Nix: Identity

CHAPTER TWO: HELLO AGAIN

In a few short minutes we had reached the Ponyville. I took note of how happy and carefree the town seemed. So many ponies were out conversing and talking with each other, smiles on their faces. There didn’t seem to be a worry in the world for them. I found myself smiling at this.

Applejack and Pinkie led the way, occasionally stopping to greet some pony. A few of the town’s residents gave me odd looks, but otherwise ignored me. I wasn’t surprised; so many odd creatures had come through this town before, so I doubted that seeing a high evolved primate walking through on its two legs would unnerve many of them. Nonetheless, a few shot me and the girls a few concerned looks, but Pinkie managed to reassure them with her signature smile.

Eventually we reached Twilight’s new home. From my last visit, I already knew that it was her very own castle, awarded to her by the Tree of Harmony, shortly after the Battle With Tirek. Purple, crystal walls shot up into the sky, piercing the clouds. It shone brightly, signifying royalty’s presence in the town. I had to admit, it was pretty impressive, seeing it again. It had gotten slightly larger from the last time I had seen it, though I suspected it wasn’t by her doing. I managed to hear Applejack and Pinkie discussing recent renovations to the castle; I guessed that similar renovations had taken place sometime after my visit, making the castle much bigger.

Applejack knocked on the door, and a few moments later, a small, purple baby dragon with green spikes opened the door.

“Oh, hey, Applejack—” he started, but stopped when he saw me.

“Hey there, Spike,” Applejack replied calmly, not bothering to reintroduce me to the diminutive dragon. She entered, Pinkie Pie and I following suit. Spike gave me a confused look, but I waved it away. “We’re here to see Twilight?” Applejack called, turning Spike’s attention away from me.

“Oh, Twilight’s upstairs in her library with Tails. Want me to get you anything? Some cookies, maybe? A little lemonade?”

That was the Spike I had grown to appreciate; always so courteous and hospitable.

The mares shook their heads. Spike turned to me. “Just some herbal tea, thank you,” I told him. He nodded, and walked away.

I chuckled. I could practically hear his brain trying to solve the enigma of who I was.

We walked upstairs, the crystal steps dancing with light. Our reflections shone clearly, and I found myself once again staring at my face. For some reason, it fascinated me on how much I had physically changed. When we reached the top, I stopped to take in the surroundings. We were standing in what appeared to be the meeting room. In the center lay six thrones of marble, each with the Mane Six’s cutie mark engraved on the back. They faced a table made of crystal, which looked like a map. It was the same one that had guided the Elements in their quest to defeat Tirek and spread friendship across Equestria. I looked up, and saw what appeared to be tree roots sticking out from the ceiling.

“Um...Applejack? What is that?” I asked, pointing to the hanging structure.

“Oh, that? Just the remains of Twilight’s old home. At least, what was left of it after Tirek destroyed it.” I nodded, remembering that day, but I was still confused. “Twilight wanted something to remember her home by, so we decided on giving her that.” She pointed. “See there? That stuff dangling are ornaments that hold all the memories we had together.” I nodded understandingly. Memory crystals. That’s new.

We moved to the edge of the room where another set of large doors stood. Applejack knocked on it softly. “Twilight? It’s us.”

“Coming!” came a muffled voice from the other side. I heard the soft plop of a book being placed on the ground. There was some trotting, and then the door creaked and opened.

There stood Princess Twilight Sparkle, now the Princess of Friendship. She looked nearly identical to how I had seen her last; a purple and pink mane with a lavender body. There was a crown on her head, indicating her royalty.

“Oh, hey there, Applejack, Pinkie Pie,” she greeted her friends, smiling warmly. Then she noticed me. “Oh? A human…”

I bowed. “A pleasure to see you, Princess.”

She waved me off. “Please, don’t bow. I’m not into those formalities. And call me Twilight.”

Applejack struggled not to grin as I played along. “Of course...Twilight.”

She allowed us in. The room was filled to the brim with books of all kinds, similar to Celestia’s library. A two-tailed fox was at a table, going over an ancient manuscript with a look of concentration. He looked up when he heard us enter. “Oh, hey.” He walked over, and Applejack and Pinkie gave him a greeting hug.

He looked at me and briefly started. “Whoa—a human. And a really tall one at that.” He shook himself and held out a hand.

I smiled and shook it strongly. “Come now, Tails, surely I’m not the first human you’ve ever seen. I mean, you come from a universe filled with them, do you not?”

“Huh?” he asked, confused. “How’d you know that?”

“What are you reading over there?” I replied, turning his attention away from me briefly.

“Oh, it’s just some old manuscript—”

His voice faltered as I stretched out a hand. A slightly visible purple aura emanated from my hand and then over the paper. I lifted it with my mind and brought it over, ignoring the frozen features on everybody in the room. I read silently, taking note of the handwriting and the content of the manuscript.

I laughed out loud, then looked up. “Heh. Star Swirl the Bearded was quite the insulter—” I looked at their faces. “...oh, that’s right. You weren’t expecting that.”

Applejack and Pinkie were now trying not to laugh as they saw the gears in Tails’s and Twilight’s heads whirl and click their way to a conclusion.

Spike came running up. “Here’s your tea.” He looked at the room, noticing his caretaker and her friend’s looks of shock. “Um, what’s wrong?”

I walked over and took the tea from his hands and took a sip. “Oh, nothing much. They’re just figuring out who I really am.”

“Who you really are—” I cut him short with a playful finger to my lips, asking him to be quiet and watch. I mentally placed the manuscript back on the table, Tails’s and Twilight’s eyes following the floating paper.

Give them a second, I mentally told everyone, hearing Spike gasp in surprise.

“You-you’re—” Pinkie shushed him.

I let a cocky smile cross my lips as I waited for the two to figure it out.

Then:

“...Jared?” Tails asked quietly, shock in his eyes.

I winked and gave him a thumbs up.

Twilight walked over and placed a hoof on my chin. She could barely reach, so I bent down a bit. She rubbed it on my face in disbelief.

“Jared?” she asked, retracting her hoof. “But it’s only been a little more than a year…”

I shook my head, standing back up. “One Equestrian year. In my universe, it’s been two.”

“...two?” she confirmed quietly. “Then that means…”

“Yes. I’m seventeen.”

There was silence as everyone—Twilight, Tails, Spike, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie—took this in. “Oh, dear,” Twilight murmured. I knew what they were all thinking.

In a year I’d be dead, thanks to a twisted act of Fate.

After much time, I had accepted my fate as it was, and was ready to move on. Thankfully, my friends did so as well.

So they only dwelled on it for a few seconds before changing the topic. “What are you doing here, Jared?” Tails asked. “As far as I know, nothing dangerous has happened.”

I proceeded to tell them what had transpired. Once I was done, Twilight and Tails shared a look.

“Something...else opened you a portal?” Twilight asked, worriedly looking at me.

I nodded slowly. “So it appears. Though, it didn’t try to hurt me or anything, so I can’t say for sure that its intent was malicious.” I shook my head. “This is rather concerning...nothing else, other than me, Sonic, and Rainbow, should be able to open universe portals. At the same time, however, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Perhaps the universe just happened to want me here.” It was a weak argument, but an argument nonetheless; the Omniverse worked in mysterious ways.

“And you can’t contact Nix?” asked Tails.

“At least, not right now. The portal somehow interrupted our connection to each other. Don’t worry; he’ll be back soon, once we reestablish a connection.”

Twilight stared at me inquisitively. Then she said, “I guess...we can afford to wait.” She smiled. “In the meantime, since you’re here...I would think all of would we be happy to see you again.”

“So a party!” Pinkie exclaimed excitedly.

“Yes, Pinkie, a party. A welcome back party, actually.”

“Oooh, I better get set on writing out invitations!” The pink mare grabbed a stack of paper.

Sonic was laying in a tree dozing off. The tree was a place he would often go to gather his thoughts, though more often he would use it as a makeshift bed. He found relaxing in its branches quite comforting, though he couldn’t explain why.

As he settled in, his mind drifted to the past. He remembered the first time he had come to Equestria with his friends. Due to a malfunction in one of Dr. Robotnik’s machines, Sonic and his friends had somehow been transported to Equestria. There they had fought alongside the Elements of Harmony against the evils of Robotnik and Discord.

Sonic began to reflect on the aftermath of the battle. They had won, but Jared had been scarred. Sonic cringed at the memory of Jared nearly dying, with Nix performing a Chaos Pulse to restore his friend’s heartbeat.  He remembered the distant look Jared had for days, as he tried to piece his confidence back together.

The hedgehog furrowed his brow as another memory came to him, this one even more uncomfortable. Things had been going smoothly with Rainbow Dash as the two gradually tried to open their relationship. Then Amy found out about it. Oh, Chaos, the anger in her eyes when she found out...it haunted him continuously. Sonic remembered the swing of her hammer and the bonk it made when it hit Rainbow in the head; he remembered the anger in his heart. He remembered being knocked to the side by something fast; he remembered looking back and nearly shrieking in fear when he saw Jared laying under several broken tables with a horribly mangled arm. He remembered the look of sadness on Jared’s face as he struggled to prop himself up, as Amy watched silently. He remembered Jared asking Amy why she was hurting people; how he carefully and coldy analyzed Amy’s nature.

How Nix had prevented Sonic from speak up when Amy confronted Jared about his death.

How Jared had carefully explained his death.

How, after Amy still had not calmed down, and called him a selfish heartbreaker, Jared revealed one final truth.

His fate.

Sonic remembered the looks of total shock as everyone took that in, the feeling of panic and despair in his heart. He remembered the tears in Jared’s eyes, his shaking body as he tried so desperately not to break down.

He remembered screaming for Amy to stop beating Jared to near death with her hammer, how his heart had exploded in anger when Jared went unconscious.

Those were terrible, terrible memories, and Sonic did not want to continue remembering them. He forced his mind to move to something else.

Then happier memories came to him, and he found himself smiling once more.

He remembered the plight that threatened Equestria, if the sun was no longer able to rise on its own. He remembered Jared, despite his injuries, taking it upon his beaten self to find a solution. He remembered spending the next two days looking for answers...and finding none. He remembered the look of confidence on Jared’s face when he emerged with the Sol Emeralds.

He remembered Nix’s smile as, using the Sol Emeralds, he managed to correct the sun cycle.

He remembered everyone’s joy.

He remembered the party that night, the look on Jared’s face as he saw peace on his friends’ faces.

The song. He remembered the song. Jared’s goodbye.

He remembered what was perceived as their last goodbye. For they could only stay in this universe for so long. He remembered the pain in his heart when Tails told them that the machine was a one way trip and most likely wouldn’t work again.

He remembered Jared’s shocking announcement: that he wouldn’t be coming with them.

He remembered Jared’s odd questioning, asking about what they liked about Equestria.

He remembered Jared asking why.

He remembered the look on his face as they answered why.

He remembered his calm smile.

His movements towards the switch.

The pull of the lever.

The shutdown of the machine.

And finally, Jared’s decision to teach Sonic and Rainbow how to universe boom.

He knew it was against his creed, Sonic thought, yet he still decided to teach it.

“Your happiness is something I’m willing to sacrifice my duty for,” Jared had said.

A warm feeling came to his heart as he recalled the tears he had shed as Jared once again saved the day.

Sonic then remembered the last day he saw Jared. The surprise party they had thrown. The happy memories Jared recounted to them. He remembered the journal Twilight had passed around, asking for several residents of Ponyville, as well as some of the rulers, what they perceived of Jared. He remembered seeing that same journal, now in book form and published, only a few days later.

He chuckled softly at the memory, recalling how different the personalities of Jared and Nix were in their perception of themselves.

Oh, Jared, he thought, if only you could recognize what an amazing person you are.

It had been a little over a year since he had seen Jared, though he wasn’t too worried. It was one of the things a person had to be prepared for when becoming friends with the Guardian; never expect him to show up when you want him to, because he’s probably out somewhere preventing the death of a universe. Sonic wondered when he would see Jared again; he missed him dearly.

He yawned, and shuffled a bit in his place. The afternoon sun was rising, and he found himself warmed by its comforting rays. He turned over and closed his eyes, intending for an afternoon nap...

When something slammed into his tree.

“Whoa!” Sonic exclaimed as he was rocked off of his branch. He fell through the leaves and landed on his back, eyes going dizzy. “Ugh…”

“Oh, gee, I’m sorry mister Sonic!” a voice apologized.

Sonic sat up, rubbing his head. “Uh...no worries.” He turned to the source and found himself staring at a grey pegasus.

With crossed eyes.

“Oh...you’re…” he started, unsure of which name to call the cross-eyed pegasus.

“Yep! I’m Derpy Hooves, mailpony extraordinaire!” the grey pegasus said cheerfully. “Oh, um, I have something for you.” She dug in her knapsack and pulled out a fancy envelope. She handed over to Sonic.

“Er...thanks, Derpy,” Sonic said, biting back the urge to chuckle at the strange name.

“No problem!” She flew away, presumably to deliver more mail (or attack some muffins; she seemed to really like those).

Sonic shook his head. He would never hope to understand every pony in Equestria. He smiled. Though, there is one pony I can probably understand.

He turned to the envelope and peeled it open. Inside was a simply invitation card that read:

Dear Sonic,

You are cordially invited to a Welcome-Back-To-Ponyville Party we will be throwing in Twilight Sparkle’s castle tonight! Feel free to come; we guarantee you will enjoy it!

We will be providing for food and any refreshments you will need. The party will begin at 5:45 and go on until I feel like ending it!

See you there!

Sincerely,

Pinkie Pie

Huh, Sonic thought as he finished the letter. A party...I wonder who’s it for?

Just then there was a colorful boom next to him, and he smiled widely.

“Hey, Sonic!” said a cyan-colored pegasus floating next to him.

“Hey, Rainbow,” Sonic replied to his marefriend, smiling back at her. “How’re things!”

“Pretty good. Just got an invitation in the mail for some ‘Welcome Back’ party that Pinkie’s throwing. Looks like you got one too.”

Sonic nodded, holding his up. “You don’t happen to know who’s it for, do you?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nope. It’s probably meant as a surprise for whoever it is.” She looked at him expectantly. “You are going, aren’t you?”

Sonic chuckled. “Of course; I wouldn’t miss Pinkie’s parties for the world!” He lowered his voice. “I just hope no single mares are invited; remember the restaurant—”

She cut him off. “Yeah, I remember; don’t remind me.” She smiled, then flew in and kissed him on the cheek. “See you then. Don’t be late.”

“Same to you,” Sonic retorted.

Rainbow laughed and flew off, leaving Sonic with a warm feeling in his chest as he watched her go.

Now Sonic was walking to Twilight’s castle, dressed in a smart tuxedo with a rose tucked in his vest pocket. Next to him stood an equally ravishing Rainbow Dash in a fancy red dress.

Sonic smirked. “I thought you hated dresses.”

Rainbow glared at him. “And I thought you preferred no clothes.” He chuckled, but stopped teasing her.

Behind them was a smartly dressed Knuckles walking besides Rarity, wearing a more extravagant dress, adorned with jewels of all shapes, sizes, and colors; Sonic wondered what kept Spike from drooling over Rarity, since he had quite the attraction to jewels.

Shadow and Fluttershy were in the back, Shadow wearing a simple vest, Fluttershy in her Galloping Gala dress. While they weren’t a couple anymore, they still remained very close that one could mistake them for being one.

Not that either would be caught dead admitting how close they were.

“What are you grinning about?” Rainbow asked.

“Er—nothing,” Sonic replied, rubbing the underside of his nose. Rainbow gave him an odd look, but dropped the questioning.

Sonic was about to knock on the door when:

“Wait!”

He turned, and saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders running through them to the front. “Er, hey, girls,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

Scootaloo spoke up. “We wanted to see the person this party is for!”

“That, and,” added Apple Bloom, “we wanted to see if the person knew who we were!”

Sonic and Rainbow shared a confused look, but the cyan pegasus shrugged. Sonic shook his head. He then tried again at knocking.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Silence. Then:

Creak!

Spike the purple dragon opened the door, dressed in a small tux with a red bowtie. He saw the group and smiled. “Welcome to Pinkie Pie’s Surprise Party! Come on in!” He opened the door widely, letting the group filter in. They all went upstairs where the party was being held.

The first thing Sonic saw was the people who were already here. A large, white-coated, lime-green-and-pink haired alicorn was conversing with a smaller, navy-blue-coated, blue-and-lavender haired alicorn. They were over by the punch table. On the other side of the room was a pink alicorn and a white stallion. They were happily talking with each other.

The alicorns and the stallion looked up and saw Sonic and the others. “Oh, there they are,” said the white stallion.

Sonic grinned. “Hey, there, Shining Armor.”

“Er, you should address royalty first, Sonic,” Rainbow reminded him.

“Oh! Uh…” He hastily bowed for the princesses. “My humble apologies. It’s nice to see you again, Princess Celestia,” addressing the white alicorn; “Princess Luna,” the navy-blue alicorn; “and Princess Cadance,” to the pink alicorn.

Princess Cadance laughed. “I hardly think there’s a need for royal etiquette while we’re here, Sonic. We’re all close friends!”

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna nodded in agreement, looking at the hedgehog with slight amusement.

“Do you know who this party is for?” Rainbow asked them.

Princess Celestia shook her head. “I’m not sure; Twilight hasn’t said anything, and Pinkie refused to tell me.”

Rarity sighed. “Then I suppose we’ll have to wait for this mystery guest to show up.”

Without any hints on who the person was, the group conceded to trying to enjoy themselves while they waited. Sonic and Rainbow had a few glasses of punch with Princess Luna, talking about old times, while the others enjoyed some of the snacks that were already in the room.

For a few minutes they idly chatted. Then the door at the side of the room swung open, revealing an exceptionally excited Pinkie next to Applejack, Twilight, and Tails.

Pinkie’s face lit up when she saw everyone. “Yay! Everypony’s here!” She started bouncing around, her face lit up like fireworks, the others smiling at her enthusiasm.

Applejack found herself staring at Knuckles intently. When he caught her, she blushed and looked away, but not before Knuckles could let out a chuckle.

“Hey, Pinkie!” Sonic greeted. “How’s it going?”

“It’s going great!” the pink pony answered. “Well, I mean, it could be better, like if it started raining chocolate and whipped cream with cookies, but other than that everything’s great!”

“Do you happen to know who this party is for?”

“I sure do!” She leaned in, and whispered, “but I can’t tell you. He’s in the next room, getting ready!”

Sonic raised an eyebrow. “Getting ready for what?”

Before Pinkie could answer, everyone heard something. They all stopped whatever it was that they were doing and turned to the door at the end of the room that led to Twilight’s library.

They could hear the sound of a violin being played. It was nostalgic, ancient, slow; it reminded them of times long gone. Of simpler times, when there wasn’t so much worry in the world. It sung of a time when the goal was simple, of when life hadn’t gotten so complex.

More importantly, it was the theme to one of Sonic’s oldest Zones: Green Hill Zone.

“Oh!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Looks like he’s ready!”

The pink pony, Applejack, Twilight, and Tails headed for the door. After a brief look at each other, the others followed them.

As they got closer, the music grew slower, softer, so that the group had to strain to hear. The melody seemed to uplift them, their spirits rising with each note. A feeling of peace wafted through the air, settling on their shoulders.

Twilight slowly opened the door, and the group stopped at what they saw.

“A...human?” Shadow whispered.

Indeed he appeared to be. He stood on his two legs with an aura of authority and leadership. He wore a black-and-white flannel shirt that was unbuttoned, revealing a purple T-shirt underneath. Black skinny jeans outfitted his legs, and a pair of slightly dirty, worn black sneakers covered his feet.

His song reached its ending, and he had a look of peace on his face as he finished it. He pulled the bow back for one final, long note, slightly fiddling with the strings at the end to change the tone. The note slowly drew to a close, and he lifted the bow silently, hanging it by his side in a relaxed manner. He let out a slow breath then turned and faced them.

Those eyes, Sonic thought as he looked at the human. There’s so much...life in them!

The human stared at them for a while, and they stared back, waiting for someone to make a move.

J

The looks on my friends’ faces were priceless. They all had confusion written all over them as they tried to figure out what was going on. I lowered the violin to my side, still smiling at them.

There was silence for a good thirty seconds.

Then:

“Hey, you’re that guy we ran into this morning!” exclaimed Scootaloo. “I didn’t know you could play violin!” The other Crusaders murmured their agreement.

“Um excuse me…” Fluttershy said quietly. I looked at her and tried not to die from cuteness overload. “If you don’t mind me asking...who...exactly are you?”

“I would like to know that as well,” Shadow said. Everyone else—save for Twilight, Tails, Pinkie, Spike, and Applejack—nodded their agreement.

I chuckled slightly. “My, my...have I really changed that much?”

“Uh, yeah!” Rainbow said, confused. “I mean...not that we knew you before or anything!” She turned to Pinkie. “Don’t tell me this is the welcome party’s guest of honor!”

“Indeed he is,” I answered. “And you have known me for quite some time, now. I’d imagine...a little over a year?”

I enjoyed seeing them rack their brains for any memory of seeing me before, despite knowing they wouldn’t have. Still, I couldn’t help but play with them.

I formed a frown. “Come on, do you seriously not remember me?”

They shook their heads no.

“The stubble?” No.

“The longer hair?” No.

“The height?” No.

I mocked an exasperated sigh and turned to Twilight. “Can you believe this? I’ve never been so insulted!”

She rolled her eyes. “You know, it was kind of hard to recognize you at all. I mean, you had to give us a hint.”

I waved her off. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” I sighed. “Come back when you’ve remembered, you hear?”

They stared at me in shock.

I closed my eyes and, using my telekinetic powers, lifted the violin and bow with my mind.

Now, where was I? I thought to everyone. Oh yes…I started slowly humming the theme of Green Hill Zone.

They started, and I held back laughter.

I played for a bit, then stopped and sighed, pretending to be annoyed with them. “Seriously, guys? Five minutes? It too you a full five minutes to figure out who I am?” I shook my head, letting a smile cross my features. “I’ve gotta say; I’m disappointed.”

I stopped humming, crossed my arms, and waited.

Silence for a solid fifteen seconds.

Then:

“...oh my stars,” murmured Princess Luna. She slowly walked over, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. “...Jared?”

I nodded.

Then I was tackled—rather uncharastically—by the Princess of the Night.

I tried to get up, but then I was forced once again to the ground by the force of the others. First Rainbow, then Cadance, then Knuckles, Rarity, Sonic, Fluttershy, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Princess Celestia.

I silently thanked God that I wasn’t tackled by Shadow or Shining Armor. That would have been weird.

They eventually got off of me, after much hugging and squeezing.

“DUDE!” Sonic exclaimed, grinning dumbly. “What took you so long to come back!”

Princess Celestia nodded. “I concur. You look so different, Jared.”

I ruffled a hand through my hair. “Yeah...so I’ve been told. Repeatedly.”

“Whoa, man!” exclaimed Knuckles. “Is...is that stubble I see?!” He pointed at my face and laughed. “My bro’s becoming a man!”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were running laps around me cheering, Pinkie doing much the same. Princess Cadance and Shining were laughing happily. Shadow was silently smiling in the back with Fluttershy. Rarity was dancing happily with Spike, who looked like his heart was going to burst from joy.

Rainbow, however, reacted differently. She gave me an odd look, then asked, “Jared?...how old are you?”

Despite my apprehension, I chuckled. “Well, well, well...Rainbow Dash has actually matured in my absence? Not a retort for a greeting? Looks like miracles really happen.” I looked at her, and though in times past I would have been hesitant to reveal anything, I had since then realized the importance of coming clean with your friends. “I’m seventeen, guys.”

The joy of the reunion seemingly dissipated, replaced with growing anxiety and sympathy.

“Oh…” Rainbow quietly said.

I held up a hand. “I don’t mean to sound uncaring...but we’ve established this fact.” I sighed. “Yes, I’ve one year left in my life. But I’ve made my peace; and while I don’t expect you to have done so as well, I would want you to not feel bad for me.” I looked at them and smiled. “After all, thanks to you, I’ve lived a happy life. That’s all I could have ever asked for as the Guardian.”

They nodded slowly, their smiles coming back to them. Whether or not they chose to move to on was up to them; but they understood my acceptance of the end.

Fluttershy looked up. “You look...different.”

I shrugged. “What gave it away? The stubble? The height?” I smirked. “My amazing good looks?”

“You wish,” murmured Shadow.

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, I mean…” She walked over and put a hoof on my chest. She stared intently at me. “I don’t mean any offense, but...your eyes are different.”

“How so?”

“They’re...more vibrant, I guess.”

I chuckled. “Two years in my universe can really mature a guy.” I smiled happily at her. “I’ve had time to think and consider myself. In that time I’ve grown to accept who I am and what I do. I don’t have to hide from myself anymore.”

Fluttershy hugged me warmly, a gentle smile caressing her face, as my friends d’awed before this act.

Then:

Well said, Jared.

I sighed, feigning annoyance. “Took you long enough, Nix.”

He stepped out of my body in spectral form, calmly overlooking the others, a peaceful look on his face. “Hello again,” he said.

Pinkie tried to hug him, but passed through. He sighed. “When is anyone going to learn that I can’t be hugged? I’m a freaking ghost, for Pete’s sake!” He smiled anyway, a twinkle in his eyes. The others laughed.

We continued talking, trying to catch up on the latest news. The conversations slowly drifted away, moving towards why I was here. At this, I had to shake my head.

“We don’t know,” Nix answered for me. He explained the portal and the strange laughter and force in the portal. “I only just managed to resync with Jared,” he said, explaining his absence. “Whatever that portal did was enough to momentarily separate us.”

They had concern on their faces, but I tried to ease them. “It didn’t seem dangerous, to be honest. If it were, I would have reasoned that it would have chosen to hurt me somehow. But I’m here in one piece.” I frowned. “Though I suppose that is slightly concerning; I mean, I don’t know why I was dragged here.”

“Or by whom,” Tails added.

“I think we should keep our guard up,” advised Nix. “This could just be the Omniverse being weird again. Or lead up to something much bigger. I’d prefer the former.” He looked at me. “It’d be nice to relax again, wouldn’t it?”

I nodded.

“Well, you’re here now,” Sonic said. “So why don’t we enjoy this reunion?”

I smiled and took a glass of punch from the stand. The others did the same. I held mine out for a toast. “To the return of friends!”

“To the return of friends!” they cheered, and we clinked glasses together.

“So we can have the party now?” Pinkie exclaimed. “Yay! Let’s have the party now!”

It’s good to be back, I thought as Pinkie suddenly fired her confetti cannon.