There's no place like home, or so the old saying went. And for Sandbar, that statement was at the forefront of his mind as he and Ocellus returned from their trip to Canterlot. Ponyville, the place he had known all this life, somehow seemed so much warmer and more inviting now that he had been away from it, if only for a little while. He wondered to himself if this is what his other friends felt right now, having been separated from their own homes for far longer. He smiled as he considered that, very much looking forward to seeing them all again before the next semester began. But for now, he was content in being here, with his girlfriend. And speaking of whom, Sandbar now glanced back down to Ocellus, and the two shared an affectionate smile for one another, nuzzling each other in a clear display of young love, much to the delight of several passers-by. Lyra especially was holding back a massive "squee" at the sight, leading to a somewhat exasperated Bon-Bon having to lead her away before she did anything. So, most left the young couple alone, and they themselves continued to walk in silence. That is, until Sandbar finally looked upon one building in particular.

"Well...home sweet home."

Ocellus too looked on, seeing the small and unassuming house before her. Naturally, she made the same assumption anyone else would, and looked up to continue smiling sweetly at her close friend.

"Your home?"

Sandbar chuckled.

"Yeah...it's no Friendship Palace, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Ocellus leaned closer, giving him an affectionate nuzzle, eliciting the expected blush on Sandbar's part. When they parted, they continued smiling like the loveable doofs they were, before finally making their way over to the unassuming house. After taking a deep breath, Sandbar balled his hoof into a fist, then raised it and gave a gentle knock upon the door three times. At first, there was no answer, but then the sound of somebody could be heard on the other side. Eventually, the door opened, and there, standing before them, was an earth pony mare, with yellow fur and a short pink mane, who sported what looked like a seashell necklace. As soon as this older pony saw Sandbar, she gasped, and Sandbar chortled to this.

"Hey, Mom."

And so, in typical Motherly fashion, the mare rushed forward, embracing her son in a tight hug and fawning over him like she'd been apart from him for months.

"Oh! My little colt! Oh, I've missed you so much!"

Sandbar, somewhat embarrassed by this, especially given that he could see Ocellus holding back a snicker from it, chuckled through the embrace, giving his Mother a warm pat on the back as she continued to hug him.

"Yeah, I'm happy to see you too, Mom."

The mare finally released him, smiling affectionately at her briefly-absent son.

"Oh, you simply have to tell me everything about Canterlot!"

Then, it was here that she realised that Sandbar was not alone, and within moments, she and Ocellus were staring at one another.

"Um...I take it this is one of your friends, sweetie?"

Sandbar nodded, turning to his girlfriend.

"Mom...this is Ocellus."

The young Changeling, taking a step forward, gave a respectful bow of her head towards her boyfriend's Mother.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ma'am."

At the name "Ocellus", familiarity came to the mare's face, and her eyes widened a little. She turned to her son, and he, in turn, gave a happy nod.

"Yeah, this is her."

With her own wide smile now returning, Sandbar's Mother again rushed forward, taking Ocellus in a hug not dissimilar to what she'd just given her son.

"Oh! Aren't you just the sweetest little thing!"

Now Ocellus had been somewhat worried about this encounter. This was, after all, the first time she had ever actually met Sandbar's parents. As such, she had conjured up all manner of images on how this introduction would have gone. Indeed, some dark fears in her mind even made her worry that it might be a repeat of the day Sandbar introduced her to Comet. But no, Sandbar's Mother was greeting her with all the warmth and friendliness of family. Naturally, the young Changeling couldn't help but smile to this, and as she and Sandbar's Mother parted, she struggled to find the words.

"Th...thank you. I'm happy to be here."

Delighted at having finally met her son's girlfriend, the older mare stepped aside, allowing the two entry into the home. Sandbar, for his part, took in a deep breath from the air of his home, sighing soon afterwards in a clear sign of contentment. As they moved further into the house, however, they were soon greeted by an even more enthusiastic welcome.

"BROTHER!!!"

Instantly, Sandbar found himself receiving a cuddly assault by a small earth pony filly, whom Sandbar now looked down to with a soft smile.

"Hey, sis. Good to see you again."

The excited child grinned gleefully at her older brother, practically bouncing in place, clearly eager to have him back. Ocellus too smiled to this loving display, and then looked upwards, finally seeing the cosy and comfortable-looking main room of the house. It was definitely inviting, and warm, thanks in no small part to the roaring fire that was nearby. And a good thing too, given how chilly it had been in town when they returned. But, aside from Sandbar's sister, there was another pony here, and that was Sandbar's Father. The older stallion, who bore similar green and blue colouring to his son, albeit with varying shades and tones, saw the young couple enter, and promptly got up from his armchair.

"Sandbar! Good to have you home, son."

Sandbar himself chuckled, moving over to embrace his parent.

"Good to be home, Dad."

It was a tender moment, and before long, much like with Sandbar's Mother, his Father soon turned his gaze to Ocellus. Unlike the Mother, however, he didn't require any explanations as to who she was, as simply one look at her told him everything he needed. He smiled genuinely, walking forward and stretching out his hoof.

"And you must be Ocellus? Sandbar's told us a great deal about you. Welcome to our home."

Again, Ocellus was taken aback by the friendly reception she was getting, but she was still grateful for it, stretching out her own hoof and shaking the one the stallion had given her.

"Thank you, Sir."

The stallion chuckled.

"Please, don't call me Sir. I feel old enough as it is."

They all shared a laugh to that, and before long, Sandbar's sister, ever curious, walked up to Ocellus, staring at her with wide eyes. Ocellus, of course, was uncertain of how to take this, but while Sandbar himself was amused at her confusion, his Father, taking on a more serious look, leaned in closer to him, bringing his voice to a whisper.

"Sandbar. How did things go with...you know?"

Sandbar's smile faded, and he took a deep breath, allowing his memories of the event his Father spoke of to rise to his mind, and then pass away. Smiling again, he turned, giving his Father a pat on the shoulder before finally giving his answer.

"Things were...resolved."

No further details were given, but the older stallion could tell that, whatever difficulties his son had been through back in Canterlot, they were behind him now, leading to another warm smile between the two. Meanwhile, Ocellus was still preoccupied with the inquisitive filly who had taken such an interest in her, the latter of which now taking on a more excited tone as she spoke to her brother's girlfriend.

"Are you really a Changeling?"

Giggling nervously, Ocellus fumbled a bit.

"Well...um...yes?"

The filly smiled further.

"Is it true you can change into anything? Like a beaver? Or a butterfly?"

As before, Ocellus smiled to her, even reaching down and giving her a quick pat on the head.

"I can indeed. Would you like me to show you?"

The filly practically looked like she was going to burst with joy over that prospect, and even Sandbar's parents, who were both here now, seemed to be rather interested with that notion themselves. So, after getting a nod from Sandbar, Ocellus concentrated and, after a quick burst of Changeling magic, appeared before them as an identical copy of Sandbar himself.

"Ta-da!" she declared, before swiftly turning back into her original self.

The other earth ponies were quite impressed by that, and Sandbar's Mother was sure to voice that sentiment.

"Oh, that was simply marvellous! And such a polite girl, too!"

She winked at her son.

"My son certainly knows how to pick em!"

As expected, Sandbar blushed to this.

"MOM!!!"

But everyone simply laughed, even Sandbar after a time. When the laughter died down, Sandbar' Mother walked on over, placing her hoof onto Ocellus' shoulder.

"Now then, you must both be exhausted after your long journey. How about I get you some hot cocoa?"

Ocellus waved a hoof.

"Oh! I wouldn't want to impose!"

But Sandbar's Father let out a hearty laugh to that.

"Nonsense! You're a guest here! Please, enjoy!"

Ocellus, after glancing over at Sandbar, and seeing his shrug, sighed, then nodded back to the latter's Mother.

"In that case, I'd be delighted to have some!"

Sandbar's Mother smiled merrily to that, then made her way to the kitchen to prepare the promised drinks. As for the rest, they all went over to their respective chairs and sofas, with Sandbar's Father letting out a tired grunt as he sat down.

"Whoo-boy! What a time for you kids, eh?"

Sandbar chuckled.

"Yeah, it's been pretty...busy."

His Father chortled in response.

"Busy? Now there's an understatement if ever I heard one!"

After a short while, he exhaled, relaxing himself a little before looking to both his son and Ocellus.

"I am so proud of you, son. Your Mother and I always knew that you'd do well at that school...but to become a hero? Now that's something!"

Sandbar slowly developed into a warm smile, touched by his Father's words.

"...Thanks, Dad."

The older stallion nodded, then looked to Ocellus specifically.

"And you, Ocellus? You've been a good friend to my boy. I want you to know that you're always welcome here."

Ocellus too was similarly touched by those utterings, smiling sweetly to the other earth pony.

"Thank you. And believe me..."

She looked over to Sandbar, the two blushing as they stared into each others eyes.

"...I'm happy to have had a friend like Sandbar in my life."

Hearing that, Sandbar's Father smirked somewhat.

"A friend? Ha! I swear, you kids are like me and Sandbar's Mother back when we were your age. You just can't come right out and say it, can you?"

Again, the young couple blushed, much to The Father's amusement. In the meantime, Sandbar's sister soon waddled up to her brother, nudging him in the side of his leg and getting his attention.

"Yeah, sis?"

The little filly smiled innocently.

"Will you and Ocellus be getting married now?"

Immediately, the two gained blushes so bright and so red that they looked like overgrown tomatoes, which of course led to another roaring laugh on the part of Sandbar's Father.

"Well, my little girl, let's see how things go first! You can't rush romance, after all."

Now, Sandbar and Ocellus were still utterly overwhelmed with the admittedly innocent question the little sister had asked, but, thankfully for the two of them, they didn't have to dwell on it for very long. For it was right around that moment when, to the surprise of all there, there was a knocking on the door. Sandbar's Father, understandably, raised an eyebrow to it.

"Huh, who could that be?"

Sandbar, not wanting to have his Father get up over this, decided to move back into the entrance room himself, and as he reached the door and turned the knob, he stopped. There were noises he could hear on the other side, voices. And as the moments passed, he slowly smiled, as a look of recognition came to him. Without further delay, he opened the door, and greeted those on the other side with a happy smile.

"Hey, guys. Long time, no see."

Sure enough, Gallus, Silverstream, Smolder and Yona smiled right back, and as they began to enter their friend's home, Gallus in particular balled his claw into a fist and gave a quick "claw-hoof bump" to Sandbar.

"Hey, no way were we gonna start the semester without getting together again to hang out."

Sandbar chuckled, closing the door behind them, and before long he was leading all his friends back into the living room. Naturally, Sandbar's Father and sister were a little surprised at the unexpected guests, as indeed was Sandbar's Mother when she finally re-emerged from the kitchen door. But Ocellus, by contrast, was very happy to see them all, and rushed up from the sofa to give Yona a big hug, which the latter was more than eager to return. Sandbar, clearing his throat, gained his family's attention, and moments afterwards, he started to make introductions.

"Mom...Dad...sis...these are my friends."

He started pointing to each of them, speaking their names as he did so.

"Gallus...Silverstream...Yona...and Smolder."

The other students all gave a friendly wave to Sandbar's family, and shortly afterwards, the family smiled back, clearly welcoming of these youths into their home. Sandbar's sister, as was expected of her at this point, was exceptionally quick to run up to these strangers, looking to the likes of Yona and Smolder with great interest. They, in turn, were about as unsure as Ocellus when they first encountered her, but before long, they smiled to her, chatting with her over whatever questions she had for them. Sandbar's Mother, now realising she had more guests, retreated back to the kitchen to prepare more drinks, though Silverstream was kind enough to offer her some help in making them. Smiling, Sandbar looked out over his friends and family getting along so well, and a moment or two later, his Father was beside him, speaking to him gently.

"You're pretty lucky, son. You've got yourself some good friends here."

Looking back to the motley collection, Sandbar focused on each of them for a time, receiving a smile back in return, before finally settling on Ocellus, who both blushed and looked back to him lovingly. And as the moment set in for him, he nodded back to his Father, smiling to himself and speaking with pure contentment.

"Yeah...I really do."