Return Trip

by RunicTreetops

Don't Ever Forget

Your mother throws her arms around you, pulling you in for a very tight hug. You're a bit more than a foot taller than her, but you do your best to return the notion, holding her tight as tears fall from both of your eyes. Celestia simply takes a step back, a smile on her face as she gives the two of you some space for your unexpected reunion.

"Oh, Anon... w-where have you been? We thought you were dead!"

"...I'm sorry, mom. It's a bit of a long story."

"And I want to hear every word of it, do you hear me?!" She pulls back just a little bit, her hands still grasping onto your arms as if letting go would mean watching you disappear. She takes a good long look at your face and gives you a teary smile. "You have a lot of explaining to do, but right now I'm just happy that you're alive!"

"I'm happy to see you too, mom. There's... a lot that I left unsaid."

"Then you can say them now. Let's get inside, it's humid out here." She starts to turn before finally noticing Tia's presence, though her jubilation at seeing you does not fade. "Who is this, Anon?"

"Oh, this is... Tia." You'd best ease your mother into this slowly. Celestia isn't exactly a common name around here, after all. One thing at a time. "She's my... well, she's really important to me."

"A friend of Anon's is a friend of ours. Come in, both of you."

With that, she turns around, literally dragging you inside with her. Tia chuckles and follows suit, with the three of you drifting into the nearby living room. While the furniture is a bit different (Equestria has no television, so furniture tends to be more suited for conversations, while here, pretty much all furniture faces the TV), the room is identical to the living room of your house back in Ponyville. There are a couple of sofas and a recliner, the latter of which currently has an occupant.

Sitting comfortably in the recliner is an older gentleman. His dark-brown hair is beginning to recede in some places, and the glasses on his face look like they need cleaned. He wears a worn-out and stretched t-shirt with a pair of basketball shorts. A tattoo can be found on his right forearm, though years of age and scarring have made the tattoo little more than a vague shape of what might be interpreted to be an eagle. Time has been kind to him, and though his age is beginning to show, you know that this man is probably stronger than the average person in their prime. He looks at you and Tia with confusion.

"Janet, who are these people?"

Your mom begins to speak as you take a few slow steps towards the man. He leans forward in the recliner, his hands clasped together and his elbows resting on his knees.

"...H-hi, dad."

"Dad?" He looks at you incredulously before his eyes go wide. "My word. Anon, is that really you?"

"It's me."

The man gets up from his seat with shocking speed and throws his arms around you, just as your mother did. His grip is extremely tight, and you give as much as you receive. Your father has never been much of a hugger, which makes the current situation all the more emotional for the both of you. After a few long moments, he backs off in much the same way that your mother did.

"And just look at you. You finally got rid of all that excess flab! And look at those biceps!" You hadn't really expected such compliments from your father. He always was a good dad, but he was really hard on you when it came to your physique. And for what it's worth, he isn't entirely wrong. You're a lot more active in Equestria than you ever were here, and you have a much healthier diet now. You didn't really notice for a while, but you are visibly more fit than when you left, age aside. "Just what have you been up to all these years? We thought you died!"

"I'm sorry for making you worry, dad, but I didn't have any way to tell you."

"Well take a seat, take a seat! I want to hear about it all!"

"...Alright."

You sit down on one of the sofas next to your mother, while Tia sits politely by herself on the other. Her human form looks very composed, with her hands resting respectfully on her lap and her back held straight. That said, the cushion she's sitting on is being weighed down more than a woman of her stature would naturally cause it to, seeing as her invisible alicorn form is what's actually sitting on it, but you're pretty sure your parents don't notice.

"Well, I guess I'll start at the beginning. I thought it was just a regular day. Then, all of a sudden..."

---

"And then we made it back to Springfield, and here we are."

It took nearly two hours to finish your story, and neither of your parents interrupted you a single time. Though, now that you're finished, you know you'll have a plethora of questions to answer. They're both looking at you like you're crazy, and you can't blame them. After all, from their perspective, their son just disappeared one day, was eventually presumed dead, and then just showed up at their doorstep ten years later looking frazzled and with a complete stranger at his side, only to tell a story about ponies and magic. Would you believe such a thing?

"...I-I must say, Anon, that story is quite difficult to take at face value."

"Are you sure you haven't been getting mixed up in the wrong crowds? Maybe getting involved in certain... indulgences that might lead you to believe such things?"

"No! It's all true!" They don't believe you one bit, but thankfully for you, you have an out. "Mom, dad, this is Celestia."

You motion to Tia, who gives a sheepish smile and a wave. This is about to get really awkward really fast, but you have to rip the bandage off somehow.

"Celestia? You mean the pony that you claim to have gotten married to?" Your mother puts a hand on your knee. "Sweetheart, she seems like a nice girl, but she isn't a pony. I'm worried about you."

"If I may?" Tia speaks up for the first time since your mom greeted the two of you at the door, drawing the attention of your parents. "Everything Anon has said is true. My current appearance is simply an illusion."

"An illusion?!" Your dad raises his voice at her. "There's no such thing! Who are you, really?"

Tia rises from her seat, looking your father dead in the eyes with a serious expression. Suddenly, a light seems to appear out of thin air before enveloping the "woman," and after a few seconds, the light fades, revealing the familiar form of Celestia, the retired alicorn. Both of your parents gasp as their jaws drop at the alien creature. On top of being a shocking sight in the first place, Tia looks about as frazzled as you do without her illusion up, so you can only imagine what your parents may be thinking.

"My name is Celestia. I have also been known as the Princess of the Sun, as well as the ruler of Equestria, but nowadays I am simply Celestia, wife of Anon." She gives your parents a deep bow. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"..."

Your parents sit in stunned silence, simply staring at the pony bowing before them. After a few moments, Tia rises back up, and your parents share a glance. Eventually, your mom breaks the silence.

"Frank, I'm not seeing things, am I?"

"No, I see it too."

The silence returns until you eventually clear your throat and speak once more.

"Well, do you believe me now?"

"...Yes, I suppose the evidence is right in front of us. This is just... a lot to process."

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner. I wanted to, really I did. I just... didn't have the means."

"I know, Anon. No more apologizing."

Your dad suddenly stands up and gets closer to Celestia, looking at her from head to tail. He squints as he looks over her before letting out an exasperated sigh and closing his eyes entirely.

"...I don't approve of this."

"Frank!"

"Janet, our son is claiming to be married to an animal."

That catches you off-guard.

"Excuse me? Tia isn't an animal, dad!"

"Well it sure isn't a person! Look at it, you've gone and put a ring around its horn because it doesn't even have fingers!"

"So? What's the problem here?"

"I shouldn't have to explain what the problem here is!" Your dad turns to look at you, his expression sour. "You just up and disappeared one day. We thought you were dead, and when you show up again, your best explanation is that you were busy getting married to a horse? What is wrong with you?!"

Silence fills the room. After a moment, your dad breaks his gaze with you, unable to look you in the eyes. Your mother looks between the two of you nervously, while Celestia simply stares at your father with a blank expression. You ball your hands into fists, doing everything in your power to bite your tongue. You probably should have expected this to happen, you just... hoped it wouldn't. Eventually, it's Tia that breaks the silence.

"It seems that it would better if I leave. I do not want to spoil this reunion any more than I already have. I suppose I will just... wait outside for a while." With another flash of light, Tia's human illusion appears in the room once more. "I shall take my leave."

"Now hold on just a moment." Your mother reaches out a hand as if to stop Tia, who has already begun turning around. She does, and the two lock eyes. "I... er, that is... please follow me. I would like to speak with you one-on-one, if you would."

"Yes, I can do that. By all means."

With that, the pair shuffle up the nearby stairwell. You mother gives you a wave as she does so, leaving you alone with your father.

"...Hmph."

"Dad..."

"...I shouldn't have raised my voice at you. But I don't take back what I said."

"You're free to not approve of her all you want, but that's no excuse to say such terrible things about her."

"You'd have done the same if it were your son."

"Excuse me?"

"Anon." Your dad places a hand on your shoulder and looks you in the eyes, and you stare back with a furrowed brow. Your anger is definitely noticeable on your face, and you make no effort to hide it. "I was proud of you. I am proud of you. You accomplished so much, and you had such a bright future ahead of you. We could not for the life of us figure out where you went. The search was long and strenuous for all of us. The whole town was up in arms. We didn't want to lose you, and we didn't want you to lose everything you had worked so hard for. To see you again is the greatest joy I've ever felt, but to know that you were stolen away by that... thing? How could I not be angry? She stole your future from you."

You take a step back, forcing your dad to let go of your shoulder.

"She didn't steal my future, dad. She is my future. Equestria is my home now. I've got friends and family there that need me. Tia, she... she makes me happy. Happier than I've ever been. Isn't that good enough for you?"

"You have friends and family that need you here, Anon. You make it sound like you want to go back."

"That's because I do."

"W-what?"

With a heavy sigh, you finally release your balled fists. Nothing will be gained by holding onto this anger. If anything, it will just make what comes next even more painful than the first time.

"I made up my mind while telling my story earlier. Because you know what? You're right. I do have friends and family here. I have a future here that I could reclaim, and I bet I could probably be really successful here. But... that's not what I want. Not anymore."

"You would rather go back to ponyland with a bunch of animals? Never to see a human again? Never to see us again?!"

You look your father dead in the eyes, a determination that you haven't felt in some time filling your heart. He seems surprised by the look you give him.

"Dad. I want you to know that I love you. I love you, and I love mom. I love all of you, and I never got to say that properly before I left last time. I'm sorry that I'm going to have to leave you again, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me one day. It hurts me too, but... you can't just expect me to abandon Tia. To abandon everyone in Equestria. I might have had a future here, but there, I'm already living the future that I wanted. I run a successful business. I have a place in my community. I have friends that support me. And on top of all of that, I have a wife that I love. Sometimes I still can't believe that, but... there she is. And I don't care what you say about her. I swore to stay by her side, and I promised to get her home. I intend to do both. So, if you don't approve of that, then I guess there's not much more for me to say."

Your dad seems to wince as he closes his eyes, unable to look at you any longer.

"So you would abandon us instead?"

"...I did abandon you the last time I disappeared. But this time, I plan to do it right. To leave properly. As happy as I am to see you again, I at least want to be able to say goodbye this time. I want you to know that even if we can't see each other again, I'm doing okay. I will always be thinking about you. I just... won't be here anymore."

Your father continues to avoid looking at you until he eventually opens his eyes. He wipes at his cheeks as tears start to form, which you definitely weren't expecting. You've never seen your father cry, ever.

"...Heh. My boy goes off and disappears, and when he comes back..." He finally looks at you once more, a sad, forced smile on his aging face. "He's already a man."

"Dad..."

"You said you need that scepta-whatever thing, right? It was just sitting on our lawn the other day. I thought it was some random garbage, so I threw it away. I'll go rummage through the trash. You should probably go see what your mother and... and your wife, are up to."

"A-are you sure?"

"Seems to me like you have a few things you still need to tell mom before heading back out. So yeah. Let your old man do one last thing for his son before he strikes out on his own."

"...Alright. Try not to break a hip, dad."

"Hah! That would have been funny when you left, but it's a very real possibility nowadays! I'll be careful."

With that, your father walks out the front door to the trash can by the driveway. Meanwhile, you head upstairs, and the sound of two female voices becomes clearer and clearer. As you look between the different rooms upstairs, you realize that the voices are coming from behind the closed door at the end of the hall. You take a deep breath before you open it, somewhat afraid of what you'll see on the other side of the familiar wooden door.

You gasp at the room before you. The room is a bit cluttered, with a particularly large computer desk taking up almost a quarter of the room and a bed taking up another quarter. The other half of the room is dedicated to storage, with a wardrobe and several shelves containing all kinds of knick-knacks and collectibles. You know this room like the back of your hand.

"My room..." Your mother and your wife both turn to look at you, apparently having been too engrossed in their conversation to notice you enter. "It's exactly how I left it."

"We couldn't bring ourselves to change it." Your mother looks at you with sad, tired eyes.

"That's... really sweet of you. Though you could have at least picked up my ten-year-old laundry off of the floor, heh."

"That should really be my line, Anon."

The two of you share a quick laugh.

"What have you two been talking about?"

"I figured it would be prudent to get to know my daughter-in-law before the two of you are whisked away again."

"W-wait, you knew I was going to-"

"Anon, I'm your mother. I don't care how long it's been, I know you better than you think. And the way your eyes sparkled when you talked about Equestria... well, it's obvious where you'd rather be."

"M-mom, I don't mean to imply-"

"Shush, Anon. I know. This isn't easy for any of us." She takes a step forward and hugs you once more, and you hug her back. "Just knowing that you're alive is good enough for me." After a moment she lets go and turns to look at Tia. "And it seems to me like I'm leaving you in good hands! Er... hooves."

Tia laughs.

"He looks out for me just as much as I look out for him."

"I don't doubt that for a second! Anon always has been dependable. I wish you both the best."

Your mother gives the two of you a warm smile.

"Thank you, mom."

"Would the two of you like to stay for dinner? I can make your favorite~"

"Er, by my favorite, are you referring to-"

"Meatloaf!"

Darn it, you really do miss your mom's cooking, but...

"I, uh, hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Tia... can't eat meat. And I've sort of stopped doing it too."

"Oh! Right, because... because she's a pony. Of course. Ahem." She awkwardly clears her throat. "We, uh, don't have many other groceries right now. I suppose we should go find that scepter, then."

"Dad said he was already looking for it."

"Goodness, he's going to break a hip!"

"That's what I said!"

The three of you head downstairs, only to be greeted by your father. He's a bit sweaty, but resting on the nearby coffee table is a slightly dirty Return Scepter.

"I found it."

"Thanks, dad."

After a few moments of awkward small talk between the four of you, everyone goes silent, hesitant to address the elephant in the room. You eventually work up the courage to speak once more.

"I guess... I guess this is it, then."

Tia walks up beside you.

"We probably shouldn't keep everypony waiting for much longer. They're likely wondering where we are."

You look at your parents, who are now standing side-by-side. Your mom is leaning against your dad, who has his arm wrapped around her shoulder. They're both a bit misty eyed.

"Are you sure you can't come back? Can't you just use that scepter again?"

"...I have a feeling I can't. I don't think it will bring me here again."

Tia looks at you quizzically.

"Why wouldn't it?"

You return her gaze, looking into her magenta eyes with the same determined expression you gave your father earlier.

"Because now, I know where my home is."

After a moment, Tia gives you a nod.

"Then I suppose you should be the one to press the button again. At least then we'll know for sure."

You look back at your parents, realizing that you're failing to hold back your own tears.

"...I'm gonna miss you guys."

"We'll miss you too, Anon. You'd better treat those ponies right!" Your mom's voice is shaky, but she's forcing a smile for you.

Your dad looks you in the eyes once more.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do. And... make sure you look after your wife." He looks at Celestia as he finishes that statement and nods. She does the same in return.

"...I love you guys."

"We love you too, Anon."

You hug each of them one more time, and your mom even hugs Tia as well before you pick up the Return Scepter. Tia leans against you and wraps a hoof around the scepter while you rest your thumb on the button. You look around at the house and think about everything you're leaving behind. It's been a long journey, and your departure won't be without its heartache, but... at least now, you have the closure that you never got before.

"Goodbye, mom. Bye, dad."

"Goodbye, Anon! And good luck, both of you!"

With tear-filled eyes, you force yourself to press the button before you can have any second thoughts. In a familiar sensation, there is a brief moment where your vision is clouded by a sudden burst of yellow light. You hear a high-pitched ringing noise in your ears, and suddenly there is a great wind spiraling all around you. Force presses against your body from all directions, forcing you to close your eyes. The uncomfortable experience assaults your senses until suddenly, everything comes to a stop.

Comments

[Real Solaris]

Oooh I like the tension you had between anon and his dad. It makes sense, seeing as his son disappeared a decade ago and came back married to a pony god. Bestial laws in our world are pretty strict with this thing, and it is mostly frowned upon. But I do love that his dad came to terms with it in the end. I love it!

[Quail]

Amazing development!
Wonder what Celly and Anon's mom discussed about

[Alyarin9000]

Hopefully Celeestia nabbed a smartphone or something before going. CENTURIES of advancement right there
No, not the time?

Fun chapter!

[starship55]

Why would his own parents call him Anon ?

[Necrogen Lord]

I'm actually crying, this was so touching.