//------------------------------// // Prologue: The Return // Story: On Light Hooves I Tread 2: Homeward Bound // by AdamThePony //------------------------------// On Light Hooves I Tread 2: Homeward Bound A Fanfiction by Adam Nelon Prologue: The Return Living as a human again was a refreshing change of pace. It has been five years since those faithful events transpired which had me intertwined in several misadventures in Equestria. I still tell many of those tales to my daughter, Catherine, to help her sleep in the evenings, which she loved ever so fondly. I had, for the first time in years, known true peace. But, over time, peace beget complacency, which beget boredom, which beget longing. I had grown a longing, nay, a wanderlust to return to the place I left so long ago. As much as it was to my own chagrin, I missed those rainbow-colored equines. I missed the bright and idealistic world which contrasted to the highly-cynical one I had the displeasure of living in. While Catherine and my wife, Angela gave me solace in the day, that nagging feeling of nostalgia kept eating away at my patience. An inevitable truth came to my mind: Equestria had become my true home away from home, and I had to go back. It was the only logical conclusion, and I had to fulfill it. This in mind, I decided to make my own personal exodus. When Cathrine had been tucked into bed, and Angela had fallen into rest, out like a lantern, I began to pack provisions for myself. First, I gathered as many beverages as I could (mostly Soft Drinks, but also Grape Juice.) into a refrigerated bag. Then, I stuffed into a large satchel non-perishable snacks like Fudge Rounds, Granola Bars and Rice Crispy Treats, along with salted potato chips. I know, not the most healthy foods, but considering where I was headed, that wasn't to make a difference. Next, I went to basement of the house in which our family of three took lodging in. Here, I treasured something that I rarely let anyone see; the Gifts that my Friends in Equestria had bestowed: From Twilight, I got a book of old stories of Equestrian Myth and Legend, and a Book Entitled The Equestrian Explorer's Guide to Everything Ever Explored in Equestria, or as I prefer to call it, "The Six E's". From Rarity, I got a cloak made of Dragon Scales donated from Spike who, if you weren't already aware, has a Crush on the Unicorn. From Applejack, I got her prized ten-gallon hat. Probably the only memento that was an actual hoof-me-down. From Fluttershy, I got a necklace bearing a fine-cut fire ruby, which supposedly is a symbol for a lasting friendship. From Rainbow Dash, I got a pair of vintage Wonderbolts goggles and a commemorative t-shirt. And from Pinkie Pie, I got...a cupcake. That was it. Go Figure. However, among the most important of my many gifts were two things, both gifts from Princess Celestia herself. The first was a suit of gilded steel plate armor, and the second was a magically-enhanced skeleton key. The armor itself was a keepsake from my last adventure about 5 years ago, which culminated in me slamming my petrified self head first into a blue dragon whilst being propelled at 10 times the speed of sound. That gilded armor never aged a day, and almost never got a single stain. Age did well to this armor as I began to don it piece by piece, then strapping the cloak into slits near the shoulder plates, sliding the goggles about my neck like an intrepid adventurer, and doing much the same with my ten-gallon hat. Following this, I stole away into my office, the quill and ink ready as I penned out the text of my final note on this Earth: "To whom it may concern, While my time here has been wonderful, and Twenty-Three years of Trial and Tribulation was well worth the experience I gained from it, I am afraid I must resign from this world. No, I am not killing myself. Rather, I am going to a world where I hope I can find the solace I desperately need right now. However, I will not leave this world without leaving something in my memory. This being said, I bequeath to my Daughter and Wife (both of whom I love dearly) a chest that has been lying in the basement of my estate for some time now. Inside, I bequeath all of what you find inside to be yours as you see fit. Inside are secrets I see fit to only share with you, but should you choose to, you may share my gift with others. As to where I am going? Well, that will be explained when the other members of my estate examine the contents of my chest. I know not what shall be waiting for me on the other side, but I do offer this; If you can, you may try to pursue me. But, doing so may not be easy. It would require no less than an absolute miracle for you to find the way there, and even in doing so, the result may not be to your intentions, Should you choose to undertake it, I only advice caution. I love you, Cathrine and Angela. I don't want to see you two hurt from my absence. So, if you can, smile; Wish me luck in where I'm going, because I may never be able to return. I wish the same to you. Cathrine's going to grow up beautifully. I just know it. And I know that as her mother, you'll do all in your power to assure that she does. Goodbye, everyone. I hope that someday, our paths cross once more. Yours Truly, Adam" With this, I folded the note shut and stuffed it into an envelope, sealing it and marking it as an urgent letter to be read upon its discovery before I stole away to the bedroom of my sleeping daughter. She was a little one, just barely near the age of five. She had a nice palette of freckles across her rosy cheeks, accented by lush hazel eyes and curly ginger hair. A sweeter image, I couldn't find. I lifted her face gently before giving her a sweet kiss upon the forehead and leaving her to be alone. Surely, if anyone was going to believe me, it was her. She was the only one in our tiny family who was young enough and idealistic enough to believe my tales. She often fantasized about being right there by my side, as if she were my squire...Oh, how that feeling would have been to her. Perhaps some day in the future, she would get that opportunity, but for now, she'll simply have to write back to me until chance shines upon her that she may come to my neck of the woods. Finally, I went for the master bedroom a final time, removing the chest from beneath the bed and retrieving the final piece of the large puzzle that was my return: The Skeleton Key. I removed that magic key, and tactfully inserted it into the keyhole of my closet door, twisting the key clockwise with the knob, opening the door to a black tunnel, ending with a portal of light. Staring the corridor down, I took a deep breath. starting the first step into the last few moments of humanity... The corridor I stepped through was a small hallway. The walls and floor were unidentifiable, only being shown as a solid surface in the face of the light. I gathered it may have been obsidian, given the somewhat glassy sound it made as I walked across...Either way, it was a strange feeling, especially considering I was in full plate armor. As I kept my path along the hallway, the light dividing me between Earth and Equestria grew increasingly brighter, more intense in heat...as I came within mere inches of the event horizon, a very chilling sound came to my ears...First, the door behind me slowly creaked as it leaned shut before shutting with a click. And then... SNAP. The key that had opened my way back to the world I had grown so fond of broke in two. There was no going back now. So, with my fate now sealed, I made the final step into the light, and as I did, the light became blindingly intense, the heat from it almost searingly hot, forcing me to cover my face from its sheer power before losing all sense in my form, keeling over into unconsciousness... I awoke much the same way as I did when I returned home: With an eye shooting open in shock. However, this time around, two new feelings took hold of me. First, the acridity of the air was suffocating me, and Second, I had a piercing migraine. For long, I was frozen in the spot I had awoken in just from the intensity of my pain! Eventually, however, it subsided after a few minutes as I worked to get a drink to help wet my dry throat. However, something felt odd as I sifted through the saddlebags. Was it just me, or was my head a mite bigger than it should have been? Ignoring that bit of oddity for the moment, I decided to stretch my legs a moment, see if I could chance flying around a bit. But, something wasn't right. My wings weren't opening. I'm sure Royal Guard armor left room for that, didn't it? I looked to my sides for a moment, then gasped at the sudden realization that came to me: I wasn't a Pegasus this time around... The sun began to glare daggers at me, which made my first instinct of covering my face with my hat kick in. Only problem? My hat wasn't sliding on quite as easily. This made me think for a moment. First, I wake with a splitting headache, then I have trouble fitting my head in my saddlebags, and now my hat is having trouble staying on? No. It couldn't be, I thought to myself. However, looking into a very shallow puddle in what seemed to be a desert, my suspicions were confirmed. I was a fully-fledged unicorn, horn and all. Well, bugger. That's just peachy. I'll have to trek across these badlands on hoof! Just as I cursed my luck, I felt a tough wind buffeting at me, as the arid sandstone began to allow particles of dust into the air. Of all the rotten- A SANDSTORM?! Looks like that mare of luck has decided to test my wits. Oh, ha-ha. I'm a unicorn, so I must be naturally smart. I slid on my goggles as quick as I could as the sand began to buffet at my armored body. It was going to be a long walk to the nearest town... I traversed through the sandstorm, boldly going where I've never been before. Through most of my trek through the sandstorm, I was not disturbed by any creature. Sadly, I didn't meet another pony, either. A shame, too; maybe having somepony to help guide me through this sandstorm would have come in handy. But, for now, thanks to the fact that most of my clothing blended in well with the sands. Eventually, whether to my advantage, or to my doom, the sandstorm faded. Part of me thought I was in the clear as I now more easily took to the arid dunes. But then, suddenly, from a direction I could not pinpoint, a deep chirping sound cut through the air. As I turned about face, the beast from which the noise came from was in view. It just so happened this was Nature's second-worst form of vermin: the Scorpion. Worse yet, this one was massive. Ironic how this giant insect just happened to be my Astrological sign. Okay, I thought to myself. You've managed to take out a dragon, so this should be easy. Then I realized that I was alone in this fight. This was going to fun... With this, I tipped my hat, stamping my hoof into the ground as I scraped up some dust. "Alright...let's go!" I barely had time to dodge when the giant lashed out its stringer at me, leaving it lodged into the ground a moment. Thankfully, I was able to use that brief time to land atop the beast's back, mounting him in that vain attempt at subduing the creature, but I was quickly jostled off. Thank God I was wearing that armor. While it certainly hurt a ton when I landed, that was all that happened. I had to think quick or lose my hide trying...So, I surveyed my surroundings... More barren landscape, save for a lonely rock. It was very small, but it would have to do. I began to focus my mind as I stared at the tan-colored stone, willing it to come toward me, much as Luke Skywalker often willed his lightsaber to do. Either through natural intelligence, or adrenaline, it oddly worked. now I simply had to fire it just right. I clumsily hovered the rock to my eye, firing it at the colossus as quick as I could. But, in my haste, I had failed. I had to think, and think hard. So, I thought of any possible spell I could even attempt, straining my mind on each possibility, until the hum of magic came to me. I guess I hit a sweet spot! So, I strained on that one spot a mite harder, and the hum got louder. It also happened that the harder I strained, the more i became drained and- Hey, is it getting warm in here? Within all of perhaps 5 seconds, a large burst of heat shot into the area, a screech cutting into the air as I heard a hissing sound. Following that brief moment of intense heat, I dared to open my eyes. Whatever happened to the scorpion, it was no more now than a large pile of ash upon the desert floor. However, the strain of casting whatever burned that beast to cinder wore me out. The most I could do now was succumb to my exhaustion and hope the carrion feeders do not eat me... A small party of shadows moved across the sand-packed plains of the Western Desert. Most of them were as large as train cars, and moved in such a quick succession, one could almost confuse them with a train. The odd one out was a small calf bearing what appeared to be a feather and on her head. "Father! Come quick! There is something you must see!" She called out, her attention on the unconscious armored pony before her. Within moments, a beast many times her size (and certainly many more her weight) approached, dressed in a full feathered head dress. "Who is this, daughter? He looks...familiar..." The beast's daughter surveyed the armored unicorn before her. "It looks like a Unicorn...and it bears a very close semblance to The Traveler of which the stories speak!" said the calf, turning over the unconscious form with her hoof. "The Traveler..." grunted the calf's father. "...As in the one who came from another world on behalf of the sun-bringer?" "Indeed, Father. the resemblance is uncanny! What shall we with him?" The calf's father paused a brief moment before nodding his head, his eyes narrowing. "Bring him along with us. Though he doesn't seem injured, he looks in need of aid..." Grunted the father, turning to rejoin the group. "Right away..." Within a few moments, the grey unicorn was lifted onto the back of the living train, whisked away to an unknown location...