Who Your True Friends Are

"Thank goodness, you're awake. Source Code, you've done it!" The voice sounded exactly like the one that had beckoned to me so many times earlier.

"I-is that you, Princess Luna?" She nodded, and I quickly sprung up, and bowed to her. "How long have you been here? For that matter, where is everypony? Besides all of us, the town seems deserted."

"All will be explained in due time, my subject. For now, I wish to congratulate you on learning one of the greatest lessons in friendship there is. You came from your home world to Equestria, and even though none of these ponies remembered anything about you, these events that have unfolded today have allowed you assist them in each of their troubles, and befriend them a second time over, as if you had all known each other since birth. You've learned that friendship is boundless, and for that I must commend you." I was being praised by Princess Luna of all ponies. I wasn't sure if my heart could race with brony excitement any more than it was at that moment.

"Thank you for your words, Princess Luna," I said with joy.

"You have nothing to thank me for. Everything you did today was on your own accord. You went out of your way to help out the ponies you care about. If anypony should be receiving thanks, it's you." I wasn't sure whether to feel prideful or flustered by what she said, so all I could do without stammering is just smile at the Princess. I then restated my questions for her.

"So, how long have you been here, and how come everypony seems to be missing?"

"That is simple. I have been following you around, to see if your travels could teach you the boundlessness of friendship. As for everypony else, my sister and I used our magic to send them away to another town. For your test to work, they could not interfere."

"So this was a test?"

"Indeed, it was, and you passed with exceptional results." Now, all of my questions had been answered, except for one.

"So, what's next for me? What else do I have to do here in Equestria?"

"About that," the princess said with displeasure. "I'm afraid that, now that your purpose here has been fulfilled, it is time for you to be sent back to your home world. If you wish to say goodbye to your friends, now would be the time to do so." My heart sank. I had finally become used to living as Source Code, and I had finally met my friends from Facebook in real life (more or less). I didn't want to have to say goodbye to them, but this was Princess Luna speaking, so I knew she had an idea what she was talking about. I walked next to my friends, and did whatever I could to cherish this last moment with them. I gave Aqua Flare a hoof bump, Regal a pat on the horn, Sabre a tap on the wings, Visual a hug, and a kiss on the cheek for Krystal, and I said my goodbyes and thanks to all of them.

"Alright, Princess Luna, I'm ready to go." She used her magic to generate a portal back to my world, and I started walking towards it. As I gave one last look back at my friends, I noticed that they were all starting to tear up. I couldn't break their hearts like this. A true friend wouldn't just abandon one, let alone five, of their own. I turned back around, and gave one last request.

"Wait, Princess Luna, I do have one more thing to ask of you." she nodded, as if to tell me to go on. "Today was one of the best days of my life. Maybe even the best. It had always been my dream to come to Equestria as a pony back in my home world, and now that it has happened, I don't want it to end here. As you can see, my friends here would really miss me, and I wouldn't want to put them through that. I care about them too much. Sure, I belong back in my home world, but now that I have been here, it seems like I've made a second life for myself, and for my friends. If you and your sister can agree to it, I would like to have a chance to come back here sometime, because, to be quite honest, I feel like now I belong in both worlds." I saw Princess Luna start to tear up as well. She dried her eyes, and replied,

"I have heard your request, and I will speak with my sister. If she can agree to it, I'll see what we can do about your request." I smiled, knowing that there was a possibility that I could return to Equestria. I thanked her for hearing me out, and finally made my way through the portal.