//------------------------------//
// Homecoming 
// Story: Fallen Sun 
// by shademaster24601 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 6: Homecoming


The light crept in, ever so gently, and washed Celestia's face with a warmth that made her smile with a relaxed hum. It wasn't the familiar feeling she'd get from that first light of day. This was something special. It happened in the middle of the night as she was getting ready for bed. There was no warning, just an incredible pain that brought her to her knees. Hours upon hours of intense agony, growing fear, and ponies running about trying to help. It was an ordeal, but it eventually came to an end. Celestia thought of it all and smiled. Eyes half open, she looked down at the little bundle cradled in her grasp.

There was knock at the door. "Princess?"

Celestia looked up, still a little dazed, but happy. "Come in," she said softly.

"Are you sure?"  The young butler adjusted his volume as he gently opened the door. "I didn't want to intrude. I wasn't sure if you were up for any visitors just yet."

She hushed a little laugh. "We're fine, Lawful. Just tired and a little giddy. Please, come in." Lawful Garden had been on the late shift when it happened. He'd been on hoof to help attend to the princess as a source of comfort. He was now walking with a limp in the hoof she was holding. He approached slowly and softly and Celestia returned her smile down. "Say hello to the new prince."

Lawful came in for a closer look. Swaddled in a soft purple blanket, a little white alicorn lay snug in his mother's forelegs. His short black mane had been gingerly brushed from face. He adjusted himself, snuggling deeper into his mother's embrace. "He's perfect."

Celestia shed a small tear and beamed. "Yes he is." She gently nuzzled her foal and a smile appeared on his little face. "Uriah, my shining light." She held her cheek to his and just enjoyed the moment. However, her smile began to fade. She closed her eyes and raised her head. "You didn't come here just to see us." Lawful's expression shifted to a nervous one. "Have you heard from him?"

The young butler felt his heart sink. He swallowed a hard breath. "Maybe...maybe it's best if we wait to discuss it." He went to leave, but as he turned, he felt her hoof around his leg. "Please...just enjoy this moment. Hold your son and remember it just as it is now."

"Lawful, I know you care for me, but I have to know. You must tell me." Those pleading eyes broke him.

"Oh, my lady," He said, clearly distraught. "how can I tell you?"

Celestia was quiet. She knew the worst had to have happened. Righteous Blade was stubborn and loyal to the core. Nothing short of the unthinkable would have kept him from being there with her. She knew her immortality ensured that she would lose her beloved eventually, but she never thought it would be so soon. Now her son would grow up without a father. "Was it...?"

"Yes," Lawful interrupted. "It happened when the messenger we sent to inform him of you going into labor never returned. A scout party went to investigate and found the scene. We believe he was leading a protective detail on a traveling family on their way to Trottingham. There was nothing but carnage left. Claw marks on the wagon and a scale left on a rock nearby confirm that it was indeed a Basilisk attack."

The princess swallowed her rage. "And Blade?"

Lawful began to lose his composure. The pain in his dear friend's eyes too much to bear. "There were no bodies recovered. The only thing we found was a shred of his uniform, covered in blood. I'm...I'm sorry."

Celestia closed her eyes, then let out a deep sigh. "Thank you." She gently stroked her foal's cheek with the back of her hoof. "I'd like some time alone. If you'd please..."

He nodded his head. "I'll tell the staff not to disturb you. Take as much time as you need, but should you need anything, I'll be close by."

With one last affirmative nod, Lawful Garden left the room. Celestia tried to hold herself back, but the hurt was weighing on her heart. Her eyes began to sting as tears welled up. She let out a few sobbing gasps, but became silent as she felt her child squirm in her hooves and begin to whine. In an instant, Celestia's sobbing stopped and her attention turned to her son. Just looking at the tiny colt made her heart melt. With a warm smile, Celestia moved to comfort him. "Shhh. There there, it's alright," she cooed, nuzzling his cheek. "My sweet baby. I love you so much. I promise, no matter how much time passes and come whatever may be, I will always be there for you." When Uriah began to settle, Celestia gentle pulled back, but just enough to put an inch or so between their faces. She lovingly looked at her child, then began to sing softly. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey." Uriah smiled as his mother sang. His little eyelids began to twitch and struggle to open for the first time. Sure enough, he succeeded. Celestia looked into those crimson eyes with affection, while her son looked up at her with wonder and giggled. "You never know, dear, how much I love you." She leaned back in and kissed him on the forehead, making the foal laugh. 

 
"Please don't take my sunshine away."

That night, so very long ago, played back in Celestia's mind as vividly as if it were yesterday. The last line of the song echoed in the back of her mind. There was love and loss, joy and sorrow, but everything melted into bliss when she looked into those eyes. Now, after so many years of pain, fear, and running from her past, those same eyes that looked at her with love and wonder, now glared at her with a boiling hatred. There was a dead silence that only increased the tension as all eyes locked on the intruder who emerged from the shadows and sealed the door.

Uriah tilted his head, but kept his eyes locked with Celestia's. "So very silent," He began. "You certainly didn't have trouble a moment ago. What's wrong? Silver tongue turned to lead?"

He started to approach. The moment he stepped forward, everypony, but Pinkie, stepped back. Celestia, still in shock, had trouble finding words. She shuddered and began to tear up. "...Son."

Uriah's pupil's shrank and his scowl deepened with gritted teeth. "You do NOT CALL ME THAT!" He roared. "You gave up EVERY right to call me that!" He advanced, but stopped as he noticed that they all looked like they were getting ready for a fight. Well, except for Fluttershy, who hid behind her braver friends, and Pinkie, who just looked frightened by his outburst. When he saw the terrified look in her eyes, he took a deep breath and composed himself before turning his attention back to the object of his rage, sitting on her throne. "Oh, but look at what you make me do. You've ruffled my feathers and went and made me ruin my first impression." He took a moment to examine himself, with his wings flared out and his mane messed by the jerking motion of his fast approach and stop. "Well...don't I look a fright?"  He neatly folded his wings to his side and fixed his mane. Once he was back to the state of a gentlemanly vagabond, he addressed the unfamiliar. "Good evening.I am prince Uriah ex Sole, heir to the throne, general supreme, founder of the feast of fools, liberator of Tambelon, and slayer of the  hordes of Skall."

The girls were all a little surprised as he did a little bow. Rarity was just as on edge as the others, except for Pinkie, who actually seemed happy to see him. However, she felt it wouldn't be lady-like if she didn't return a little courtesy. "My, what...lovely titles." 

"Thank you," He replied with a charming grin.

Celestia's expression had changed to a glared of revulsion. "All this time...and you wear your crime like it were some great triumph."

"Yes, but I suppose you'd know a lot about that," he spat back with venom. Uriah gave her a glare that effectively shut her up. "and now you choose to be silent. By the maker, I knew you were weak, but I had hoped you would have grown a spine over the last five centuries."

"Hey!" The defiant shout came from Rainbow Dash, who rose above the group with fire in her eyes. "You better watch your mouth. Princess Celestia is a great ruler. She's done more for Equestria than you could ever imagine."

Uriah just met her challenging stare with his own, unamused, one. "Oh, I've heard the same stories you have. However, all I've seen is some poor, selfish, old hag, too blind by her own arrogance to see what's important and too cowardly to do what needs to be done. Even now, she chooses to send children to do her dirty work rather than face her own mistakes."

The thought of being disregarded as no more than a child hit a nerve with the multicolored mare. "That's it! I'm not gonna let some condescending, punk black metal reject, march in here and act he owns the place."

He rolled his eyes. "Effectively, I do and I much prefer dark cabaret." He turned his attention to the cyan mare. "Though, I suppose that doesn't matter to you, Rainbow Dash." Her eyes widened in shock. "Loyal to the last and so very brave. I expect nothing less from the best young flyer in Equestria, let alone a wonder bolt recruit."

Rainbow was dumbfounded. "How do you know that?"

Uriah didn't skip a beat. "Pinkie told me. I must say, I was quite fortunate to have met her this morning." He casually approached the pink earth pony in question and shared in a quick friend-hug, then returned to addressing the room. "She told me about all of you. Everything I could ever need to know about the lot of you since Twilight first came to Ponyville, leading up to today, all wrapped up in a nice little bow."

Rainbow was furious at the sight of this invader putting his hoofs around one of her closest friends. "Get off her!"

There wasn't much time between the start and the end of the altercation. Rainbow launched herself, hooves forward, directly at Uriah's head. In any instance, where an extremely athletic and aggressive pegasus charges with full intent to harm, the standard variety of bad guy would at least break a sweat. Uriah just look annoyed. He stared down Rainbow's charge, then his eyes and horn flashed with crimson red light. Dash noticed this and soon found herself feeling odd. An aura of magic that matched Uriah's had enveloped the pegasus. All that could be seen of her was her silhouette in the mist. To the shock of her friends, the image began to shrink. A gentle thud came as the object dropped from flight and rolled along the floor, stopping at the hooves of the rogue prince. The mist cleared and there, sitting wide-eyed and confused in full view of her friends, was Rainbow Dash. However, instead of the daring young mare that led the charge, what sat there was a foal, no more than a month old. She looked around a little, then her little head raised to look at the menacing stallion before her. She cringed a bit as Uriah lowered himself so they were eye to eye. Then he gave a little smirk. "Boo."

The small filly recoiled in fear, then crawled away as fast as her little legs would take her. Rainbow fluttered her little wings to give herself a little boost. Whimpering all the way to Fluttershy, who quickly pulled the filly into a protective hug. The yellow pegasus did her best to comfort her friend. "Shh, shh, shh, there there. It's okay...somewhere. Just not here."

Uriah stood back up and continued speaking. "As entertaining as this has been, I advise you all to not attempt anything else. I could have vaporized her just as easily, but fortunately for you I am not unkind."

"Enough!" bellowed Luna, gaining everypony's attention. "This ends now. You've obviously gone through a lot of trouble to get here, but I shall not tolerate such a malicious treatment of my friends!"

"Friends?" Uriah seemed generally surprised. He shot another icy stare at his mother. "She probably would have called them 'subjects'." He smiled a little, before looking at the moon princess. "I knew I was going to like you. I'd hardly call this malicious, more along the lines of...edgy. As for what I want, it's very simple. Revenge!"

Celestia narrowed her eyes at him. The pain subsiding, she now looked at him as an enemy. "I expected as much, but we both know there's more to it."

He didn't like her pretending to be strong. He figured she needed to be put in her place again. "Well of course there is. I'm also going to have to repair all the damage you've done in my absence and beyond, while I'm at it." He then turned his attention to one who, he felt, deserved it. The lavender alicorn, trying to hold her head high with her friends. Those deep purple eyes met his and they instantly started reading him and his her. There was something about Twilight that astounded Uriah, but he still couldn't place it. Still keeping eye contact, he calmed his voice. "You've been awfully quiet."

Twilight was a little surprised at being called out. She was still trying to get over the weird vibe she got the last time she made eye contact with Uriah, but here he was, looking right into her soul. She tried to keep a cool head. "What exactly do you expect me to say?"

"Well...something." He rolled his eyes. "I mean, you're Twilight Sparkle. The hero, the leader, the innovator, savior of Equestria at least four times over. You've earned a fair bit of respect, I'll give you that." He was now face to face with her. "At the very least, it's good to know it wasn't much trouble to find my replacement."

This got a surprised look from everyone. Twilight backed up a little, but Uriah kept the distance closed. "I don't know what you mean."

Uriah looked deadly serious. "I think you do." He got in closer and whispered to her. "Look back at Celestia for a few seconds, then back to me." Twilight didn't know why, but she did, despite every instinct telling her to keep her eyes on him, she looked back. It was only for a few seconds, but he was right, she did see something. "I'm not wrong, am I?" He went on. "It goes far beyond mentor and student, even further than where you think it goes. That look in her eyes. The look of love, compassion, pride, and now fear. Just me standing here with you is putting the same look of fear in here eyes that you'd see in any mother's when she sees her child in danger. All she's thinking right now is that she wants to swoop in, save you from the monster, then hold you tight and never let go...She...She used to look at me like that." He glanced up in time to actually see the moment when his mother's blood ran cold, then took a step back. "I have no quarrel with you Twilight Sparkle, nor do I have one with any of your friends. However, if you choose to stand in my way, then you will have nopony to blame, but yourselves, for whatever may come. Celestia," He called defiantly to his mother. "I swear, I will make you suffer for every thing you have stolen from me. My home, my people, everyone I've ever cared about. You've taken what can never be replaced and from that...I will take from you." He turned and walked to the center of the room. "I believe I've made my point, so I'll be taking my leave, but before I go." He looked at his young lavender counterpart again. "Twilight, I'm sure your wondering how an alicorn prince simply fades from memory even after so long, so I'll give you a hint. Stardust Dreamer." His horn glowed with it's blood red light and a red haze floated off his eyes, then with a raise of his horn, vanished in a burst of red flame.

Twilight was confused at first. Her friends began to gather around, Fluttershy still cradling the baby Rainbow Dash. The young alicorn just stood and puzzled for a bit. That name seemed all too familiar, but then it hit her. Stardust Dreamer was a legendary scholar and a great contributor to the magical arts. Her specialty was...memory spells. When Celestia and Luna joined the group to make sure they were all okay, Twilight looked at her former mentor with pure bewilderment. "What did you do?"