Chapter 1
Richard Pound
In:
The Return
Ten years is a long time, a long time indeed. It was time enough to forgive, to forget. The day I came back from Equestria meant next to nothing anymore. Karen had been there, crying for me. Her assailant had been caught by the police, with no help from me. She had told me that she was ready to try again, try us. I had accepted. I didn’t feel nearly as much for her as I had for Twilight and Sunny.
But what could I do? Things had become normal. Karen and I lived happily in L.A. together. We didn’t marry each other. We hadn’t felt the need. Internally, I felt married to Twilight still. No kids for us either. Karen was insistent on that. She wouldn’t even discuss adoption.
I’d wanted a kid, someone to raise and teach. Karen had her decision set in stone, no one could change it. I chalked it up to the miscarriage she’d had all that time ago. It was the same event that stopped our first relationship. We’d been so excited for our baby girl, but someone had said no to us. I had put it behind me, but not Karen.
I put down the glass I was drinking from. The sound of it knocking against the marble countertop echoed through the kitchen. I was trying to relax, drink a beer or two, but it wasn’t coming. Karen had been coming home increasingly late for the past few weeks. It made me nervous. I’d have to talk to her about it tonight. Our house was nice, two floors, a couple of rooms, good décor. It was what I’d wanted for us before.
As she had her secrets, I had some of my own. A few years back I’d commissioned an artist to draw Twilight from what I’d remembered of her. He’d done a fine job. I kept it hidden in the back of a closet. Some nights I took it out and just stared at it, wishing for something to happen. It never did.
Celestia never performed her magic again. I poured another glass of beer. Its golden color reflected the streetlight from outside, illuminating the countertop. It was cold, just like I preferred. Cool to the touch, frost seemed to form on the cup. I took a sip, it was like ice. A car pulled into the driveway. I knew someone got out when the door slammed. I felt a chill. It must be the beer. The front door unlocked and Karen walked in, she looked disheveled. She saw me awake and cursed.
“What were you doing out so late?” I asked. She just walked straight up the stairs to the bedroom. I grabbed my glass of beer and followed. She was getting undressed for bed. “Karen, what were you doing out so late?”
“I wasn’t doing anything. What are you doing out of bed so late?” she had a pungent smell about her.
“Have you been doing drugs?” She laughed. “It’s not funny, it can kill you.”
She pointed at the glass of beer, “that can kill you too!” she doubled over laughing. Karen rolled on the floor laughing. I dropped the glass and rushed over to her. The puddle of beer froze on the floor. Karen stopped moving on the floor. I crouched over her, clouds of our breath mixing together in the air. What’s happening? We were shaking from the chill of the air. She closed her eyes and stopped shaking. I grabbed her shoulder and started to shake.
“Karen? Karen, wake up!” I yelled at her cold body. She didn’t stir. I got up; I had to get help. The walk through the hallway was torturous. The cold seemed to be reaching into my very bones.
Through chattering teeth I mumbled, “But it’s summer….” The hallway almost seemed to twist and turn, but walking it was normal, an almost indescribable feeling. I nearly fell down the stairs as the ground started to shake and rumble. Finally I stumbled to the door and threw it open. Our L.A. suburb was engulfed in a horrific blizzard. The snow was already three feet high and rising. I fought the wind and managed to close the door.
Turning around, I hobbled to the phone. I grabbed it but withdrew my hand, it was so cold. I gingerly picked it up. Not even a dial tone welcomed me. I felt my body collapse, tired of fighting the cold. Wind howled at the windows until finally they broke. Snow poured in, covering my shivering body. White covered my vision. I felt myself go numb to the ice.
“I’m so sorry,” I muttered. Who was I sorry to? Karen? Why would I be sorry to her?
Where was I now? It was definitely softer than the carpet or snow.
“Richard… it worked…” A familiar voice chimed, her voice was almost song-like to me.
“Tw-Twilight?” I asked. I looked around, remembering places of Equestria. This was definitely Celestia’s castle, but the décor had changed.
“Yes, Richard. It’s me.” I felt warm legs wrap around me. I turned to her and put my head on her shoulder. It felt so good to be back. I wrapped my new legs around her, but something felt strange on her back. Something felt strange, feathery. I looked down, she had wings now.
“Wings?” I asked. Twilight nodded and planted her muzzle on mine. I noticed her horn was longer too, and she was definitely bigger. She started to reach down, I reluctantly stopped her.
“What happened, Twilight, how am I back in Celestia’s castle?”
“This isn’t Celestia’s castle,” she said sharply, “it’s mine. Well, ours now.”
“What? What happened to the princesses?” I asked. Twilight resumed her travel south.
“Don’t worry about that, Richard. It’s taken care of. You’re safe now. I made it okay,” she said. I tried to push her back still.
“But why do you have wings now? Did you become an alicorn?” She nodded.
“Isn’t it great? I had to do it to bring you back, I’m sorry it took so long. It required a lot of sacrifice to make this happen. Now get over here, Richard,” she ordered seductively. Without thinking I pulled myself close to her. Her body was amazing, soft, and warm. I could feel myself losing my mind into her. This was everything I had wanted for years. Karen and L.A. left behind in the snow.
But the things Twilight had said stuck with me. What happened? Why was Twilight an alicorn? Where is Sunny? I couldn’t go on without knowing. Going against everything my body said, I pushed myself away. Twilight looked incredibly hurt.
“Richard… what are you doing? It’s been so long,” she moaned.
“I have to know,” I told her. “What happened when I was gone?” She sighed.
“It went something like this…”
You had just been sent back, Sunny and I were crushed. Celestia made no explanation to us, we were just told to leave. She barely even muttered an apology. How could we have lived without you? We both loved you. I knew I had to get back at them, at least get you back. With Rarity and Pinkie looking after Sunny, I spent the next few years researching throughout the libraries of Equestria. It was in the deepest, darkest corner of a forbidden library, I found salvation.
A spell that would bring you back, but it required immense power to cast; power only an alicorn could muster. With this new spell in my arsenal, I began the search to become an alicorn. I learned alicorns were given powers from other alicorns. I knew that Celestia and Luna weren’t going to give it to me. Luckily, another came into my life. You see my brother, Shining Armor, married Princess Cadence. She was weak as far as alicorns go. The fight was still tough. You can tell who won.
I still needed more power, from other alicorns. Luna was about my strength then; a prefect target. She came to Ponyville during Nightmare Night. Everypony got scared at this illusion. I was strong then, strong enough to get Celestia.
I knew you two had troubles in the past, and I looked blindly on it. I’m so sorry about that, I realize I was wrong. The time she tried to make you love her, which made me so mad then! I wasn’t easy on her. She begged for mercy, but it didn’t come
.
Finally, I was able to get you to Equestria, and here you are!
I felt sick to my stomach. Twilight killed to rescue me?
“What happened to Sunny?” I asked.
“I think he’s still with Rarity.” She didn’t seem to care at all about Sunny.
“You don’t know?”
“You know, it’s hard work rescuing a useless husband. So excuse me if I forget something. You should be thanking me now! So why don’t you get started?” I felt her magic pulling me closer to her. Our muzzles touched as she began violently kissing me. I couldn’t fight her off. Where was my wife?
She held onto me tightly as she slept. Movement was next to impossible. I hadn’t been able to sleep at all. What had happened haunted me all night. I needed to get Sunny. She let out a petite breath and pulled herself closer. Her warm coat brushed mine.
I used to love that, just lying together. Now it felt wrong, it felt like cheating. I lowered my head into the pillow and let out a sigh. If only things could have been like before. Twilight’s hooves came off me as she woke up. She kissed my cheek affectionately.
“Good morning, Richard. How’s my little husband today?” she asked sleepily. I muttered something and got out of the bed. “What’s the matter, Richard? Did you sleep well? I know it might be different than what you got accustomed to, but I can get a new bed.”
“It’s not that. I just have to see Sunny today,” I told her. “Is Rarity still in Ponyville?”
“I’m not sure, Richard, we kind of lost contact with each other. I know Pinkie’s still in Ponyville thought; you can ask her.”
“Thanks,” I said. It felt foreign talking to her, like talking to someone not quite a friend
.
“No problem. Do you want me to teleport you there? I can get a chariot for you if you want that,” she offered. I shook my head.
“No, that’s alright. I’ll take the train.” I paused. “Don’t you want to come see Sunny?”
“Oh, yes, of course I do. It’s just that I’m awfully busy today. A lot of royal business to attend to,” she said, breaking eye contact.
I left the bedroom left the castle, left… her behind. Canterlot was different. It used to be happy, now it was just dreary. A few ponies walked here and there, none smiled.
“What have you done, Twilight?” I asked myself. Grey clouds floated lazily in the sky. There were few times that I could remember that Canterlot had clouds, none of them good. Once or twice a pony on the street asked if I could spare a few bits. I’ve never seen beggars in Equestria, I thought. I walked on past him. More and more beggars appeared the farther I went from the castle.
Near the train station was the most decrepit. Buildings hadn’t been cared for, nor had the gardens or the area in general. Not even the foals played, they sat in some sort of depression. This section of the city was quiet too. It felt odd to be able to hear your own hooves hitting the cobblestone this clearly.
The train station was the only part of Canterlot that was like I remembered. It was a normal train station; I bought a ticket to Ponyville and waited. The train came quickly, it was nearly empty. I had an entire section to myself. As the train rumbled on its way to Ponyville, I looked at the countryside. I was excited to be back in Equestria. I wasn’t exactly happy, though. Things were different and wrong in a sense.
The forests looked fine, and that was the only thing I could think of. The Everfree forest always stayed the same Twilight had once said. I guess she was right. A conductor came by and punched my ticket. He stopped for small talk.
“What’s your business in Ponyville? Not many ponies going there now-a-days,” he remarked.
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“It went downhill when Princess Twilight took over.”
“What do you think of the Princess?”
He looked around warily before pulling in close to whisper, “I think she’s corrupt, evil… wrong. Can’t speak freely anymore. She’s not fit to rule, I say.” He pulled back. The conductor carried on his way. Whistling some tune, acting more normal than usual. The train’s horn blew, signaling the arrival to Ponyville.
As I got off the train, I couldn’t help but think to what the conductor said. How could Twilight be unfit to rule? She was smart plus she had learned from Celestia since she was a little filly. Something wasn’t right in all this. Ponyville’s train station was in a worse state than Canterlot’s. The streets had the bright and cheery sunlight. Yet the happiness was gone. I saw familiar faces, Bon-Bon, Lyra, and Carrot Top. Some of them saw me, but didn’t acknowledge me.
The Sugarcube Corner was just as I remembered it. Its inside still smelled of baked good and the like. A Pinkie the likes of which I had never seen sat drearily behind the counter.
“Pinkie Pie?” I asked tentatively. She looked up at me. Her eyes had taken a grey sheen.
“Hello, would you like a cupcake or cake? Fresh baked today.” Her voice was lackluster.
“Pinkie, it’s me, Richard. What’s happened to Ponyville?” She looked at me with horror.
“Richard! You’re not here with Twilight are you?” she asked.
“No, it’s just me. Why?” She let out a sigh of relief.
“Twilight’s crazy,” was all she said. She seemed uncomfortable with the topic.
“Have you seen Sunny?” I asked. Pinkie frowned.
“Richard… don’t you know?” she asked.
“Know what?”
Pinkie rubbed her hoof on the ground awkwardly. “Sunny died.”
“What did you say?” I asked quickly. Surely she had misspoke.
“Sunny died, Richard. I’m sorry.” I jumped over the counter at her.
“You were supposed to look after him!” I yelled at her. “Where were you? Why didn’t you save him?” She started to cry.
“When you and Twilight left he had no one, again. The five of us took him in, but he grew restless and went into the woods. Fluttershy found his statue,” she sobbed.
“W-what? What do you mean? What happened?”
“You left and Twilight became lonely. She spent all her time in her books. One day she left Sunny behind. He came to me a few days later asking for some food.” I crawled off Pinkie, letting her curl up and sob.
“Twilight left him… with no one to care for him…” I muttered, more to myself than anyone. How could she?
“Richard, I’m so sorry,” Pinkie sobbed. It wasn’t her fault, it was Twilight’s.
“What happened to everything? Everything used to be so happy.” I asked her.
“Twilight took over…. She didn’t know how to rule. The princesses had done it for centuries. She made laws she thought would help, taxes, and reforms. None of them worked. She tried to fix what wasn’t broken.” Surely Twilight would’ve been more careful as a ruler. She was the smartest pony I had ever met. I had to talk to her about it.
“I’ve got to go, Pinkie. Perhaps I’ll see you again,” I told her.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I need to talk with Twilight.”
“Then you won’t see me again,” she said finally.
Twilight sat on the throne. It was still too big for her even in her new size.
“Back so soon, Richard?” she asked. She used her magic to place me beside her on the throne. It felt very strange sitting in this seat of power. Twilight nuzzled up to me. “How was Ponyville?”
“Ponyville was awful. I saw the unhappiness of all my old friends, and I learned of my son’s death. It wasn’t a good trip.” She let out a low purr.
“I knew you shouldn’t go, Richard. You should stay here with me,” she cooed.
“Didn’t you hear me?” I asked angrily. “Sunny’s dead, and you don’t even care.” She laughed.
“Sunny’s not dead. He sends me letters from time to time,” she remarked. She pulled up a scroll with magic.
Hi Mom,
Ponyville is fine, having a lot of fun.
~Sunny Days
This wasn’t Sunny’s writing, I could tell.
“This isn’t his writing,” I told her. She gave me a death glare.
“Yes it is, Richard. Sunny’s having plenty of fun in Ponyville. Like you are going to have fun in Canterlot, with me. Husband and wife.”
“Twilight, you’re delusional. Nopony’s happy in Equestria. Sunny is not having fun in Ponyville. You need to open your eyes and see what you’ve done!” I yelled at her.
“Richard, I think you need to watch your tone with me. I am the princess after all. Now kiss me, Richard. Kiss your princess,” she commanded.
“No, you are not the Twilight I loved.”
“Richard,” her tone was angry, “don’t talk to me like that. You’re making me unhappy; nopony makes the princess unhappy.”
“Or what?” I asked. “Do you silence them? What do you do, Twilight?” Her magic threw me to the ground in front of the throne. She leapt gracefully onto my chest.
“I’m being nice as you’re my husband, but that might change if you don’t be nice to me. Now maybe a stay in the dungeon will calm you down.” Before I could protest her magic brought me to a cell.
Rows of pony filled cells lined the walls. All ponies were skinny and tired. They all seemed to have lost hope. My cell was the only one with one occupant. I looked to the cell next to me.
“What are you in for?” I asked.
“We spoke against the princess,” said one.
“What did you say?”
“I said that the taxes were too high. Bolt said that he missed Celestia and Luna. Lucky made a joke about the princess’ husband; Lucky was executed last week,” he said deadpan.
“That’s horrifying,” I said, mouth agape. He nodded. “Why did this happen?”
“No one’s sure. One day Twilight arrived to take the throne. She never made public appearances, only her decrees showed up. Some ponies wanted to fight against her, but she was so strong. The Pegasi moved their cities away, if only we could have,” he said mournfully.
“Somepony said something about her husband. Could that be the cause?”
He shrugged, “Ponies only knew about her missing husband when gossip from the castle got out. A steward mentioned she kept looking for a certain spell. ‘Must be looking for a stallion to deal with her insanity’, he had joked. She showed no tolerance and had the entire staff imprisoned.”
I turned away from him and walked to the middle of the cell. I fell to the floor. How could she do this, I wondered. Was I that important to her? She was so nice before. She had to be stopped, but how? There was only one thing I knew that was stronger than an alicorn’s magic, The Elements of Harmony. Yet Twilight was one of the Element’s bearers. Perhaps she could be tricked somehow.
“Hey, that voice is familiar,” cried one of the prisoners, “is that Richard?”
“Yes, why?” I answered. The dungeon erupted into death threats and screams of horror.
“Why is it my fault? What did I do?” I asked them, they didn’t stop, even until the morning when Twilight’s magic came for me.
I was in her bedroom. Twilight had just woken up. I laid next to her.
“Did that make you think?” she asked. I nodded. She snuggled closer. “I love you, Richard. I hope you know that.”
“What made me so important?” I asked.
“I needed you in my life, Richard. What would I do without you? You helped me see the monster in Celestia.”
“What about the monster in you?”
“If that’s an innuendo, Richard, it’s a good one,” she said. Twilight’s wing started to tickle my chest.
“You let the land go to waste, it was so beautiful,” I said.
“I will fix it, now that you’re here. Everything is going to be fine. Trust me.” She kissed my muzzle. She pulled back and smiled.
“But how?” I asked. She shrugged.
“I’m sure it will come easy.”
The next day brought something new to Equestria. Twilight, with a little push from me, allowed an appeal from all the ponies in the dungeons. A line a mile long formed to the throne room.
“What have you done to be thrown in the dungeon?” Twilight would ask. The ponies gave such mild answers it boggled my mind.
“I made a joke about your rule,” said one in particular. He had been in the cell next to mine. Twilight frowned slightly.
“Why would you do that?” she asked. He blushed a little.
“I thought it was funny,” he said bashfully.
“You think I’m funny? That everything I’ve done to help this world is funny!” she was getting mad. I put my hoof around her.
“Relax,” I whispered. She stopped bristling.
“You are pardoned. I am sorry,” she said. The ex-prisoner pony walked out, nearly crying. Twilight turned to me. “Richard, I don’t know if I can do this.”
“It’s okay,” I told her, “they needed to be freed.”
“I suppose so,” she said. She called out, “Next please.” A pony with an eye patch, and brown coat walked in. His mane was cut short.
“What have you done to be thrown in the dungeon?” she asked as usual.
“I tried to overthrow the throne,” he said coolly.
“Why would you do that?” asked Twilight.
“You took me away from my family. I couldn’t pay the enormous taxes you established, which meant I had to go to a labor camp for all eternity. I felt that you were unfit to rule,” he said.
“You don’t know what it’s like,” Twilight said through gritted teeth. “You have no idea.”
He laughed, “I know that you should listen to the ponies you dominate! You sit here unaware of the world outside. Even your hometown is in tatters, yet you do nothing to save it.” Twilight’s horn started to glow. The prisoner grasped his throat as he floated into the air.
“You are insolent! You have no idea how to run anything!” Twilight screamed. The prisoner gasped for air.
“Twilight, you have to stop,” I told her. She didn’t listen.
“You are a fool for even thinking against me! I am the smartest pony ever!” The prisoner’s struggles ceased. His body was limp. Twilight tossed him to the side. “Guards,” she barked, “get him out of here.”
“Twilight, what was that?” I asked. How could she just kill him?
“He… was wrong about me…. Things like that cannot be set straight. The princess is always right,” she said. Her eyes were wrong. Something about them, it wasn’t right.
“You have to set them free. You have to fix Equestria,” I begged. She slapped me with her hoof.
“Richard, how dare you tell your princess how to act? How dare you tell me what to do? I am the most powerful pony in existence. You know nothing about ruling, Richard. Now keep quiet,” she demanded. I tenderly rubbed my cheek. She was more powerful now. “Next!”
The night was cold, and silent, just like we wanted. Everypony was here, which was according to plan. I planted my hooves down on the stage. Everypony looked up at me with admiring eyes.
“I know why you all came, and I feel the same way,” I said. I looked out at them with my one good eye. The left one had never worked the same since the burning. There was a cheer here and there, nothing too inspiring.
“We have reached a point in time where it impossible to ignore what is happening to our land. This is unforgivable.” Silent nods rode through the audience.
“Today, we lost a great pony. He was like me, damaged by our benevolent princess. Today I tell you that I am the new leader.” The crowd gasped, taking in every word. Talking to crowds was easy, like cake. It was my special talent.
“As leader, I make a promise, and this promise will be kept. The princess will be brought before us, and we will begin a new reign. An era of peace.” The crowd erupted, chanting my name.
“Xavier,” they cried. It felt good to lead again. The night was young, and I had a lot to say.