The six friends stood in silence as a grin began to spread across Discord's face. Anthony reappeared as well, standing next to the Lord of Chaos and giving him a filthy look. After a while, Twilight rolled her eyes and groaned.
"Well?" she demanded. "I'm waiting."
"Really?" Discord held out his claw. "Hello, Waiting, I'm Discord." Twilight snarled at him and he withdrew the appendage. "Oh, my, somepony is certainly touchy today. Are you like this because it's been a while since you were last touched?" He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "If you know what I mean."
"You know damn well what I meant!" Twilight shouted. "Just tell me what you know about Geo, or so help me I will go to your statue in Canterlot and break it into a million little pieces!"
"Yeah!" Applejack added. "An' I'll help her!"
"Me too!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed.
"Me three!" Pinkie said. "No, wait, I actually meant 'me four.' Since, y'know, I was the fourth one to talk."
Discord sighed. "Very well," he said. "I'll tell you. As you know, my speciality is chaos — meaning I don't really know, or care much, about science. But I do know that your human friend's spirit has somehow managed to return to where it originated from. Which, in Geo's case, would be the wonderful planet Earth."
The six friends gasped.
"No... NO!" Twilight cried. "He can't have!"
Discord chuckled. "I'm sorry, but he has." he said flatly. "Think about it, Twilight — if your little spell managed to summon Anthony and I's spirits, then surely it would have worked on Geo's?"
Twilight pondered for a moment before lowering her head. "As much as I hate to say it, you make a good point," she muttered.
"So, basically..." Rainbow Dash mused. "This whole thing has been a waste of time, and there's no way for Twilight to talk to Geo?"
Discord applauded. "Finally!" he beamed. "Somepony who gets it!"
"All right, you've had your fun," Anthony said, pushing Discord aside. "Now piss off and go bother someone else."
"Ugh," Discord groaned. "You humans are so dull. Whatever happened to the grievously savage child-race you used to be?"
"We grew up." Anthony pushed him once more and Discord vanished from sight, a series of loud clattering noises heralding his departure. "I was going to tell you that myself, Twilight – and in a more eloquent way – but he beat me to it. Are you all right?"
All eyes were on Twilight as she looked at the floor, sniffling as tears ran down her cheeks, staining the floor beneath her hooves. She nodded meekly, but gave no reply.
"I'm sorry, Twilight." Fluttershy nuzzled her sympathetically.
"Me too, sugarcube," Applejack added.
"Blech." Discord's face appeared in front of Anthony's. "There is far too much affection for my liking. Now, if you're quite finished, you can let go of each other to end the spell."
"I thought I told you to piss off?!" Anthony shouted. "Can't you see that you've made the poor mare suffer enough?"
Discord chuckled. "You're forgetting, my dear Anthony." he snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light, leaving behind a glass of chocolate milk. "Making ponies unhappy is what I do best!" He continued speaking. "I hope to talk to you again soon, my little ponies! I must say I've enjoyed our little catch-up. After all, being trapped in stone can be quite detrimental to one's social life."
The ensuing silence was enough to tell the others that he was gone, or that he was keeping quiet. In either case, Anthony spoke.
"I'm very sorry that I was unable to assist you," he said. "All I can really say is that I hope you get the closure you seek. But, if your lover has indeed returned to his own world, who's to say he won't be trying to find a way back to you?"
Twilight smiled. "You're right, Anthony," she replied. "Knowing Geo as well as I do, that is exactly what he'll be trying to do." She wiped her eyes. "Thank you for your time, we'll leave you in peace." She paused. "Oh, and good luck dealing with Discord."
Anthony rolled his eyes and chuckled – then ducked as the chocolate milk exploded violently – while Twilight let go of Fluttershy and Applejack's hooves. In an instant the cloud was gone, and so was his spirit.
Pinkie Pie walked over to Twilight and hugged her tightly. "Anthony's right, Twilight," she said. "Who says that Geo is not trying to find a way back here? He loves you, so you bet your booty that he's going to do all he can to get home!"
Twilight pulled her head back and looked at Pinkie. The mare's eyes were bright and full of hope, her face showing its usual warm smile.
"You're right, Pinkie," she said, sighing contentedly. "Geo is going to come back to us... back to me."
Pinkie smiled. "That's the spirit, Twilight!" she beamed. "He'll be back soon, and then I can throw a 'Welcome Back To Equestria And Congratulations On Your Engagement' party!"
Twilight's face fell. "I forgot he was going to propose to me." she sighed, levitating a small box over to her and opening it. Inside lay a golden band, adorned with rubies, sapphires and diamonds.
"Don't worry, darling," Rarity said reassuringly. "I'm sure he'll soon be here to give it to you."
"And once he's done that, he'll propose." Rainbow Dash grinned, only to get stern looks in return. "What?" Twilight raised an eyebrow at her, and Dash threw her forehooves into the air. "Are you kidding me? So it's all right for Discord to make a joke like that, but when I do it..." she trailed off, grumbling angrily.
Twilight rolled her eyes, stifling a giggle, and put the band back in the box before placing it gently on the table and turning back to look at the faces of her friends.
"I know for sure that Geo is trying to come back to us. To me," she said, the determination in her voice evident. "And with Celestia and Luna as my witness, I will wait for his return — and I don't care how long it takes." She looked up at the ceiling and raised her voice. "Do you hear me, Discord?!" She yelled. "We will be together again, no matter what you might think!"
The other five ponies cheered wildly.
"That's the spirit, Twi!" Rainbow Dash said, her earlier grumpiness having seemingly been forgotten.
"Come on, girls." Twilight walked over to the library door. "I think it's about time I showed myself around town. Everypony is probably worried sick about me." The others nodded, and she opened the door. "Let's get some lunch, my treat." Her friends trotted out the library, allowing Twilight to lock up. Turning away from the door, she looked up at the afternoon sun.
"I want pancakes!" Pinkie squealed excitedly.
"Fer lunch?" Applejack chuckled. "Sounds like a mighty fine idea, but I've got me a hankerin' for some apple fritters!
"A salad will do me the world of good," Rarity said. "After all, a lady must not let herself go."
Rainbow Dash scoffed. "Puh-leeze, Rares," she said. "Even ladies like to treat themselves to a great big pile of freshly made pancakes or fritters every now and again."
The five of them soon descended into a heated discussion about suitable lunchtime meals, while Twilight looked up at the sky dreamily. "I know you're out there, Geo," she said softly. "And I know we'll be together again soon."
With another contented sigh, she quickly trotted after her friends.
***
"OK, Doctor, we'll see you tomorrow. Bye!"
John put the phone down and let out a humph.
"Well?" I asked. "What did he say?"
"He said he wants us to meet him at his laboratory tomorrow at ten for an interview." John replied.
"Okay, sounds great." I picked up a beer and held it up. "Well, here's to a brand new start." As I drained the contents of the can in one go, I saw John watching me with a look of concern on his face. I crushed the can and put it into the recycling bin next to the couch. "What's with the look?" I queried.
"Nothing. It's just that... " John hesitated.
"Spit it out, mate," I replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Well... I can't believe you're giving up so easily," John said bluntly.
"I have to give up!" I snarled. "There's no way back to Equestria, so I'm going to have to accept that I'll never see Twilight again."
"Bullshit!" John yelled. "You saw Derek's court case through to the end, and that was hard enough after what happened."
I sighed. "That was different," I said. "That was actually real."
"And so was your time in Equestria!" John pointed at the pendant around my neck. "That thing proves it!"
I gently ran my fingers along the pendant, remembering the moment Twilight gave it to me. Suddenly, a thought came to me, and I snapped my fingers.
"Maybe the pendant is the key to getting back!" I took it off and looked at it, the gemstones reflecting the light hypnotically.
John shrugged. "Maybe it is," he replied. "But how?"
"I don't know." I shrugged. "But I intend to find out. This pendant holds the key to me getting back to Equestria. And with Celestia and Luna as my witnesses, I will find a way."
John chuckled. "There's the Geo I know!" he said, patting me on the back. "We'll figure something out, mate, don't you worry."
"Thanks." I patted his back. "Say, when you were talking to Doctor Sorou, did he tell you what it was he was working on?"
"He did mention something about 'seeing it to believe it.'" John put a hand on his chin. "But other than that, I don't know exactly what it is that he's studying."
"I guess we'll find out tomorrow," I said. "Hell, part of me is tempted to tell him my story and ask him if he can help me find my way back to Equestria."
"And what if he thinks you're crazy?" John asked.
I laughed. "I already am crazy," I replied. "Crazy about Twilight Sparkle, that is." I sighed. "I hope she's all right..."
John smiled and put a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm with you every step of the way, mate," he said reassuringly.
I patted his hand. "So help me, I will find a way back to Equestria. I will return to the land where I belong, with the mare I love." I looked up at the ceiling. "No matter how long it takes," I said flatly, "I will hold Twilight Sparkle in my arms again."
I grabbed another beer, and John joined me in an impromptu celebration of my upcoming return home.