//------------------------------//
// The Return of Greg 
// Story: The Return of Greg 
// by sbloom85 
//------------------------------//

	The rift had been placed half an inch above the ground, resulting in Greg stumbling out of it. He turns back to the portal, but it was already gone. He grumbles at the empty space before examining the environment. Cyrus didn't lie. This was definitely Sweet Apple Acres.

"GREG!!" The unmistakable voice of Apple Bloom yells.

Wait a sec... Celestia's translation spell still works? Greg turns to the source of the voice, sees the filly gallop up to him and smiles. "Hey, Apple Bloom!" He yells back.

Apple Bloom leaps up and Greg catches her for a hug. "Ah never though Ah'd see ya again!" She yells out.

Greg chuckles. "I did tell Twilight that I'd be back if I found a way." He says before setting the filly back on the ground. "And I found a way."

Apple Bloom smiles. "Ya sure did!" She exclaims happily. "Ooh! Ah'm gonna go get AJ!"

Apple Bloom gallops toward town, leaving Greg on the farm. He walks up to the Apple family residence and is ready to knock on the door when it opens up. Noisemakers sound, confetti flies all over the place and Greg stumbles backward, ending up falling on his back.

"WELCOME BACK, GREG!" The pink party pony yells, helping a stunned Greg back onto his feet.

Greg dusts off his clothes. "Thanks, Pinkie..." How did she know he was going to be here today? It was probably best not to ask that question openly. For all he knew, she could be a USO agent.

She looks at his forearm. "OOOOH! What's that?" She asks. "Is that the device you used to get from your homeworld to here?"

Greg was more baffled than ever. Was she really a USO agent, or was she just guessing? "How did you know that?" He finally asks.

"Just a hunch!" She says before bouncing out of the house and back into town. "See ya tonight, Greg!"

The sounds of light hoofsteps and creaking metal emanate from the house. Greg looks back in and sees Granny Smith trotting up. "Are ya comin' or not?" She asks. Greg smiles, enters the house and closes the door behind him.

"It's good to see you again, Granny Smith." He says to the old mare before giving her a hug. "I understand a lot's happened while I was gone."

Granny Smith nods. "Darn tootin' a lot's happened." She confirms. "Have a seat." She offers and Greg does. "Are ya thirsty? We got a fresh batch of cider in the cellar."

Greg starts salivating. "I am now." He says. "Would you like some help bringing it up?" He offers.

Granny Smith waves a hoof. "Nah." She says. "That's what Big Macintosh is here for."





Apple Bloom returns to Sweet Apple Acres with her big sister. "Ah thought you said he was here?" AJ asks.

Apple Bloom rubs a hoof on the top of her head. "Ah knew Ah saw him here." She says. "Maybe he went inside."

The two enter the house and see Greg, Granny Smith and Big Macintosh at the table drinking cider and laughing.

"Ah don't believe it!" AJ says, wide-eyed and grinning. She does her best not to gallop up to him and tackle him. She trots up to him and hugs him. "It's good to see ya again, Greg!"

Greg returns the hug. "It's good to be seen, AJ." He says with a content sigh. "I've been catching up with your brother and grandma."

AJ backs up and sits between him and Big Macintosh. "How'd ya get here, by the way?" She asks. "Apple Bloom says some kinda portal opened up on the farm and you were spat out of it."

Greg nods. "That's exactly how I came here." He says, showing them the portable Spatial Rift Generator. "The technology behind this device is what got me here."

AJ chuckles. "Are ya sure it ain't magic?" She asks with a wink. Greg chuckles. "Are ya gonna be here long term this time, or are ya gonna go back?"

Greg shakes his head. "I'll be here for a while. So tell me, how are AJ and her friends doing?"

AJ lets out a quiet hum and rubs her chin. "Well... Rarity's been gettin' more work in Canterlot; Rainbow's still goin' through Wonderbolt training; Twilight's been playin' politician after her uh..." she looks over to her family, who shrug.

"Inauguration?" Greg asks.

AJ nods. "Yup." She says. "That's the word Ah was lookin' for."

Greg nods. "What about you, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy?"

AJ bobs her head. "Same ol', same ol'." She chuckles. "Ah'm sure you've got some interesting stories to tell since we saw ya."

Greg shakes his head. "Not really. They picked me up and brought me back home." He says before scratching his head. "On the way they scanned my brain, trying to figure out how to reproduce Celestia's translation spell."

AJ chuckles. "Did they?"

Greg shrugs. "Beats me. When we arrived back at my world about a week ago they hadn't figured it out. It'll keep 'em busy for a while, that's for sure."

The Apple family's eyes widen. "You were only back for a week?" AJ asks.

Greg rubs the back of his neck. "Did I forget to mention that?" He gets a circle of glares from the ponies. "Hey... don't give me that look. I can go back whenever I want from wherever I'm at." He says, getting a laugh out of them.

AJ waves a hoof. "We're messin' with ya, Greg."

Greg quietly chuckles to himself. "Right..." He says before taking a deep breath. "So where's Twilight right now?"

AJ shrugs. "No clue." She admits. "She was supposed to be in Saddle Arabia for a week... but that was a couple of months ago."

Greg couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Is there a search party after her?"

AJ nods. "Yeah." She says flatly. "Unfortunately, nopony's been able to find anythin'."

A thought crosses Greg's mind. He could ask the USO for the new princess' location and send help her way, but would they do it? He looks over at the portable SRG, debating whether he should or not. He runs a thumb on the side of the device and feels an impression. He presses in and a storage space pops out containing what looks like a wireless headset. "I'll be damned..." He whispers.

AJ and the others were confused as Greg puts the headset into his ear. "Greg?"

Greg raises a finger, indicating them to wait as he presses the button on the headset. "Hello?" He says. "Greg Sanders to anyone."

"Go ahead, Mister Sanders." A voice responded.

"There's a problem here on Equus." He says. "A Princess Twilight Sparkle is missing and I request a location."

"I'm sorry, Mister Sanders, but-"

Greg slams a fist onto the table. "No!" He yells into the headset. "A VIP on this world is missing and I'm only asking for a location, whether if it's a last known location or current location. I'll handle the rest out here."

"Of course. Give us a moment." The voice says.

Moments pass. Greg raps his fingers against the table. "Sorry." He mouths to the ponies.

"Good news, Mister Sanders. Twilight Sparkle is on a train headed toward Ponyville."

Greg lets out a sigh. "Thank you. Sanders out." He says before removing the headset and placing it back into it's container.

The Apples were staring at him in expectation. "Well?" Apple Bloom asks.

"She's on a train coming into Ponyville." He says, relieving the ponies.

"That's good to know." AJ says. "Ah guess we can ask her what she was up to all this time."

"Let's go to the station and meet her." Greg says, standing up. "I'd like to stop at the library real quick." He adds. "Hopefully my stash of money wasn't found."





Greg, AJ and Apple Bloom stopped at the library and met up with Spike as he looked for his money. Lucky for Greg it was still in his room, he was able to treat the two to milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner before waiting at the station.

"This is probably the best milkshake Ah've had from there yet." Apple Bloom comments.

Greg laughs. "There's an old saying where I come from: 'Everything tastes better when someone else is paying for it'." He takes one last sip from his cup and tosses it into the trash can.

AJ chuckles. "Ain't that the truth."

Moments later, the train arrives. Greg and the others stand up. "It's about time." AJ says under her breath. The train doors open and the first one to exit is Twilight herself. Like with Greg, she stops herself from tackling her princess friend.

Twilight sees Greg and gallops up to the three. "Greg! You're back!" She yells in a group hug. "Sorry I haven't contacted anypony, AJ." She says solemnly.

Greg smiles. "No sweat, Twi." He says. "I think we're all glad to know that you're alright." He examines the new Twilight and shakes his head. "Congratulations on the promotion."

Twilight beams. "Thanks Greg!"

Apple Bloom clears her throat. "Why don't we head back to the library and you can fill us on what you've been doin', Twi."

Twilight lets out a big yawn. "Maybe later, AJ." She promised. "I'd like to get some rest."





Greg, AJ and Apple Bloom escort Twilight back to the library. "We'll see ya later, Twilight." Greg says.

The trio turn around, and Twilight taps on Greg's arm. He turns around and Twilight beckons him to enter the library. He turns back to AJ and her sister who were racing to Sweet Apple Acres. He looks back at Twilight and nods.

They enter the library and Twilight trots to the table and sits next to it, letting out a low groan.

"You lied to them, didn't you?" He asks.

Twilight shakes her head. "No, I do want to get some rest, but I don't think I can trust anypony with the information I learned from my trip."

Curious, Greg walks to the table and sits across from Twilight. "I'll bite. What's going on?"

Twilight starts to smile. "Thank you Greg." She says. "There are rumors going around that the Changelings may be returning."

Greg snaps his fingers. "Didn't the Changeling Queen try to conquer Canterlot a while back?"

Twilight nods. "Yes, when my brother was going to marry Cadance. How did you know?"

Greg waves a hand. "I'll tell you later."

Twilight blinks a few times, trying to understand how he knew about that event. "Well, to be honest, I didn't hear anything concrete at first, but word has spread that the Minotaurs and Griffons were attacked by them."

Greg nods. "You were in Saddle Arabia then." Twilight lets out a confirmation grunt. "Then you decided to investigate."

Twilight nods. "Yes. I traveled to Griffon territory. There was plenty of evidence of Changeling activity... but there was something else."

"And what would that something else be?" Greg asked.

Twilight shakes her head. "I'm not entirely sure. I felt dark magic there... the kind that I hadn't sensed since the return of the Crystal Empire... but we defeated that threat."

Greg shakes his head. "Heavy." He comments. "Why are you trusting me with this, though? For all you know, I could be a Changeling."

"How long have you been back?" Twilight asks.

Greg shrugs. "A few hours maybe."

Twilight nods. "Okay... the Changelings know the physiology of most races enough to accurately mimic them, you're alien to our world, so it would take them longer than that to mimic your species with the same accuracy."

Greg nods. "Fair enough. You think the others might be Changelings though?"

Twilight shrugs. "It's hard to say. I hope not." She says. "Would you mind staying here tonight?"

Greg shakes his head. "Not at all, Twilight. If it'll help ease your mind, I'll stay for the night."

Meanwhile, in another room of the library, Spike was eavesdropping on their conversation. "Talking about Changelings and dark magic?" He thought to himself as he picks up a scroll. Going against his better judgment, he quietly breathes fire on the scroll to send it to Celestia. He then puts an apron on and picks up a broom and dust pan. He exits the room and closes the door behind him. "Your room's all ready, Greg." He says. "That's if you're staying tonight." Greg nods. "Excellent." He continues, looking over to Twilight. "Rarity's got me helping her out with some stuff, would you-?"

Twilight shakes her head. "Not at all, Spike." She says. The little dragon takes off like a bullet. "I wonder what's got him in a big rush?"

Greg shrugs. "No clue, Twilight." He says before standing up. "I am going to let you go rest and I am going to look for some work."

Twilight smiles. "Thank you, Greg... and welcome back."