Chapter 9: Home Again

Aaron, the Young 6 and the rest of the Blazer family were at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport to get on the planes to their destinations.

"Well, Liam and I will be heading off to go on our honeymoon," Marissa said, looking at Aaron. "You be good when we're gone, okay?"

"You know we'll be fine, Aunt Marissa," Aaron said. "Smolder and I got school on Monday, and you don't have to worry about us."

"So, where are you going for your honeymoon?" Smolder asked.

"Oh, we're going to Athens, Greece," Marissa said. "We're gonna see a lot of mythological things that are quite similar to things in Equestria."

"Oh, yeah," Aaron said. "Pegasi, hydras, sirens, Manticores, Cerberus... There are a lot of things in Equestria that are similar to Greek Mythology."

"Well, we should get going," Marissa said. "Our flight is about to board." Then she and Liam started walking away. "See you in about a week."

"Bye, Aunt Marissa," Aaron said. Then he, the Young 6 and the rest of the Blazer family went towards their flights. Aaron's grandparents will be on the flight to Orlando because they're going to be watching over Aaron and Smolder for a week.

Aaron, the Young 6 and Aaron's grandparents arrived at Aaron's house. Sandbar, Gallus, Yona, Silverstream and Ocellus headed for the portals back to Equestria. Aaron and Smolder headed to their rooms.

"Hold up, you two," Aaron's grandpa said.

"C'mon, Grandpa," Aaron said. "It was a long flight. Not as long as the current flight to Greece Aunt Marissa and Liam are on right now."

"Well, that is true," Aaron's Grandpa said. "But right now, you all need to get to work on your..."

"We did our homework when we were in Chicago," Smolder said. "The Principal texted us the assignments we were supposed to do while we were out. Of course it was easy doing the history assignments since it was the same lesson over and over again."

"Really?" Aaron's grandma said. "Well, maybe we should keep the place nice and tidy until they get back from Greece. Do you kids need a ride to school when it's time to go back?"

"No, Mr. Williams will give us a ride to school," Aaron said. "He might drive a Supercab, so it'll be cramped in the leg area when we go."

"Should we check to see Megan if she got the memo?" Smolder asked.

"Not now," Aaron said. "It's a school day. Besides, let's sort out the laundry to be washed tomorrow."

"Yeah, good idea," Smolder said, heading for the garage.

On Monday morning, Aaron and Smolder were walking out the front door with their school bags in their hands. Aaron was about to close the door when his grandfather called out.

"Hey, you two, I'll be picking both of you up from school today," Aaron's grandfather said. "Smolder, I'll be looking forward to meeting your Home Economics Teacher."

"Yeah, whatever," Smolder said.

"Smolder, respect," Aaron said.

"Sorry," Smolder said. "See ya." Then Aaron closed the door and they headed across the street towards the Williams residence. There, Megan, her father and her brother were all waiting for them. Danny wasn't too happy with them coming.

"Why do they have to come?" Danny asked.

"Because Aaron's aunt had asked me to drop them off at school until they get back from their honeymoon in Athens," Mr. Williams said.

"Why would it take so long to be on a honeymoon in Georgia?" Danny asked.

"Athens in Greece," Aaron said. "Not in Georgia."

"Wait, what?" Danny asked. "That Athens?"

"Yeah, where else?" Aaron asked as Mr. Williams opened up the back door. Smolder then got into the truck and sat in the middle. Aaron got in after her and sat on the left side while Megan sat on the right. Danny got in the front passenger seat and Mr. Williams got in the driver's seat. Then he started up the truck and they headed off to school.

Aaron went into the gym wearing his basketball practice gear. The other members of the team saw him coming in and applauded.

"There he is!" Paul said. "Nice dunk on that last shot, Aaron!"

"We all watched that video!" Kyle said. "That was awesome!"

"Thanks, guys," Aaron said. He then looked up at Coach Little and asked, "What did you think?"

"You did very well in a game to 21, Aaron," Coach Little said. "You'll be a starting wing, then next year, I'll move you up to point guard."

"Thanks, Coach," Aaron said.

"Okay, team, fall in!" Coach Little said. "Okay, our first game is against the Colonial High School Grenadiers."

"Home or away, coach?" Aaron asked.

"It's an away game," Coach Little said. "On Friday. So everyone, be prepared to leave after lunch. And don't eat too much. You all need to be in shape for that day."

"Yes, Coach Little!" the basketball team said.

"Now, let me see some layups," Coach Little said. Then the basketball team went over to do some layups. "Get some air in when shooting!"

After school, Aaron, Smolder and Megan were waiting for Aaron's grandpa to pick them up. Then came Marissa's Ford Expedition. It parked in a parking spot across from the school pickup area. Then Aaron's grandpa got out of the car.

"Hey, Grandpa," Aaron said.

"Hey, kids," Aaron's grandpa said. "So, Smolder, where is your Home Economics class? I've always wanted to meet a famous chef."

"No need to be looking for the classroom then," came Guy Fieri's voice. They all looked towards the voice and they saw Guy Fieri coming towards them. "I'm right here."

Aaron's grandpa walked up to Guy Fieri and shook his hand, saying, "I've loved your cooking shows. Especially when you go traveling across the country trying out popular foods from certain restaurants."

"Yeah, I love doing that," Guy Fieri said. "You must be Aaron's grandfather. Glad to meet you, Mr. Blazer."

"I'm honored to meet you as well," Aaron's grandpa responded. "So, how is my grandson's girlfriend doing in class?"

"She's doing very well," Guy Fieri said. "Just another five months of class, and she'll be a young pro. You probably want to see her in action at home, don't ya?"

"I'm a chef myself," Aaron's Grandpa said. "I have my own restaurant up in DC after I left working in the White House. Sure, I was a fellow cook in the kitchen in the White House kitchen, but I always dreamed of opening my own restaurant, and I did it. I got a lot of customers there, amazing staff, and very good food."

"Really?" Guy Fieri asked. "Well, how about this summer, I drive up there and check it out for myself?"

"That would be an honor," Aaron's Grandpa said. "But, how about I show you my best meal there if you join us for dinner?"

"Sounds good," Guy Fieri said. "Let's get going." Then they all started heading for their respective vehicles.

Friday came. The basketball team and the cheerleaders were getting on a bus during Free Period. The basketball team were wearing jackets and tearaway pants over their basketball uniforms. Smolder was in her dragon form. Aaron was getting out his laptop so he could work on his homework on the way to the opponent's school.

"What are you doing, Mr. Blazer?" Coach Little asked.

"I'm gonna work on my homework on the way to Colonial High," Aaron said.

"Ah, good call," Coach Little said. "Better to get it done as soon as possible before the game." Just then, Aaron's phone started ringing. Aaron pulled his phone out of his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" Aaron asked. "Oh, hi, Aunt Marissa." Aaron waited a few seconds. "Oh, I'm not going home. I'm actually on the bus to Colonial High. First Basketball Game. Grandma and Grandpa will be there to watch the game as well." He then waited a few seconds. "Alright. See you at the game. Bye." He then hung up.

"Your Aunt Marissa and your new uncle are back?" Coach Little asked.

"That's right," Aaron said. "First game, better make it count."

"That's right," Coach Little said. "Now, do your homework and then you'll be prepared for the game." Aaron nodded as Coach Little sat up and went to a different seat. Smolder then came in and sat next to him.

"You ready for this?" Smolder asked.

"You bet I am," Aaron said. "By the way, Marissa and Liam are back in Orlando."

"Alright," Smolder said. "They came back in time for your first game. Lucky them."

"That's right," Aaron said, transforming into his dragon form. "Time to show them how the dragons play." Then the two dragons kissed. After finishing their kiss, Aaron changed back to his human form and started working on his homework. Smolder then brought up her backpack and brought out her homework so she could start working on it.

It was the fourth quarter of the Jr Varsity Basketball game. The Dragons were behind the Grenadiers by 10 points. The score was 72-62 Grenadiers, and there were 3 minutes left on the board. Since the Dragons were the away team, their uniforms were orange with white letters and numbers with red outlines. Aaron had the number 7, Paul had the number 11 and Kyle had the number 17.

"C'mon, team," Coach Little said. "We're behind by ten, and we need to get closer to them."

"Perhaps we can just get some points with the fouls," Kyle said. "That is if there is anyone who is wanting to foul one of us."

"If we get the foul after getting a basket, we could purposely miss the basket and then go in for another two points," Paul said.

"I like it," Coach Little said. "Think you boys can do that?"

"We'll try, Coach," Aaron said.

"That's good enough," Coach Little said. "Alright, hands in." Then the Jr Varsity team put their hands in and. "Dragons on three. One, two, three..."

"Dragons!" the team said. Then Aaron, Paul and three other players went onto the court. Kyle was resting on the bleachers because he didn't have enough to keep going.

Aaron then went over to one side of the court where the referee stood with the game ball. Just then, the voice of Marissa came in.

"Aaron!"

Aaron turned around and saw Marissa and Liam coming in with Aaron's grandpa. They came onto the bleachers and sat next to Aaron's grandma.

"You can do it, Aaron!" Marissa said.

"Yeah, that's right!" Liam said. "You got this!"

Aaron smirked at that and pound his hand on the ball and said, "Time to dragon up." He then passed the ball to the point guard and he quickly rushed towards the other side of the court with the point guard behind him. Aaron then got into position for a shot. "Ball ball ball ball!"

The point guard then passed the ball to Aaron and he turned around for a shot with one of the opposing team players coming towards him. Aaron then shot the ball and he got pushed down to the ground. But the ball went into the net, earning two points. Then the ref blew on the whistle.

"Foul, white number 4," the ref said. "One shot, orange number 7." The dragon fans and the cheerleaders applauded. Aaron then got up and went over to the foul line.

"Ready, okay!" Lindsey Price said. "Watch this!"

"Let's go, Aaron, let's go!" the cheerleaders cheered and then clapped. "Let's go, Aaron, let's go!" They clapped again.

Aaron bounced the ball as the others were getting into position. Aaron looked to his team's point guard and nodded. The point guard nodded and got into position. Aaron then shot the ball, but it went to the right of the box. The dragons point guard rushed in, grabbed the ball, and shot it back up for a basket, which it went in, making everyone cheer.

Aaron and the point guard fist bumped, the latter saying, "Nice job, Blazer."

"Thanks, Holt," Aaron said as the two were getting into their defensive positions on the court. The dragons were now behind by six points.

"That's it, Aaron!" Liam shouted. "Get the points back!"

"You got this, Aaron!" Marissa called out.

The Grenadiers were coming down into their offensive positions. The point guard shot over to the left wing, who was turning quickly to throw the ball to one of the lower guys, but Paul rushed in and snatched the ball mid-pass, making the dragons rush towards the other side of the court. Paul then threw the ball towards one of his teammates, and the point guard intercepted the ball and went up for a layup, which it went in, decreasing the Grenadiers lead down to four points.

"Half court press!" the Dragons Point Guard said, making Aaron and the other wing defender going up to prevent the Grenadiers from passing. The point guard of the Grenadiers tried going past Aaron, but Aaron swooped in and got the ball and rushed towards the basket. Aaron the rushed to the basket, jumped up and did a slam dunk into the basket, getting another point.

"Yeah!" Aaron shouted.

"Oh, yeah!" Coach Little said. "We need three points to win!"

There were now 10 seconds left on the clock. The Grenadiers then tried rushing to the other side of the court with the ball to keep the dragons from making another basket while the crowd was counting down from 10. Paul rushed in and grabbed the ball from the opposing team and passed it to his team's point guard. Aaron rushed down to the other side of the court and stood just outside of the 3-point line. The point guard passed the ball to Aaron, who grabbed the ball, and threw the ball towards the basket. The buzzer buzzed right before the ball hit the backboard. The ball went into the rim, spiraling its way into the basket, but it was about to come back out. But it hit the backboard again and it went back into the basket, making the last three points. The referee blew his whistle and the crowd cheered.

"Alright!" Smolder called out. "We won!"

"That's how we do it!" Coach Little said. Then the team came together. "Alright. Hands in. Good game Colonial on three. One, two, three..."

"Good game Colonial!" the dragons all chanted. Then they went over towards the opposing team and gave them high fives. After they high fived, the two teams went over to get their stuff so they could change. Aaron couldn't go home yet until the Cheerleaders finished their cheering for the Varsity game. They would grab dinner on the way home.

Equestria... 200 Years Later...

At the Boardtrot in Maretime Bay, the ponies there were having a good time. At Sunny's Smoothie Stand, Sunny and Comet were making smoothies for their friends. Sparky was sitting on the counter, sad about something.

"Are you feeling okay, buddy?" Hitch asked. "You've been feeling down lately."

"Oh, Hitch," Sunny said. "He just misses Aaron and Smolder. After all, they are his parents. Even though they weren't technically old enough to be parents yet."

"Yeah, I understand that," Hitch said, pulling out his phone and pulling up the picture of Aaron, Smolder and Sparky together in the Castle of Friendship in the past. "It would be nice for Sparky to see them again. That way, he won't be so down."

"Aw, don't worry about that Hitcheroo!" Izzy said. "I'm sure that Spark-Spark will cheer up soon!" She then pulled up two plushies of dragons identical to Aaron and Smolder as they were when they were in that time and handed them to Sparky. "Here, Sparky." Sparky looked at the plushies sadly and pushed them away. "Aw, but he usually loves my craft work."

"It's not that, Izzy," Misty said. "He's really depressed. And at such a young age."

"Yeah," Izzy said. "I know. I just wish that there was a way for Sparky to go and see Aaron and Smolder again." Then her mane and tail started getting longer as streaks of pale red, yellow, green and blue came across them. Even the Nova Charm pieces started glowing. "If only I could create a portal to Aaron and Smolder's world so he could see them again, that way he won't be so down!"

"Izzy!" Zipp said. "Wait!"

"You're Creativity is overloading again!" Pipp said.

"What?" Izzy asked, looking around. Then the pieces of the Nova Charm let out a beam of magic, making a portal in the middle of the Boardtrot.

"Whoa!" Hitch said. "Do... you all think it's safe?"

"It's... hard to tell," Comet said, adjusting his glasses. Just then, Sparky smelt something. He then looked towards the portal and smiled. He then rushed towards the portal excitedly.

"Sparky!" Hitch said. He then chased Sparky towards the portal. Sparky went through, and as he went through, the portal vanished before Hitch could even get close. Hitch fell to the ground.

"Hitch!" Sunny shouted. Then she and the rest of the friends ran over towards Hitch.

Hitch was recovering. "Sparky?" He then jolted his head up and looked back where the portal once was. "Sparky!"

"He's... gone," Misty said.

"No..." Hitch said, tears coming out of the corners of his eyes. "No! SPARKYYYYYYYYY!!"

Author's Note

Well, Aaron had his first Basketball Game in High School. That was quite a game. As for the G5 Mane 6, looks like they lost their baby dragon. Who knows where the other end of that portal ended up. You'll find out soon. See ya next time.