Tristan woke up the next morning much against his own will. The display on his phone informed him that it was five past eight. He kept the blanket pulled over his head, hoping that somehow the thick polyester cover would slow time, maybe even stop it for all he cared. A sniffle from somewhere in the room had interrupted his wishful thinking and he poked his head out to investigate.

In his bedroom's doorway stood Spike. He stood for a second before breaking into a mad dash towards Tristan. Tears ran down his face as he quickly made his way across the hardwood floor and jumped, flopping on top of the bed. Tristan pulled the rest of the covers off of him in time for Spike to wrap him into an unimaginably tight hug, tears landing on the comforter.

"I don't wanna leave!" he cried. "I can't just leave you here! You're my big brother!"

The baby dragon's sobbing continued as Tristan wrapped his arms around him, fighting back his own growing tide of tears.

"Hey, hey," Tristan soothed. "It's going to be okay. You gotta go back and take care of Twilight, after all." His mind was brought back to the night before. Although he was going to miss all of them, he felt that Twilight's absence was going to take the bigger toll. He cleared his mind of her to catch Spike chuckling quietly under his breath. He gripped Tristan even tighter before letting go.

"Come on," Tristan instructed. "Go ahead back to the others. I'll be in there soon to help you pack."

Spike wiped his eyes on his arm and climbed off the bed, shuffling across the bedroom floor. Tristan let out a sigh and slowly slid off the bed as well. Thoughts clouded his mind as he lethargically made his way into the bathroom for a quick shower. Afterwards, he put on the most presentable clothes he could find: a white polo, a red tie, and the last of his clean jeans. He affixed the tie around his neck and observed himself in the mirror.

He wasn't ready. No, not for this. He could talk himself up for hours and hours and still not be ready for this to happen. Just when he started to feel a deep and sincere connection with them, they were leaving him. After all the hell he had been through to protect them these past thirty days, he wanted nothing more than to keep going through that same hell as long as it meant more time with his friends. His best friends. His family.

His gaze from the mirror was broken by another voice at his doorway, this one yielding a thick Southern accent.

"Sugarcube?" Applejack began. She observed Tristan's clothing choice before continuing. "Well, aren't you all spiffied up for the princess? Anyways, ya want some breakfast?"

Tristan smiled weakly. "Yeah." he replied. "Be there in a sec."

Applejack nodded, then trotted back off to join the other ponies. Tristan let out a shaky sigh and collected his composure to the best of his ability. He slowly made his way out from the naturally lit bedroom and down the hallway to the living room. Everyone's bags were already packed and lined up in the middle of the floor. Their owners sat at the kitchen table, taking small bites at their breakfast of pancakes and toast in a depressing silence. Tristan took a seat at the table, everyone else's eyes following him up until he took his first bite.

Twilight Sparkle's eyes, however, did not leave him for long. Painful thoughts overtook her mind as she glanced back at the man who had watched over her, protected her, whom she herself protected. Her heart sank, knowing that the one person she had ever loved was disappearing from her life. Twilight wanted so badly to break down and start crying right on the spot. She wanted him to go back to Equestria with her, but knew deep down that the chances of Celestia approving such a desperate plea would be slim to none.

Instead, she just sat quietly. The purple unicorn returned her attention back to her meal, mentally removing herself from the kitchen and Tristan.

The Equestrians sat in the living room at various locations after breakfast, silently waiting for their princess to come and accompany them back to their world. The silence was just as mind-numbing as before as the ponies simply looked around the room, then to Tristan, then back around again. Tristan sat on the couch next to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, with Spike taking residence upon his lap. He had wrapped his scaly arms around one of Tristan's, holding to it tightly. The only sounds that could be heard was the soft humming of the computer's tower and, occasionally, the air conditioning kicking on and off.

Tristan checked his phone again for the time. Nine-thirty. As far as he knew, Celestia would show up anytime now. He thought for a second, picking every corner of his brain to find something to break the silence. He was still deep in thought when Pinkie Pie spoke up.

"My favorite part was when Tristan took me to the carnival!" she cheerfully announced. "I had so much fun! I'm sure you did too, Tristan! Even though you threw up after one of the rides!"

Tristan's embarrassment was blocked out by relief of someone finally talking. He smiled and ruffled her pink, poofy mane, which seemed to have no aesthetic effect. Rainbow Dash thought and faced Tristan.

"My favorite was when you took me and Spike-"

"Spike and I." Twilight interrupted, half smiling. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and continued.

"When you took Me and Spike to the drag races!" The pegasus beamed. "Those things were fast!"

Spike nodded in agreement. He gripped Tristan's arm tighter.

"I had the most fun at the zoo." Fluttershy peeped. "So many cutesy-wutsey animals! It was amazing!" She giggled to herself. Tristan began seeing that the mood was lifting in the living room. Everyone had started to crack smiles and their eyes were no longer nervously glancing about.

"That reminds me." Rarity began, "That free fashion show that we went to? Simply spectacular! I have so many fresh ideas for my new line! I think even Applejack enjoyed it!"

Applejack snorted. "Ah'm just glad we saw the rodeo afterwards. All that fashiony stuff was startin' ta bore me."

"Oh, Applejack," Rarity replied, "You simply have no taste for high fashion."

"Got that right!" Applejack giggled. She turned her attention to Twilight Sparkle, who sat on the computer chair. "What about you, sugarcube? What was your favorite part?"

Twilight furrowed her brow, then thought back to her first day as a human. Sure, the battle with Trixie threw things off course for her and Tristan, but somehow, by the end of the night, everything still seemed to turn out amazing.

"The meteor shower." she answered, looking at Tristan. Her face barely showed a bright pink shade as she thought back to that romantic moment, just the two of them underneath the spectacle of lights. The moment made had warmed her heart, but only for a moment as the painful reality set back in. Spike looked up at Tristan, loosening his grip on the human's arm.

"What was your favorite part, Tristan?" the baby dragon asked. Tristan smiled warmly back down at Spike.

"All of it." he answered. His voice was soft, but he turned his attention to the group. "I wasn't sure what to make of all this at first. Actually, I thought that I had gone completely insane. I wasn't sure I could handle it. But since you guys came here, I couldn't have been happier. Sure, things were crazy at times. Maybe even downright disastrous. But I wouldn't change any part of it for the world. I'm glad you all were here, and I'm honored to call you all my best friends."

Tristan couldn't hold back any longer. He closed his eyes as tears began rolling down his cheeks. Spike saw this and flung his arms around Tristan's torso, sobbing silently into his shirt. The others had found themselves in tears, too, even Rainbow Dash. The group instantly charged the couch where Tristan sat and attached themselves to him. Tristan's tears generated more frequently as the ponies embraced him. After a few moments, a new voice broke through the air.

"It seems that even your host has learned a lesson or two." The Equestrians quickly turned their heads in the direction of the familiar voice. Tristan looked as well and found that a tall, white alicorn with a multicolored mane was smiling towards them. The gold crown that sat upon its head shined brightly from the sunlight that came in through the window.

"Princess Celestia!" they cheered. They all jumped from Tristan and bowed before her. Tristan scrambled to the floor to do the same.

"Tristan Shay," she proclaimed, "On behalf of myself and all of Equestria, I would like to thank you for your service. I am eternally grateful for your doing in teaching and protecting my subjects during their time in your world. I feel like my gift of this incredible learning opportunity would have been impossible without your cooperation. I couldn't have placed them in better hooves, er, hands."

Tristan looked up to Celestia once she had finished. He leaned back and sat on the floor. The alicorn seemed to tower over him from this angle. His eyes met hers and, even though he was initially intimidated, he found comfort and warmth in her eyes.

"Thank you, Princess." he replied. "I'm more than honored to have had this experience. Their short time here has, without a shroud of doubt, changed my life for the better. I couldn't be more obliged."

Princess Celestia smiled warmly at the human and gave a single nod. She looked around to her subjects and cleared her throat.

"Let us go." she declared. Twilight turned quickly to Tristan. The others followed suit, their faces wearing expressions of sadness. Twilight placed her front hooves around Tristan's neck and pushed her face into his shoulder. Tristan returned the embrace, holding her tightly against him and resting his chin on her head. A few moments had passed between the two when Tristan finally spoke.

"You have to go." he whispered. The words were as painful for him to say as they were for Twilight to hear. She squeezed him tight for the last time before releasing her embrace, returning to all fours.

"I'll write you." she whispered back. "I promise." Without a second to waste, she closed her eyes and planted a quick kiss on Tristan's right cheek. Tristan simply sat, frozen from shock to do anything else. He watched as the unicorn backed away slowly, arriving at Celestia's side with her friends. The princess's horn began glowing faintly, then brighter and brighter. Her figure, along with the other Equestrians began to disappear. Tristan reached out to them, watching as their bodies faded into thin air, then disappear entirely.

"Goodbye... my friends..."

It had been weeks since Twilight Sparkle and her friends had returned to Equestria. The first several days were more than difficult for the human that they had left behind. He woke up those days, scrambling out of bed, hoping that their departure was nothing more than a dream. He would run down the hallway and into the living room, but to his despair, the house was empty. The only evidence of their existence was the banner from the party. He bent down to pick it up, staring blankly at the hoofprints and the names to which they were associated. He finally decided to fold up the banner and store it under his bed.

He had been doing his best to cope with their absence, but the memories would frequently cause him to completely break down. He could still hear their laughter, taste the sweetness of Pinkie Pie's cupcakes, and feel the tingle of Twilight's kiss on his face. He would check his mail every morning before going to whatever job interview he had that day, hoping the purple unicorn had kept her promise, but no scroll ever came. After a while, he had completely given up hope that he would ever hear from them again.

Tristan woke up the morning of his birthday to the sound of his phone's alarm screaming at him. He sluggishly reached and turned it off, taking a few minutes before removing the comforter and setting his feet down on the floor. His foot had met another pile of stale potato chips. He groaned and made his way groggily into the bathroom to prepare for his first day at his new job.

He walked into the living room, dressed in the white polo, red tie, and jeans that he wore to meet Celestia. Running his fingers through his freshly cut hair, Tristan walked to the front door and aimlessly reached around for the mailbox. Once his hand had found it, he reached in and fished out a handful of envelopes. It was mostly junk mail, so he threw the collection of paper onto the table beside his couch. Tristan reached back down in the mailbox to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. The touch of parchment and wax made it clear that he had.

Eyes wide and heart racing, Tristan ripped the paper out of the mailbox. It was another scroll.

"Twilight!" he slipped. He quickly removed the wax seal and began to open the scroll, ecstatic to finally receive some sort of reassurance that she hadn't forgotten about him. He finished unrolling the parchment and held it within reading distance. His heart had shattered when he saw that the scroll was blank. Tears formed in his eyes.

What kind of cruel joke is this?, he thought. Why would she send me an empty letter?

Tristan had not realized that, in his blind depression, a small spot no bigger than the tip of a needle was glowing in the center of the scroll. As the glow began expanding to the edges of the scroll, Tristan felt a warm sensation emanating from it. A split second later, a loud flash accompanied an ear-shattering blast. The shockwave from the sudden explosion flung Tristan into unconsciousness.

Light.

That's all Tristan could see. He felt suspended in the unusual space that he had found himself in. It was all a bright white with no floor, walls or ceiling. Just an ocean of immaculate, near-blinding light.

Great. Tristan thought. I've been letter bombed. And now I'm dead. Fan-fucking-tastic

Tristan simply floated, waiting for either ascension into Heaven or plunge to Hell. His stomach was uneasy, like he could throw up at nearly any moment. He figured he may just hang there forever. Suddenly a voice called out to him.

Tristan!

The voice was gravelly, almost like an old man's. Tristan looked around frantically, looking for the other possible lost soul. He found no one, but the voice continued to call for him.

Tristan!

"What?!" he screamed back. His voice echoed throughout the empty space. There was no reply.

Tristan instinctively began a swimming motion towards the other person. As he kicked and flopped his way through the space, he began feeling warm. His hearing became more attuned, he could smell incense in the air. He couldn't explain any of it, but continued to maneuver forward. It sounded like whoever was ahead had gasped. There was some commotion before the voice spoke again.

Your Highness! He's waking up!

"Your Highness?" he called back. "What are you talking about?"

There was more commotion. Another voice then sounded through the emptiness, only this one was familiar. This voice was sweet, sincere. Much more pleasant sounding than the previous voice.

Tristan!

He recognized that voice anywhere. Was it really who he thought it was? He thought for sure he would never hear that voice again.

"T-Twilight?!" he called. The possibility of her being close caused his body to involuntarily go into overdrive. The white background started forming colors and shapes. They were blurry at first, but they eventually became more enhanced.

Tristan had regained full consciousness when Twilight Sparkle bent down and kissed him on his forehead. She smiled down on Tristan, her heart in a flutter.

"Welcome home, Tristan."