon closer inspection, he was moving – just incredibly slowly, and perfectly silently. His heart rate was essentially flatlining during this time, and more than one nurse came rushing in before they realized he was stable. Other times, he’d blink rapidly, moving his head from side to side to stare at them with such sudden intensity that they often jumped back, startled. His heartrate during these periods would spike far too high for any living creature to sustain, the usual steady beep, beep, beep sounding more like bebebebebebebebe… And, a rare few times, he would appear to be normal. “It’s like playing with a video editor,” Miracle Matter whispered after an hour of this. “If I could hazard a guess, his time magic is… not quite out of control, but varying quite wildly,” Luna posited. “Speeding up, and slowing down, completely at random. Let us hope he does not spend an eternity in one moment, or fast-forward a few years…” Miracle Matter gulped nervously upon hearing this. Time was some weird stuff, and he was very glad he wasn’t in charge of it. A nurse came in perhaps half an hour later, levitating a clipboard. “Okay, we’ve just received the results of the latest test. His inner magic is trying to fight off some residual magic that he somehow got on him – it’s almost like a virus, Princess. No matter what his magic does, the magic won’t go away, so his subconscious is getting pretty agitated about it.” Celestia looked nervously over at her son, who was watching them, sped up again and blinking rapidly. “Is there anything that can be done?” she asked. The nurse sighed. “Ordinarily, he’d heal on his own in a week or so. But considering a week could be any length of time for him…” she trailed off. Miracle Matter studied his brother intently while Celestia and Luna exchanged a worried look. The nurse and the Princesses exchanged a few more words, but Miracle Matter was distracted by Clockwork, who had slowly raised a hoof to point at him. Miracle Matter raised an eyebrow, holding up his own hoof. Clockwork’s internal magic sped up again, and he began frantically trying to reach Miracle’s hoof, though the bed kept him from moving more than a few inches. Alarmed, Miracle rushed to his brother’s side, leaning over him. “I’m here. What do you need?” he asked. Clockwork had gone back to being slow, but his expression had taken on an almost pleading look, frustrated tears gathering in his eyes. Miracle Matter’s heart wrenched, and he wished he knew what to do. He closed his eyes shut, thinking hard for some kind of answer. Unfortunately, this caused him to miss Clockwork speeding up again, and his brother promptly grabbed him, wrapping his legs around Miracle’s neck and pulling him down into a hug. Miracle’s eyes shot open, shocked, and his horn lit up orange, even though he wasn’t casting any spell in particular. Clockwork’s lit up as well, and his heartrate returned to normal. Miracle became aware of Clockwork breathing heavily, as the Princesses and nurse had fallen silent. “…Are you okay?” Miracle questioned after a moment. “Y…yeah…” Clockwork panted, evidently exhausted. “What just happened?” the nurse questioned, looking at the pair of them. “It appears that Miracle’s magic somehow managed to stabilize Clockwork to this time frame,” Celestia mused. “Wait… so all I had to do was touch him? Well, that was anticlimactic,” Miracle Matter muttered. Celestia lit her horn, staring intently at the pair of them. “I see no reason for you to keep touching him. Clockwork appears to be normal now,” she reported. Miracle cautiously moved away from Clockwork, who promptly sat up, looking around expectantly. “So… it’s over? Thank goodness, that felt like hell!” Clockwork exclaimed, rubbing his sides. Luna snorted. “I assume a ‘hell’ feels bad?” she questioned. Clockwork looked at her suspiciously, then at Celestia. “I do not know what a ‘hell’ is either,” she admitted. Clockwork shifted his gaze over to Miracle. “I guess… they don’t have those… words?” Miracle wondered, just as confused. Clockwork rolled his eyes. “O… kay then. Anyway, can I go to the festival?” he asked the nurse, who shrugged. “If Princess Celestia says you’re okay… I don’t see why not. You have a clean bill of health otherwise, so I’ll go check you out,” she answered, dismissing herself from the room. “Hooray!” Clockwork cheered.