https://desuarchive.org/mlp/thread/40244222/#40266787

Prompt:
 https://derpibooru.org/images/3188684
>Dash didn't understand
>Go home?
>But... Anon was home... Wasn't he?
>Dash could only stare, look on as Anon entered the portal, leaving Dash behind

Would you give it all up for Dash? It seems this Anon didn't.

Story:
>"You're... going back home?"
>You are Anonymous
>And you weren't sure how this conversation was gonna go
>Hell, you're still trying to process the conversation you just had with Twilight on the very topic
>The portal was far from ready yet, but Twilight was 92.56% sure it was possible
>You're not even sure if you're surprised anymore that she actually did the calculations, or how she even calculated how "sure" she was about something anyway
>Either way, after she dropped that proverbial bombshell on you, you had a million questions
>Who? What? How? When? Where? and Why? being just a few of them
>She had done her best to answer you, but you'll be damned if you felt like you were still missing something
>You'd been in this land of pastel coloured horses for months with little to no progress being made on your way home
>Now it seemed within arm's reach
>And you weren't sure if you wanted to bother reaching for it
>Against Twilight's protests you had left mid-conversation, using the excuse that you needed some fresh air to convince her to let you go
>When your feet left crystal and hit dirt, there was only one pony you had in mind
>Rainbow Dash
>You weren't exactly friendly with each other when you met
>She had actually assumed you were a monster and tackled you at mach speed
>When you had promptly, and fairly, fought back you two were throwing hooves and fists before Twilight magically separated the two of you
>While sat in front of her as she examined and questioned you while simultaneously scolding you both like a teacher to two scuffling kids, the prismatic mare spoke to you
>You can still remember those words
>>"Dude, anyone ever tell you you've got a mean left hook?"
>That started a small chuckle from you, which got her to chuckle which lead to the two of you sharing laughter at the ridiculousness of the new situation
>From their your relationship quickly built, hoof-wrestling, racing with the handicap of tying her wings down, her occasionally sneaking up and wrestling you like the first time, pranks, and drinking
>There was a lot of drinking during your first month here
>You never said why, even when she asked, but you know she figured out that you started to drink so heavily to deal with being away from Earth
>She managed to pull you out of that rut, somehow
>In part, you think it's thanks to the little trinket she bought, a paired necklace
>She thought it was a pair of wings, so you got a good laugh when she realized it was a heart
>Still, the thin cool metal did seem to help keep you grounded
>You both still wear the necklaces, even now
>Now with your emotions firing on all cylinders, you knew she was the best chance of getting you stable
>It didn't take long to find the cloud she was napping on and whistle her down
>With your mind racing, you simply asked her to walk and talk
>You tried your best, but a lot of what she said went in one ear and out the other

>When you finally snapped out of your thoughts, you found yourself on a hill overlooking Ponyville, you had gone so high up that the clouds were almost around you
>Simple things like the weird weather still made you smile
>Of course, being your best friend, Rainbow picked up on your off mood and as you both sat to talk, you told her everything Twilight told you
>Afterwards, it had been mostly quiet
>Until Rainbow broke the silence with those four words
>You turned to her, and found your gaze caught in her wine coloured eyes
>It was definitely the right decision to find her
>There was something about her eyes that helped calm you down
>Though you couldn't quite place the emotion she stared back at you with
>That thought reminded you that you'd been staring and silent for too long
>Clearing your throat, you finally responded
"I mean, not right now, but... yeah, eventually, I guess."
>"Thanks, Anon, that wasn't vague at all."
>Her dry tone earned an amused huff from you
"Sorry, Dash, honestly when Twilight told me, all I could think of was getting away to clear my head. Didn't get to ask her that many questions."
>Your answer seemed to be more satisfying this time as she gave you a small knowing smile
>"That's probably for the best, she'd have probably talked your ears off if you let her."
>Your mutual feelings on Twilight's tendency to warble on brought a comfortable silence between you two
>A silence that quickly seemed to sour under an unseen tension
>Out of your peripherals you could see her stealing glances at you, and you still couldn't place the emotions in her eyes
>"But seriously," she began, pulling your attention, "like... when is this happening? Is Pinkie gonna have to set up a goodbye party tomorrow?"
>Quickly shaking your head seemed to send relief through the mare as she let out a sigh and visibly relaxed
"No, Twilight said that the reason she's kept so quiet on this is that she wanted to make sure it was actually possible. She's not 100% on it, but she's close enough to be confident. But now she only knows it's possible, she isn't sure about actually getting it to work."
>This earned a small chuckle from Dash as she leaned back and lightly kicked you with one of her hind hooves
>"Sucks to suck big guy, looks like you're stuck with me- us- for a little while longer"
>You chuckled and batted her hoof away and smiled down at the mare
"Hopefully more than a little while, Dash."
>Leaning forward she nudged you with her shoulder as she gazed up at you
>"What's that supposed to mean, you going soft on me? Cause I don't drink with softies."
>You give her a nudge of your own, your size easily pushing her further, drawing a smug grin to your lips
"It's a good thing I do, or we wouldn't be able to meet after work"
>Correcting herself after your nudge, the mare hopped to her hooves as she pointed an accusatory hoof in your face
>"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Come on Dash, Pinkie Pie aside, you're probably the softest mare I know"

>To emphasize your point, you pressed a finger to the tuft of hair on her chest, and felt a little bit of give
>With a flap of her wings, she hovered in front of you, a casual glare on her face
>"I'll have you know that this is 100% muscle"
"Keep telling yourself that, Dash. I'm not the one who bought us a heart necklace"
>With another poke from you, you lifted your half of the necklace to be in view, making Rainbow scrunch her muzzle in indignation before she settled back on the ground
>"We agreed to just call them wings, and I'm gonna let you have that this one time, but only cause I feel bad for you"
>This earned a raised eyebrow from her, which she simply shrugged at
>"Well, hey, you're gonna be deprived of my awesomeness eventually, your life's gonna get real boring real fast in... what? a few months?"
>This time, it was your turn to shrug
"Beats me, hopefully I'll be able to stick around 'til Hearth's Warming. From what you've told me, it sounds like a good time.
>"Dude, it's the best!" Once again the mare took to the air, an ecstatic look on her face. "AJ makes this warm apple mead stuff, it's easily as good as their apple cider, maybe better."
>Her enthusiasm was infectious and made you look forward to their pony version of christmas and almost banished the cloud that had been hanging over you
>You propped your elbow on a knee, then rested your chin on a fist as you finally let yourself begin to relax with the mare
"Well, here's hoping I get a chance to try some."
>Despite them still being there, with the prismatic maned mare, it almost felt like your problems were miles away
>You allowed yourself to indulge in pretending that your life was still as carefree as it was yesterday as the two of you stayed up on that hill until the peach dappled, sunset sky turned into a cool dusky blue, and then stayed even longer until it turned to a gentle black as the stars began to blink into existence as the moon replaced the sun
>Finally standing, you stretched yourself out, figuring that you should probably get back to Twilight before she had an aneurysm worrying about where you were
>"We're still on for buckball this weekend, right?"
"You that desperate to lose?"
>She pressed her forehead to yours as she shot a competitive smirk and glare at you
>”Oh, it is on. I am so gonna enjoy making you eat those words.”
>The two of you briefly pushed your heads back and forth until your smiles turned to laughter that made you separate
>As your laughter subsided, the mare held out a hoof that you bumped with your fist before she took off towards her home, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake
>You watched her go until she shrank into the distance, to the point you couldn't make her out anymore
>If Twilight was right, you might not have a lot of time left to watch Rainbow come and go through your life
>With that thought bringing back the cloud over your head that Rainbow had dismissed, you slowly made your way back to the crystal castle

<>
>This can't be happening
>You are Rainbow Dash, and ever since you first heard Anonymous tell you he was going home, that's all that's been going through your mind
>With a final flap from your wings you flew into your cloud home and shut the door firmly behind you
>This can not be happening
>Seriously, there was no way that Twilight could actually send him home
>Then again, him getting here in the first place seemed like an impossibility
>But that was a good impossibility
>Him getting here gave you a new drinking buddy, someone to pull pranks with, he even liked roughhousing
>Even Applejack didn't like roughhousing
>Him leaving would just be stupid
>With a groan, you let your head fall backward into the door
>Why couldn't your thoughts ever sound like how you were actually feeling
>With a shake of your head you decide that the best thing to do now is clear your head
>The irony of the fact that you just helped Anon clear his head is not lost on you
>Sure, he'd definitely be able to help you clear your head too
>But he clearly had a lot on his plate right now
>With a flap of your wings, you smoothly made your way though your house to the kitchen
>Opening the cupboards, you reached deep into the back where you kept something for when you needed it
>A bottle of apple cider from Sweet Apple Acres
>Normally you'd chug the stuff until there was none left or your were unconscious, but this stuff you kept when you needed something to calm the nerves
>A small gulp of the cider immediately settled your idly twitching feathers and helped you to stop tapping your hoof against the floor as you could finally take a deep, calming breath
"Okay, Dash, think"
>You said to nopony in particular
>Obviously you didn't want him to leave
>Simply put, he'd quickly become one of your closest friends, and you didn't want to lose him
>But you weren't sure how to tell him how badly you wanted him to not leave
>The thought sent your stomach into flips, and not the good kind
>Obviously you knew he probably found it weird not having any other humans around, but you always thought that you and the girls did a good job of making him feel welcome
>That little incident when you first met notwithstanding, of course
>As you nursed the apple cider, your mind began formulating the beginnings of a plan
>He clearly enjoyed his life here, but there were probably things back home he missed
>Which means that, if you wanted him to stay, you just had to find a way to make him enjoy it here enough that he'd be alright with not going back home
>Suddenly a thought clicked into place, and you could feel your face taking the same expression Twilight's did whenever she got an idea
>If he still saw Equestria as Equestria, and his old planet as home
>Then the way to make him stay, was to help him see Equestria as home
>You allowed yourself a small grin as your own genius impressed even you

>Setting the apple cider back into the cupboard you began pacing to try and get some ideas rolling on where to start
>As you paced, a small glint of light caught the corner of your eye
>Turning, you saw yourself in the mirror
>Your half of the paired necklace reflecting some of the moonlight that shone through your window
>It was just supposed to be something small to make him feel more comfortable here
>Yet here you are, months later still wearing it
>Even now you could remember how he teased you and how he laughed when he pointed out what you thought was a cool pair of wings was some frou-frou heart
>You allowed yourself an amused huff as you lightly flicked the half-necklace and watched as it softly bounced on your chest
>Despite knowing nopony was around, you briefly checked the coast was clear before bringing a hoof up to yourself and pressing into a few different parts of your body
>There was definitely muscle there, but also a lot more give then you'd ever admit
"Softest pony my flank"
>You grunted lightly at Anon's words
>With a shake of your head, you cleared the recent memories from your mind as you refocused
"Okay, Rainbow, think..."
>If you went my Anon's estimate, you had until Hearth's Warming, and you were at the end of spring right now, that meant you had half a year to make Anonymous want to stay, give or take a few months
>Sounds easy enough
>It'd be easy to make him want to stay in Equestria
>Right?