It had been a couple of weeks since Mac and Fluttershy returned from their honeymoon. A lot of ponies were constantly pestering them for details about what they did, how they did it, where they went. They said that they went to Rainbow Falls, but kept tight-lipped about what they did there. Just as well; it was not anyone else’s business.

While they were gone, and after they returned, Ryan had to get some writing done. It wasn’t anything huge, not books, biographies, or memoirs. They were just a series of notes for a few ponies he knew. Writing them was harder than he expected, actually. He expected to be able to get it done quickly, just a few short notes. He found himself wanting to write all-out books for them, but the notes had to be short. It was hard to find the right things to say.

When Mac and Fluttershy came back, Ryan, Soarin’, and Fancy Pants were all there to drag Mac off to the bar. At first, Mac was intent on sticking to Fluttershy like a birr to a bathing suit at the beach. It was only when Fluttershy told him she was exhausted form the trip and thought he should spend time with his buddies that he went.

They spent that first night drinking expensive things, with Ryan running through the majority of his money as quickly as possible. He bough everyone’s drinks that night, and no one objected to his generous actions. Rarity had come off on him a bit. So did the other girls, though, so no one in particular could take credit.

Over the next couple of weeks, leading up to where Ryan sat now, Ryan considered what he was doing. Did he want to do this? Was it necessary? Every time he thought about it, he came to the same conclusion; he needed to do this, and as much as he wanted to stay how he was now, he wanted to do it.

It was a lot of contemplation for such a short time. Ryan was used to that, though; it was all he had really been doing for months.

With the notes in his pocket, his gun under his SEAL jacket, his Shen around his neck, and every last bit he had, he sat with his best buds at their usual table in their favorite watering hole. Cinny was here tonight, serving them their drinks and sitting down with them when she could, much to the envy of the other stallions in the bar. They were making a raucous of laughter and slamming mugs on the table in celebrating whatever they could.

“So then, when Fleety flew through the hoop, I grabbed her hoof and pulled her down to me and held her like that while we fell into the water!” Soarin’ announced proudly.

“And how did that work out for you?” Ryan asked, chuckling. Cinny sat on his lap.

“She was soooo mad,” Soarin’ said. “But she found it funny later, which was the whole goal.” He grinned devilishly. “And she, uhh, forgave me.”

Ryan smiled and laughed. “Sounds like a good way to work it out,” he said.

Cinny shook her head. “You boys are so silly,” she said.

Ryan patted her shoulder. “And yet, you mares can’t get enough.”

“True enough,” Cinny replied. She hopped off Ryan’s lap. “I should keep working, my shift ends soon and I don’t want to get in trouble.”

“You look tired, Cinny. Why don’t you stay on Ryan’s lap?” Fancy proposed.

Cinny laughed. “As much as he would like me to, I am pretty tired. I think I’ll hit the sack soon.”

Ryan put his hands over his groin. “What?” he said.

Cinny giggled. “No, not yours,” she said. With that she said bye and walked off.

The guys continued talking at their table, bringing up anything entertaining. Special Someponies, business deals gone terribly off the train tracks, funny training stories, siblings, anything. Ryan remembered stuff from America and his childhood that was simply hysterical. A lot of the cultural references were lost on the guys, but they got the universal humor.

They stayed at the Salt Lick for a good, long time that night. Cinny left, as did most of the other patrons, and the guys quieted down to avoid being that group that just makes to much noise. Ryan looked around; Oktoberfest was cleaning glasses behind the bar, other ponies were just paying their dues, and the guys only had their remaining drinks left. Ryan had been careful not to have too much too fast. The other guys were similar. But Ryan did it because he had one last thing to say to his best friends.

“These have been some great times,” Ryan said. He was already choking up; it wasn’t easy.

“They sure have been,” Mac said.

“Ditto,” Soarin’ said.

“Simply fantastic,” Fancy replied.

“Yeah,” Ryan said. “I don’t think I’m ever gonna have times like these ever again.” He looked up at the guys.

The guys all looked at his eyes and knew what he was telling them. They didn’t need to hear him say it. They knew what it meant. To an extent, they had all sort of expected something like it to happen eventually. It didn’t stop them from feeling sad though.

“Every man needs his family,” Fancy Pants said.

“Family is the only friends you’re ever guaranteed,” Mac said. “Ah know that. And you never abandon your friends.”

“Sometimes, you might leave friends, but they’re never really gone,” Soarin’ said, thinking about teammates left and lost. “They’re always there, in your memories and your heart. You’ll always be here with us, Ryan.”

“And you guys will always be with me,” Ryan said. Tears started welling up in his eyes and slowly streaming down his face. “You are the best friends any man could ever have. It’s been an honor to know you.”

Everyone stood up and left the booth. After leaving bits and huge tips on the counter for Oktoberfest, they stepped outside for their last goodbyes.

“I trust you’ll stay classy, Ryan,” Fancy Pants said.

“Always classy,” Ryan said, taking Fancy’s hoof in his hand. “And you know what? No man will ever match your craftsmanship.” They released and Fancy stepped back.

Soarin’ came up. “It’s been good flying by your side,” he said, taking Ryan’s hand. “You can be my wingman any time.”

Ryan chuckled. “I’d gladly have you as lead pony any day of the year.” Ryan hugged Soarin’. “Stay safe, flyboy.”

With that, Fancy Pants and Soarin’ made their ways home, Fancy heading to the train and Soarin’ flying off. Ryan was left alone with Mac, the first real friend he had in Equestria. It seemed fitting, in a way.

They exchanged one look and started walking to Sweet Apple Acres. The whole way there, they didn’t say a word, just walked side by side. Neither of them needed to say anything, as the silence sang between them.

So you’re heading out.

Yeah. It’s hard, but… I want this. I love this world, but I want to go back home.

Y’know y’all are always welcome here. Ah’d have you in my home any time you need.

Thank you. But I don’t think I’ll be needing it.

Ah know. Ah just wanted to tell you.

They arrived at the farm and stood by the gate, still silent. Ryan looked out over the field at the first real job he ever had, here or in America. It had supported him, gave him a means to life and to find his purpose and survive. The Apple family had provided so much for him.

“So. This is goodbye,” Mac said, looking out over the fields. “Ah never really knew what to expect it to be like.”

“No one can,” Ryan replied, also looking out over the fields. The moon shone bright in the night sky, casting a light glow on the land before their eyes. “We all just have to take it in stride and keep on going.”

Mac turned to Ryan and stuck his hoof out. “It’s been real good, Ryan,” he said.

Ryan took his hoof and shook firmly. “Times like these,” he said. “We learn to live again. I learned from you. I hope you remember me, for that if nothing else.”

Mac released. “Ah’ll never forget you.” With that, he turned around and started walking away to his new home in Fluttershy’s cottage.

Ryan watched him go for a while, and when he disappeared from sight, he put his hands into his pockets and leaned on the fence. Doing this was the hardest thing he had ever done, but he had to do it, and he was doing it. He still had more.

He pulled the notes out of his back pocket and looked them over. Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash. Rarity. Twilight Sparkle. One for each, written personally for each. Nothing long, but to Ryan, there was more meaning that way. He tried to pack as much as possible into them, but he was afraid that there wasn’t enough to say what he wanted to. But he had what he wrote, and he knew that the girls would know what he wanted to say.

He started walking, first to the barn. The dirt crunched under his feet as he walked up. There were no lights on anywhere, and the door was closed. When Ryan approached, he gingerly pushed the door open and walked in. Carefully, quiet as a church mouse, he made his way up the stairs to find Applejack’s room.

When he found her room, he gently pushed the door open and saw her sleeping by the window, the gentle moonlight revealing her snoring face to him. Ryan smiled a little bit, despite the solemn occasion. These ponies were adorable.

With a few small steps and a quick hand movement, he left the note on her dresser and made his way out. As he left, he couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen in the morning. The notes would be all that was left of him.

After Applejack, he went to Pinkie Pie. Getting in there was a much greater challenge, what with sleeping babies and it not actually being Pinkie’s house, but the Cakes’. H did it, though, and when he found Pinkie Pie, sleeping curled up into a little ball, he dropped her note on her dresser. Before leaving, he just had to stick his hand into her mane and see what he could find. Oddly, all he got was her head, which he lightly scratched, earning a happy moan from the little pink mare.

When he left, he nearly bumped into the wall of the babies’ room. He glanced inside quickly and saw them, lying there peacefully in the night.

Next, he stopped by Fluttershy’s house. This one was the hardest because he knew Mac could still be up. As he made his way there, he contemplated how to go about this. Getting up the stairs would be hard, and he didn’t want to be seen. When he arrived at the house, he looked up into the windows for any signs of conscious ponies.

Before he could go in, he heard a low growl behind him. Slowly, Ryan turned, and none other than Mr. Bear was there, staring him down. Ryan put his hands up.

“I’m not here to do anything to hurt anyone,” he said. Mr. Bear saw the paper in Ryan’s hand and raised an eyebrow. “It’s a note. For Fluttershy.”

Mr. Bear got it. No longer growling, he walked up to Ryan and stuck his paw out. Ryan understood and put the note in it.

“I’m trusting you to get this to her for the morning,” Ryan said. Mr. Bear nodded and took the note, then walked into the cottage to place it somewhere Fluttershy would find it.

Ryan looked at the cottage one last time before leaving. “Good job, you two,” he said. Then he left.

Rainbow Dash’s house was close to impossible. She lived in the clouds, so getting there as far from easy. Ryan had to snag that balloon of Twilight’s for the journey, plus a conveniently located cloud walking spell scroll in it. Twilight didn’t put it there, he could tell. But he didn’t care. He was just glad to have it.

Getting up to the cloud house was hard, what with the winds, and maneuvering it so he could step onto Rainbow’s home was a logistical nightmare. He didn’t know what the clouds would do. When he landed, the balloon thankfully didn’t fall through, and he was able to step off. Getting into the house was easy; he could just shove his way through cloud walls, then fix them.

He didn’t need to creep around here, the clouds made no noise at all. Other than his breathing and the frustrating amount of nose his pants made when they rubbed together, he was totally stealthy. Rainbow snored like a wildebeest, too, though, so stealth was not priority.

When he found her, snoring like said wildebeest, he tested her bookshelf to see if the note would fall through. It didn’t. In one of her books, he found a book mark. Taking the book from the shelf, he replaced the book mark with his note and left it on Rainbow’s nightstand. Rainbow’s name was visible on the note outside the book, so she would see it.

When he left, he brought the balloon back to its spot and made it look as much like he did nothing with it as possible. He wanted the ponies to wonder how he did it.

Next came Rarity, the mare who took him in off the streets and ditches and cleaned him up and made him presentable. Back home, doing that made you a hero, an angel on Earth. Here, it made you Rarity. Ryan was more thankful to her than he could express with words, so her note was the hardest.

When he arrived at the boutique, he just walked right in. No one was awake, so it was an easy matter of walking about. He climbed the stairs and went to Rarity’s room, but she wasn’t there. When he checked Sweetie’s room, he saw her there, with her sister, sleeping like little angels. Ryan looked on contentedly, happy to see the sight before he left. He dropped the note on her horn, poking it through so no words were lost, and made his way down the stairs.

Before he left, though, he went to the basement. His living space was in a mess. To be courteous and minimize his signature, he tidied up the place, making the bed, moving old clothes, and cleaning the floor. Ultimately, he decided to put the clothes in a drawer, where they wouldn’t be seen nor likely found, and left the room

Last note. This one was just a small slip of paper, just a few words. But those words said it all. He had thought hard about this one. Twilight was the one who convinced him to give Equestria a chance. She was the reason he was where he was today, at least, the first reason. She deserved the best, and the best was just a few words.

When Ryan arrived at the library and walked in, he had to find something very specific. A wrapped up thing he gave Twilight months ago, a gift that he knew she would want to have. He didn’t know why he gave it to her at the time, but he did, and he was glad he did. It took some searching, but eventually, he found it.

When he found it, he slipped the note under the string that kept the paper closed. He was honestly just a little surprised that Twi hadn’t opened it already. But she was really respectful of him, and Ryan would always think of her as a friend. When he left, he gave her one last salute as he made his way to the last stop in Ponyville.

His last stop was Cinny’s house. He hadn’t written a note for her. No words were even remotely able to say what he wanted to say. Instead, he had something else to give her.

When he got there, he looked over the house. She had fixed up a few things since he last saw it. It was repainted, the grass was replanted, and the windows were cleaned up. She had really overhauled it, by the looks of it. Ryan would happily have lived in this house, had he been able to.

He walked up to the door. He stood before it for a time, just remembering everything that he did with her. She let him stay here when she found out where he lived in the ditch. She had him here for Hearth’s Warming. She was always there at the bar, happily hanging out with him and his buds. She was always there with him, always ready to spend time with him. She even invited him to meet her family.

Ryan pulled off his jacket and set it on the doormat, splaying it out so that it lay open. Then, he pulled the gun off his back and looked at it. This gun had served him well. He never used it for evil intent, unlike his previous guns back in Asia. This one, and Harris’ Automag, had been good. Used for evil, but not for evil desire.

Ryan unchambered the final round, the one he didn’t use in the Southern Gryphon Colonies, and held it in his hand. This round had been meant for him, this last one. The Wraith would have used it on him, anyone he had fought would have. Even Ryan was going to use it on himself. Like a sniper after taking down his attacker, Ryan took the round and planned to keep it. The round was meant for him, so he was going to take it.

He let the slide shoot back forward and pulled the trigger, getting a light click from the gun and watching it shut. Gingerly, he placed the gun in the jacket and folded the jacket around it so that it was still visible. He looked down at it. There were no words, but it said everything. The SEAL trident underneath the .45 caliber pistol. Everything Ryan had done. Everything he was going to do. Ryan turned to walk away and do one last thing before heading out.

The door behind him opened with a creak, and he stopped.

“Ryan?” Cinny asked, clearly not sleepy. She had been waiting.

“Hey,” Ryan said, not turning.

“What’re you…” She looked down. “Oh…”

Ryan turned. “Yeah,” he said.

She looked back up. “So I guess this is it,” she said.

“It is,” Ryan replied.

Cinny walked over the jacket and gun and leaned into Ryan. “You have to go, don’t you…”

Ryan hugged her. “I do.”

“I can’t understand…” Cinny said, starting to cry a little. “I don’t think I could. But I know that you have to. I won’t stop you. But…”

Ryan looked down at her, and she looked up. Her eyes were shiny and wet from tears, but in them, Ryan could see that she knew. She didn’t want to accept it, she didn’t want it to happen, but it was going to happen.

“I love you.” Cinny pressed her head back into Ryan’s belly.

“I love you too,” Ryan said. Cinny swallowed and stepped back, then jumped up and put her hooves on Ryan’s shoulders. Ryan put his hands on her back to stabilize her.

With one sad, yet proud, movement, Cinny moved her face forward and met Ryan’s. They shared one long, emotional kiss, with no sobs or movements during. The world froze just for them, so that they could enjoy their last moment together. Tears streamed down both their faces, but neither noticed as they finally gave that last acknowledgement of how they felt. There were no sparks, no fireworks in their minds. It was too important to let something like that distract them. They were wholly in tune with each other, absorbed by each other’s presence. Nothing else was in their minds or eyes or senses; just each other.

They released, and Cinny looked into Ryan’s eyes. “Go and be what you were meant to be,” she said. “I’ll miss you.”

Ryan hugged her close. “A wise pony once said to me” he said. “People may come and go, life may go on without us, but we are the ones who decide our fates. We may have limited time, but since when can time tell us what can and can’t happen in what it gives us?” He squeezed Cinny to himself. “It can’t.” Cinny squeezed him back, then lightened her grip.

Ryan released her and put her down, then stepped back twice before turning around and walking away. Cinny watched him go, tears of sadness combining with tears of pride and joy as they fell to the ground in drops as thin as the light from the stars. When Ryan disappeared from sight, Cinny continued to stand there, as if she could still see him in the distance.

Ryan stood in the grass, looking at his little project of the last months. He never really put proper thought into it, did he? He put survival thoughts into it, but nothing else. It was a terrible idea from the start, and he was thankful to be rid of it.

No one else knew, except maybe Discord. It was his secret place. Or it was.

Ryan had put quite a bit of effort into this place. Furniture, fire pit, safety, warmth, everything that one would need to live. Not comfortably, but he wasn’t concerned with that at the time. He was a fool back then.

He had everything he would need. Before him, a line of powder snaked around and into the mouth of the cave. In his hand, he had the lighter from inside. With a flick of his finger, he opened up the top and made a little fame and dropped the lighter.

He didn’t turn back to watch as he walked off, only heard the massive explosion when he was already beyond the tree line and far away from the cave that he never needed.

The train ride to Canterlot was quiet. No one else was on board. It made sense; who used the train at midnight?

When it stopped, he got off, and was greeted by a ghost of a platform. The guard on station was asleep, letting him slip by unnoticed. He walked through the quiet city, taking in the night sights as best he could before leaving them. It as a beautiful city, clean and tastefully done. The princesses built up quite a place for themselves.

Ryan walked all the way to the castle, where there were plenty of guards but none who seemed to care about him. They just nodded to him as he passed. They knew him well by now as a friend of the princesses, so he was cool.

Ryan walked through the castle halls for the last time. He didn’t have much in the way f memories here, but this was where Luna lived. Ryan wanted to remember it as her home, the pace where she lived like a normal pony. He had always known her as a normal pony, so he wanted to keep that image.

He wanted to go to the garden, but before he could get there, he was stopped.

“Hey, Ryan.”

Just ahead of him, Ryan saw Starstep, walking through the hall.

“Starstep.”

“So, what brings you here?” Starstep asked.

Ryan put his hands in his pockets. “I think you know.”

Starstep nodded. “I do. Luna doesn’t. She doesn’t know you’re here.”

“How did you know?” Ryan asked.

“Word travels fast in the guards,” Starstep said. “As soon as you walked up to the castle, the guards saw and started talking.”

“So you wanted to say goodbye?” Ryan asked.

Starstep nodded. “Yeah. But I also wanted to say thanks.”

“Thanks?” Ryan asked.

Starstep nodded. “Yes. I know what you did. No one else does, but I know.”

Ryan took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “That wasn’t me,” Ryan said. “Harkness and his stallion friends did that. I don’t know what happened.”

Starstep smiled and nodded. “Well… Harkness will always be remembered for his actions. He saved my best friend.” Starstep walked past Ryan, and patted him on the shoulder as he passed. “The hero Harkness will always have a place with the guard.”

Ryan smiled. “Harkness would appreciate that.”

Starstep continued through the hall n his patrol, and Ryan walked on to the gardens onto his final location.

He entered the gardens and started walking more slowly. This was such a serene place, so quiet and unmoving. As far as he knew, besides adding new statues, nothing changed in here. It had always been perfectly green and maintained. Ryan liked it here, where there were no problems or fights. It was a good place to take a break.

Ryan decided to do just that. He went and found a bench and sat quietly and stilly, taking in the area around him. Up above, on the wall, was Luna’s balcony, which he would have to climb up to. There were vines and pieces of stone jutting out form the wall, so it wouldn’t be hard. He could take his time here.

The bushes and shrubs were all perfectly shaped squares, and the grass was all identical in height. His bench, unlike most, was level on the ground, making it easy to sit on. When he was finally ready to go, he stood up and started walking.

“So this is it for now,” a voice said.

Ryan stopped. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t. Slowly, he turned around. There, not far away from the bench on the path, was the Wraith. He was standing there, hands in his pocket, smiling in a way Ryan never thought he could.

“You can’t be alive,” Ryan said, facing him full-on. “I killed you.”

“I can’t die, Ryan,” the Wraith said. “You always knew that, deep down.”

“What do you want?” Ryan asked. “You can’t replace me, not any more.” The Wraith looked at Ryan funny, like he didn’t understand. “You’ve lost. Get over it.”

“I’ve won, actually,” the Wraith said. His mile looked genuine and he looked happy for some reason. “My goal was achieved. I just came to see you off.”

“What?” Ryan asked.

The Wraith nodded knowingly. “Tell me, Ryan. What was I here for?”

“You were here to take my place and spread your evil in this world,” Ryan stated matter-of-factly.

The Wraith shook his head. “No, not really. I’m surprised you believed that; I made it up on the spot.” He sat down on the bench, letting his arm lay on the back. “So why was I here?”

“To kill me?” Ryan guessed.

The Wraith shook his head again. “I would have done it long ago if that were the case.”

“Why are you here, then?” Ryan asked. “What did you want?”

The Wraith leaned his elbows on his knees. “I’ve only wanted you to find who you are,” the Wraith said. “That’s what I’ve always wanted for you. For anyone.”

“Bull,” Ryan said.

“Not so,” the Wraith said. He stood up. “I’ve been there from the start, Ryan. Since before you came here. How do you think you arrived here? Do you think Discord did it? Does he?”

Ryan blinked. “Wha...”

The Wraith looked to the stars. “Tell me, Ryan. How long have you been good?”

Ryan shrugged. “Uh… a couple of months, maybe?” he answered.

The Wraith shook his head. “You were never bad, Ryan. I saw you become misguided, but you were never bad.”

“Wraith, I did terrible things, fully of my own will,” Ryan said.

“Misguided,” the Wraith said. “Were you evil when you came here?”

“I was,” Ryan answered.

The Wraith nodded. “Alright. Why, then, didn’t you do anything evil?”

Ryan blinked and shook his head. “I… I did. I stole, fought ponies, I-“

“Those aren’t the kind of evil either of us is referencing,” the Wraith said. “You were never bad.”

“How do you even know?” Ryan asked, frustrated.

The Wraith looked him in the eyes. “When you found Fleetfoot being attacked in an alley, did you not stop to save her?” the Wraith asked.

“Yes,” Ryan answered. “But I was looking for you.”

The Wraith smiled. “And when you found Rainbow Dash, you tried to save her. Why did you run so hard to get her to safety?”

“I saw you in the forest, and I had to get Rainbow away from you,” Ryan answered.

“Why?” the Wraith asked.

“Because you would have hurt her,” Ryan said. He didn’t get what the Wraith was saying.

“And when the Cutie Mark Crusaders were attacked by a bear, did you not fight that bear to save them?” the Wraith asked. Ryan nodded. “Why?”

“I had to protect them from you,” Ryan answered. “What is this?”

“And when we fought in the Colonies, why did you fight so hard to kill me?” the Wraith asked.

“You said you would hurt my friends,” Ryan replied.

“Exactly.” The Wraith walked up to Ryan and stood two feet form him. “An evil person would have let any of those terrible things happen. He would have done nothing to prevent them, and yet you, who you insist is evil, put yourself in harm’s way to save them. How can you be evil?” Ryan didn’t have an answer. “And what can you tell me is similar about all of them?”

“You were there,” Ryan answered, starting to put the pieces together. “You made me do those things.”

“I didn’t make you do anything,” the Wraith said. “I presented you with a situation, and you responded how you would. Because you are a naturally good person. No one was ever in real danger, because I was there, watching. The bear gave me a scare, so I had to jump in on that one, but I made sure no one was killed or permanently hurt.”

“Why?” Ryan asked.

“Because you forgot that you’re a good person, Ryan,” the Wraith said. “I was just trying to remind you.”

Ryan just looked at the Wraith. “What are you?” he asked.

The Wraith put his hand on Ryan’s shoulder and patted him. “You know exactly what I am,” he said. He walked past Ryan down the path.

Ryan waited for a moment, trying to comprehend what he just learned. When he finally understood after precious seconds, he turned around to say one last thing to the Not-Wraith. When he turned, though, he was gone, not a trace left of him anywhere. Ryan stared at the space for a moment before smiling inside to himself and saying what was on his mind.

“When you see two sets of footprints, I walk beside you,” Ryan whispered. “When you see one, I am carrying you.” He understood what that phrase meant now. Ryan heard the crunching of grass behind him.

“So that’s why He was here,” Celestia said.

Ryan turned to see her. “Wait… you knew?” he asked, surprised.

Celestia nodded. “I saw our friend at your birthday party, through the window,” she explained. “I didn’t know what brought Him here, but I knew it had to be serious. I guess you were in need of some guidance.”

“More than some,” Ryan said, looking back to where the Not-Wraith disappeared.

Celestia nodded. “Aren’t we all,” she said. She leaned down to have her head level with Ryan’s. “I know what you did. The entire Night Guard is in your debt. As am I; Blazer and Starstep said they would reestablish the Nighthawks together.”

“Ma’am, with all due respect, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ryan said, turning to her. “Starstep knows. That was Harkness who brought Blazer home. I don’t know who he is or was, only that he, supported by wings, a horn, and hooves, was able to bring that stallion home.”

“Of course,” Celestia said with a smirk. “I understand.”

“Harkness did just about all of it,” Ryan said. “Most ponies, as far as I would know, don’t even know the name Ryan. Only those who were closest to him know.”

Celestia nodded. “I understand,” she said. “I can cast the memory spell-“

“I don’t know what you’re telling me,” Ryan said. “I don’t have a reason to know.”

Celestia nodded. “Very well.” She looked up to Luna’s balcony. “I suppose it is time, then?”

“It is,” Ryan said.

“I’ll help you,” she said. With her magic, she started lifting Ryan up.

“Thank you, Princess Celestia,” Ryan said. He shot her a salute as he landed on the balcony and turned away for the last time. Celestia, for her part, simply walked back to her chambers as if she had never seen Ryan that night or ever.

Ryan carefully walked into Luna’s room and spotted her instantly on her large round bed, looking more ungraceful than anypony he had ever seen. Her tongue was lolled out and she was drooling on her pillow. The sheets were everywhere, and it looked a bomb had fallen. Nothing smelled off, so it was safe.

Ryan approached the bed and stood there for a moment. He wanted to give her a big hug, but that would wake her up, and he didn’t want to disturb her. Slowly and gently, he ran his hand across her soft face and through her ethereal mane. His best friend. He was leaving her here, but he knew she could always see him. And he wasn’t leaving without a goodbye.

With a quick movement, Ryan removed his Shen pennant and held it before his face. This necklace represented a lot of him, more than he could describe. Without making much noise, Ryan left it on the nightstand beside Luna’s bed, right before her face. He gave he roe quick kiss on the cheek, then left her presence.

He walked into the library and played with the book case until it disappeared and revealed the staircase. Before going down, he looked back one last time. He was leaving this world. He wanted to get one last, good look at what it had to show him before leaving.

When he got what he could, he descended down the stairs to the pool. It took some time. At least, it felt like it did. For all he knew, it was dozens of miles of stairs. More like thirty feet, really. When he hit the bottom, some torches on the walls lit up to his presence, revealing the pool.

He looked down into the pool. It was day time in New Jersey, and his old yard was still the same as it always was. He didn’t know if Luna was watching or if it changed automatically to his presence, but he didn’t care. The front door to his house was closed, but he could see activity through the windows.

With closed eyes, a deep breath, and a leap of faith, he fell forward into the pool and left Equestria.

Ryan opened his eyes. He was lying on his front lawn. The familiar grass tickled at his face, telling him that he was, indeed, alive. He gripped some of it in his hands. It was sharper than he remembered it being, and it poked him in his palm.

He stood up and looked around. It all looked the same as it used to. The little old lady’s house across the street… the neighbors being blocked off by lines of trees… the huge house down the street on the corner… it was all there. Just like he remembered.

He turned to his home and looked up and down the front. It was all there, brick and wood and glass. He walked over to the front door. It was still white, though some of the paint was gone. Th doorbell was still broken, forcing him to knock. With a closed fist, he rapped his fist n the door three times.

After a few tense seconds, the door started to open.

“Yes, can I…” it was his mother. “Help…” She started to cry right there. “Ryan?”

Ryan felt his face grow wet. “Mom…”

His mother fell forward and grabbed him in a tight hug, which her son happily returned, and they fell to the ground, where they kneeled in each other’s embrace. In the house, Ryan could hear loud footsteps coming to the door and then slowing to a stop as they approached. They immediately sped up until there were four people, huddled together on the ground at their front door.

No one else saw it, no one else came running. And it was exactly what Ryan wanted it to be.