Author's Note

Linda Cardellini-Samantha Hayes.
Jeremy Renner-Norman Hayes.

I thought of Chris’ parents as these two actors and actresses.

-PrinceOfDarkness.

Parents.

Samantha and Norman Hayes stared at the missing poster of their son, Chris. He'd been missing for a while, leaving the both of them worried sick.

They'd put up missing posters and asked people if they had seen him. Nobody knew where he had gone. In their hearts, they hoped their son would be okay. Wherever he was. They hoped he was safe and sound.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake as it became unstable. A golden glow emanated from below them as a portal opened underneath them as they fell.

Chris and Celestia were spending time with Sunset in their bedroom when they were interrupted by a guard.

"Your majesties, we've just sensed a spike in magic outside of Ponyville." The guard alerted, keeping his stoic and emotionless expression.

"Thank you, guard. We'll go check it out. Return to your post, soldier." Chris said, earning a nod from the guard as he walked away and back to his post outside the door.

Celestia summoned a chariot to Ponyville as Chris and Sunset joined her. The family of three made their way to the outside of the castle.

Chris had been learning magic, and could tell that the amount of magic was twice the amount that had sent him here, back home to Equestria.

For now, he remained silent. Sunset cuddled up to her father as he held her. Ever since Sunset had returned to Equestria, she'd reconciled with her mother and found out she had a dad. She had a family now and was overjoyed.

Samantha and Norman awoke on lush green grass, staring at the bright blue sky above them. The both of them panted as they tried to get their bearings.

As the got up, they noticed that behind them was a giant, dark and dreary forest. Next to them was a gravel path that would lead to a city.

Samantha pulled out her phone and called Chris, hoping that he was alive and that he would pick up.

Chris kept silent, thinking about what might have caused the spike of magic that he'd been alerted about. He came out of thought as his phone's ringtone started to play in his right pocket.

And the rain will kill us all
Throw ourselves against the wall
But no one else can see
The desecration of the martyr in me

Chris grabbed his phone to find it was his parents. That was odd. Why were they calling him? He answered the call and put the device to his ear, confusing Celestia. However, Sunset understood completely as she knew about technology.

"Hello?" Chris asked, his voice sounding a bit rougher due to the commanding tone he'd taken on for the Royal Guards. He'd become the captain of the guard and had his own squadron of soldiers. He'd gone from being skinny to a toned and muscular man. He'd gained abs from working out and training with the guards.

"Chris? Is that you?" The voice of his mother asked, making Chris' eyes widen in shock.

"Mom, is that you? Where are you?" Chris asked, trying to connect the dots. He didn't want to make any assumptions just yet.

Celestia's and Sunset's eyes widened at the revelation. So the female that her beloved was speaking to was her mother-in-law? Celestia felt slightly nervous at that.

"Your father and I appear to be near this forest and near a gravel path. Why?" His mother's voice crackled over the phone, a faint bit of static making itself known whenever she spoke.

"Hold on, I'll be right there. Don't walk into the city-" Chris pleaded, being interrupted by screams over the device.

"THERE'S TALKING HORSES!" Samantha screamed, causing him to facepalm as he shook his head and sighed.

"It's hard to explain. I'll be there very soon. Just wait and don't move." Chris ordered, ending the call as he sighed and shook his head.

"Dad, who was that?" Sunset asked softly, looking up at her father as he smiled warmly at her.

Chris ruffled her mane and kissed the top of her head, minding her horn as he cuddled her, making Celestia smile at the sight of her beloved bonding with their daughter.

"That's your grandma. My mom." Chris replied, earning a smile from Sunset who tightened her grip on her father as she cuddled him.

Eventually, the family of three landed in Ponyville. The three of them eventually found Chris' parents who looked at him with shock as his mother ran over to him, hugging him tightly. Chris was wearing the traditional solar guard armor. However, it was in black with silver shoulder plates and Celestia's cutie mark in the middle of his chest.

Eventually, Samantha pulled away from her son, tears in her eyes as she sniffled and wiped them.

"What are you both doing here?" Chris asked incredulously, smiling. It'd been a while since he'd seen his parents.

"Well, your father and I were looking at a picture of you that we put on a poster to try and find you. The ground started to shake and something behind us dragged us here." The woman replied, smiling happily as she stared at her son.

"How come you're here, son?" Norman asked, smiling at seeing his son again.

"It's hard to explain. To make a long story short, I live here, I'm the prince and captain of the guard." Chris explained, shocking his parents.

Norman grinned and hugged his son, pride in his smile. Chris was a captain of a guard. He always had high hopes for his son, but now knowing that Chris was a soldier and a leader made him extremely proud.

It's a very long story and one I believe is best said over tea. What do you think?" Celestia asked, walking next to her beloved as she placed a wing over him, making him smile.

Samantha and Norman nodded at Celestia. Overwhelmed by awe and shock.

"She's the princess here. She rules with her sister, Luna. They raise the sun and moon. They're goddesses." Chris explained, causing his parents to bow before her.

Celestia blushed at the sight of her in-laws bowing. They'd be family soon enough and she didn't want them to bow to her.

"Please, there's no need to bow to me. We're family." Celestia asked, earning a nod from her beloved's parents.

Celestia lit up her horn and teleported them to the castle. They ended up in the Throne Room as Samantha and Norman groaned at the sensation.

"Don't worry, you get used to it." Chris assured his parents gently. He'd teleported before. When he did it the first time, he felt like he was going to be sick.

Eventually, the human couple were well enough to continue.

Chris used his magic as he summoned cushions for all of them. He wanted Sunset to join them. She was family. He wrote a letter to Cadance and Twilight, requesting them to come to the castle to join them. Chris used a spell that replicated dragon fire as the parchment burned as it flowed out of the windows and down towards Twilight's castle and also towards the Crystal Empire.

Eventually, they all sat down as Celestia and Chris took a deep breath. They knew that explaining their relationship and story to his parents would be hard.

"A very long time ago, I was a lot younger than I am now. I am just shy over two thousand years old, as is Chris." Celestia began, earning a shocked look from Samantha and Norman.

"We met in the royal gardens, on the right of the Throne Room. Chris was raised by an Earth Pony couple who already had a daughter. Sadly, both of them and their filly perished. Chris tried to save her, but an armada took her body and soul." Celestia said morosely, earning a look of shock, horror and sadness from the human couple.

Chris lowered his head as he remembered his Earth Pony parents as well as his little sister Shining Ruby. They were gone now.

Once he stabilised himself, he took a deep breath to clear his mind.

"Chris and I eventually became good friends. After that, we developed a romantic relationship. We used to spend all of our time in the castle. Whenever my parents used to go on business trips, both of us used to raid the larder." Celestia continued, chuckling at the memory. Chris grinned at remembering that time.

Samantha and Norman stiffened at the mention of the both of them having a relationship. Chris noticed and tightened his fists, holding back his anger.

Celestia also noticed and held back any anger she had for her in-laws. She didn't want to cause a bad first impression.

"Chris served as a soldier in the battle of Foalville. Sadly, it fell. None of the citizens escaped. Chris and I grieved them and planned a returned attack. Chris wanted revenge and slaughtered the ones behind the battle. He took the loss of the foals personally. He hated seeing them and their parents suffering." Celestia said sadly, causing Chris to sigh and clench his fists even more tightly as he remembered the battle and what happened.

"I just hope that wherever the souls of the families were are now in peace." Chris replied softly, feeling guilty that he couldn't save any of the families in Foalville.

Celestia looked over at Chris and nuzzled him lovingly, kissing his cheek as she placed a wing over his back.

The alabaster alicorn decided to continue the rest of the story, knowing how it ended.

"One night, while the both of us were in bed, a group of assassins came and tried to kill me. Their arrival awoke Chris and he went after them. They killed Chris by poisoning him. He managed to kill them all, but by then, it was already too late. The poison started to spread throughout his body, slowly killing him. We tried what we could. We called in healers from different countries to help us. It was of no use and Chris was slowly dying." Celestia added, watching Samantha and Norman's reaction.

The human couple looked shocked and horrified at hearing what their son had gone through in his previous life. Chris was numb as he remembered the pain he felt because of the poison.

"He was given two options. The first was stay and slowly die surrounded by myself and the rest of my family. The other was that he would be sent back to a human dimension. He'd remember everything and he'd be reborn in a new body identical to his old one." Celestia added to the story, noticing that Chris had placed a hand on her hoof, squeezing it gently as he tried to comfort his lover.

"Chris chose to be reborn. I allowed it and told him that I would place a spell on him, one that would keep his memories of his past life dormant until we met again. Within those memories would be the ones of knowing me, knowing what we had and what we were to each other." Celestia finished, closing her eyes as she recalled what she did for her beloved.

"Oh my god..." Samantha muttered, holding back a sob as tears started to flow over her cheeks. She couldn't believe what her son had been through in his past life.

Norman was stoic and looked numb at what he had been told. His son had been a soldier and defended his lover, at the cost of his life.

I'm proud of you, son. And I am so sorry that you died the way you did. Nobody deserves that. I'm glad you killed them all." Norman said, his voice warm and gentle.

Samantha walked over and hugged her son tightly, sobbing on his shoulder. She couldn't believe that her son had been killed trying to defend this mare.

The woman pulled away from her son and went to strike Celestia with her fist, only for it to be caught by his hand as he held it and lowered it down.

"Celestia didn't do anything wrong. The assassins and many others were upset with the fact we were in love because they were worried we'd taint the royal bloodline. We didn't. All they cared about was wealth and power. I don't. If I had a lot of money, I'd put it to good use, never for selfish reasons which is what the nobles wanted. It's only ever about political status." Chris said, his voice sharp and stern. The voice of a commander, leader and soldier.

Samantha nodded and apologized to Celestia, who waved it off with her hoof.

"Mom, dad, I love her. She is my fiance and we're in the midst of planning our wedding. Oh, and we have a daughter. That's hard to explain in itself. " Chris said, looking over at Sunset who smiled at the idea of her parents marrying.

"WE'RE GRANDPARENTS!?" Samantha and Norman exclaimed, looking at their son with surprise.

Celestia explained to the human couple about Sunset and how she was created. Both Norman and Samantha looked intrigued, confused and impressed.

"Even though she wasn't concieved the natural way, she's still my daughter and I love her. She is my little filly and I will never leave her or betray her." Chris said firmly. He bent down and opened his arms for a hug as Sunset dashed into his body. The amber unicorn hugged and cuddled him tightly, not wanting to lose her father.

"I love you, daddy." Sunset sniffled, impacted deeply by her father's declaration of his love for her.

"I love you too, my little princess. My sunbeam." Chris cooed lovingly, ruffling her mane as she cuddled up against her father. Content to be held by him as he ran his hand through her mane.

Samantha and Norman looked on at the father-daughter display and smiled. Even though Chris appeared to be young, he was much older than what he looked to be.

The human couple went and sat down next to their son, watching him bond with his daughter.

Sunset opened her eyes as she stared at her grandparents. She looked to her father nervously, who merely smiled and nodded.

The amber unicorn walked into the arms of her grandmother who squealed and hugged Sunset, kissing her cheek as she played with the bacon-haired unicorn's mane.

"I'm a grandma!" Samantha sang to herself, smiling and giggling as she held her granddaughter. Even though she was a different species, she was still her grandchild and her family.

Norman ruffled her mane and smiled warmly at her as Sunset was handed to him. Sunset nuzzled her grandfather, earning a chuckle as he held her.

Chris watched his parents with surprise and joy as they took to being grandparents eagerly. He knew that his mother would be overjoyed to be a grandmother.

Eventually, Sunset was put down as she walked back to her father. The amber unicorn sat in her father's lap as she laid her head against his chest. She closed her eyes and let herself relax in the arms of her father.

"I don't think Chris would want you to leave. You can go back to your world and forget that I or this world exists. Or you can stay here and live here for the rest of your life. You can live in the castle and will be taken care of. You'll also get to be with your son and granddaughter. You will never want for anything ever again. What do you say?" Celestia offered, putting a hoof out if her in-laws were willing to agree.

Samantha and Norman looked at each other and then back to Celestia.

"Celestia, we don't want to leave. We don't want to lose our son. Not again. We nearly lost him once and we don't want to go through that again." Samantha pleaded, tears in her eyes. She was willing to stay in this unique and wonderful world, just to be with her son and her granddaughter.

The blonde-haired woman put a hand out and shook Celestia's hoof, nodding to her. The alabaster alicorn nodded back, a smile on her muzzle as the conditions were agreed to.

The human couple were shown around the castle and were led to their room they'd be staying in for the rest of their life in Equestria.

Soon, it was time for Celestia to lower the sun. The alabaster mare did so, Chris assisting with his magic as the both of them lowered the sun while Luna raised the moon.

Chris and Celestia tucked Sunset into bed, kissing her goodnight as the amber unicorn fell asleep.

The royal couple walked back to their room and climbed into their bed.

"I love you, my precious crystal." Celestia cooed sleeply, cuddling her beloved in her hooves.

"I love you too, little sunflower." Chris replied sleepily, resting against his fiance as the both of them fell asleep.