"Thank you all for coming," Fluttershy said confidently as she looked around at all of her friends.

All six of them (plus Spike) were all sitting around a table at Sugarcube Corner. They had all arrived there quickly as soon as they heard that Fluttershy wanted to talk with them about Toby - especially Twilight and Applejack, who had been sent from his home by Toby himself.

"Of course," Twilight responded with a smile. "How did your conversation with him go? Did he tell you why he didn't want anything to do with us?" The lavender alicorn bit her lip nervously.

Fluttershy nodded, feeling all eyes on her. "Um... he said that you were all too pushy..."

"Is that to put it lightly?" Applejack asked in a slightly disappointed tone.

Fluttershy nodded her head nervously.

"Well, that would make sense, darling," Rarity sniffed, and everyone looked at her in surprise. "From everything I have heard from you, Twilight, you and A.J. here have been forcing your company upon the poor thing. If he claims that he doesn't want help, you clearly shouldn't try and disregard him by shoving it down his throat?"

"And stop helpin' him?" Applejack protested hotly.

"Nothing like that, dear - simply be subtle," Rarity replied calmly. "I gave him a coat. You have been helping with construction, and I haven't heard him complain."

"You haven't heard him at all, silly!!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, who was the only one at the table who seemed to have energy. "Well - except for that one time you measured him for his coat. Squee!!"

"When Ah tried ta help him on tha first day Ah met 'im, he went bonkers," Applejack replied. "I haven't been able ta see him in a good light since."

"But he was such a gentlecolt when I measured him!!" Rarity protested. "Granted, I don't know him, but to me it sounds like life has been too rough on the poor dear."

"I was too rough on him," Rainbow mumbled miserably in the corner.

Twilight looked over at her friend sadly, then wrapped a wing around her. "Rainbow Dash, no one here is mad at you - I mean, how could we? You're practically a mess!"

Rainbow scowled. "And how is that information supposed to help me, exactly?"

"Well, it means you care, doesn't it?" Twilight explained. "That right there should be enough to prove that you're not a bad pony."

"Yeah!" Pinkie chimed in. "Now we just know not to give you too much power!!"

Rainbow moaned pitifully and slammed her face down on the table.

"PINKIE!!" everyone else groaned.

"Oops, hehe - squee!!"

"Going back to what we were talking about earlier," Twilight said pointedly, trying to reign conversation back in. "Rarity's right. AJ and I - especially me - have been too straightforward with him. I had some talks with Luna recently about him, and... well, what he's dealing with is apparently way worse than any of us thought."

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"Remember when Luna told us he had been in some sort of war before coming here that he didn't want to actually be a part of?" Twilight replied.

All of her friends around the table nodded.

"Well, she didn't give me any specifics - and maybe I should be grateful," Twilight added, remembering the look on Luna's face when the lunar pony had told her these things. "But Toby has seen some awful things, events that are awful beyond imagination... and these memories are torturing him."

"Well, he isn't alone," Rarity replied with a concerned frown. "There's Starlight, remember? And Sunset Shimmer - not to forget, Nightmare Moon... how can one top that? No offense to dear Luna, of course."

"Well - Luna said that she had brought up that point to him several nights ago," Twilight replied. "But she also told me that his memories are - well - 'Nightmare Moon' tier in terms of regret and intensity, if that makes any sense..."

Everyone around the table froze - could it really be that bad?

"How about a party??" Pinkie asked enthusiastically, earning eye-rolls from all around the table. "He's new to town, I could just -"

"PARTIES AREN'T GONNA FIX HIM!!!" Rainbow bellowed, causing the whole of Sugarcube Corner to fall into a deathly silence. "YOU CAN'T JUST THROW SOME RIBBONS AND CONFETTI AT HIM AND EXPECT EVERYTHING TO BE FINE!! HE'S BROKEN, PINKIE, BROKEN BECAUSE OF ME!!!!" She broke out into tears.

Automatically all of her friends moved around the table to embrace the cyan pegasus while everyone else in the bakery watched in an absolutely shocked silence. Rainbow Dash, the strongest personality in Ponyville, the one who looks danger in the eye and laughs, the one who has saved the world with her friends countless times - reduced to a sobbing mess...?

"Rainbow, if Ah've said it once, Ah'll say it a million times if Ah've got ta," Applejack said in a firm, sympathetic tone. "You are not defined by your past actions - if Toby never likes ya, that's on him. It would be his own fault he didn't get ta know the one an' only Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow smiled and hugged the cowpony even harder.

Those watching the scene unfold threw curious looks at one another. There had been rumors going around Equestria about the presence of a bipedal creature... did that have anything to do with this?

"I think we should get some sun before the winter wrap up," Pinkie suggested solemnly as the room returned to their conversations. Her demeanor had changed completely after being hollered at by her friend. "Just enjoy the snow before it's gone, you know??"

The girls all nodded in agreement and made their way towards the door. Before Pinkie could follow suit, however, a cyan hoof stopped her.

"Pinkie... listen," Rainbow said in an apologetic tone. "I'm... I'm sorry for yelling at you. It's just - Toby -"

Pinkie broke her off by way of warm embrace, squeezing her tight. "It's okay, Dashie - I forgive you. I know you didn't mean it! Now, come on!"

The two of them hurried after their friends, giggling.

Chimneys were stupid hard to build. On top of everything that had been happening, he thought things may start to look up.

Didn't seem that way anymore.

It was nearly evening, and the cementing paste he had bought from the hardware store was practically useless. He had only managed to dig a small pit in which to add extra foundation for a fireplace. He slumped to the ground into a cross-legged sitting position, placing his elbows on his knees and resting his forehead on the palms of his hands.

His mind wandered off. Fluttershy... he really appreciated how seemingly relaxed she was about his condition; she probably cared, unlike any of the others. Then again - was he being stupid? After all, when he had told Twilight and Applejack to leave, they did so without much protest. That had to mean something - were they realizing that they had been to pushy up until that point, or were they just trying to give him a moment of peace?

A lump of guilt formed in his throat. He hated being depressed like this - he would give anything just to be able to return to his old life, the life before that war. Since then, he had been mistreated - but now that he thought about it, those who had been involved with his interrogations at the castle made daily attempts to reach him. The attempts had been growing more subtle as the days went by... probably because he pushed them away.

Was he making a mistake? From day one he had associated these ponies with his own bad luck. Maybe he needed to be more optimistic? Was that the problem here - that he wasn't being grateful?

What is there to be grateful for!? he thought to himself bitterly. You lost your innocence, future, and all of your friends to the war. You come back to find that the love of your life doesn't love you back anymore, and 'forgot' to write to you about it. Then your own family forsakes you - only to be followed by a couple of botched suicide attempts that landed you in an alien world.

He felt desperate, as if he were clawing at the sides of a bottomless pit, slowly being dragged down into nothingness. It was hopeless - unless...

What if he tried to give friendship a chance? What would the others think? What if they hated him for being a jerk, for being too violent??

If he became an outcast here too, it was probably time to call the curtains for him.

A bush rustled behind him, making him jump. He faced himself in the direction of the noise, listening, as a hazy vision of a dark rainforest swam into view. He shook it out of his head - it was not what he needed right now!

A bush on the far side of the clearing quivered, and a large shape emerged.

Toby's jaw fell open. "P-Pa... Peace!"

Pacificae stood up on her hind legs and gazed at him with a look of immense tranquility.

"I'm sorry..." Toby muttered audibly. His eyes became watery as he experienced a tight clenching sensation in his chest. "I - I can't... I'm not worth it..."

Pacificae calmly closed the distance in between them and nuzzled into her friend. Toby wrapped his arms around the jackalope, holding on for dear life. He grit his teeth; he would not let himself cry.

They held this position for what seemed like years. After ten minutes, Pacificae chirped at him.

"Yeah, you're right," Toby chuckled, wiping his eyes off. "Whaddya say, Peace? Wanna help me build this chimney?"

Two weeks later ~ the day before Hearts and Hooves Day.

As Luna approached Toby's dream orb, she noticed that there were several stress fractures on the black outer shell. Whether this was a good thing or not was unknown - if the shell shattered, what would happen to the stability of the rest of the orb? Would it collapse?

She lit up her horn and entered, this time managing to avoid colliding with the barrier. She braced herself to be amidst a terrible memory of Toby's war, but when she opened her eyes she was not in a deep, sweltering, miserable jungle.

She was in the middle of a quaint town in a pleasant, deciduous environment. Strange metal carriages that drove themselves rolled past her. A man in a dark blue uniform leaned upon a mailbox, observing the small groups of humans around him with a look of slight authority. An elderly lady that held a small dog on a leash approached him, and the two began conversing happily.

Luna looked around. This place reminded her of a quaint street in suburban Manehattan, with the colorful, vibrant shops that caught passerby's eye by way of the colorful awnings that highlighted their presence along the street. A large group of salivating kids clogged up the window to a candy shop. They gawked over the delicious looking treats as they pressed their faces into the glass.

"My hometown - Wawaka," said a familiar voice from behind her that made her squawk and whirl around.

Toby giggled. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

Luna blushed. " I didn't expect to see you out of a dream before. Is this a memory of your home?"

"More than that - I remember this day like the back of my hand," Toby replied with a hint of spite in his voice.

Luna looked at him. "Wh-Whatever do you mean? How can you be in the memory of the dream, yet be aware of my presence?"

"I don't really know..." Toby replied, looking down at his own hands. "I just kinda realized I was in a dream, since I recognized that all of this had already happened. Then I was suddenly watching myself in the third person - I could think and move individually."

"Interesting..." Luna murmured. "I shall have to study such a phenomenon sometime - however, now is not that time. You said you were watching yourself?"

"Yeah - follow me," Toby replied, and started off towards the far end of the street. As they approached a gardening shop, Luna recognized the man standing in front of the storefront window. It was Toby - although he looked a lot less tired and worn. He wore a nice looking pair of black fabric pants, paired with a business jacket and a tie. He kept fidgeting with his tie and adjusting his hair, occasionally glancing down to nervously check his watch.

"What in Equestria are you doing?" Luna asked curiously.

"This was my fifth day home from the war," Toby replied with a distant look in his eyes. "The first day I was allowed out of the house by my parents - my mother finally convinced my father not to loom over me with an iron fist, and I was allowed to go out."

"Why are you so dressed up?" Luna asked.

"Marietta," Toby replied curtly. "This was the first day I saw her when I got back from Vietnam."

"Oh, how exciting!!" Luna exclaimed, making Toby scowl. Failing to notice this, she continued, "I can't imagine how excited you were on this day. It must have been wonderful!!"

"Yeah," Toby grunted, "For someone else."

Luna looked around at him, surprised. "What is the matter with you? ... Do you miss her...?"

Toby glowered at her, making her recoil. "Remember when I didn't want to tell you about the last time I gave my heart to someone on Christm -er, Hearth's Warming Eve?"

"I - I do," Luna replied, taken aback. "Why?"

"You're about to find out," Toby huffed morosely in reply, turning his attention back to his past self.

His past self straightened his tie slightly, and glanced at his watch. As soon as he did so, he jumped. Beaming, he set off down the street at a brisk pace with an excited spring in his step. Luna followed curiously, while the present Toby trudged in the back. He really didn't want to have to see this scene again, but a strange sensation in his gut told him that Luna should.

Past-Toby turned a couple corners, not relenting his speed one bit. A couple of blocks later, he came to an abrupt stop outside what was clearly a bar. A homely sign hung over the entrance, swinging softly in the pleasant afternoon breeze.

El Rancharo's
Bar and Pub

Past-Toby seemed to hesitate. His eyes were full of nervous, twitchy energy, wildly looking around as if he were afraid he were being judged for some strange reason by passerby.

"I was so nervous," Toby said sadly, watching himself fidget with his tie's alignment again. "I hadn't seen her for two years - the longest two years of my life. She was the one I would think about constantly during the war just to keep myself sane - she was a beacon of hope, well-being, and most importantly, a future..."

"She meant that much to you?" Luna asked in a hushed tone. "You have mentioned her before, and that she had been important to you, but... I had no idea it was that intense."

Toby nodded, not taking his eyes off of his past self. Past-Toby checked his reflection in the storefront mirror of the bar again, and brushed his bangs to one side.

"You were not kidding when you said you were nervous," Luna joked nervously. "But why are you taking this all in so solemnly? Was it really that bad?"

"I told you," Toby grunted, "You'll find out soon. What happens in these next few minutes has destroyed me, and I still feel it to this day."

Past-Toby straightened up his posture and took a deep breath, closing his eyes while doing so. He set his jaw and made his way for the door. Present-Toby gestured sadly for Luna to follow, and they followed him into the bar.

It was a crowded and noisy place, but still had a friendly atmosphere if you could ignore the rowdy bunch of men seated at the mahogany counter to the left. Round wooden tables were scattered about the room at neat intervals, some empty, others playing host to other drunken, obnoxious people or souls who were just looking for a quiet moment to themselves.

Past-Toby stood framed in the doorway, as his eyes raked the room. They fixed themselves upon a beautiful human girl with brown hair that fell to her shoulders in curls. She was sitting at the counter, chatting happily with another man. Past-Toby's face lit up the moment he saw her, and eagerly began making his way towards her. That was definitely Marietta; Toby had explained her appearance to Luna so well, a sure sign of love... but then something happened that changed everything.

What happened next caused her jaw to hit the floor with disgust and immense sympathy for Toby. What happened next finally made her understand what kind of pain he was experiencing to this day.

The strange man with Marietta leaned in towards her, and she submitted herself to him willingly. They entered into a passionate kiss, drawing stares and even a couple wolf-whistles from the group of loud drunks. One of the man's hands held Marietta's side, while the other drifted down her back in a sensual fashion.

The expression on Past-Toby's face would be reflected in Luna's nightmares to her dying day. It was the look of someone who had finally realized he had lost everything - someone who finally wholly and completely believed they were of no use or worth to the world anymore.

Past-Toby was finished, and he knew it.

He pelted out of the bar, earning a couple of surprised and curious looks from people in the immediate area. Luna watched him go, horrified, not even daring to look back at the cheating woman who had utterly ruined him.

"Toby..." she said quietly as her eyes began to burn. "Toby, I had no idea..."

"You didn't know a lot of things," Present-Toby agreed wearily, who was also clearly in the mood to leave. "That's alright, though... you just want to help. That's what friends do, isn't it?"

"Toby..." Luna replied softly, noticing the strange tone he had used when saying the word 'friends'.

"It doesn't matter... I'm not meant to be with anyone - at least I know that," he said grumpily as Luna faded the memory around them into nothingness.

"Toby, that's not true..."

"Luna, if you haven't noticed, I'm an alien here!!" Toby snapped. "Even if I was somehow compatible with someone here, I've pushed them all away!! I'm a jerk! Who would want to hang around a pill like me...?"

"I know a group of ponies who would be more than willing to give you a second chance at life," Luna replied, feeling a bit stung by the way he lashed out at her.

"Tch - yeah right," Toby replied. "Fluttershy, maybe, but the others? I'm sure Applejack would be real enthused to hang out with me after the way I've treated her. I've done nothing but push Twilight and her well-intentioned efforts away. I hardly know Rarity, or that other pink one you mentioned, but they'd probably hate me for treating their friends like crap."

"Not true," Luna disagreed in a confident tone, "I think they have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to support you since day one. Besides, you missed a pony."

"Who?" Toby asked, raising his eyebrow. "Is it anyone I know?"

Luna bit her lip. "On second thought... I don't know if you'd want to know."

"Try me," Toby deadpanned.

Luna swallowed. She could very well be jeopardizing the safety of one of her dear friends - but how could she know how Toby would react? He had finally just admitted to his loneliness, which was music to her ears... perhaps something had changed?

Luna sighed. "Rainbow Dash. That's who."

Toby turned away from her, hiding his expression from view. "Great. Whoopee. So not only would I get turned away by her friends, I'd get the crap beaten out of me. Again."

"If you're giving Twilight and her occasional invasive tendencies a chance, I think you need to hear this one out," Luna replied sternly. "Not a day has gone by that I haven't seen Rainbow Dash smile since I saw her before your - er - interrogation. She's a mess, Toby, and ever since she found out you were here -"

"She knows I'm here?" Toby interrupted, turning around. He had a slightly frightened look in his eyes.

"Let me finish," Luna continued. "Ever since she found out you were here in Ponyville, she has been an absolute nervous wreck. She thinks that any second you might pop out and take revenge on her for the physical and mental damage she had caused you. What she did to you back in Canterlot has haunted her, Toby, and it takes two to heal forgive such a thing. Not only do you need to forgive her, she needs to forgive herself. I'm not forcing you to do anything, Toby, but I strongly encourage that you be the bigger stallion - er, human - here."

Toby chuckled at her display of confusion at the end of the lecture. "I - I'll think about it... but back home, I would be known as a 'man', not a stallion."

"Interesting," Luna replied curiously. "And what would humans call a female, rather than 'mare'?"

"We call them 'women'," Toby replied.

"Ooh!" Luna chirped.

"Yeah," Toby laughed. "I don't see why you're so excited by this."

"Because your world is fascinating!!" Luna replied enthusiastically. She hopped slightly in place, making the butterflies in Toby's stomach flutter slightly.

"Cute," he murmured before he could process it.

Luna stopped her hopping abruptly and fixed him with a raised eyebrow. "What was that?"

"Wha -? NOTHING!!" Toby yelped, turning slightly red. "I was -"

"I could have sworn you said something," Luna pressed with a smirk. "Care to elaborate? Alicorn's ears don't lie."

"... I said nothing. NOTHING," Toby replied in a flustered tone.

"It sounded almost like you said, 'cute'!" Luna slyly remarked, grinning even wider. "But I thought you were emotionless!!"

"Alright, fine. Guilty as charged," Toby deadpanned, making Luna giggle. "It was sort of cute in an excited-puppy sort of way, you know? Don't tell you wouldn't think a dancing puppy isn't cute, because you'd be lying."

"Are you implying that I'm a dog?" Luna asked in a mock-offended tone. "Tch, the nerve!"

"In my defense, you both have four legs," Toby quipped.

Luna laughed and hugged Toby. "I'm only teasing, Toby. Loosen up a bit."

"Tch, the nerve," Toby said in an imitation of Luna's voice.

"Hey!"

"Do you think Luna was telling us the truth?" Fluttershy asked Rarity as the two made their way to Toby's home. The night before, Luna had approached them both individually in their dreams and told them about her conversation with Toby the night prior - everything that concerned them, at least. It was clear to both of them that Luna was hiding something else, for she acted a little strangely when Rarity asked her about it.

"Honestly, darling, I have no clue," Rarity admitted, taking care to avoid a muddy puddle. The Winter Wrap Up had been completed in record time this year, but some of the moisture from the snow had created some 'icky-dreadful' puddles, as Rarity so maturely put it.

"I guess we'll find out soon..." Fluttershy replied. "I don't know how he's going to react when he sees you."

"I can take it, darling," Rarity assured her anxious friend. "Honestly. He was such a gentlecolt when he came by for his coat, so maybe he won't mind my presence. Maybe the food will help soften the tension," she added, shaking the basket of bread, butter, jam, and eggs they had brought.

The two friends continued through the woods in silence, admiring the beauty of the post-winter woods. Everything seemed to gleam happily, encouraging all the hibernating critters that resided there to come out.

"My my, what a quaint little place," Rarity commented as they approached his cabin.

Fluttershy stared in amazement at the stone chimney that was on the left side of the home. "That wasn't there yesterday... how did he do it?"

"Are you saying that he built that in a day?" Rarity asked incredulously, following her friend's gaze. "I find that hard to believe, but not impossible to do, I guess. Shall we?"

Fluttershy nodded, and the two of them approached the front door. The deck out front gleamed in the morning sunlight, boasting its beautiful carved handrails that had been assembled by Applejack and her brother. The roof glinted with post-winter moisture, the tiles each doing their job in keeping the house inside nice and dry. This was also assembled by Applejack, along with some others; it baffled her that Toby had still failed to say thank you.

Fluttershy knocked softly on the door. A grunting snore resounded from inside in reply.

"Toby, darling, we have breakfast!" Rarity called out.

"Wha -? Where -?" said a faint masculine voice, followed by a dull thud. Footsteps... then the door was flung open to reveal a very tired looking Toby.

"Oh! Fluttershy," he said groggily. "You're earlier than usually are for these morning visits."

Fluttershy exchanged a look with Rarity. "Um, no I'm not."

"You're - not?" Toby replied, looking bewildered. "But it's only - wait, what time is it?"

"I left home about eight, and it took about five minutes to walk here," Fluttershy answered. "Did you sleep in today?"

Toby rubbed his eyes. "Must have..." He then noticed Rarity standing there. "What is she doing here?"

"I just thought that maybe I could tag along," Rarity replied nervously, biting her lip. "I hope that's not a problem...?"

Toby stared at her. "You - you want to come in? And talk to me?"

Rarity blinked. "Well - yes, darling, that was sort of the point of coming along. Is something wrong? Am I out of place here?"

To the immense surprise of the two ponies, Toby smiled. "Nope. Why don't you come in? I'll wake Pacificae."

As they walked inside, Fluttershy let out an excited squeak. "You two are friends again?? How exciting!! Where did you find her?"

Taking a seat at the table, Toby chuckled. "Actually, she found me. I was trying to work on my chimney yesterday, and she came up out of the woods. Then we just kinda made up on the spot."

"Yes - about that - how in Equestria did you manage to finish a chimney that size in one night?" Rarity asked, setting the basket of food on the table.

"Well, I wasn't doing so hot until Peace showed up - I know this sounds kind of gross, but when we mix her saliva with mud and clay, it makes for a super strong cementing paste - way better than that garbage you can get at the hardware store," Toby replied as he reclined in his chair. "Isn't that right, Peace? Peace? Oy, Peace, wake up!"

The jackalope, who had been slumbering on his bed, didn't budge.

"Ah well," Toby grunted as he turned back around. "What's in the basket, Miss Rarity?"

"Just Rarity is fine," Rarity giggled. "And here Fluttershy and I brought you some breakfast rolls, butter, jam, and eggs - although I forgot why we brought the eggs, since you have nothing to cook them on..."

"It's a work in progress," Toby said dismissively. "Thanks so much, though!"

"Of course," Fluttershy replied, smiling brightly at him. "It was no trouble."

Toby dove into the basket, pulling out napkins, a few butter knives, the condiments, and the rolls. He divided them up, and they began to eat.

"So - um, Toby..." Fluttershy said quietly. "You seem in a good mood today. May I ask why? ... If that's okay with you, I mean."

Toby smiled at the unnecessary politeness, but after a moment his expression immediately changed into a slight frown. "I - I've just been thinking a lot lately..."

Rarity took a dainty bite out of her roll and stared at Toby. "I can tell - from the sounds of it, you haven't been too happy lately..."

Toby groaned and placed his forehead down on the table.

"Oh dear... I'm really sorry, darling," Rarity apologized quickly, seeing her error. "I didn't mean it in the insensitive way I said it!"

"No, it's okay," Toby replied. "It's just... yeah, I haven't been happy, and it's taken a while for me to be honest with myself about it. "It's just - I'm tired of feeling like the grouchy alien on the hill. I know I have reasons, but... it's really lonely up here, being by myself every day. When you began visiting me a week ago, Flutters, I think I started to notice it more."

"But you have Pacificae, too," Rarity pointed out.

"Not before yesterday, though," Toby replied. "Remember?"

"Right, right... forgive me."

"It's cool, Rarity," Toby replied reassuringly. "As I was saying, though, I just started to notice how lonely I felt. I kind of wanted friends, but I still felt bitter towards ponies in general, save a few. "The more I thought about it, though, and the more I talked to Luna about it, I realized that I was isolating myself. I sort of realized that - that I wanted friends. People to talk to and laugh with... and all I've done since coming to Equestria is push you guys away."

"You haven't pushed us away," Rarity replied, making Toby look up at her incredulously. "We've actually been waiting - Twilight most of all - for you to open up more. Speaking of Twilight, she does feel really bad about trying to shove help down your throat - she can be a bit over the top sometimes..."

Toby laughed. "Yeah... it's okay. I forgive her."

The words had simply fallen out of his mouth, but the impact it had on him was monumental. A small burden seemed to slip and fall off of his shoulders - he still felt heavy, but a little less so now.

"Would - would she want to be friends, then?" Toby asked. "I know that sounds childish, but -"

"Twilight already thinks you're a friend," Fluttershy said happily. "I do, too."

"And so do I," Rarity chirped. "Remember, Twilight was the Princess of Friendship for the longest time. Still is, really, but now she's responsible for even more. Despite all this, she still considers helping you a priority."

"Wha - me!?" Toby yelped. "I'm more important to her than an entire freaking country??"

"I didn't say that," Rarity replied. "If Equestria was in danger, she would be on top of that. Things have been smooth, though, since the last incident with Tirek, Cowzy Glow, and Chrysalis -"

"I don't even wanna know," Toby joked.

"- But since then, things are running smoothly. Despite the responsibility of running a country, she's still concerned for your well-being," Rarity continued. "If that isn't friendship, I don't know what is."

"But what about the rest of you?" Toby asked. "Applejack has to hate me after I turned her away like that. I don't know about that pink one, whatever her name was..."

"Oh, Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy answered. "It's impossible to get her to hate anyone, and when we all thought you died, she wouldn't come out of Sugarcube Corner for a long time."

"And Rainbow Dash... is she really scared of me?" Toby asked, and the expressions on the faces of the other two became deadly serious.

"Y-Yes... how did you know??" Fluttershy asked in a timid voice.

"Luna told me," Toby sighed, and he placed his head down on the table. "I'm just sick of holding grudges..."

"Aren't you afraid of her, darling?" Rarity asked.

"I - I don't know," Toby replied hesitantly. "Luna told me that she genuinely felt bad about the interrogation... for some reason, I want to believe her. I'm sick of being depressed all the time, and the worst part about it is that I can't really help feeling that way most of the time. I think I'm becoming desperate, girls - I-I don't want to be like this for the r-rest of my life..." His voice broke, and Fluttershy went over to hug him.

"Rainbow has been an absolute mess after the - erm - incident in your cell at C-Canterlot," Rarity replied, looking as if that were the absolute last thing she could think about. Had his suicide attempt really affected them this bad?

"She hasn't been anything like herself recently," Rarity continued. "When she learned that you were back in town, she became a nervous wreck - she thinks you're going to get back at her... you're not going to, right?" She cast him a nervous look.

Toby looked down at his hands. "No. That wouldn't help - if anything, it would only make me feel worse about myself..."

They ate in silence for a while, only broken by the sound of the butter knives clinking against the jam jar. Finally Rarity cleared her throat awkwardly.

"So, um... Toby, you've been talking to Luna?" she asked.

"Yeah," Toby replied, and a beautiful pair of cyan eyes swam to the foreground of his vision. "She's pretty great nowadays..."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow. "Wait - are you...?"

"Am I what?" Toby asked curiously, feeling slightly uncomfortable as the unicorn scrutinized him.

"Oh, sweet Celestia..." she finally gasped, and leaned over to Fluttershy. She murmured something in the pegasus's ear, and now both of them were looking at him in a funny way.

"Guys...?"

"Um... how often do you, um... see Luna?" Fluttershy asked, blushing deeply.

"Uh... she comes to my dreams every night," Toby replied. "Why?"

"I thought you didn't like her," Rarity pressed with a sly look.

"Only until I learned who she really was, and now she's my best friend along with Peace," Toby replied nervously.

Rarity squealed, then she and Fluttershy put their heads together and conversed in low tones.

"Okay, what's going on here??" Toby asked, now a bit indignant.

"Oh, don't be thick," Rarity cooed. "You know what we're talking about - you like her, don't you? You do, right?"

"What!? No!!" Toby yelped, nearly falling out of his seat. "That came out of nowhere! What gave you that idea!?"

"Quick on the defense, aren't we?" Rarity giggled.

"You look a bit flustered," Fluttershy added.

"No - no! You're completely reading into it," Toby protested. "Besides, even if I did, she doesn't feel the same way."

"And how would you know that??" Rarity asked smugly.

"Because I wanted to know if she genuinely meant what she said on Hearth's Warming Eve," Toby deadpanned. "So I asked her, and it was a definite no. Any more questions?"

"When are you going to ask her to be your special somepony?" Fluttershy asked politely.

"WH-WHAT!? No!!" Toby sputtered. "What is that even supposed to mean?"

"Exactly how it sounds," Rarity pressed. "Every time you've said your name, your eyes sparkle."

"They do not!!!"

"Do too, darling!!"

"Um... do too?" Fluttershy added.

Many minutes were spent heckling Toby and his supposed crush on Luna. The topic soon changed, though, much to Rarity's dismay (being the gossip diva she was). As the sun ascended in the sky, Toby could feel himself grow closer to these ponies. He was feeling more of a resolve to go and live... after some time, of course.

Toby was busy explaining to his two friends how an automobile worked when someone hammered on the front door.

BANG!! BANG!! BANG!!

"Who in Equestria could that be??" Rarity asked, thoroughly startled.

"Hold on," Toby grunted as he got up from his seat. He crossed the room and heaved the front door wide open.

"Luna!?"

Luna was indeed on his front doorstep. "Hello, Tobias," she replied cheerfully.

"Is something wrong??" Toby asked, looking around at the surroundings outside. She was alone.

"Wrong? No, nothing's wrong," Luna replied blankly. "Why do you ask?"

"You nearly knocked down my front door," Toby deadpanned.

"Oh! That - I must have gotten carried away with excitement," Luna replied, blushing. "It's just - today is Hearts and Hooves Day!!!"

"Come again?" Toby asked, blinking.

"H-Hearts and Hooves Day," Luna repeated, now looking a bit deflated. "Have you never heard of such a holiday before?"

Toby shook his head blankly. "Is this important?"

"Er - um, not really," Luna replied, looking hesitant.

"Uh... wanna come in??" Toby asked, gesturing a hand towards the indoors.

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd accompany me to the bowling alley," Luna blurted.

"Ponies can bowl?" Toby asked. "Weird. To answer your question, though, sure! That sounds like fun. Maybe you can explain to me what this Heart's and Hooves Day is."

"No worries, Luna!!" rang out the voice of Rarity from inside. She sounded a bit more excited than was normal. "We can explain it to him!!"

"Y-You can??" Luna replied, blushing.

"I don't see a problem in that," Toby laughed. "What's up? You look like you're suffocating yourself. You wanna join us and eat something? We have breakfast rolls."

"Th-That sounds lovely, b-but I have - um, other things to - you know - do," Luna stammered. She then began trotting back towards Ponyville. "See you tonight, Tobias!"

"Wait!!" Toby called out after her. "When and where do you want to meet?"

Luna came to an abrupt halt, then turned to face him. "I'll just come and get you," she replied with a smile. She then turned and departed from view.

"Okay then..." Toby muttered, turning back to go inside. He only made it two steps before noticing how both Fluttershy and Rarity were on their hooves facing him, grinning ear to ear.

"What are you two smiling about??"

Author's Note

Yeah, so the ending may be a bit abrupt for some of you. I just wanted to get this done. Sorry...