Home Again

by drnkntst

Chapter 29

Chapter 64

After their spa trip, the group went back to the castle for lunch. They all wanted to spend a little more time with Rarity’s parents before they had to leave for Ponyville. Of course Rarity was happy to see them, but she would also be very happy to see them go so she could get back to spending time with Rick.

All during the meal, Magnum and Sugar Belle asked all kinds of questions about Earth. Sweetie finished her meal faster than anyone else and spent the rest of the time atop Rick’s shoulders, simply enjoying the view. She couldn’t help but tell her parents all about the time Rick scared Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, or bragging about how he took on Chrysalis. Though like any young, she had a tendency to exaggerate. According to her, Rick had stomped ‘that mean ol’ bug’ into the dirt and ripped her wings off.

“Now, Sweetie, that’s not what happened and you know it,” Rarity chided.

“That’s right, Rick managed to hold her off, but in the end…” Twilight stopped herself abruptly, “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay, Twilight. It doesn’t bother me anymore thanks to your brother and Cadence.”

“I don’t mean to be rude here, but what happened?” Magnum asked.

“Father, please don’t,” Rarity pleaded.

“No, no, it’s okay Rarity. Magnum, right before your daughter and her friends saved me, Chrysalis hit me with some pretty powerful magic. I managed to block most of it, but in the end, I lost my horn and my ability to use magic. As you can imagine, I didn’t handle this too well. Thankfully, we’ve discovered that I can at least use low-level defensive magic to form an armor of sorts. Hopefully, this means that my horn will grow back before too long and I’ll be able to use magic again.”

“Oh, that must have been horrible. But you’re getting your magic back, how wonderful,” Sugar said. “Oh dear, would you look at the time. Magnum, we need to go or we’ll miss our train.”
“That’s right, well let’s get going.”

“Oh, do you have to go already?” Rarity asked. Rick could tell she wasn’t completely sincere.

“Don’t’cha worry, Rarity. Sweetie Belle will be here ta keep you company ‘til you get back home,” Sugar comforted her obviously upset older daughter. The tiny cheer from Rick’s mane was the most adorable thing he had heard in weeks.

“Really, that’ll be… fun,” the forced smile on Rarity’s face made Rick laugh inwardly. He knew Rarity loved her sister to no end, but that didn’t mean she wanted to spend expended periods of time with her either.

“Come on, Rick, let’s go,” Sweetie Bell ordered.

“You got it, boss. How ‘bout I show around the empire a little?”

“Yay!” Sweetie cheered again as Rick stood up from the table and started walking toward the door.

“Oh, good with foals that one. Make sure you marry him before somepony else does.”

“MOTHER!!” Rick’s laughter at her outburst could be heard throughout the castle.

Rick stepped out into the empire with his tiny passenger still riding him. She had climbed up on top of his head, holding onto his ears again, so she could unobstructed view of where they were going.

“So where do you want to go? Anything in particular you wanted to see?”

“I don’t know, where do you suggest?”

“Tell you what, I’ll do all the waking and you just steer.”

Sweetie agreed, “yeah, that sounds good.”

“Al-right!” Rick started trotting down the street, being steered by his cute little pilot. He was beaming, it had been far too long since he had done this with Annie. The pair laughed through the town with Rick trotting at a speed nearing a gallop. Crystal ponies couldn’t help themselves but join in the laughter as they stepped out of the way.

“How about the Crystal Library?” Rick asked as they came to the building housing more books than Twilight herself could read in a year.

“You’re not going to make me read while I’m here are you?” Sweetie was cringing at the thought.

“Hehe, no. It’s just a point of interest is all.”

“Oh, okay then,” she instantly perked back up.

They looked inside briefly. The little filly was awestruck at the sheer magnitude of the reading selection. Of course, she was just a little filly and therefore became very bored very quickly. They moved onto the next stop on the tour.

“This building is really pretty. What is it?”

“I’ll give you a hint, this is your sister’s favorite building in the whole empire.”

“The spa?” That little squeak in her voice would be annoying on a full grown mare, but coming from her, it was the most adorable thing ever.

“Got it in one. You want to see inside?”

“Yeah!”

As soon as they entered the doorway, they were pounced by a friendly staff member, “back again? So soon too. What can we do for you Mr. Rick?”

“Sorry, but I’m just giving my little friend here a tour of the empire. I just wanted to show her where her big sister loves to spend her time the most.”

The attendee looked up and addressed Sweetie, “my, my, you are a cutie aren’t you? Is this your daughter?”

Rick was proud of himself for holding back his shock, she couldn’t have known his history after all. “No, I’m Rarity’s little sister.” Sweetie was all smiles and giggles.

“Oh yes, I see it now. You do look just like her.”

“Really?!” Sweetie had somehow managed to balance herself on the end of Rick’s muzzle causing him only more smiles at her extreme cuteness.

“Definitely. The pure, white coat. The curls in the mane and tail. I don’t think there could be any doubt about it.”

Sweetie beamed even more and Rick drank it in like the finest wine. The whole experience took him back home to his old family again. To be perfectly clear, he thought the world of his new family, but he would forever long for Hanna and Annie to be back in his life again. For now though, he was having the time of his life with the little sister of one of the loves of his life.
“You ready to see what else there is to see?” he asked his tiny pilot who was still standing on his muzzle.

“Okay, Rick. Goodbye, everypony!” She waved at the spa staff and the customers as they turned for the door. “Where should we go now?”

“Hmm… you wanna see where I’ve been training?”

“Yeah!”

They were walking through the streets again, still laughing and having a great time, when Sweetie asked a question that caught Rick completely of guard.

“Hey, Rick?”

“Yes, Sweetie?”

“You know how you’re dating Rarity?”

He was starting to get nervous, “Yes?”

“And you know how she’s my big sister, right?”

“Right…”

“Does… does that mean you’re like… like my big brother?”

He was shocked to say the least, “do you want me to be?”

“Well, I mean, Twilight has her big brother, and Apple Bloom and Applejack have Big Macintosh. I know I’ve got Rarity, and she’s great, but, I just…”

“Sweetie, are you jealous of them?” Rick asked as gently as he could.

“I… I don’t know. They just get to do so much with their brothers that sisters just don’t seem to do. Does that make me a bad friend?”

Rick reach up and plucked her off his head, held her in front of his face, smiled and squeezed her in a hug. “No, no that doesn’t make you a bad friend.” He held her up again so they were eye-to-eye, “as far as me being your big brother, technically no,” the little filly was suddenly crest fallen, “but that doesn’t mean anything to me. I would be honored if you considered me your big brother.” He pulled her in for another hug and a little nuzzling.

“What about if you married Rarity?”

Rick only just kept from flinging the tiny Crusader across the street like a grenade with a missing pin. “Wh-what?!”

“On the train ride here, my parents said they were coming to see their future son-in-law. When I asked them about it, they said that an in-law was somepony who married into the family.”
“That’s true, but marriage isn’t something you should jump into. You know I love your sister very much right?” Sweetie nodded, “well, that’s the most important thing, but it is also just one part of considering getting married. For right now, I’ve got one more week of training here before I return to Ponyville. Where it goes from there, I don’t know. I hope thing progress well, because I would love to have a sister-in-law as precious as you.”

Sweetie wrapped her short little arms around his thick neck and nuzzled him again. Rick placed her back atop is head after she finished and they proceeded back to the castle.

Chapter 65

As with the week prior, the group went to bed early so they could spend as much time as possible together the next day. Sweetie had managed to talk her sister into letting her sleep with her new big brother that night. Of course, the catch was that Rarity did too. Sadly, their visit couldn’t last forever and the girls did eventually have to take the long train ride home.

After a night of lonely rest, Rick was ready to start his final week of training, this time it would be with Celestia’s Elite Unicorn Guard. This would be the most important part of his training as any attacker would most likely use magic against the Elements. He would need the training then more than any other time.

As with the training before, Rick had a hard time with it at first. Just like with the pegasi, dodging came first. After that, deflecting and redirecting attacks, not so easy when the attacks are bolts of magic. Thanks to the practice Rick and Shining had down with Rick’s small shields, there were few injuries to be patched afterward. In fact, Rick had managed to figure out a way to use his shields to combat telekinesis. He would wrap the shield around the targeted limb and when it had been grabbed, Rick would release his hold on it therefore allowing him to escape.

Rick was par for the course. Towards the end of the week, he could go blow for blow against his sparring partners. Obviously, he couldn’t blast them with magic bolts and pick them up with telekinesis, but he could launch his own counter attacks. Finally, it was the last day of training.

“I gotta say, Rick, you’re doing a lot better than I thought you would,” Shining told him as they returned for lunch after their morning aerobics and strength training

“Um, thanks?”

“No, I mean it. When you asked me to help you, I thought you would go the same route as many of my recruits. I see it all the time, brash, headstrong, young colts, and occasionally fillies, who think the training would be easy and they would come out the other side covered in medals, swimming in bits and having mares throw themselves at them. Most wash out before the first week is up, but not you. No, I’ve watched you take on the very best Equestria has to offer single-hoofed and come out on top. And most importantly, even though you got your flank handed to you, you kept coming back for more. I can’t think of a better stallion to be watching over little Twily. It’s no wonder she fell for you.

“Wow, thank you, Shining, that means a lot to me. That’s very high praise coming from you.”

“I meant every word. I know I can trust you with her, you wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt her.”

“You’ve got that right.”

“Besides, it wouldn’t just be me you would have to deal with, but Celestia as well.”

“Very good incentive right there, not that I need it. Twilight is very special and I would do anything for her.”

“So I’ve witnessed,” Shining said as he pointed to the marks on Rick’s face. “Now, c’mon, let’s get some lunch before the final stage of training.”

And that’s just what they did. A light lunch and something to drink, then back to work. Shining had asked Rick to stay behind while he got the final exercise ready. Rick waited for his signal to head outside. The signal didn’t come, at least not the signal that he had been expecting.

An explosion echoed through the halls. Rick jumped from his resting place and rushed toward where he thought the source was, the training grounds. He galloped as fast as he could, his friend was out there and needed his help. More explosions could be heard, louder this time, he must have been heading the right way.

Rick burst out the doors to the grounds and couldn’t believe what he saw. The training grounds were a battle field. The bleachers had been destroyed, the locker rooms had collapsed and water was spraying all over, and there were smoking craters everywhere. But that wasn’t the worst of it.

Rick saw Shining and Cadence. From what he could see, they were still alive and well, as were the six Elemental Bearers. They had all been captured and seemed to be unable to defend themselves or free themselves. They were trapped inside some sort of green slime cocoons. Still, that wasn’t the worst of it.

“Hahaha… so nice of you to join us, Rick.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Why revenge, of course. You didn’t think I would just sit idly after the humiliation you put me through just four weeks ago, did you?”

“Let them go! This is between us!”

Chrysalis cackled again, “true, but where’s the fun without an audience?”

The two combatants glared at each other and prepared themselves for the fray.

Comments

[MuzaWaza]

Hmm, Luna or Celestia in disguise? Wasn't Chrysalis locked in stone?
If not then the elements of harmony are broken.

[Robobrony]

It has to be some kind of trick, a test for Rick to see how much he's improved.

[Dragonfox]

Wow a cliff hanger. I do hope to see a new chapter soon. I can't wait to see what happen next. Keep up the grate job you are doing with the story.

Dragonfox

[Quick-Bolt]

I this story.

[damnaion]

29# OOOO and dam

[Phobos]

Damnaion is everywhere