Returning Home

by SandyShores

Chapter 9- Snowstorms and Steep Slopes

“HELP!”

Starlight heard the faint and clearly weakened voice call out.

“Somepony, please help!”

The voice cried out, but Starlight couldn’t find the source. In the mountainous area, sound just bounced and echoed around the hills, while Starlight spun around frantically trying to find the pony.

“Don’t worry, I’m here!” Starlight cried back.

She still searched around with no source, but began running anyway towards one of the larger mountains.

“Help!”

He continued to call, unable to hear Starlight.

She trotted carefully up the slippery and unstable mountain snow, plunging her hoof deep into the snow with every step, mindful that the snow could give in and collapse at any moment sending her tumbling down the mountain side.

He cried out several more times and Starlight knew she was on the right track. She knew whatever happened to him must’ve been pretty horrific.

After a few minutes of careful footwork, she made in up the mountainside and up to a ridge wide enough for her to trot fearlessly on.

“...Anypony!” he cried out again.

“I’m coming!” Starlight shouted back.

“Oh, thank Celestia!” he called out in joy as he was finally able to her coming.

Starlight trotted around the ledge, using her horn to toss large rocks and branches out of the way. After about a minute, she turned a corner and spotted the white earth pony nearly buried in the snow.

She ran over to him, saw that he was pinned down by some large rocks, and lifted them away.

“Oh, thank you so much,” he told her.

“You’re welcome,” she responded, brushing away the thick layer of snow that built on top of him. She wiped the snow off of his legs and stepped back at the sight. “Your...your legs are broken,” she said in disbelief.

“I know, I went down the mountain too fast and got caught in an avalanche. I’ve been calling out for hours. I didn’t think anypony would show up.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you back to my town,” Starlight said as she began lifting the earth pony in her magic.

“Oh thank you, thank you. If you hadn’t shown up I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

Though she had fearlessly set out to rescue the injured pony, Starlight suddenly remembered her town and everything she worked for. She was about to bring an outsider into her town for the first time. In an instant, she worried she might be making the wrong choice bringing this pony back. Could she be bringing in a pony who might contaminate her town with ideas of individuality?

No. She wouldn’t let it happen. If she was going to bring him back to her town, she had to convince him about the way they did things. She thought about writing a song about how great her town was, but she didn’t have enough time, though she figured she’d get around to it at some point in the future.

She knew what she had to do and shot her attention back to the injured pony. “Well, you would’ve died,” she callously continued his grim thought.

“I…I know. It was tough when I went down because I knew for sure….”

Starlight interrupted. “Right, because as earth pony, you had no chance to survive. Not like a pegasus or a unicorn.”

“Yea, I... I guess,” he said, almost mindlessly, unaware of Starlight’s power of suggestion.

“It must feel so awful, I can’t even imagine,” Starlight began in her condescending tone.

“What, being an earth pony?”

“Of course, being so unwanted and unnecessary in Equestria,” she said with such indifference while levitating the pony.

“But, earth ponies are the farmers,” he asserted.

“Sure, the strong ones are valued farmers, but I don’t think you were so blessed?”

He looked down. “…No,” he said after a great pause.

“Don’t worry, in our town, we don’t place value on your race or your cutiemark. Everypony is treated equally, you’ll see.”

“That…actually sounds pretty great.”

“Oh it is wonderful, I’m sure you’ll fit right it,” Starlight said, a smile appearing on her face.

—————

Starlight looked up the mountain where she had first found Double Diamond. She had nothing to lose at this point, so she decided to check it out.

She started up the mountain with great ease. Though it began to lightly snow, the snow wasn’t nearly as thick and felt much more steady than the last time. She quickly trotted up the hill side and made it to the ledge after only a minute of climbing.

Once on solid ground, she looked out to the sky and saw the faintest hint of light beginning to peek out from the horizon. Dawn would be breaking shortly and Starlight hadn’t gotten any sleep since she went out shopping with Rarity the previous day. It hardly mattered, Starlight felt more alive than she had ever felt in her life.

She began to trot down the ledge, darting her eyes around for any signs of her once friend. Though, in the dark of night, she had to be careful because her visibility was so low, even with the glow of her horn keeping her company.

Another minute later, and she came to the spot where she had first found Double Diamond years earlier. But there was no sign of him now, she stood there and looked around for a minute. Snow began building on her face, covering her eyes and forcing her to brush her face off a couple of times.

The snow began to fall much harder and Starlight began to feel the cold which had slowly crept up on her. She was practically shivering but continued to look around for anything, any sign. She looked out over the ledge and tried desperately to search for Double Diamond as snow continued to pile on her face, mane and body.

She wanted to stand there and wait for him, she was so certain he would be here, but the freezing cold almost brought her numb. Her eyes began to fill with frigid tears and she couldn’t tell if it had been from losing Double Diamond or from the snow which continued to blind her vision.

She decided to find a spot where she could, at the very least, save herself from the oncoming blizzard and remembered the escape cave just a minute away.

She trotted toward the cave as snow continued to race down in larger flakes. Suddenly, a rush of whipping wind blew against Starlight and felt like daggers of ice piercing her sides causing her to seize up for a moment to brace against the arctic blast, making her regret not bringing any winter clothing.

After a minute, she made it to the cave. She stepped in and immediately began drawing sharp breaths of relief. She turned around and sat on her haunches, rubbing her hooves together trying to regain some warmth as she stared out at the sheets of pure white which continued to fall almost angrily.

She drew in a long breath as she considered Double Diamond, she wondered if she had indeed lost him forever. ‘Had he left to start another town?’ she considered.

“What are you doing here?” a voice asked from behind her.

She turned to face the earth pony “Double Diamond! You’re here!” She threw herself at him in a wild hug, which he took no pleasure in. “…You’re safe,” she said as she released from the one-sided hug.

“I’m not going back,” he said candidly.

Her smile quickly changed into something more serious. “Please, give it another chance.”

“No…no. I want to be happy again, why are trying to take that away from me?”

“Because this isn’t true happiness. You can’t just drink a potion and solve all your problems.”

Double Diamond turned around and took a few steps deeper in the cave. Starlight realized he could take off at any moment down the numerous branching tunnels and she would never see him again.

“Don’t...” she pleaded. “Please don’t run.”

He stood still for a moment as if collecting his thoughts.

“Do you remember what you said to me when we first met, up here when I broke my leg?” he turned to face her.

Starlight didn’t respond.

“Well?” he asked.

Starlight stood there, her face filled with regret and heartache. “Yes, I said some really, really stupid things.”

“You said, earth ponies who weren’t strong enough to work in farms were worthless.”

Starlight bit her lip as she looked up at the ceiling and to the walls of the cave, anywhere but at Double Diamond, she already felt her eyes pool with sorrow filled tears which threatened to burst at any moment. “I…I know,” she choked in between sobs.

“I never believed you until I came to your town. Everypony was as equal as you said. I know we were all brainwashed, but we were all equals. I felt like it didn’t matter that I wasn’t born a pegasus or a unicorn for the first time in my life.”

“After you left and things were restored, I didn’t matter anymore.” He shook his head. “With you, I would work in the fields, work in the bakery, help build new homes, I felt useful.”

“Believe me your friends still care about you. Do you know what they told me?”

Double Diamond didn’t respond.

“Sugar Belle, she said you would always help her around her bakery, cleaning and baking. Party Favor told me you were like a mannequin that he’d cover with balloon sculptures, and Night Glider, she said you two would go out on walks and watch out for bears, but…I know that was a lie, she just wanted to spend time with you.”

“We never did find any bears.” Double Diamond he said with mild somber as he looked down.

“You’re useful, believe me, you’re useful. You’re one of the hardest working, bravest and most caring ponies I’ve ever met.” He looked up to her. “Trust me they want you back…the real you.”

———

Ember Shine trotted back and forth through his small home, he didn’t get any sleep. He tried, but he just lay in bed with his eyes fixated on the ceiling. He couldn’t help himself but worry obsessively about Double Diamond, not too mention all the ponies in the South. He tossed and turned in bed for hours, his mind refusing to break of horrid thoughts

Right now, he found himself pacing back and forth through the small cottage as every imaginable thought raced through his mind. Every couple of minutes he would switch and sit on one of his small chairs. He did this after realizing he wasn’t getting a wink of sleep an hour earlier.

So he paced and waited for anything, any sign of Starlight or Double Diamond. He looked over to the table which still lay littered with glass beakers full of failed potions of all shades of color.

Suddenly he heard a knock on his door and shot over to it, swinging it open swiftly.

“Oh…Hi Flame Heart,” he said with obvious disappointment. “What’re you doing here so late?”

“Late?” she asked. “It’s morning.”

In disbelief, he stepped outside and looked up to find that it was in fact early morning as dawn just began to break the horizon.

“Did you get any sleep last night?” she asked stepping into his home.

He turned around and followed her back into the cottage. “No, none at all. You?”

“Not really, I’ve just been worried sick about us and the South and Double Diamond,” she said with melancholy in her voice.

“I shouldn’t have let him run off. It’ll be my fault if he never comes back.”

“No, you were right, Starlight was only one who could’ve helped him.”

He looked to at her with desperate hope that she was right.

He raised his hoof to wipe away at his tired eyes. “We…we should go gather everyone so we can all be together when we go over to the South,” he spoke logically. “…We shouldn’t wait.”

Flame Heart smiled a weak smile, but she agreed that it would only be more difficult and painful if they waited all day for Starlight.

They exited the cottage and split up, each one knocking on every pony’s door so they could be all be together.

Ember nearly knocked on Double Diamond’s door before he realized it would be a pointless measure.

He met with all the other ponies from the North and gathered in the middle of the small town.

Suddenly, Flame Heart raced up to him. “Woah, slow down. What’s wrong?” he asked, concerned.

“It’s Whisper, she says she’s not going until Double Diamond comes back. Says she refuses to go until then,” Flame Heart managed to get out while catching her breath.

Ember let out a sigh. “Don’t worry, I’ll go talk to her,” Ember said as he walked toward her small cottage determined to change the small earth pony’s mind.

He knocked on her door which laid open a crack. “Whisper?” he called out.

He watched through the crack as she trotted up and opened the door, allowing it open fully before quickly turning and walking back to where she had been sitting.

He stepped in the room slowly.

“I don’t wanna go until he comes back. It’s not fair.”

He walked over and sat next to her, looking down at the floor as she did.

“I know what you mean, I’m really worried about him too.”

“I can’t go without him, I’m too afraid. I just don’t think they’re going to forgive us.”

“I know…. I was up all night worrying about what’s going to happen today.” He paused and shook his head. “It’s like, if he were here it would be such easier. He always knew what to say to give us courage. I keep thinking, there’s no way we would’ve survived over here without him… But believe me Starlight will do anything to bring him back safe.”

“You really trust her that much?” She said looking up to him.

“Yes, I mean… when I first saw her yesterday I thought she was going to ruin what we have, but after last night I realized she only wants to return what we lost.”

She perked up and smiled at him, beginning to believe what he was saying.

“I know that she has a special bond with him, and I know she’ll find him and bring him back, it’s only a matter of time.”

“But for now…” He said standing up. “I know they would both want all us to reconcile with the South.” He extended his hoof to her. “C’mon they’ve already done so much for us, the least we can do is let them return home to a reunited town.”

————————

“So the last time you saw her was last night?” Sugar Belle asked.

“I’m telling ya, I was flying around, keepin’ watch during my shift and when I came back Silver Storms told me she had left,” she told her close friends in the small bakery. “I told you, I didn’t trust her.”

“There has to be a simple explanation for why she left. Maybe she realized something about the North,” Rarity proposed in between sips of her morning tea.

“Maybe she stopped the attack somehow, I mean, we weren't attacked,” Party Favor offered.

All of a sudden, Sugar Belle’s ears perked up and her attention was quick to follow.

“Do you guys hear something?” Sugar Belle asked, hearing the faint sounds of doors opening and hoof steps against the ground. She wiped her hooves on her apron as she walked over to front window to see what was going on, the others remained sitting at a table in the back.

Suddenly, after seeing something out of the window, Sugar Belle gasped and quickly ran out of the bakery without hesitation.

The others watched in surprise, but quickly ran out to follow her.

Once outside, the ponies, along with other southern ponies who came out to see what was going on, were met with what seemed to be just about every pony from the North. They stood in one small crowd at the edge of the town.

Night Glider instinctively made her way to the front of the small Southern pack.

For a moment everypony stood still, as if holding their breaths and waiting for the other side to say something as each pony from either side scanned the other group, taking note of each individual.

Suddenly, Sugar Belle was the first to break the silence as she saw a sight she truly didn’t expect. “Flame Heart?” Her voice cracked as she became overcome with emotions.

Sugar Belle didn’t waste another moment as she galloped up to the once lost pony and claimed into her in a hug. The red earth pony’s face already began to swell and break with tears and chokes of sobbing gasps.

In an instant, the tension had been released and the hesitant ponies of the South began walking over to join in the full embrace.

In that moment, everypony realized what the return of Flame Heart meant. She hadn’t been kidnapped, and there wasn’t some nefarious reason for her disappearance. Her voluntary return, along with the rest of the North, meant an end to their long conflict.

——

“C’mon, I think it’s this way…No wait, it’s this way.”

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

“Of course I do, I navigated through these caves for months as I planned my attack against that dreaded Twilight Spark…Wait no, it was that way.”

Starlight now explored through the caves she had called home for a short time with Double Diamond. While she knew she had made progress in assuring him that he was making the wrong choice, he still refused to fully surrender. The old ways were still deeply ingrained in him, but Starlight knew he would come around.

For now though, she was making progress. He was speaking to her, he listened to her, it was like there was a piece inside of him that knew he was wrong, it was just fighting to take back his mind from the potion. Starlight did manage to get him to agree to go home one last time before leaving for good, she wanted to show him how much progress she was sure the North made, even without her. Double Diamond agreed, believing the North to be in just as much disarray as when they left.

The pair waited for a couple of hours at the opening of the cave, but after a while they realized the snowstorm wasn’t going to let up and even if it did, navigating through the now thick snow on top of the mountain would be too risky. Instead, Starlight suggested they attempt to return down the mountain through the cave she had once used to escape from Twilight Sparkle.

After about an hour of navigating through the cave, she wasn’t sure what progress they had made to the small opening that she remembered at the base of the mountain.

“So…” Starlight began as the two continued down one of the tunnels. “How do feel right now?”

“Right now?” Double Diamond asked to Starlight’s nod. “…Cold, mostly.”

Starlight chuckled lightly. “I meant the potion. Like, do you feel that you’re happy?”

“Oh, I don’t really know,” he answered honestly. “I mean, I was happy last night when I thought everyone was going to join me. But, when I ran away, I don’t know… I guess I’m still happy.”

“You don’t seem too sure.”

“I mean, I feel like I used to, like an equal pony. I don’t feel…shame, anymore.”

“Were you ashamed of being an earth pony?” Starlight asked with concern.

“I was ashamed that I was unequal, that everypony else was unequal. I guess without anyone to be equal with, I sort of, feel alone in being equal.”

“Maybe it was different because last night you were surrounded by friends, but now, even though you have that grey cutie mark, because you have nobody to share it with, you truly are unequal.”

Double Diamond looked away, unable to face the mare.

“Think about it, what happens if you leave and go off to live alone? Even though you’ve rejected your cutie mark, there’s no one to join you, there’s no equality in solitude. Who can you be equal with?”

Double Diamond stopped in his steps for a minute to ponder the thought, while Starlight continued to trot forward.

“Hey, Diamond, we made it!” she called back as her voice echoed off the walls of the cave.

As he raced up to her, the cave began to fill with more and more light pouring in from the outside before he made it to the opening where he was met with a burst of light from the sun, which nearly blinded his vision.

“Oh thank Celestia!” he cried out as he bowed himself to the ground and kissed the Equestrian dirt that he was so happy to see again.

“Told ya I knew my way through the caves. I mean, I did live in there for like, months.”
Starlight boasted.

“So…” she started. “Ready to go see you’re old friends?”

————————

It was just about late afternoon when Starlight and Double Diamond trotted back towards the town, all the while Starlight prayed that the two sides had made amends. She just knew that if he could see them beginning to get along again, he would stay in the town.

As the town drew closer and closer, Starlight fixated her eyes on the clearly visible large brick wall which still divided the town in two, though she she had to tell herself that it didn’t prove anything.

Starlight also began to feel the effects of exhaustion, she had been up nearly one and half days without an ounce of sleep, and now it was beginning to take it’s toll. Her yawns became more frequent, and the increased severity led to her to the irrational fear of dislocating her jaw. She was practically hallucinating as well, hearing birds chirping and trees rustling in the wind, or wait maybe that stuff was real. She wasn’t sure anymore.

Still, it didn’t matter much, until she brought Double Diamond back and saw the two sides come together once again, she would not sleep. ‘Oh kind Celestia, let that come soon,’ she told herself.

As they approached the town from the north, they both saw it was empty.

Double Diamond interpreted this as everypony in the North came to their senses and wanted to join him.

Starlight interpreted it as every northern pony was in the South, reuniting the two sides…she hoped.

The two walked around the empty side of town and into the lower southern side.

Once they passed the brick wall they saw it. Everypony from both sides getting along and hugging. Starlight’s eyes began to swell.

Everypony stopped what they were doing when a couple ponies turned and pointed to the returning pair, they all galloped over to meet them as they entered the southern town.

“Starlight!” called half the ponies. “Double Diamond!” cried the other half as the two were met with full embraces of the roughly two dozen ponies.

Once the craziness died just a little, Rarity was left as the first to face her unicorn friend. “Darling, you’re back!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Starlight responded happily though thoroughly drained.

“You did it!” Sugar Belle shouted gleefully.

“Yeah, you’re the best!” exclaimed Party Favor who quickly fashioned a crown made of balloons and rested it on her head.

“Double Diamond,” Night Glider said simply as she wrapped herself around the white earth pony, allowing tears to flow from her eyes.

They broke from their embrace and she wiped tears embarrassingly from her face as Ember took his moment with his good friend. “You’re back,” he said, giving his friend a hug.

Night Glider was so overcome with emotion that she could barely hold in her chokes of joy when she noticed his flank which bore the familiar grey cutie mark. “You’re not keeping that are you?”

He looked back to his flank for moment and then to Starlight who was being hugged by Party Favor. “No…No, I don’t think I am.”

Starlight watched as he made his decision and gladly walked over to him to remove that dreaded mark.

“Now I’ve never done this before, so hopefully I can do it right. Remember, I only took away marks, I never gave them back. ”

“You can do it,” Sugar Belle assured her.

Starlight smiled back before turning to his flank and lowering her horn. The magic from her horn began to glow violet and pulsate deeply. She felt herself pouring her heart and soul into the her horn and she tried with every ounce of energy she had left to return his mark. After just a moment, her horn was glowing as bright as the sun in the sky. His flank illuminated slowly in a purple hue and with one final flash of light, which lasted a second, the awful grey mark was gone and his three snowflake cutie mark had returned.

Starlight smiled at the sight, and overcome with joy and utter happiness at the reuniting of the two sides, and Double Diamond’s return to sanity, she collapsed on the ground and fell asleep, but mostly it was exhaustion.

Comments

[MagicPopcorn]

Such a heartwarming chapter!

[Kriysix]

One question, can a pony Who has been brainwashed recognize they are brainwashed?

[Skye Mist]

All's well that ends well...

[DarkChiyo]

I'm really wondering why this doesn't get more attention. It is amazing and well written and I stumbled on it by pure accident.

[Emperor]

Nice and sappy for a close-to-ending, though there's obviously still a chapter or two to go. It doesn't quite feel like Starlight and Double Diamond talked enough as it is in this chapter, besides the whole thing about Double Diamond feeling out of place and useless over being an Earth pony. I think there could have been some more done towards reconciling the two prior, or at least the two of them talking out their past as leader and second-in-command of Our Town, but that can still be done in the next chapter.

Starlight feels to me like she's still mildly manipulating Double Diamond, in the sense of when she talks about how he's technically alone by being the only pony with the Equal Mark now which singles him out and makes him unequal. It's not so much defeating his idea of equality as it is pointing out that he'll be lonely with nopony else to share it with him.