Life had proceeded very well for the two newcomers to Equestria. Abstraction had made quite a name for himself across the kingdom, and many artist enthusiast ponies traveled from far and wide to Canterlot in order to get a chance to meet him. Once again, he was getting so many commission requests on the PonyNet, he had to periodically halt them, and take an occasional vacation. Of course, his vacations were always spent either in Ponyville with Lyra, or she would come up to visit him in Canterlot. Sometimes, though, the two would travel around Equestria to some nice tourist spots.

Pan Fry had also started dating for the first time in this new world. She met another culinary enthusiast in her age group, a Pegasus stallion named Medium Rare, who had a reddish-brown hide the same color as her hair, and a dark brown mane and tail, as well as a small goatee. He was fairly mild-mannered and kind, but his sense of humor, especially about food, was always able to make her laugh.

Truth be told, Pan Fry had become somewhat paranoid about males after her horrendous experience with Ed, but was able to clear up her fear by telling Medium about what happened, but never mentioning that she was a human. Medium was shocked about what happened to her, and, while holding her in a caring hug, promised that he would never try to hurt her.

Soon, the two got engaged... but it seemed like it would be years before they could ever be willing to absolutely tie the knot. It was mostly on Pan Fry's part, due to her uncertainty... but Medium Rare was able to warm up to her fairly quickly, and he was absolutely nothing like Ed.

To this day, it is not clear what ever happened to Edward and Daniel Richardson. No one from either dimension knew if they were alive or dead... not that anypony from Equestria really cared, nor did very many people on Earth.

All that mattered was that Abstraction and his mother, Pan Fry, could finally live the happiest life they could ever have, after nearly a decade of despair and lost hope...

One morning, Abstraction woke up at the crack of dawn after a good night's sleep. It was quite rare for him to be up this early, given that he was still a natural night owl... yet he did not feel the need to go back to sleep. If anything, the light of the morning sun was beckoning him... inviting him...

He walked over to the front door, opening it... and taking in the beauty of the world around him. If there was anything Abstraction liked to do, particularly after life in the human world, it was rooting himself in the present moment of bliss. He began his walk across Canterlot, waving to the occasional pony that he passed by who greeted him casually.

Soon enough, Abstraction made it to the edge of the Equestrian capitol, and set off on the mountainous terrain on the exterior. He made sure to put on his special hiking horseshoes for this special walk he liked to take every now and then, despite it being infrequent. This just made it that much more special.

The young Unicorn stallion climbed the winding path that circled around Canterlot Mountain, the sun slowly beginning to peek over the Eastern horizon. It was like a beacon of hope... peace... happiness... the warm orange glow helping him to feel at total ease. The ascent up the path felt like an incredible journey that would all be worth it in the end... and as it just happened, the instant he set foot in Equestria was when he finished his metaphorical journey that his cruel life had offered him.

Abstraction made it to the very summit of the mountain, with only his own soul for company as he watched the sun finally reveal itself in whole. As the brisk, yet calm breeze blew through his mane and tail, the freelance artist pony took a long breath, a lungful, of the cool, crisp, pure Equestrian morning air through his nose. He held it in for a moment, and exhaled slowly through his mouth as blissful tears welled up in his eyes.

“...I'm home.” He said.

Even to this day, Abstraction still could not believe that he may very well be one of the only two humans to have the privilege to live in Equestria with a bunch of cheery ponies who were infinitely better than the sleazy people of the human world. He was almost certain he would spend the remainder of his life "capturing the moment"... the true beauty that the world of Equus held.

Originally a human, Kyle Schaeffer began as a massively-introverted adolescent who always felt depressed and like, as he put it, “the most useless person to ever live”, but his depression was never real. In truth, he was estranged, lonely, and angry at the world. It was through the sympathy and love given to him by Lyra that he was finally able to regain a sense of trust in others.

His facing constant bullying and abuse, typically due to abstaining from cultural norms or accidentally breaking rules he did not know about, made him very fearful of social settings, especially around authority figures. His fear of being emotionally and physically tormented made him fearful of his peers, who could easily take advantage of him...

...But now, though he would never forget about it... Abstraction could finally leave his old life behind. Were there things he could have done differently? Absolutely. If he had it all to do over again, would he change everything that transpired? Surprisingly... he would not.

If things did not happen in the manner that they did... if Kyle Schaeffer was never left behind by his mother... he would never have met the love of his life... he would never have transformed his personality... and he would not be standing here. So, Kyle Schaeffer, now Abstraction, would not change a thing about the past. That's all it is now: the past.

If I didn't find Lyra... then who would've? Abstraction always thought. That's just it; there's no one else! I had to find her... and I had to keep her... and now, I get to STAY WITH HER! In fact... it was my destiny to take care of her, right from the beginning! This was my DESTINY all along! To become a pony and live in Equestria for the rest of my life with the pony I truly love with all my heart...

Abstraction stood on the mountaintop for a long while, perhaps twenty minutes... perhaps an hour... before he eventually decided to head back down and into Canterlot... his new home... his rightful home.

The End?

Author's Note

Credit for background with the image of Pan Fry and Medium Rare goes to "csillaghullo".
Credit for background with the image of Abstraction on the mountaintop goes to "BonesWolbach".

Would've posted this chapter soon... but I just had wisdom teeth surgery and have been sleep deprived to take my pain meds every 4 hours. Wish me luck in my recovery!