Celestia's sun slowly crept into the library as Twilight lay on the couch, groaning as she rolled onto her side. A knock on the door roused her from her gloomy reverie, and she slowly got to her hooves. Opening the door slightly, she peeked through the crack to see five smiling faces peering back at her.

"Good morning, Twilight," Rarity said. "Did you sleep well?"

Twilight made a neutral sound in her throat.

"We just came by to make sure ya were settlin' in OK," Applejack said. "Y' know, after spendin' three weeks in the forest."

"I'm fine, thank you," Twilight replied. "I appreciate you coming over, girls, but I'm really not in the mood right now."

The smiles on her friend's faces vanished, replaced with looks of concern and raised eyebrows.

"Why not, Twilight?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Are you still upset about what Princesses Celestia and Luna told you?"

"Whatever could they say that would get her worked up like this?" Rarity asked, looking at Dash quizzically.

"Just that she needs to pull herself together and face the possibility that Geo might never come back," Dash said matter-of-factly.

Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack gasped.

"They didn't!" Rarity said, the shock in her voice obvious.

"Well, they did," Twilight snapped. "And as much as I hate to admit it... they're right." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she spoke.

"Come on, Twilight!" Pinkie said. "We've been through this already, remember? He is going to come back to you!"

Twilight sighed. "I know, Pinkie," she replied. "I suppose you'd better come in, girls. I don't want to discuss this on my doorstep."

She opened the door and all five mares trooped inside, the door closing behind them with a small click.

"So... um, what are you going to do now, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked timidly. "If you don't mind telling us, that is."

The Princesses told me that I need to accept the fact he might have forgotten about me," Twilight said. "So that's what I'll do."

The other five looked at her with stunned expressions on their faces. They shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to say. Eventually, Pinkie Pie spoke up.

"Looks like Twilight's getting back into the dating scene!" she said excitedly. "Ooh! I'll throw you a 'Blind Date' party, and I'll in—!"

Twilight stuffed a hoof into the party pony's mouth. "I'm not ready for that," she said. "It'll be a while before I'm ready to date again."

Pinkie's face fell.

"But just because he's probably forgotten us, that doesn't mean we can't remember him," Twilight continued, offering a smile.

Pinkie's face split into a wide grin.

"So I can hold a 'Remembering Geo' party after all!" she squealed happily. "Just like I was going to do when he was kill— no, wait!"

Twilight patted her friend on the back. "It's okay, Pinkie," she said softly. "He's not dead; he's back home, where he belongs."

"But his home is here, darling," Rarity offered. "With you."

"I know that," Twilight replied. "But I need to face up to the fact that that might not be the case any more. Pinkie, do what you need to do for this party you're planning."

Pinkie nodded. "On it!" She saluted, then suddenly disappeared in a puff of confetti, balloons and streamers.

Twilight blinked for a moment before turning her attention to the four ponies who remained. "We can still remember the good times we had with him, so we should focus on those."

The others nodded.

"What about that gift he was gonna give ya, Twilight?" Applejack asked, pointing at a small box on the desk nearby.

Twilight looked at the box, then to her friend. "It wasn't just a gift, Applejack," she replied. "It was meant to be a symbol of our... engagement. But since you asked, I'll keep it; he went to all that effort to have it made, so it would be rude of me to simply throw it away. I'll keep it as a reminder of our time together."

Applejack smiled. "Well, if we're gonna be havin' a party, I guess I've got some pies and cider to make. I'll see y'all later."

Twilight waved as Applejack left the library.

"I have to admit, darling, that I'm not really keen on this whole idea of you giving up hope of Geo's return," Rarity said, putting a hoof around Twilight's neck in a tight hug. "But, as your friends, I will still support you in any way that I can." Twilight smiled and returned the hug. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make sure that Sweetie Belle hasn't destroyed my shop... again." Rarity walked towards the door. "Ta-ta for now, everypony!"

"Bye, Rarity." chorused the three who remained.

"I've gotta bust some clouds," Rainbow Dash said as she stretched her wings. "I'll see you later, Twilight. You take care, ya hear?"

Twilight dipped her head slightly and Rainbow took off, leaving her and Fluttershy standing in the library.

Fluttershy nuzzled Twilight gently, a small smile on her face. "I have to get back to the animals," she said quietly. "But if you ever want to talk, you know where I am."

Twilight returned the nuzzle. "Thanks, Fluttershy," she said. "It's good to know I have friends as great as you girls."

Fluttershy blushed and left, closing the door behind her.

As the sound of hoofsteps receded, Twilight sighed heavily. "Oh, girls," she said. "If you only knew how I really felt..."

"They don't," another voice said. "But I do."

"Spike?!" Twilight looked to the stairs, where the dragon stood. "I thought you were still at Rarity's?"

"I was," Spike replied. "But once I heard that you had been convinced to return home, I came back as well."

Twilight sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't let you stay with me in the forest, Spike, but you have to understand—"

"Don't worry, Twilight," Spike interrupted. "I know you didn't want me to be there just in case something went wrong with any of the creatures that live in the forest, and they attacked us." He paused. "I heard what you said, and... well... I'm with you."

Twilight perked up. "You believe he's coming back as well?"

Spike nodded. "Of course I do," he said. "Geo is one of the only guy friends I have around here, so I'm not about to give up on him."

Twilight's horn glowed, and Spike found himself being levitated into a hug. "Thank you, Spike," Twilight whispered. "For believing."

Spike didn't reply, and so the two of them sat in silence.

I was lying on a makeshift bed in the laboratory with a gaming magazine across my face, caught in the embrace of sleep, when a loud beeping noise suddenly jolted me awake.

I shook my head and looked around, trying to find the source of the noise, my eyes soon falling on the stabiliser control panel. I yawned and heaved myself off the bed before I walked over to it.

I looked at the display in front of me — and then I rubbed my eyes again for good measure, unable to believe the words I could see.

"GUYS, GET IN HERE NOW!" I yelled. "IT'S FINISHED!"

The laboratory doors flew open and Ace rushed in, followed by John. The latter put both hands on the panel as he read it, then slowly turned to face John and I.

"Well, Geo." he smiled. "It looks as though your day of reckoning has arrived at last. I hope you're ready."

I looked at Ace, then at John, and then at the control panel.

Then I looked at the ceiling.

And then I screamed with joy.

Author's Notes:

Oh, hey, Spike is in this thing too.