FIVE YEARS LATER
The unicorn stared at her ball, straining as her magic slowly surrounded it, the ball lifting slightly off the ground. She gasped and stumbled as she heard the doorbell ring.
"Melody can you get that please?" Sweetie Belle called from the kitchen.
"Ok momma!" she called back, running up to the door and pulling it open. Before her stood a tall orange pegasus wearing a light brown cloak, a scar running over his eye. He smiled down at the unicorn as he noticed a single orange feather in her mane.
"Uh...momma..." Sweetie Belle sprang into the room as she heard her daughters panicked voice, though she stopped in her tracks as she caught sight of the pony in her doorway. The pegasi's smile grew.
"Hey mom."
"P...Piper?" Sweetie Belle gasped. He nodded.
"I'm home."
After the initial shock she finally let him inside.
"Momma, is he a fwiend of yours?" Melody asked cutely. Sweetie Belle shook her head as Piper sat down, smiling as he looked around the room. He sighed quietly, removing the hoofblade and harness that sat around his mid-section.
"Melody dear...You know that feather your mother gave you and the stories she told you?" the unicorn nodded.
"Well, that feather is his and the stories were about him. He's your older brother." the siblings blinked, looking at each other.
"I have a big bwother?"
"I have a little sister?" Sweetie Belle pulled them into a tight hug.
"Yes, you do. Oh Piper, we were beginning to worry we would never see you again..." The pegasus hugged back.
"To be honest I was kinda scared too."
"Big bwother, where were you? why were you gone for so wong?" the unicorn asked. Piper smiled.
"Well its a long story. How about I tell you some of it for a bedtime story?" her eyes brightened and she bounced happily.
"YAY!" Piper chuckled, turning back to his mother.
"You've grown so much..." she said, placing a hoof against his cheek.
"I kinda had to." He said with a sigh, his gaze momentarily turning to the hoofblade near him.
"None of that matters right now Piper. All that matters is that you are back and your friends and everypony are going to want to see you again."
"Well, I know one pony who should be arriving soon."
"Who?" a pink striped pony burst into the room, aiming to tackle him to the ground in a bear hug, though the pegasus easily dodged, catching the pony and smiling.
"Hello there Swirl."
"Piper!" she threw her hooves around his neck and kissed him.
"EWWWWWW!" Melody said as she watched them. Sweetie Belle smiled, watching as the zebra pulled free of his grasp, out of breath.
"I missed you..." she said quietly.
"I missed you too. How is everypony?" he asked.
"Well they missed you too, Amethyst really beat himself up over you leaving but Emerald and Nova fixed that. OH! That reminds me! You missed the most amazing wedding! I got to make the cake and everything!" she rambled on, Piper smiling as he sat beside her. It was good to be home.
"WHAT?! He's back!?" Amethyst asked. Dinky nodded with a smile.
"Yup, he should have arrived at his house just a few minutes ago. He'll be stopping here first of course. By now Strawberry will have reached him and told him about how you reacted to him leaving." The kirin sighed, slumping onto a nearby couch. The unicorn sighed as she watched him.
"Amethyst...are you still blaming yourself?"
"I'm not blaming myself. But I am the one who cast the spell."
"If you hadn't then we would have lost Rainbow Dash forever. She was still needed and still is." Amethyst grinned a little to himself.
"Hiding something else from me Dinky?" he asked, the unicorn realizing she had revealed something she shouldn't have. She pouted a little.
"You tricked me."
"Yes I did, but I thought we promised not to keep any more secrets from each other."
"I promised not to keep secrets from you if i could help it Amethyst."
"Whats this about secrets?" Piper asked, smiling at them from the doorway.
"Sorry about barging in, the door was open." Amethyst walked up to his friend, pulling him into a hug. The pegasus gently returned it. They pulled away from one another.
"You missed my sisters wedding ya jerk."
"Yea I heard about that. I'll make it up to her somehow." he chuckled. Strawberry smiled at them.
"See, I told ya he'd come back!" She said, nuzzling the pegasus.
"How did you get back anyway? I thought Harmony took you to Pony heaven or somethin" Amethyst said. Piper laughed a little.
"Ya know, I actually thought that's where she was gonna take me. Oh you guys wouldn't believe the things I've seen." Piper said, taking a seat. Amethyst grabbed a scroll, scribbling something on it. A jet of blue,green,and orange flames burst forth and swallowed the parchment.
"Just letting the others know you're here." Amethyst said. Piper nodded.
"Well? Go on! Tell us what great adventures you had!" Strawberry swirl demanded, nudging him.
"Well, it started with the creators of Harmony and Discord." the ponies blinked, staring at him.
"Their creators?! You mean..."
"Yea, Harmony and Discord are just something created by a higher power. There is probably someone above them, wouldn't you say so Dinky? Or should I say Doctor now that its official" he asked. Dinky blinked in surprise.
"You know?"
"You learn a lot hanging around a bunch of all knowing all powerful beings." Piper said with a smile.
"Oh before I forget, thanks for that Thank you Party Strawberry. I was really depressed when I left and that party was just what I needed." The zebra squealed happily.
"So you saw it?!" he nodded, laughing as she hugged him. In a bright flash of color the others appeared, Emeralds horns still glowing a little from the spell.
"Piper!" sunburst hugged him tightly.
"Hey Sunny, how's the orchard?"
"Well its doin' alright. But that ain't whats important right now. Whats important is that yer back with us." He smiled, turning his attention to Nova and Emerald.
"Congrats you two, sorry I missed the party."
"Well we understand, you had more important things on your hooves at the time." Amethyst puffed out a cloud of smoke along with a mumble. Nova rolled her eyes.
"Its good to have you back Piper. Your mother hasn't been the same since you left." he nodded glumly.
"What about Rainbow Dash?"
"She isn't much o' a flier these days. In fact she hasn't flown since th' Triple Rainboom." Sunburst said sadly.
"She isn't blaming herself is she?" he asked worridly.
"Well...not exactly...maybe ya should see her fer yerself."
The pegasus watched with tears in her eyes as a pegasus made his way up the porch. His handsome face now carried scars of war and his eyes held the heavy weight of one who had seen friends die on the battlefield. But she recognized that mane, the way he held himself, the small smile on his lips. Though she wasn't sure if she was dreaming or if the pony was truly there before her. He sat beside her as she rocked back and forth in her chair.
"Hi..." he said softly. She stared at him for a moment, placing a hoof against his cheek. As her hoof made contact her eyes widened.
"y...you're real...You're really here...oh Piper!" she pulled him into a tight hug, crying into his shoulder as he hugged back. Applejack rushed outside.
"Dash, ya'll alright, ah heard cryin an...oh my goodness...Piper?" she stared at them, the orange pegasus smiling a little. Rainbow lifted her head a little and smiled.
"He's real this time AJ...its really him..." Applejack hugged them
"Piper...ya came back t' us...please tell me ya'll are here t' stay this time..."
"I am. I've paid my dues, though they kinda have me on call. I don't have to stay with Harmony anymore."
"Ah don't have the foggiest idea what ya'll are talkin about Piper, but ah'm glad yer home. We've all missed ya so much..." he smiled, nuzzling Rainbow Dash.
"Hey grandma...Care to join me for a flight?" he asked softly.
"Piper...I haven't flown in so long..." she said quietly. He smiled, hefting her up out of her chair.
"Its alright, you never forget." He gently pulled her along, the older pegasus slowly spreading her wings. A smile began to grow as she and the younger pegasus took flight. It wasn't anything spectacular. No spins or tricks. They just glided below the clouds and above the trees, letting the wind lightly tug on their manes. Rainbow Dash broke into tears once more, closing her eyes.
"You've got to open your eyes if your gonna be flying Grandma Dash." Piper said with a small chuckle.
"I can't Piper...I'm afraid...i..if I open them...i'll be back in bed...and you'll be gone..." He grabbed hold of her, the pony gasping as he rolled, holding her close to him. She was forced to grab hold of him as the two were thrown into a loop, the older pegasus slowly opening her eyes. She smiled at the grin she saw on his face.
that grin... it was the same one she had always wore when she was barreling through the sky. When she had perfected a new trick. She flicked her wings back a bit, drawing them out of the dive, leaving Piper a bit surprised.
"I'm rusty, but i've still got some tricks I never taught you." he laughed as he let go of her.
"Well, we've got some time before Pinkies party."
"Pinkies party?"
"Yea, its a welcome back party, she sent me as your invite."
Celestia sighed a little to herself as she read over the letter Amethyst had sent.
Welcome back Piper she thought to herself, tucking the letter away in a small chest. There were only a few items within it. The letter, a small stone, and a single orange feather. She smiled as the memories played back in her mind.
You always keep your promises...I only wish I could've known back then... she turned to her door, hearing a gentle knock.
"Come in" she called out. Luna peeked her head inside, smiling as she spotted the open chest.
"Lost in the past sister?" she asked softly. Celestia sighed a little as she closed the chest.
"It was never meant to be." she said, setting it back in its rightful place on her shelf.
"Despite that dear sister, I know he cares for you. Perhaps not entirely the way you did for him. Perhaps you should go visit?"
"I do not think a visit is in order sister. Have you forgotten who we are?" she asked quietly. Luna placed a hoof on her sisters shoulder.
"Celestia...I believe it would be best if you went to see him. The two of you went through a lot together. At the very least you can welcome him back to this world as a friend." she turned to her sister, holding back her tears.
"I had thought I had buried these feelings away a long time ago...While I am glad you have found your happiness in Twilight Sparkle...I..."
"Say no more sister. Go to him." Celestia smiled, hugging her sister.
"I thought I was the one who was suppose to be giving advice."
"We can all learn from one another sister. Besides, there is still much left for you to teach me." the two smiled at one another. Celestia stepping out onto her balcony.
"Don't worry about the guards. They won't even know you are gone." The elder sister smiled, spreading her wings wide and calling out to her magic, vanishing in a bright flash of light. Luna smiled a little to herself.
Have fun Tia...
Piper laughed as Pinkie nudged a cup of cider toward him.
"I'm sure your mom won't mind. it is a party after all!"
"Actually I do mind!" Sweetie belle said with a laugh, Melody sitting on her back and giggling.
"AWW, Come on Sweetie! Its not even that strong." Pinkie argued. As if to prove this, the orange pegasus took a sip.
"To be honest, Chrome Mist had stuff way stronger than this."
"You went all the way back there?!" Penny asked in shock. He chuckled a little, resting his head on his hoof.
"I've lost track of everywhere I've been. Each minute felt like an hour, and every year felt like ten. Time feels a lot different in the Other Realm." he sighed, staring into his mug. He jumped, reaching to his side for the hoofblade that wasn't there as a bright flash of light entered the room. The Alicorn who had appeared stared at the pegasus in surprise, seeing him holding up a fork to defend himself. Though as his eyes rested on her they softened and he smiled, surprising everypony by hugging her. The alicorn blushed slightly, returning the hug.
"Welcome back, my friend." she said softly.
"Hey, I promised I'd see you again didn't I?" he said back.
"OK OK OK! HOLD UP! Somepony needs t' explain all o' this!" Hayseed said, holding her hooves in the air. Strawberry nodded, crossing her hooves, her mane flattened a little as her jealousy got the better of her. How was a pony suppose to compete with an immortal princess?
"Tia and I went through a lot together." he explained, sitting down beside the Alicorn.
"So, Princess, ya'll knew all about our children before we even had em didn't ya?" Applejack asked. She had heard some of the story from Sunburst about how they had helped the two sisters face down Discord. Though she had a hard time believing most of it.
"To be honest...no...It wasn't until Emeralds birth that it began to dawn on me what was coming. An event that would force the Elements to return to the past. It was around the time of Nova's birth that the Doctor came to me, telling me of just such an event. I am ashamed to say I kept it to myself for far longer than I should have..." Piper rested a hoof on her shoulder to calm her, giving her a gentle smile. She returned the smile and sighed quietly.
"I wanted everypony to enjoy the peace they had worked so hard for and I held off warning anypony. When Discords statue vanished...it was time to take action. I alerted Twilight of the impending doom and she brought all of you together." Rainbow chuckled a little.
"So we saved Equestria even before we were all born." Rainbow said with a laugh and a shake of her head.
"Somethin like that Dashie." Applejack said, taking the mug of cider from her. The pony had definitely had enough to drink.
"I'm sorry I kept quiet for so long..." She blushed as Piper placed a kiss on her cheek, Strawberry staring with wide eyes and sunburst facehoofing nearby.
"Tia, you did what you thought was right and in the end everything worked out. Don't beat yourself up about it."
"y...You're right...as always..." she smiled, her eyes resting on a certain zebra in the room.
"Everything worked out..." she said quietly, nudging him towards the Zebra.
"There's a pony there who needs you now my friend." Piper smiled, plucking a feather from his wing and placing it in the Princess' mane.
"Friends for life." he said, repeating those words he had said to her so long ago. She smiled, a few tears making their way down her cheeks. She managed to mouth a thank you as Piper walked over to Strawberry, Emerald having to explain the kiss was nothing more than friendly before the zebra attacked the pegasus. Celestia smiled at the scene, turning to leave.
"Tia." Piper called to her. She stopped, turning to look back at him.
"Your mother says hi and wants you to know she is proud of you. Of everything you gave up, and that you haven't dwelt on our past." The Alicorn gave a nod of acknowledgement before spreading her wings and vanishing.
"You didn't do anything funny with her did you?"
"uh me? n...no of course not!"
The pegasus sighed, resting her head in her hooves. She had the same routine for five years now. She would do her job, she performed as best as she could and she would visit with her wife and daughter. She was truly happy with them, but there was still that major piece of her life missing. Her one and only son Piper.
Everyday she thought on his promise to return and hoped that day would be the day he would come to her with a smile and tell her he was back to stay. She had dreamed of it many times and upon awaking had to deal with the reality that he wasn't there. The pain of it was so bad she had to cancel a few shows. She was thrown out of her thoughts and her chair by a mailmare crashing into her office and into the cloud wall.
"Derpy...what are you doing here? You usually just drop my mail off at the desk." Scootaloo said, helping the mare out of the wall.
"Sorry...But this one is really important. Its from Ponyville!" She said, snatching the letter out of her bag and dropping it in the pegasi's hooves.
"I gotta get going, see ya later!" the mailmare waved and took off with a smile. Scootaloo stared at the letter for a moment.
"What could be so important..." she unfolded the letter and gasped. Her eyes hit the end of the page just to be sure before she sat down and began to read.
Hey mom...I'm back. Its been a while...I know you are probably still mad at me, but I couldn't just let Grandma Dash go like that...I know everypony has to die someday, but it just wasn't her day. Over the past five years...I've seen a lot of death. I've caused a lot of death...Being back in ponyville...its so strange...I use to expect an attack at any moment. Now that everything is 'back to normal' I can't stand it. A part of me misses the excitement of a battle, but I don't want that. I don't want to cause anypony anymore hurt, especially you mom. I met Melody today. She's got your eyes, though the rest of her is definitely from mom. I'm getting off topic, sorry. I'm settling down in Ponyville for a little bit, then me and Strawberry are gonna tour Equestria. I wanted to be able to spend some time with you first. So we'll be making our way to your next show! - Sincerely, Piper. Love ya mom
She felt tears of joy stream down her cheeks as she read over the letter once more. A figure poked their head inside.
"Hey Scoots, you alri...oh no..." the pony rushed in, hugging her.
"Hey, you don't need to cry. whats wrong? you know you can tell me." her teammate said.
"Its nothing wrong...my son...h..he's back!"
The orange pegasus smiled as Derpy took off with the letter.
"I could just send it to her you know." Amethyst said as they watched the clumsy mailmare quickly do a double take and head in the right direction.
"Yea, but I've learned to trust the effort of other ponies. Besides, I want it to be a surprise. She'll instantly know if she sees it appear out of thin air." he said with a smile. Strawberry sighed a little as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"You know, you still haven't told us about your fantastic adventures." she mumbled. Her ears twitched as she felt him tense up. She sat up, looking at him.
"Piper...you ok?" she asked. He relaxed a little and flashed a smile.
"Yea, i'm fine. Its just...I wanted to forget all of that for a little while..." he said glumly, staring at the ground. Amethyst rested a claw on his shoulder.
"Take your time buddy." the pegasus nodded. Amethyst could only wonder what could be bothering his friend. They had, after all, fought in a war together.
"So, Emy, hows Canterlot?" Piper asked to change the subject. The Kirin smiled a little. She had truly changed in the time he had been gone. She was a bit taller and held herself with more strength than she had before. Her scales shined in the light as she had removed her vestments. Two bracelets, one to go around each wrist and a pair of shoes for her hooves. Amidst the pile was also a small crown, necklace, and tail ring. Nova had also removed her own royal vestments and settled on the couch with her.
"Its a lot busier than I had originally thought. There is much to be done amongst the nobles. Treaties to be upheld, needs to be met and ponies to be kept happy. I admit...our wedding was not met with open hooves or open hearts. It was only thanks to Princess Celestia everything went off without a hitch." Nova lightly nuzzled the kirin bringing a blush to her face.
"I don't think that's what he meant Emy." the alicorn giggled.
"Well not exactly. I was actually kinda curious, have you two...uh...'tied the knot' so to speak?" Piper laughed as Amethyst punched his shoulder. After their laughter had died down, Nova began to speak.
"Actually, we do have some news for everypony." She blushed and bit her lip.
"Should I say it?" Emerald asked.
"No, I can say it."
"Just say it already!" the others said.
"We're having a foal!" they said together.
Twilight smiled as Luna snuck into the room. Over the years she had learned to listen for the near silent movements of her mate and was already expecting the small nibble that reached for her ear. She smiled, tilting her head to the side so the pony missed and mumbled something under her breath. Twilight couldn't help but laugh as she turned to look at her.
"Seems I need a new tactic."
"Oh come on Lulu, you didn't think that would always work did you?"
"No, but this does!" she laughed and tackled her, pinning her to the bed. Twilight smiled up at her.
"You're gonna ruin my book." she said softly, wrapping her hooves around her.
"I'm sure we have another copy." she replied with a sultry smile. Twilight rolled her eyes.
"I doubt it."
"Oh?" Twilight smiled, lifting the book in her magic.
"This is my journal." Luna stared at it for a moment and laughed.
"I suppose we don't have another copy then." she mumbled. Twilight nodded, tossing the book aside and rolling so Luna was pinned beneath her.
"That was a dirty trick Twilight Sparkle."
"Oh I haven't even started." KNOCK KNOCK. Twilight let out a huff of frustration, her magic slamming a lock down on the door. She spun, pulling Luna into a passionate kiss. On the other side of the door a confused Celestia continued on, deciding to leave the couple alone for now.
Melody yawned and pouted a little.
"But I'm not tired momma!" she argued. Sweetie Belle smiled a little, nudging the unicorn toward her bed.
"Well even if you aren't, which you are. Little fillies need their sleep."
"Besides, I can't tell you a bedtime story if you aren't in bed." Piper said, poking his head into the room. The unicorn gasped and leapt under her blankets, giggling as Piper sat beside her bed. Sweetie Belle sat beside him. To be honest she wanted to know about where he'd been just has much as Melody did. Piper closed his eyes for a moment, as if he was drifting through the memories. Finally he opened his eyes and smiled at the little unicorn.
"A long time ago, before Equestria was ruled by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, it was ruled by a tyrant known as Discord. A creature whose form was just as chaotic as his purpose in this world. He was mean to all of the ponies and never did anything nice for them. Back then, the Princess' were just ponies like you and me. Princess Celestia was just Celestia, a simple pegasus lost in the world with her unicorn sister Luna."
"Wait...how could they be pwincess' now if they weren't then?" The filly interrupted, making Piper laugh a little.
"That's a surprise, lemme finish the story silly. Now where was I. oh yea. Well, They needed the Elements of Harmony to defeat him. So we went to help them. Thanks to Dinky we could go back and be there for them when they needed us and help them beat that mean old Discord." He made funny faces as he told the story, making both unicorns giggle at his impersonations of everypony.
Sweetie Belle sighed in relief to herself as he continued the story. He had managed to keep out any violence, though the unicorn knew her son had been through much. She had heard this portion of the story from his friends in complete detail. Though she wasn't ready for what he said next.
"Then...I had to leave..." he said quietly.
"But why?" Melody asked, tears in her eyes. He gently brushed them away with his hoof.
"Cause I broke the rules sis, I wasn't suppose t' come back at all. So, I had to leave and prove that I still had purpose in this world. Prove there was reason for me to continue being here with my friends and family. Remember that sis, its always important to obey the rules, but sometimes its better to do whats right. In this case, I had to throw the rules away and because I broke them I had to be punished."
"but you were only twying to help!"
"I know sis, but rules are rules." she pouted and hugged him.
"Pwease don't leave again..." she said softly. He smiled and hugged her back.
"I won't be leaving again sis, not for a long time." he set her back down in her bed, pulling the blanket up to her neck as she yawned.
"Get some sleep, k sis?"
"But I wanna hear the rest!" she complained. He laughed and kissed her forehead.
"I'll tell it to you another night. But you have to be a good girl if you want another story." she nodded and rolled onto her side, feigning sleep and snoring cutely. Piper and Sweetie Belle snuck out of the room, gently closing the door, leaving it cracked slightly. Sweetie Belle pulled Piper into a hug, burying her face into his shoulder. He sat there in surprise for a moment before returning the hug.
"Mom...if you keep this up, we'll always be hugging."
"I don't think I'd mind that..." she mumbled into his coat. He laughed and nuzzled her cheek. The unicorn let go and together they made their way to the living room where their friends had gathered to hear the darker unknown side of Pipers tale. He sighed as he sat down. Strawberry nuzzled his neck to comfort him as he began.
"It started with the Judgement."