The Returned One

All I could hear was bawling from the two mares in my herd as they hugged me in the entrance of the home. Between the apologies and the incoherent mumbling, I was starting to get a headache.

"HEY!!!" That seemed to get their attention. "One pony at a time... Please..."

"Sorry"

"Sorry" The looks on their faces was near misery.

"I'm sorry too... It's just... I don't know what is going on, and I'm kinda on edge... So please, can we go inside and talk?"

After a brief silence, both Chrysalis and Twilight nodded, and began to walk inside. After several failed attempts to walk over to the door, let alone take more than two steps, I searched for something to help me keep myself up, to no avail.

"Uhm....Twi? Chrissy? Anypony?"

"Now what do we have here?" a high pitched voice from behind me came. I moved to look but all I saw was a pink blur. "Are you a lost little colty wolty that needs some help?"

"Well I could use a hoof, but I don't even know you..."

"Yay!! Get to know each other party!!!" Quicker then a flash, she pulled what looked like a cannon from behind her back and fired it off, releasing all kinds of glitter, ballons and confetti. The sound must've alerted Twilight and Chrysalis as they came rushing out with panicked covering their faces.

"Pinkie Pie! Enough!" the stern yell from Chrissy made Pinkie and the confetti freeze where they were in midair. This earned a blatant look of confusion come over my face as Twilight pulled me from Pinkie's nearing grasp.

"Sorry about her, and about forgetting that you needed help getting in..."

With a sigh, I replied "It's alright, but why do I have a craving for vanilla cake?"

"Because you used to have Pinkie fire you from her cannon into a cake at least twice a week before....*sniffle* Before....*uncontrollable bawling*"

"WAAAAIIIITTT!!!!" Pinkie yelled at the top of her lungs, "DOES THAT MEAN THAT HE'S?"

"Yes Pinkie Pie, he is in fact Midnight Shadow returned to us, *sniff* at last." Chrissy replied.

"But why is he so small? Is it so he can fit into small places?" This earned a tearful shrug from Twi.
"Alright everypony, can we go inside now, WITHOUT forgetting about me?" I said, a little sterner than I wanted...

"Yes, I belive that's a fine idea." Chrysalis replied. She then began using her magic to take me from Twilight and place me on her back, nudging Twi to come back inside, and wave Pinkie in as well.

We made our way into what looked like a living-room that took up the majority of one of the egg-shaped parts of the house. It was decorated in a high-end type style that quickly got on my nerves, and I instinctively focused on my horn and felt a rush as the decor changed to a much more modest cottage like layout, earning surprised looks from everypony else. I quickly took notice after i fell to the floor panting from exhaustion, only to receive a great deal more help than I needed.

"How...how did I do that?"

"I don't know." Twi replied as she checked my head for injuries. "It has to be some of your memories from last time." She then got up and began to walk out of the room, yelling something about a letter and the rest was muffled do to distance, earning a look of further confusion from me to Chrissy as she began to put me on one of the newly replaced couches surrounding the fireplace before sitting next to me.

"Could you tell me how young I really look, please?"

"Hmm, I was never very good at judging the age of ponies, but I'd say your close to reaching your fourth or fith year. I think?"

"Does that mean he'll have to go back to school with other little fillies and colts?!"

"No, I quite doubt that."

Suddenly a mare with fur as dark as mine and a mane of stars appeared within a cloud of magic behind the couch we were resting on. She began looking around the room as paniced as possible until she made eye contact with me. At that, she began to tear up before rushing and hugging me screaming out "My Sweet Little Nephew!! You're Safe!! You're Home!!"

"Auntie Lulu?" I asked with a smushed face.

"Yes! It is us dear nephew!! Pray tell how you returned to us?!"
After a brief moment of silence, I did what I believed to be appropriate... I shrugged. "All I really remember is waking up with an alicorn named Faust, and she made me fall asleep in her hooves. Then I woke up in the woods near a pond... Then I met Twi, and she brought me home."

"Incredible... We never thought somepony else in our family would meet her."

"You met her too, auntie?"

"Yes," she replied, before moving to sit on the couch with me still tightly in her hooves. "Long ago, before you passed, the night we were returned from our banishment. We kept it a secret as to honor her wishes."

"... I... I remember... The moon and sun were holding equal ground that day..."

"Yes, nephew. We are glad to see you are beginning to recall your life, even though it was a sad time for us all." Just then, Twi ran back in, only to stop in her tracks when she saw Luna cradling me in her hooves, which I couldn't deny felt wonderful.

"Luna? You're here already?" her only reply was a nod without breaking eye contact with me.

Chrysalis began to rise and walk out of the room, "I suppose I should start making dinner if we are going to keep getting surprise visitors today." Suddenly a gasp from Pinkie drew everypony's gaze.

"I gotta get home!! I have to help the Cake's clean the store today!" and with a puff of pink smoke, she was gone.

"H-h-how?" The word only barely made it out of my mouth.

Twilight was the first to reply, "She's always been like that, but I guess you don't exactly remember that...do you?"

I thought for a moment, trying to recall what I might know about her, and eventually came up with something. "I think I remember something about her and me going into a place called the Everfree... What's that about?"

Both Twilight and Auntie Lulu began snickering very indiscreetly, until both broke out into full laughter. They finally quit when they saw the look of confusion on my face, but the smiles didn't leave just yet. Twilight was once again the first to speak.

"She kinda tricked you to follow her in there for a *snicker* a one night stand that she spent a week planning." The blush on my face must've been obvious under the fur on my face because the snickering was quickly replaced with coos.

A call from what I could only assume was the kitchen managed to silence the mares turned fillies, who began to smell the air and lick their lips in delight.

"It would seem that Chrysalis has finished preparing our meal." Auntie Lulu said as she used her magic to pick me up off her rear hooves and place me on her back after getting up herself. We made our way to the kitchen with Twi still giggling.

Suddenly, I was attacked... By none other than Chrissy as she began hugging me and planting kisses on my cheeks, earning more giggles and coos of adoration from the others.

"Agh, my greatest foe has found my weakness!" I said without even thinking, earning gasps aplenty. "W... What?" Suddenly Chrissy planted a tearful kiss on my lips And began nuzzling me uncontrollably. For some reason, I felt the need to nuzzle her back until I felt somepony wiping the tears I was unaware were forming under my eyes.

"Such a delicious meal like I haven't had in ages..." Chrysalis commented licking her lips.
"Right... Feeding off love..." this comment that came from my own mouth surprised me. I had no idea that I knew that!

"Perhaps we should have our meal and talk about what has been going on in Equestria in the time since your passing..." Luna said.

"And probably even some from before then..." I remarked as I was magically placed into a chair at the table. I noticed Lulu nodding in agreement as she sat down next to me.

I glanced around the table and saw a dish of something that made me drool to no end... "Is that?" I looked to the mares sitting at the table who nodded with bright smiles on their faces. "Lasagna!!" I cheered, causing laughter among the mares, not realizing that I was floating slowly higher and higher above my chair, until I did notice and promptly plummeted back down until I was caught in Lulu's magic. "Um...*sigh* thanks..." I looked at Luna who was smiling until she took a careful look at me.

"*gasp* Thou art filthy! Thy wings need preening, and thy mane needs brushing!!"

"And thy is speaking in yon ancient pony tongue." I remarked sticking my own tongue out at her teasingly.

"Well I guess we'll just have to help him get cleaned up after we're done eating then." I became blatantly nervous at the sound of that, encouraging giggles from the mares who, with the exception of Lulu, began eating faster to try and scare me. Lulu however was helping me keep my fork in my hoof so I could eat.

"What can you tell me about my herd?" I asked between bites.

"Well there's us three, and then Rainbow Dash and... Heh... Celestia." Those words nearly made me choke.