"Is that really the best you could offer him?" Celestia asked as she watched Harry and Twilight board the train from a stained glass window.
"What do you mean?" Discord replied.
"You said it yourself. He had no job, no family, no identity in the human world. If he goes there then not only will he be stuck, but he may become homeless."
"Do you really think that Fluttershy will ever let her son leave, and never be able to see him again? And that's even if Harry decides to ask her. How could any creature in this world or any other bring themselves to breaking Fluttershy's heart like that?"
"I think you underestimate them both. Harry will be able to ask. I know that much for certain."
"And you know this how?"
"Do you really think my prized pupil would have one of her friends housing an alien creature without my knowledge? I know his hardships. It was hard for me not to cringe as he told you his tales one by one."
"So you're a liar as well, eh Celestia? 'This is not my fault'—horse-droppings. You had the power to stop all of this and you didn't do a thing."
"What was I supposed to do? Tell the denizens of Ponyville to be nice to Harry? Threaten them with torture or jail-time?" Celestia's eyes turned towards the ground. "And just wait for it to build up and explode behind my back? Or tell him that I've been watching closely this whole time?"
"Is that guilt?" Discord chuckled. "It seems that I've struck a nerve. Ashamed of your citizens? Take it from me Celestia, sometimes the worst thing you can give somepony is exactly what they want."
Harry stared out the window on the train ride home. He sat there looking at the trees, completely silent. Twilight tried to begin a conversation with him, but Harry didn't answer. The way he closed his eyes it almost seemed like he was trying to solve some kind of puzzle. Whatever got him to lock up like that must have been serious. He tensed up every once in awhile, but did nothing else until the train came to a complete stop in Ponyville station.
He got up, almost in a trance, and walked out of the train. Twilight watched him and couldn't help but wonder. Was this the toll that not finding out took on him? Or was this the toll of finding out? Whatever it was, it brought him to a place that Twilight had never seen him before.
Harry stood at the front gate that led to the cottage he had called home for twenty years. The smell of dinner cooking wafted through the air. It definately had the semblance of home. Harry continuned his trance-like walk up the path. The knowledge of what he was about to do nearly petrified him in place. Harry took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
"Hello sweetie," Fluttershy said, entering the living room. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. I hope you're hungry. I'm making a nice soup and we're having applesauce for dessert."
"Hi Mom," Harry said.
He sat down on the living room sofa. He closed his eyes and tried to contemplate the words to say. Fluttershy took notice. She dropped what she was doing and sat down next to Harry. With Fluttershy by his side, he felt ready to begin.
"Mom, do you expect me to live here forever?" Harry asked. It was the first question that crossed his mind, and it seemed to catch Fluttershy off guard.
"I wouldn't mind it, if that's what you're asking. You'll always have a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head here," she said, and she gave him one of her classic smiles. This conversation was just going to get harder.
"I met Discord today," Harry said. Fluttershy was about to speak up, but Harry continued before she was able to. "He told me everything. He told me what I was, where I came from, and how I got here."
"Honey, I kept telling you that none of that mattered," Fluttershy said, rubbing the back of Harry's neck.
"Maybe to you, but I needed to know."
"Harry, where are you going with this?"
"Discord... offered to return me to my world," Harry said. Each word became harder than the last. "He said it was a one-way trip, and he wouldn't let me go unless you said yes."
The two sat in silence for what seemed like forever. The only sound was the click of a clock. Even the animals that Fluttershy took care of had become stunned silent in shock. Eventually Fluttershy managed to talk once more.
"Why would you want to? Aren't you happy here?"
"No Mom, I'm not. I don't belong in this world, and you know it. You've always known it," Harry said. He felt tears welling up in his eyes. It had been so long since he creid, but now he just didn't care anymore. "If you weren't such a wonderful mother then I would be homeless. If Pinkie weren't such a good friend, then I wouldn't have a job. If your friends didn't like me, then I would be alone. I need to go where there are others like me."
Fluttershy embraced Harry in a hug and stayed silent for a few minutes. Harry felt tears running down the back of his neck. She nuzzled him like she did when he was very young. It brought back so many memories.
"You're right," Fluttershy said at long last. "You're not my little boy anymore. You're an adult and you need to do what you think is right."
"No Mom, I'll always be your little boy and I'll always cherish every moment we had together. I'll always love you, even if we're worlds apart."
"And I'll always love you too."
The two of them sat there for so long in an unbreaking embrace, both with tear-filled eyes. The dinner they had that last night ended up burnt, but they managed to enjoy every morsel of it. They were in each other's company. That was all that mattered. It was the best dinner that they had in a very long time.
A couple of days later there was a knock on Fluttershy's door. It was opened and the knocker was greeted by a teary-eyed Fluttershy.
"Hello Discord," she said, putting on the best smile she could. "Come on in, I'll make us some tea. Harry isn't awake yet."
Discord sat on Fluttershy's sofa while she disappeared into the kitchen and began fiddling around with pots and pans. Discord looked to the walls. There were dozens of pictures of Fluttershy and Harry. The first one he noticed was Harry in a Nightmare Night costume. He stood next to Fluttershy, and it was clear that both of them were beaming brightly. There were countless others of the two of them playing, living, laughing. Fluttershy reentered the room with two cups of tea.
"I can't believe that you're actually going to let him do this," Discord said. "Aren't you afraid?"
"Of course I am. What mother isn't? But my little baby wants to stand on his own, and I have to let him."
"Once he crosses the threshold, he'll never come back. You do realize that, right?"
Fluttershy broke into tears, answering Discord's question. After some time she calmed down, and managed to speak once more.
"Can I ask you a favor? Give us three days so we all have time to say good-bye f—f—f..."
"Absolutely," Discord replied. "And Fluttershy, I'm sorry for doing this to you."
"For doing what? For giving me such a wonderful child? For giving me the best twenty years of my life? Harry made everything complete, and now it's time to see him go. I want to thank you Discord. I want to thank you for every one of his little smiles, for every time he ran to me for comfort, for every second we spent together."
"I... don't know what to say."
Harry emerged from his room, shocked to see that Fluttershy had actually brought Discord to Ponyville. Fluttershy explained that ye, she'd let Discord take Harry away on one condition. Harry would have to stay in Ponyville for three days so he could say good-bye to his family, and they could say good-bye to him. When your mother gives you that look, you don't say no.
"Everypony," Harry began. He looked around Sugarcube Corner. It was almost as if the party from a few days ago had rekindled itself. Harry looked to Fluttershy. The two of them were ready to extinguish it. "I'm leaving. And I'm not coming back. I talked with Discord during my trip to Canterlot. He told me who I was, where I came from, and offered me the chance to go back. I took that offer. He gave me three days to say good-bye. After that I'll be gone forever."
The crowd gasped in stunned silence. Ponies looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Harry had said each word so bluntly, dead to emotion. Fluttershy had clsoed her eyes while Harry spoke, but it didn't stop the others from seeing the turmoil behind them. The one to break the silence was Pinkie Pie. She walked up to Harry with that same familiar smile on her face.
"Then we'll have to throw you a going away party," she said, still as bubbly as always. "It'll be the biggest party that Equestria has ever seen."
Aside from Pinkie, the ponies' expressions were... less than optomistic. Harry couldn't bare seeing the looks on everypony's face. He excused himself from the bakery and ran out of there. He walked along the roads he had walked almost every day of his life, and just thought about everything. It would be a gross understatement to say that the ponies were surprised, but the more that Harry wandered along the roads and saw everywhere he had failed, the more he realized that this was his only shot at happiness.
"So I take it you won't be going to my next show," said a familiar voice. Harry looked up. Rainbow Dash was flying just above his shoulder. She looked onwards so Harry couldn't get a read on her emotions.
"Looks like it," Harry said.
"Then I guess now's the best time to just catch up. So kid, how have you been?"
"I've... um... I've been better," Harry answered, a little confused by the question. Rainbow sighed.
"I'm sorry, it's just... I'm not used to this kind of stuff. You're really going away forever?"
"That's what Discord said."
"I see," Rainbow said. She tackled him in a hug. "Good luck out there Harry. Make us proud."
"You're not going to try and stop me?"
"You're like me Harry. Once you've got your mind set on something, nothing in Equestria will change your mind. If you think that this is what you gotta do, then you gotta do it."
Harry decided to visit some of his old hang-outs. He sat down in the meadow just outside of town, and began thinking about all of the things that had happened there. Rainbow Dash had convinced him to go to school, but the flying made any anger vanish. He had his first date out here, and though it didn't go according to plan, it was still a treasured memory that he would be leaving behind.
"Thought you'd be out here."
It was Applejack. She sat down next to Harry and passed a package. Harry opened it without saying a word. Inside the box lay an apple made entirely of gold, large enough to fill Harry's fist. Despite its size it looked like it would have been worth a fortune. Harry was speechless.
"Granny Smith said I should sell it if me or the farm ever got into trouble," Applejack said solemnly.
"But, this is—"
"All the money in the world wouldn't be worth it if you didn't remember me when you get where you're going. Happy birthday Harry."
Time seemed to slow down throughout the next couple of days, almost as if Equestria itself didn't want to let Harry leave. But even if time slowed down, it could never stop. Day three seemed to sneak up on everypony, but it came nonetheles. Harry stood just outside Sugarcube Corner. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle blocked the entrance. They had the same childish smirk that they always did.
"Hey squirt," Scootaloo said, looking up to Harry.
"Hey guys, how's it going?" Harry said, patting Scootaloo on the head.
"How could you think about leaving us!? Sweetie Belle snapped. Applebloom glared at her. "Sorry, it's just... we're gonna miss you!"
"I'm going to miss you guys too. And to answer your question, I'm leaving because I have to. Sweetie, you couldn't be such a successful singer if you stayed in Ponyville. I can't be a successful anything if I stay here."
"But we're able to come back from time-to-time, you're not!" Sweetie whined. Applebloom stepped in front of her.
"She's really gonna miss you," Applebloom said, and then she lost. She hugged Harry. "And I'm gonna miss you too."
"You'll shoot for the stars, for us, right?" Scootaloo asked.
"Of course I will."
Harry entered Sugarcube Corner with the Cutie Mark Crusaders in tow. Pinkie may not have made the biggest party in all of Equestria, but it looked like she tried her hardest to make it so. Harry had never seen so many balloons and streamers in one place in his whole life, and when Pinkie Pie is one of your best friends, that's saying something. Harry was barely able to take it all in before he was trapped in another hug. This time it was from... Rarity? She was noticeably disheveled. She managed to let go, about two minutes later.
"Still as soft as ever," she mumbled.
"I'll miss you too," Harry said, a little more out of shock than anything else.
After that little scene had come to an end the party began. Some ponies tried to beam, but their eyes betrayed their real emotions. Everypony was sad to see Harry go. All except one. Pinkie Pie was as happy and bright as ever. Harry sat down next to her.
"Aren't you sad to see me go?" Harry asked. He felt selfish about it almost immediately.
"Harry, I've always just wanted you to be happy. I can tell that you're not happy here. I can throw you a million parties, each bigger than the last, but that doesn't make you happy. You need to be with creatures like you. The best thing I can do is send you off with a smile, and that's what I plan to do."
That made the party a little easier to enjoy. It went on late into the night, with each of the ponies telling Harry how much he meant to them, mixing his mood all over the place. The only pony that didn't want a word with him was Twilight. They nervously eyed each other on occasion, but other than that they didn't spend any time together—until Harry pulled Twilight into the kitchen.
"I'm sorry Twilight," was the first thing he said.
"Don't be," Twilight said. "It's just that—I don't know. I want you to stay with us, but I want you to be happy. They seem like water and oil, don't they?"
"This isn't an easy choice for me. The only letting me make it is knowing that I'll never forget about any of you. And it's not like any of you are going to forget about me."
"I know; I'm just being selfish. I'm sorry."
"Twilight, there's no reason to be sorry. You're a good—no, a great friend—and I'll never forget all the wonderous things you've done for me."
"Thanks. I suppose now is as good a time as any to say it: good-bye Harry, forever."
The sun rose. Discord stood outside Sugarcube Corner and beckoned Harry outside. Harry walked slowly outside and noticed the crowd that surrounded him. It seemed that everypony in town was watching eagerly to see what was going to happen both with the horror their parents talked about and the horror they grew up with.
"Are you ready?" Discord asked, his face more serious than anyone had ever seen it before. "Once you cross the threshold, you will never be able to return." Discord placed a claw on Harry's shoulder.
"I—"
"STOP" a booming voice called in from up above.